Dwell in the Word: Hosea 4:1-19

Consider these questions as you dwell in Hosea 4:1-19:

1. In this chapter, Hosea describes severe moral degradation in Israel, where idolatry intertwines with sexual practices in pagan worship. How does this association between idolatry and immorality emphasize the gravity of Israel's spiritual decline, and what lessons can modern believers draw from this correlation in terms of prioritizing faithfulness to God?

2. The connection between Israel's idolatry and engaging in pagan sexual rituals is highlighted in Hosea's message. How does this intertwining of worship and sexual practices reflect a departure from the worship of God, leading to a deeper spiritual downfall? What parallels can we draw in today's culture concerning the dangers of intertwining spirituality with worldly practices?

3. Hosea discusses Israel's entanglement in idolatrous practices, leading to a sense of enslavement and eventual shame. How can this narrative serve as a cautionary tale for individuals today, emphasizing the consequences of pursuing worldly desires over a steadfast commitment to God? How might modern believers guard against similar spiritual pitfalls in their pursuit of a faithful relationship with God?

Transcript:

 This is arguably some of the harshest language we have read so far, isn't it?  And it doesn't feel like this was where we should be going, right? Uh, didn't we just look at the end of chapter 3? Afterward, the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord.

And to his goodness in the latter days reasons to celebrate, but quickly we hear the word of the Lord and the word of the Lord is going to Israel and the Lord has a controversy. We read there in verse one and what is the problem? Well, as it says right here, there is no faithfulness. There's no steadfast love.

There's no knowledge of God in the land, but instead they're swearing, lying, murder, stealing, committing adultery. They break all bounds and bloodshed follows bloodshed. In other words, God is looking for faithfulness and love and a knowledge of him, but instead the exact opposite is happening. They are running from the things of God, and they are seeking out all of these things that go against his commands.

And ultimately, what is the big issue that we see here? There is a lot that's being said, but we have to stop for a minute and look at verse 4 here where it says for with you is my contention Oh Priest, so even the priests are turning away from God. They're offering sacrifices To the two to false gods and we see this in verse 14 what we're what we're meant to really understand about this here verse 14.

I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore. No, your brides when they commit adultery for the men themselves Go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes and a people without understanding shall come to ruin What's happening here? God is saying, look, I'm, I'm not going to punish the daughters for being the prostitutes basically for being a part of this when it's the men, it's the priests, it's, it's everyone who is going after these things.

Now, it's important that we understand that a lot of what is happening here. It's not simply people going off with prostitutes, um, apart from a religious affiliation here. Um, it's hard, hard to talk about this, um, and, and to, and to be clear, what they're talking about here is this cult prostitute type of thing.

It's involved with pagan worship. You've heard me say many times that, that, uh, pagan sexuality is, is an interesting thing to look at. Very rarely did people leave from the following of God and, and go and just like, like going to another church or going to practice another religion, religion. The paganism they sought after, when they went after the Baals and they worshipped at the Asherah poles, there were terrible things that happened there.

It wasn't just going someplace else. It was... It was the activity of this pagan sexuality that was occurring there. And, and it's important for us to understand that a lot of what happens there is, is the rejection of the God of nature, right? That, that God no longer is the one who is able to tell them, uh, what they are able to do with their bodies.

Also, that they are, they are seeking, After this euphoria, uh, an assent spiritually, and they're doing this sexually again, it’s  really hard to explain. We have a very short amount of time. I guess I could go 50 minutes, but I doubt anybody. I mean, I don't know if anybody listens now, but you really wouldn't if I went 50 minutes, but it's important that we understand here that yes, they are committing adultery.

Yes, that sin is absolutely horrible, but it's connected here in the book of Hosea and in other parts of the Old Testament It's connected so deeply To idolatry that they are going after other gods. They are not just going after sin This is this is worship of  another false god And so what's being said here in verse 17 is you know  I'm not going to punish the women who are doing this because, um, the men, the, the priests, everyone is going after, um, These prostitutes and they're sacrificing to cult prostitutes  And so what does God have to say here a people without understanding shall come to ruin?

They need to understand that they need to return to their God  And again, this is this is about them pursuing things Other than God not just pursuing pleasure, but pursuing other false gods That is so important for us to understand God is not only calling them away from sin He's calling them back to himself and back to true worship  And so  we see at the end with verse 19 a wind has wrapped them in its wings And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

In other words, they have gone after false gods. They're making sacrifices They're doing these sexual religious rituals, uh to these false gods and they're wrapped up in it Uh, they're not able to get away from it. They have become enslaved to these things, but god does say that they shall be ashamed because their sacrifices whether that is because he judges them for that or because They come to repentance Regardless, they are going to see that they have gone after other gods, that they have sinned against God.

And this is a terrible thing that they will understand. Whether it is in the judgment, or whether it is because they've been convicted of sin, they are ashamed of it. And so, we need to stop and think about what this means for us. While hopefully we are not entrenched in pagan... idolatrous worship. We do have to understand that the things that we seek after, the things that we desire, often are not just sins against God, but they are sins against God because we are replacing Him.

We are desiring the things that we can do, whether that's making ourselves God, or making another thing God, or, or we're seeking after another person.  We do what Israel has done here on a much smaller scale, but we do this when we seek after things, we seek after pleasures, we seek after anything other than the one true living God.

And so may we be ashamed of the things that we have gone after. May God convict us of our sins. That's a good thing. It is, it is hard. Being convicted of sin is hard on us. But when we, we are convicted of our sin, it's an important reminder that God's Holy Spirit is at work in us. So may we be ashamed of the things that we have gone after that are not Christ.

And may we pursue Him and Him alone.