Hosea Chapter 5
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, for you
have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor."
The prophesies of the Old Testament are very specific and are
addressed not only to Israel, but also to us – to you and me, that we
might understand the Lord (1 Peter 1:10-12). The immediate recipients of
this prophesy were the 10-northern tribes of Israel. Addressed were the
religious leaders, political leaders, and the "house of Israel"
(everybody else). A careful reading of 1 Peter 1:10-12, indicates that
the prophets such as Hosea, spoke of Christ, and they are addressed to
EVERY one of us.
These were "respectable" people (to themselves and to those around
them), who had substituted their own works for TRUST in the Lord God.
We’re all sinners (Romans 3:23) and every person is in danger of the
Judgment of God. Mizpah (es-Salt), by the way, was east of the river
Jordan, in the hills of Gilead, where Jacob and Laban entered into
covenant. Tabor is a solitary cone, rising from the plain of Jezreel,
west of the river.
Game had been netted and snared on Tabor and at Mizpah in the past,
but now the snares were around the hearts of people. The religious
leaders had instituted practices which led both the politicians (the
house of the king) and the people, away from God.
Verse 2. "The revolters have gone deep in depravity, but I
will chastise all of them."
There are several theories about this verse. One of them is that
actual brigands hid in the places mentioned in verse 1, and waited to
kill those who wanted to attend the feasts in Jerusalem. Another thought
it referred to animal sacrifices (in Mizpah and Tabor) to false "gods"
such as the Baalim. A third group feels this verse simply refers to the
entrapment of the people into false religion.
The Hebrew for the first part of the verse is literally "slaughtering
they have made deep" which is an idiomatic expression suggesting the
third idea is the best. The greatest danger is not that we will be
murdered, though that would be terrible, but even worse is that we might
be led into false religion, which is murder of the soul. But don’t be
afraid, for our Lord has set us free, that we might be free of
everything that would ensnare us, including false religion.
Verse 3. "I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
for now, O Ephraim, you
have played the
harlot, Israel has defiled itself."
In another place, we are taught: "Woe to those who seek deep to hide
their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they
say, ‘Who sees us?’ and ‘Who knows us?’" (Isaiah 29:15). The response to
such an attitude is right here in this verse: Israel (a.k.a. Ephraim)
was not hidden from Him at all – and neither are we – your motives and
mine are open to the Lord.
If something about your life is "defiled" (as in this verse), it is
not hidden from Him. You may ignore or rationalize your sin, but it
should catch your attention when you see that our holy God is intimately
aware of all you do and think. It is not our own assessment of ourselves
that matters (to be human is to be in denial), but HIS – He knows us
utterly, as no man ever could. The good news is that He who knows you is
also He who loves you.
Verse 4. "Their deeds will not allow them to return to their
God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the
Lord."
In their hearts and in their lives, the people of Israel had no
thought of repentance. In them was a total refusal to trust in God. They
were busy, religious people, but they did not drop to their knees and
fervently seek the Lord. False religion is much like the "Tar Baby" in
relation to "Bre’r Rabbit" – once you get in, it’s difficult to get out.
There was a spirit of "harlotry" within them, and few among that people
knew the Lord.
They should have known Him. This nation of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
had witnessed His miracles. They had received His law and His prophets.
Much like modern America, Great Britain, Russia, and the rest, they
should have turned to the Lord. They should have trusted in Him, but
like the people of this present time, they had gone far away from our
God.
Verse 5. "Moreover, the pride of Israel testifies against him,
and Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also has
stumbled with them."
The verb "testifies" here, is perhaps better translated as "humbled",
which renders the sentence this way: "humbled shall be the pride of
Israel to his face." The Septuagint (LXX) translated it similarly, and
it is literally: "The pride of Israel shall be brought low before his
face." Pride will bring us down.
