Hosea 5:8-15

ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDEREBELLION AND TRANSGRESSION

TEXT: Hosea 5:8-15

8

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: sound an alarm at Beth-aven, behind thee, O Benjamin.

9

Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

10

The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark: I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

11

Ephraim is oppressed, he is crushed in judgment; because he was content to walk after man's command.

12

Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

13.

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.

14

For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and there shall be none to deliver.

15

I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly.

QUERIES

a.

Why is Benjamin to sound an alarm behind himself?

b.

How are the princes of Judah like those who remove landmarks?

c.

Who is king Jareb?

PARAPHRASE

Sound the invasion alarm on the far-sounding horn and let it ring from the lofty citadels of Gibeah and Ramah. Sound the warning, O Benjamin, that the judgment announced by God is knocking already on your rear door. The northern kingdom has been completely destroyed, and made desolate. The princes of Judah, by indulging in idolatry, have transgressed the spiritual boundaries God made, and have become like those who remove the land-marks of fields. Therefore, My wrath will be like a downpour, a cloudburst, and a deluge, upon these people. The northern kingdom is conquered and oppressed because it fulfilled its unholy desire to keep the commandment of Jeroboam to worship the idols he set up for it. On account of this the destruction prophesied in My word, which is intended to call Israel and Judah to repentance, is going to slowly, but surely, be fulfilled and these two nations will be destroyed because they have not repented but hardened their hearts against the purpose of this word. When these two nations became aware of their predicament, instead of taking heed to My word and trusting in Me, they attempted to get help from that Warrior the king of Assyria who is, in reality, their enemy! But he will be of no help to either of you when I, Jehovah, act to carry out promises of judgment, I will be like the king of beasts, the lion, toward Israel and Judah. I will attack them and tear them asunder and there will be none to stop Me. I will come against them when it pleases Me and I will withdraw when it pleases Me; I will carry them away into captivity when it pleases Me and no one will stop Me! I am going to withdraw My protecting, sustaining Presence from them until they come with dependence once again seeking Me. I know that the affliction they suffer in captivity is the only thing that will move them to earnestly seek Me,

SUMMARY

First Israel, then Judah, because they have broken spiritual boundaries of God's law, must be afflicted in captivity in order that they will repent and seek God's face.

COMMENT

Hosea 5:8 BLOW YE THE CORNET IN GIBEAH. AT BETH-AVEN; BEHIND THEE. BENJAMIN, The cornet here is the shophar, far-sounding horn used to warn of war (cf. Joel 2:1; Amos 3:6). It signaled invasion by enemies or attack by foes. Gibeah and Ramah were cities, about 3 and 8 miles north of Jerusalem, situated on higher terrain than Jerusalem and thus well adapted for sounding such signals to the countryside. Furthermore, since they are near the southern broders of the northern kingdom, Israel, we may infer that the enemy (Assyria) has already conquered the northern kingdom or is at least pressing upon its border. The phrase, behind thee, O Benjamin, means that Assyria is knocking on the rear doors of Benjamin (northern most territory of Judah). The judgment of God (to be administered through Assyriacf. Isaiah 10) has already broken out in the rear of Benjamin.

Hosea 5:9-10 EPHRAIM SHALL BECOME A DESOLATION. THE PRINCES OF JUDAH ARE LIKE THEM THAT REMOVE THE LANDMARK. The Hebrew word which is here translated desolation is the same word found in Deuteronomy 28:59 where it is translated afflictions severe and lasting. Some commentators say the word means literally, lasting, enduring. Others (Lange, esp.) say it means. true, what will surely be fulfilled, certain. God's judgment upon Israel is certain and complete. The kingdom of Israel will disappear forever. And this sentence of God has been abundantly advertised and preached by one prophet of God after another.

The cause for this severe and lasting judgment upon both Israel and Judah, is that Judah, like Israel before her, is ruled by princes and kings who are like those who remove the landmark. For the Mosaic legislation against removing landmarks see Deuteronomy 27:17. God set the boundaries of the tribes in the land of promisethey were not to be moved. But the princes of Judah are like those who remove boundaries. Evidently the princes of Judah were violating the spiritual, moral boundaries of God's law. By going after idols (like Israel had) they transgressed, broke and set-aside the boundaries or marks of spiritual relationship to Jehovah-God. There is no saving relationship or covenant relationship when God's revealed boundaries are set aside. Those today who would set aside the boundaries of New Testament covenant relationship are as guilty as the princes of Judah. There is salvation in none other. (Acts 4:12); ... no one comes unto the Father except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6); ... whoever abides not in the doctrine of Christ but goes beyond it. (2 John 1:9-10) is a boundry-breaker. Any attempt to syncretize Christianity with all the other isms of the world religions, or any attempt to built an ecumenical church by taking away the revealed and absolute boundaries of God is judged by God! God will empty the bowls of His wrath upon such boundary-breakersHe will pour out his wrath like a cloudburst and they will be drowned in the flood of His vengeance.

