Scripture Reading: Hosea 9; Hosea 10
In this message we will consider from Hosea 9 and 10 the matters of the idolatry of Israel against Jehovah and the punishments of Jehovah upon Israel.
The idolatry of Israel against Jehovah was like a wife’s harlotries against her husband (1:2; 2:13; 3:1). Hosea’s thought here is very deep because it indicates God’s organic union with His people. However, the wife’s situation was exceedingly ugly.
Israel was told not to rejoice, for she had gone as a harlot away from her God. She had loved payment, like a harlot, upon every grain floor, worshipping idols on every threshing floor (9:1). The threshing floor was a place where people earned their living. Thus, they worshipped idols in the place where they earned their living.
Verse 2 says that the threshing floor and the winepress would not feed them, and the new wine would fail them. Whatever they had would not be sufficient to take care of their need. They would desire wine to drink, but there would be none.
According to verse 3, Israel would not dwell in the land of Jehovah. Rather, they would return to Egypt, and in Assyria they would eat what was unclean.
They would not pour out offerings of wine to Jehovah, neither would their sacrifices be pleasing to Him. Their sacrifices would be to them as the bread of mourning, the bread eaten by a family who had lost a relative. All who ate such sacrifices would be unclean, for their bread would be for themselves and would not come into the house of Jehovah (v. 4). They did not have the real enjoyment, and what they offered to God in name was not for God but for themselves.
Verse 5 indicates that they would not participate in the day of assembly and in the day of the feast of Jehovah. They did not care for the feast of Jehovah but only for their own necessities, enjoyment, and pleasures.
They would escape from destruction, from the evil that was coming upon them. But Egypt would gather them, and Moph (Memphis, an Egyptian city near the Nile) would bury them. As for their desirable things of silver (idols), nettles would dispossess them. Thistles would be in their tents (v. 6). On the one hand, this is a picture of punishment; on the other hand, it is a picture of how sinful they were. They did not even care for their lodging but only for their sinful enjoyment.
Verse 7 says that the days of visitation had come; the days of the recompense had come. The prophet was a fool, and the inspired man was mad, because of the greatness of Israel’s iniquity and because of the greatness of the enmity. Instead of love and sympathy among the people, there were hatred and enmity. They considered a man of the spirit, or an inspired one, as mad. This indicates that they did not care for God’s interests. On the contrary, they thought that caring for God’s interests was foolishness.
Verse 8a says, “Ephraim was a watchman / With my God.” This indicates that in the past the northern kingdom of Israel was quite good.
Verse 8b continues, “As for the prophet, a fowler’s trap / Is in all his ways; / Enmity is in the house of his God.” This may mean that the prophets had become so evil that wherever they went they were a trap to snare the people. In the temple the prophets created enmity; they did not have love or sympathy.
In verse 9 Hosea goes on to say concerning Ephraim, “They have deeply corrupted themselves / As in the days of Gibeah; / He will remember their iniquity; / He will punish their sins.” The corruption of Ephraim was so great that it matched the corruption in the days of Gibeah described in Judges 19:15-30. Because Israel had become like those in the days of Gibeah, God would come in to punish their sins.
Jehovah found Israel like grapes in the wilderness, and saw their fathers as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree at its beginning (Hosea 9:10a). This refers to the time of God’s “honeymoon” with Israel. At the time of the exodus from Egypt, God considered Israel a young wife. However, when this wife grew up, she left God for Baal and went to Baal-peor (a city named after the idol Baal of Peor — Num. 25:3; Psa. 106:28) and sanctified herself unto the shameful thing (idol) and became an abomination, like the thing (idol) that she loved (Hosea 9:10b).
The glory of Ephraim, the glory of the northern kingdom of Israel, would fly away like a bird. This means that there would be no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception. Even if they brought up their children, Jehovah would bereave them, so that not a man would be left. Indeed woe would also be to them when Jehovah turned away from them. Ephraim was planted in Tyre in a meadow, but he would still bring forth his children to the slayer. Jehovah would give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. All their evil was in Gilgal (the focus of idolatry — 4:15), for there Jehovah hated them. Because of the evil of their doings, Jehovah would drive them from His house; He would love them no more. All their princes were rebels. Ephraim was stricken. Their root was dried up; they would not bear fruit. If they brought forth, Jehovah would kill the beloved fruit of their womb. God had rejected them, for they did not listen to Him. They would be wanderers among the nations (9:11-17).