Ephraim was a beautiful section of Israel at that time; much more
fertile than Judah to the south. The northern nation (Israel/Ephraim)
had already stumbled badly because of their sin. Note that the southern
state of Judah (including the tribe of Benjamin) was beginning to falter
also. Sin is contagious.
Verse 6. "They will go with their flocks and herds To seek the
Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them."
With all their flocks and herds they would go to seek the Lord. The
basis of their religion was sacrifice. And the imagery here is that if
they went and sacrificed every animal in their herds, it would be too
little, too late. Religion is fine, but there must be more. God wants
your heart.
All too often we give Him mere religion, when He wants our very
lives. The one (religion) can be good but the other (worship) is
infinitely more. By restricting ourselves to outward service, we build a
barrier to His love. The next step is that we experience Him less and
less, until we wonder, "Where is God?" (When in fact, it was you and me
who went away).
Verse 7. "They have dealt treacherously against the Lord, for
they have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon will devour them
with their land."
As stated previously, Israel was supposed to have evangelized the
world for the Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth. The Church is
supposed to do the same thing, but much like Israel, we often prefer
ideas and programs to the work of the kingdom. We tend to easily get off
the track, and when we do, others will follow us. We reproduce ourselves
in the manner of the "illegitimate children" (NKJV = "strange children")
of this verse.
Obviously, this is not pleasing to the Lord, and when we go in the
wrong direction and mislead others, we have dealt "treacherously" with
Him. Israel had plenty of religious ceremonies, as reflected by the
reference to the "new moon" feasts of this verse. Our false religion
will eat us up (devour us) and our sin will destroy our land.
Verse 8. "Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound
an alarm at Beth-aven: Behind you, Benjamin!"
The blowing of trumpets and the sounding of an alarm is a call to
war. This is a warning that the enemy has been seen by the lookouts and
he’s entering our land! Israel was in trouble and the ones who blew the
trumpets and shouted the warnings were the prophets of God. Amos was
still prophesying at this time, as were Isaiah and Micah, who prophesied
in the southern kingdom of Judah.
There was a "Gibeah" in Judah, but this was the Gibeah within the
area of the tribe of Benjamin. Ramah was a city in southern Judah, which
was allotted to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:8). Beth Aven was a town
in northern Benjamin. Hosea spoke to the northern nation of Israel, but
his message also reached Judah to the south. God’s concerns are for us
all. Whether we call ourselves Baptists, Methodists, Catholics,
Presbyterians, or those of Calvary Chapel, we need to have less "issues"
and more of the love of God. We need a heart for the Lord, and for His
people.
Verse 9. "Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of
rebuke; among the tribes of Israel I declare what is sure."
Ephraim was a son of Joseph, and his descendants became one of the
tribes of Israel, the northern kingdom. "His" area was to become a place
of desolation. Ephraim was to be more than just barren for a short
period. It was to become truly a "desolate (forsaken) place", as the
words literally are in the Hebrew. To be a resident of Ephraim at that
time, was to be in grave danger.
And yet, as we know in Christ Jesus, our God is not only sure in
judgment, He is also rich in mercy. We see that part of Him in Jonah
3:4, where a people was told, "40-days and Ninevah shall be overthrown."
As you read further, note Jonah 5:10, where "God saw their works, that
they turned from their evil ways, and God relented from the disaster
that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it."
Unfortunately, Ephraim would not turn from their sin, as Ninevah did.
Verse 10. "The princes of Judah have become like those who
move a boundary; on them I will pour out My wrath like water."
What is expressed here is exactly like waking up in the morning and
finding that your neighbor has somehow moved the fence between your
properties 12 inches onto your land. He (your neighbor) gained and you
lost, because he cheated you. We saw such boundary stones between
properties, when we were in Israel. A dishonest man could easily move
such stones and defraud their neighbors.
