In the 8th century BC, God tasked Hosea with proclaiming His judgment on the nation. This judgment would entail war, defeat, and exile, bringing tremendous pain to God’s people.
Hosea 8 contains a clear picture of what went wrong in Israel and why God found it necessary to bring judgment.
Defective Worship
The first issue concerned their worship was that they merged Canaanite beliefs into the worship of Jehovah.
When Ephraim multiplied altars to expiate sin,
they became to him altars for sinning. (Hosea 8.11)
The Canaanites made sacrifices to the fertility god Baal across the nation. In contrast, God designated Jerusalem as the sole location for sacrifice.
However, the northern kingdom, Israel, chose to follow the Canaanite practice instead of adhering to the directive established by their God.
Hosea told the nation that their sacrifices were not acceptable to God.
Though they offer choice sacrifices,
though they eat flesh,
the Lord does not accept them. (Hosea 8.13)
The sacrifices were not acceptable for two reasons.
(1) The sacrifices showed that they had mixed the worship of Jehovah with Baal. Blending two religious systems inevitably corrupts both.
Israel’s religious activity led them to be “swallowed up” by the Canaanite religions, rendering them “useless” in the work of God.
Israel is swallowed up;
now they are among the nations
as a useless vessel. (Hosea 8.8)
(2) The worship of Baal did not enhance morality; instead, it corrupted the morals of its practitioners.
When the Israelites combined the worship of Jehovah with that of Baal, they adopted the corrupt characteristics of Baal worshipers.
God’s Complaint
When God looked at the worship of the Israelites, He complained that they saw His instructions as nothing but a strange thing. He saw the inner workings of their heart as sinful and rebellious.
Though I write for him the multitude of my instructions,
they are regarded as a strange thing.
Now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt. (Hosea 8.12-13)
Most people in a nation absorb knowledge about God similarly to how meat marinates. The surrounding culture permeates their being, shaping their understanding of who God is.
Consequently, even with clear instructions in Scripture, the influence of the world they are immersed in often impacts their lives more significantly than His written word.
A prosperous nation mixed their worship of Jehovah with that of Baal. Influenced by the surrounding culture, they ultimately forgot their Maker.
Israel has forgotten his Maker
and built palaces,
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
but I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour his strongholds. (Hosea 8.14)
Israel’s existence hinges on its relationship with Jehovah. Forgetting their Maker and their purpose in the world is a tragedy.
Now, we should reflect on our relationship with the Lord. Are we, like the Israelites of the 8th century BC, following a similar path?
Our Response
There are two simple things we can do to avoid the errors of the Israelites.
A daily reading of the Bible will clarify God’s commands to His people. When we do this we will separate from the cultural understanding of God and learn His true nature and desires.
Once we have learned God’s will, we need to follow through with obedience.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 