Hosea 4:15-19

ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDEJUDAH IS TO DEPART FROM HER

TEXT: Hosea 4:15-19

15

Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, As Jehovah liveth.

16

For Israel hath behaved himself stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.

17

Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.

18

Their drink is become sour; they play the harlot continually; her rulers dearly love shame.

19

The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices.

QUERIES

a.

Why the exhortation to Judah at this time?

b.

What is the meaning of the phrase, let him alone?

c.

What does the figure the wind hath wrapped her up in its wings mean?

PARAPHRASE

But though Israel has prostituted herself to worship idols, I exhort Judah to keep from offending Me in this way. Stay far away from Israel's centers of pagan worship, Judah, having nothing to do with these places. Do not be guilty even of saying the name of Jehovah in connection with anything idolatrous. Israel is behaving like a stubborn heifer, resisting the leading and protection of the Lord. Now the Lord will have to leave her defenseless to become a prey for her enemies, because, like a stupid and stubborn lamb she has wandered astray. Yes, Israel is joined inseparably to her idols and is headed for inevitable ruinLEAVE HER ALONE! When the men become so intoxicated they can-'t drink any more and their wine begins to turn sour, they all go off to find some whores with whom they consort. They actually love shame more than they love honor. The great storm of God's judgment has already encircled Israel and she is trapped. She will find that she has been deceived by placing confidence in her idols and pagan sacrifices.

SUMMARY

Israel has been completely given up by God to self-hardening. Let Judah keep away from her and not be seduced into her idolatry.

COMMENT

Hosea 4:15-17 THOUGH THOU, ISRAEL, PLAY THE HARLOT, YET LET NOT JUDAH OFFEND;. EPHRAIM IS JOINED TO IDOLS; LET HIM ALONE. Hosea strikes a note of imperativeness in his warning. There is extreme urgency in his cry to Judah to have nothing to do with Israel! Isaiah was in the southern kingdom preaching his heart out to Judah to make no alliances, neither political, military, economic or religious, with Judah. Hosea attempts to confirm the warnings of Isaiah by sending down to Judah the same word. Although there was some corruption even in Judah at this time, generally speaking the people of the southern kingdom had not become nearly so decadent or religiously corrupt as Israel. There were still a number of faithful people in Judah. This principle of non-union of believers with unbelievers runs all through the Bible. We find it in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 6. Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing. What concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever. We agree with a statement made by G. Campbell Morgan in his little book entitled, Hosea, The Heart and Holiness of God. Mr. Morgan, the prince of expositors, said:

A man must be true to his own conscience. I have been asked if I would not go to some meeting at which representatives of other religions were to speakMohammedan and Jewish. No. I will respect the Mohammedan, and I will respect the Jewish rabbi, but I cannot stand on a religious platform with them. They are joined to false representations of God. If someone says he is not sure about that, I shall reply, then he is not sure about Jesus Christ, not sure about His finality, So long as we are prepared to compare Him, we are something less than Christian. So long as we put Him into comparison with others, it is because we have not risen to the height of intellectual comprehension concerning Him, to say nothing of volitional surrender to Him. Until we see Him alone as the Image of the invisible God,-' filling all the horizon to the uttermost bound, we have not really seen Him at all, and our relation to Him lacks the uttermost of devotion. The hour is coming, nay, the hour is here, when loyal souls ought at least to stand separate from all complicity with any form of the misrepresentation of God, even though the form be some new presentation of Jesus that denies the things of Revelation. There must be no compromise.

This call to separation did not mean God was at a loss to do something to help Israel, if she would be helped. God, mercifully and purposefully, allows Israel to be carried away into captivity because at the present time Israel will not listen to God. But God will deal mercifully with Israel by and by. Listen to the heart of God speak as the prophet reveals it. How can I give you up, O Ephraim. (Has. Hosea 11:8). I will love them freely. (Hosea 14:4). If Israel will repent and learn her lesson from the captivity, God will love her freely. But so long as Israel gives God up, Judah is to have nothing to do with her. The principle is just as true today! Let all who name the Name of God stand clear of all complicity with any false representation of God (cf. 2 John 1:9-11).

The people of Judah are especially warned not to frequent any of the religious centers of IsraelGilgal, Beth-aven, etc. They are also warned not to even speak the name of Jehovah when they talk about such places lest people begin to associate Jehovah with pagan religion.
Every farmer knows how stubborn a heifer can be. When one does not wish to be led, no amount of pulling, persuasion or prodding can move one. A stubborn, balking heifer will often times lie down on the ground to keep from being led. It will absolutely defy its owner to herd it anywhere. This graphically describes the stiff-necked Israel. There is nothing left for God to do but let Israel have its wish like a stupid sheep which insists on straying out into an open, unprotected pasture by itself. God is going to turn Israel loose to go her own rebellious path. She will wander into a large place. She will be dispersed among the nations. That is where she is headed!

Hosea 4:18-19 THEIR DRINK IS BECOME SOUR. THEY SHALL BE PUT TO SHAME BECAUSE OF THEIR SACRIFICES. The prophet pictures for us men drinking until they cannot drink any more and the wine which they leave in their glasses becoming sour because they cannot drink any more. Then, having poisoned their minds with drink and seared their moral consciences, they go out in search of a prostitute to gratify their sexual lust. They do not have to look long for there are plenty of loose women. They play the harlot continually, The indictment of the prophet is terrible to contemplate. The rulers dearly love shame. They are like those described by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 who refused to love the truth. but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God will have them in derision, They shall be put to shamethe word shame means they will be confounded, caused to stumble, Literally, they will suddenly realize that they have been deceived by placing confidence in impotent idols, They will learn that their idols are powerless and feelingless. How shameful, how pitiful, how utterly helpless they will be when they realize all this. They will be led away into abject slavery, shamed and mocked by their heathen neighbors.

QUIZ

1.

Why was Judah warned to leave Israel alone?

2.

Is this a principle for believers today?

3.

Why does the prophet say Israel acted like a stubborn heifer?

4.

What is the terrible indictment of the rulers by Hosea?

5.

How will God put the people of Israel to shame?