The prophesy of Hosea was aimed at Israel, but also looked across the
national border and pointed to Judah. We have all been "like those who
move a boundary", for we are all sinners. Life is far too short to spend
in nursing our petty attitudes, and we dishonor God when we do not care
for those around us. It’s time to really TURN to Him and receive His
love.
Verse 11. "Ephraim is oppressed, crushed
in judgment, because he was determined to follow man's command."
Do we live this Christian life in our own strength? Do we teach His
Word because we are so well educated? This is an area of theological
disagreement which has been continuing for centuries; probably since the
beginning of time. The answer is right here in this verse. Do we follow
men? Yes, in some ways, but FIRST, we follow God. The LIFE we live in
Christ, can only be accomplished through the power of God.
Why was Ephraim judged by God? This was a religious nation, but the
people willingly walked by human precepts. When we determine that we
will do the works of God in our own strength, our own power; we will 1)
fail, and 2) displease God. We will fail because ministry on human terms
will eventually be shut down by the Lord. We displease Him because the
work of the Spirit is not accomplished by the arm of the flesh.
Verse 12. "Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim and like
rottenness to the house of Judah."
It’s distressing when you have a favorite article of clothing and the
moths get to it, almost before you do. "Rottenness" reminds me of the
black "blight" (whatever it is) that has grown between the tiles on the
bathtub walls. I used different cleaning agents and scrubbed, literally
for years, until someone suggested bleach. It works and it’s easy. To
serve God in the power of His Spirit (not your power) WORKS and is far
easier than we would have expected.
Israel, like many in the Church, was attempting to be "religious"
without the power and love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Yes we do
"work" and yes there is opposition to what we do, but we don’t do the
work alone. The reason His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light"
(Matthew 11:30) is because He carries the load, in us and through us.
Let us not be like those who put their works ahead of His.
Verse 13. "When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb. But he is unable to
heal you, or to cure you of your wound."
Here’s another mistake we all have made: That is when we finally
understand we have a "sickness" in our land, and we go to the wrong
place for a cure. Israel saw they were falling apart as a nation, which
they tried to solve by making treaties with other countries. Assyria was
the nation that would eventually conquer them (it was not a good choice
to make friends with them) and Jareb was an Assyrian king.
We all have a fatal illness of the soul, which can only be cured in
Christ Jesus. He indeed is the cure you need, whether your life seems
"good", or if it is falling apart. Human friends, the best doctors, and
even bodyguards – none of that can save your soul, when the destroyer
comes to take your life. You need Jesus, who can save you, body and
soul.
Verse 14. "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim and like a
young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear to pieces and go
away, I will carry away, and there will be none to deliver."
This verse sounds very much like a National Geographic special, where
the lion drags the zebra away. To reject God and then attempt to
insulate our lives against known problems is very dangerous, for we were
not created to go it alone, and we will ultimately fail. We were created
to live in concert with God. When we attempt to go it alone, we will
eventually lose out – and there will be none to deliver us.
The one who says "a good God would never harm to come to people", by
the way, simply has not read this verse. God loves us too much to let us
remain in our sin forever. He will place us into an optimum
life-setting, where we must finally abandon our self-sufficiency (verse
11) and learn to TRUST in Him. Only He can deliver you and me.
Verse 15. "I will go away and return to My place until they
acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will
earnestly seek Me."
This is a continuation of verse 14, where the lion drags away its
prey. But in this case, we see that the destruction of the victim,
actually works to its benefit. Because of what Jesus has done for you
and me, we may be brought to TRUST in the Lord. Death becomes life and
ruin becomes victory (in Him). When we are in the Lord, we can never be
lost. He will and He does find His lost "sheep" and brings us home at
last.
The suffering of this world is a deliberate act (Genesis 3:16-19) and
the purpose in all of this tribulation, is that we might be taken from
the ruin of unbelief and brought into the freedom of faith in Him. "The
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me FREE from the law
of sin and death" (Romans 8:2). We were dead to God, but we can be
alive in Him.
Ron Beckham
Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