Hosea 10:1a says, “Israel is a luxuriant vine; / He brings forth fruit for himself.” The fruit of the vine should have been offered to God as a drink offering, but they used the vines to bring forth fruit for themselves, not for God.
Verse 1b and 2 continue, “According to the abundance of his fruit / He has multiplied altars; / According to the goodness of their land / They have made pillars well. / Their heart is divided; / Now they will be found guilty. / He will break down their altars; / He will destroy their pillars.” Israel became rich, but they used their produce to build up altars and to make idols. Therefore, Hosea said that God would break down their altars and destroy their pillars.
Verse 3 says, “For now they will say, / We have no king, / For we did not fear Jehovah; / And the king, what can he do for us?” Because they did not fear Jehovah, they could not have God’s deputy authority (a king). This refers to the headship, the leadership, among God’s people. When the church is proper, the church has the headship, the leadership, representing God as His authority. But in a time of turmoil, some would say, “Why do we need God’s deputy authority? Why do we need to have any headship or leadership?” This issues in anarchy.
In verses 4 through 8 we have further details concerning the idolatry of Israel against Jehovah and the punishments of Jehovah upon Israel. They spoke mere words, swearing falsely while making a covenant. Judgment sprouted forth like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. The inhabitants of Samaria would fear for the calves (the idols) of Beth-aven (probably a contemptuous name applied to Bethel, which was a seat of idolatry — 1 Kings 12:26-33; Hosea 4:15). Its people would mourn over it, and its idol priests would tremble for it, for its glory, because it had departed from it. It would be carried to Assyria: a present to King Jareb. Ephraim would be taken in shame, and Israel would be ashamed of his own counsel. Samaria would be cut off with her king and would be like sticks, or small pieces of wood, on the surface of the water. The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, would be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle would come up upon their altars, and they would “say to the mountains, Cover us! / And to the hills, Fall on us!” (v. 8). This is Jehovah’s judgment on Israel and on her idolatry.
Israel had sinned since the days of Gibeah (v. 9a). Israel thought that the battle which took place in Gibeah against the children of iniquity could not overtake them (v. 9b; Judg. 19:15-30). But Jehovah said that He would chasten them for their “double iniquity” (Hosea 10:10). This double iniquity refers to Israel’s two evils: forsaking Jehovah and turning to idols (Jer. 2:13). Israel’s sins in their social life were due to their sin of forsaking God and turning to idols.
Ephraim was a trained heifer that loved to tread the grain. But Jehovah had passed the yoke over her fair neck. Jehovah would make Ephraim draw the plow. Judah would plow, and Jacob would break his clods (Hosea 10:11).
Verses 12 and 13 say, “Sow unto righteousness for yourselves; / Reap according to lovingkindness; / Break up your fallow ground; / For it is time to seek Jehovah / Until He comes and rains / Righteousness on you. / You have plowed wickedness; / You have reaped injustice; / You have eaten the fruit of lying. / For you have trusted in your way, / In the multitude of your mighty men.” This is similar to what Paul says in Galatians 6:7 and 8, where he tells us that if we sow unto the flesh, we will reap corruption of the flesh, but if we sow unto the Spirit, we will of the Spirit reap eternal life. Here in Hosea 10:12 to sow means to seek Jehovah. To seek Jehovah rightly is to sow rightly. Thus, Hosea charged the children of Israel to sow unto righteousness. If they did this, they would reap according to lovingkindness. Otherwise, if they plowed wickedness, they would reap injustice.
In verse 12 Hosea uses the expression “fallow ground.” Fallow ground is ground that has been plowed but has not been sown with anything. The children of Israel were the fallow ground. They had been plowed by God, but had not been sown with righteousness. They were to break up the fallow ground; that is, they were to seek God until Christ came as righteousness to rain righteousness upon them.
However, Israel did not sow properly. They trusted in their own way and in the multitude of their mighty men. Therefore, God caused them to be utterly destroyed. Regarding this, verses 14 and 15 say, “A tumult will arise among your peoples; / And all your fortresses will be devastated, / As Shalman devastated Beth-arbel / In the day of battle: / The mother was dashed in pieces with the children. / Thus Bethel will cause this to happen to you / Because of your great evil: / At dawn the king of Israel / Will be utterly cut off.” This was fully fulfilled by Titus in A.D. 70.
The word “dawn” in verse 15 indicates that Israel was in the night, in darkness. They were a people who were altogether lacking in righteousness and justice. They forsook God and they were evil to one another.
