Hosea 5
Bible Passage: Hosea 5
“Hear this”. “Pay attention”. “Give ear”. This certainly is a fearful chapter in the book of Hosea, a message of the punishment coming for Israel and Judah. In the previous chapter, we saw how God accused Israel of sin: there was no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there was swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they broke all bounds, and bloodshed followed bloodshed. They had become immoral beyond imagination so God said He would punish them.
1) They shall seek the Lord, but they will not find Him (Hosea 5:6).
God had already left them but they did not know. They continued with their formalities such as going about making sacrifices, both the people and the priests, pretending all was well. Like the people of Israel and the priests, are we continuing with our formalities? Do we go to church out of habit instead of observing it under grace with thanksgiving? Do we only pray at church and then put God aside for the rest of the week? Do we refer to the Bible during sermons and then forget about His words for the rest of the week? Does God have first place in our hearts and does this reflect in our lives?
2) They removed boundaries (Hosea 5:10).
God’s mercy and steadfast love protected Judah, but the princes of Judah “moved the landmark”. This meant that the rulers lead the people to sin more and more, and this resulted in them pushing the boundaries of their relationship between God and them further and further. What is our relationship with God like? Do we test the boundaries of our relationship with God when we take advantage of Him? Do we test God by asking Him to protect us while we are speeding through all the traffic? Or do we test Him when we ask Him to help us achieve success in our exams or our career or else we won’t come to church?
3) They went to the wrong place for healing (Hosea 5:13).
When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria (who were their enemies) to seek healing, instead they should have gone to God. For He had punished the people in hope that they will return to Him and repent of their sins. Likewise, do we consult our friends or family with every problem we meet instead of telling God? Do we rely solely on people to resolve our problems instead of trusting God?
“I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.” –He’ll wait for His people to return, just as He’ll wait for our return.