epcblog

Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Hosea 4

The Lord has something to say to His people Israel through the prophet Hosea. Though they may have forgotten long ago about His Word, He has not forgotten, and He brings a charge against them for their violation of His covenant. The problem is certainly a problem of behavior, which is spoken of here as a lack of love, but that lack of love proceeds from a lack of the knowledge of God. Though everyone knows God in some sense, what is meant here is a lack of reverence and awe for God that shows an ignorance of the One who is Lord of all and who especially is Lord of His people. From that root of spiritual ignorance springs all kinds of horrific sin. Because of this ignorance and wickedness, the people of God, and even the land and all the creatures that live within the borders of Israel, are damaged somehow by the unrighteousness of the people.

This devastating spiritual ignorance is presented as the fault not only of the people at large, but especially of the priests that have a responsibility to teach the Law of God and the prophets that should be bringing the Word of the Lord to Israel. Even if prophet and priest were to do their divine tasks with true faithfulness, it could be that the people would refuse to hear the teaching and the preaching that they would present to them. Yet if the priests will not teach the Law, and the prophets will not speak the truth of the Lord’s warnings and the encouragements of His promises, then these men are especially responsible for the destruction of Israel.

In this case the priests seem to have the same problem as the people. They have rejected a true knowledge of the Lord. Therefore the people are destroyed in their ignorance of the covenant and of the Lord of the covenant. Those who forget God’s Law may find that God will forget them. Could it be that the priestly class rejoiced in sin? They seemed to have led the people in unfaithfulness. Their rejection of God and their own immorality and idolatry would be their downfall.

It is not that the religious leaders and the people of Israel were not spiritual. They inquired of wooden idols, and were led astray by the worship of false gods. They had set up high places for their rituals and they offered sacrifices in many locations that they had decided were holy. The people of Israel are spoken of here as brides and daughters that commit adultery, but the priestly leaders are as husbands who go after cult prostitutes. Because of these wandering husbands the people have become as those without understanding, and they shall come to ruin.

The time of Israel as a nation is almost over. At the end of this chapter her sister to the south, Judah, is indirectly warned. She must not follow in the same idolatrous way as Israel, also called “Ephraim” here. There comes a point when it is necessary to recognize that the nation to the north is utterly joined to idols. She is spoken of as hopelessly committed to one excess after another. They are led by rulers who are said to dearly love shame. Therefore, it is not safe for the godly to have contact with them.

What will become of them? A wind or spirit of evil has overtaken them, but a wind of judgment from the Almighty will sweep them away in their shame. Their sacrifices to false gods will not mean any relief for them. Such abominations are the very cause of their troubles.

The shameful sacrifices of the Lord’s people were not in accord with the wonderful provisions of His Law. God did not call His people to create new gods or to define new ways of sinning in their efforts to win favor from false deities. There is a system of sacrifice that He did appoint. In full accord with God’s Law, Christ became the perfect Sin Offering for us.

He could not do this by ignoring the other provisions of the Law. If He was to become a sacrifice that could work true blessing for the wayward, it would have to be through the pathway of complete obedience to God’s wonderful commandments. This He did for us, and then He displayed the Lord’s covenant faithfulness to His true Israel by taking the righteous curse of the covenant upon Himself. The destruction of the nation of Israel by foreign powers was nothing compared to the curse that Christ took for the elect. He faced our hell and was victorious over it, atoning for our sins, and eliminating our frightful debt.

Now when we hear the warnings of the prophets concerning our unfaithfulness, by the power of a new wind of the spirit of God, we can be cut to the heart, and repent. Every unfaithfulness and weakness that we have in this life will not magically be removed. Sanctification is a tough battle and our victory now is partial at best. Yet the perfection of the Lord’s atonement requires that the perfect day will in fact come. This is our hope. It is far better than any nation that the world could offer us in the present age of disappointment.

posted by Pastor Magee @ 6:00 AM

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