Hosea 5:11-12 EPHRAIM IS OPPRESSED. BECAUSE HE WAS CONTENT TO WALK AFTER MAN'S COMMAND. I AM TO EPHRAIM AS A MOTH. TO JUDAH. AS ROTTENNESS. Moth and rottenness are symbols of destroying influences. Those influences are, of course, the absolute Promises of God which pronounce either blessing or curse depending upon the free-willed response of His creatures. If man responds to the Word of God by obedience and faith, God becomes to man a blessing, a glory, a hope; but if man responds to the warnings of God by rebellion, God becomes to man a destroyer, avenger and judge. So, God directs the oppression and destruction of Israel and Judah because they were content to fulfill their desires and worship the idols Jeroboam and his successors commanded should be worshipped. The people exchanged the truth of God for the commandment of lying kings and priests, and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator. They taught for the commandments of God the traditions of men (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8-9). How shall peoples and nations today escape the judgment of God when their leaders lead them to be content to walk after man's commandment and set aside the boundaries of God!?

Hosea 5:13 WHEN EPHRAIM SAW HIS SICKNESS. THEN WENT EPHRAIM TO ASSYRIA. Both Israel and Judah are denounced for making alliances with Assyria. It is not so much that alliances or agreements among nations, per se, are displeasing to God, but the motive which prompts them. In the case of Israel and Judah the alliances were an affront to God because they were motivated by an almost complete rejection of Him. Israel and Judah, having enjoyed special revelation, privilege, protection and sustenance from God, now spurned and haughtily disregarded any notion of dependence upon Jehovah. They persuaded themselves that protection, economic prosperity and cultural development could not be found by international cooperation in commerce, politics and, most ruinous of all, religion. See Special Study Five of this commentary for a history of the politics of the divided kingdoms.

When any nation exchanges trust in God for trust in man-made treaties, it only exhibits its ignorance and foolhardiness. In the first place, God's word condemns such misplaced trust (cf. Psalms 118:8-9; Hosea 7:11; Psalms 146:3; Proverbs 14:34, etc.). In the second place, history proves that international treaties are hardly worth the paper they are written uponand they will always be that way because of the unregenerate hearts of world leaders! General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur, a spiritually-minded man, perhaps the greatest American (both soldier and statesman) who ever lived, said, in his address before joint session of Congress, April 19, 1951:

Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods through the ages have been attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the very start, workable methods were found insofar as individual citizens were concerned; but the mechanics of an instrumentality of larger international scope have never been successful. Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at the door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural developments of the past 2,000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.

But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. War's very object is victorynot prolonged indecision. In war, indeed, there can be no substitute for victory. (emphasis our).

This same God-fearing man, who served for over half a century, through three major world conflicts and scores of minor ones, who displayed a statesmanship as great as any the world has ever known in rebuilding the nation of Japan, allowed himself to be guided by this philosophy: ... men may be destroyed by what they have, and what they know, but they may be saved by what they are.

America, so fond of boasting of her economic and military strengththe greatest, most powerful nation on earth, needs to heed the word of God and learn from MacArthur, a great student of history, that greatness comes, not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord (Zechariah 4:6).

The word Jareb means literally, contender and was probably an epithet devised by Hosea to denote the warrior-like nature of the king of Assyria (see our Paraphrase).

Hosea 5:14-15. I WILL BE UNTO EPHRAIM AS A LION. I WILL GO AND RETURN TO MY PLACE, TILL THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR OFFENCE, AND SEEK MY FACE. The figure of God behaving like a lion toward Israel is to depict His ferocity and invincibility. God will be irresistiblelike the king of beasts. God rules the universe with an invincible hand. He goes and comes as He pleasesand there are none to gainsay Him or stop Him! He is preparing to carry both Israel and Judah into captivity and all the alliances in the world will not stop Him, (cf. Deuteronomy 32:39; Hosea 13:7-11, etc.).

God is withdrawing His Presence (Shekinah-glory), His protecting, sustaining Presence, from the covenant people. In so doing it is His purpose to discipline them into a humble, penitent, faithful dependence upon Himself. Such action by God always has as its end His perfect love and blessing, in restoring man to his proper relation to Godof sweet communion, fellowship, dominion and glory (cf. Hebrews 2:1-18; Hebrews 12:1-29; Hebrews 10:32-39; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; 2 Corinthians 4:16 to 2 Corinthians 5:21, etc.).

The prophet Ezekiel pictured the Presence of God departing from Judah, In Ezekiel Chapter s 8-10 we see God preparing to forsake the Temple because of the abominations being practiced there, Then, in Ezekiel 11:22-25, God forsakes the Temple, not to return until the Messianic kingdom (the church) is depicted in Ezekiel, Chapter s 40-48. Ichabod means the glory has departed from Israel (cf. 1 Samuel 4:21) and this might be the name emblazoned over the gates of Samaria, Jerusalem and the Temple in the days of Hosea. The condition upon which God promises His return is acknowledge your offence, and seek my face, and the method by which God plans to bring about this condition is in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. So, Christian, Count it all joy. when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:2; James 1:12.)

QUIZ

1.

What does the far-sounding horn signal? Why warn Judah?

2.

How were the princes of Judah breaking God's boundaries?

3.

In what way was Israel content to walk after man's command?

4.

What warning did Hosea give Israel and Judah about international alliances?

5.

What have great leaders of our own country said about alliances?

6.

How is God like a lion in His actions toward Israel and Judah?

7.

When did God withdraw from Israel? When did His Presence return?

8.

What are the conditions and what is the method God uses to restore His Presence?