Hosea 8
Hosea 8:2
Israel cries out to me, “Our God we acknowledge you!”
Acknowledging the Lord does not make you justified before Him, but knowing Him does! Paul said in Philippians 3:10 “That i may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made comfortable unto His death;” Therefore, this phrase indicates that once me move past religion and into a relationship with God, we can experience the fullness of Christ and apprehend His dimensions (2 Cor 2:12).
Hosea 8:4
They set up kings without my consent; they chose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.
- The Divine Right of Kings was a belief prominent in the Middle Ages, that a monarch could execute earthly authority, since they have been granted powers by God. The first sign of earthly kings was mentioned in the book of 1 Samuel. The Israelites asked the prophet Samuel to ask God to give them a king, and though He was greatly displeased by this (as it showed that they did not trust Him) God still granted them this desire (1 Samuel 18:22).
-The Lord told Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:7 “and the Lord told Him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.” This was the exact reason why Samuel was upset, he felt God’s pain as he knew how upset the Father would be that His Chosen people wanted a mere human being to rule over them, instead of Him.
Hosea 8:10
Although they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty King.
OH oh! At first glance, this phrase seems horrific; why would God declare that His Chosen ones will waste away, when he was the one who created them in the first place? It is important to know that the reason why the Israelites wanted an earthly king in the first place, was because they believed that God was unable to supply all their needs. They lacked faith! However, God’s plan was probably to show that just because they had a king, it did not mean that your needs would be taken into account. For example, if we looked at the king in the Old Testament, even Herod in the New Testament, we can easily come to the conclusion that many of them exploited their powers and worked against the people. Yet God still remained faithful and offered them things that no one else could offer them. Some trust in fools and chariots, but WE trust in the Name of the Lord our God, they are brought to the knees and they fall down, but we rise up and stand firm!
Hosea 8:11
"Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning.”
Even the altars that were used to sacrifice to God, had become a place of sin. This is seen in the example of Eli’s two sons (Phinehas and Hophni) who would sleep with women outside the tabernacle, yet they were both priests. Today, the altars for sinning can still be prevalent in a church. In some “churches”, people only preach for money and use church as a business exchange. For example, setting a target of how much money you are going to make within a service. Offerings Some preachers normally use phrases along the lines of, “thus saith the Lord, you should give this amount....” However, offerings should be from the heart as God loves a cheerful giver. As believers, we need to use the spirit of discernment more so that we will not be carried away or succumb to false shepherds. If we fix our gaze on the author and perfecter of our faith, the True Shepherd, then our worries would be overcome by the peace within that God wants us to draw upon (John 14:27).
Hosea 8:13
Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt.
-This conveys that the only way that the Lord could get angry at one’s sacrifice is if it is done in vain. I honestly believe that the Israelites got too comfortable and even proud, that they were God’s Chosen people. It seems as if they had the type of mindset that said, “It does not matter what I do, as long as i remember to do all the sacrifices for my sin.”
-Similarly, we too can have that kind of mindset which goes along the lines of, “It doesn’t matter what I do because Jesus loves me, therefore I am going to heaven!”
Yes Jesus loves you, and He is merciful, compassionate and kind, however, the LORD is righteous. We can only be righteous by having faith in Him, and that means coming to the Word to know Him more and to behold His beauty. Once you are transformed by Christ, those wordly desires no longer have a foothold in your life.
