June 18, 2023
Hosea 5
“Blinded Eyes, Blinded Walk”
Service Overview: Israel’s corruption and arrogance not only blinded them from seeing their way back to God, it caused God to withdraw from them entirely. But even so, God would then sit on the sidelines until they might come to their senses and once again seek his face. Which again should remind us that God is a god who lets us reap what we sow in hopes that we might wake up, turn back, and receive his grace.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- The setting for this oracle is the Syro-Ephraimitic War. Israel allied with Syria in response to the threat of Assyrian aggression in 735 BC. The pressure Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria put on this coalition caused them to seek support from Judah. They attacked Judah for refusal to join them. Ahaz, Judah’s king, promptly appealed to Tiglath-Pileser III for help. Assyria responded immediately. Then Judah launched a counterattack on Israel. (Billy K. Smith, Layman’s Bible Book Commentary, Vol. 13, 30)
- The chapter falls into two main parts. Part one (5:1-7) opens with a summons to trial before God (5:1- 2). It names the defendants and summarizes the crime, and the intended punishment. Then the indictment (5:3-5) and the sentence (5:6-7) are spelled out in greater detail. Part two (5:8-15) describes an international conflict between Israel and Judah and interprets it as God’s punishment of the two unrighteous nations. Both sections of the chapter conclude with an assertion that God will abandon them (5:6 and 14). When they seek him he will be gone! (James M. Ward, Amos, Hosea, 67)
- Beth-aven literally means “wicked house” or “house of iniquity” (cf. 4:15; 10:5) and is intended as a polemical denunciation of Bethel, modern Beitin, some 11 miles north of Jerusalem. (J. Andrew Dearman, The Book of Hosea, 181)
- 1 – A snare (pah), spread net (reset périisa), and pit (Sahat) are means by which animals are trapped, and they are also recognized metaphors for the work of evildoers who prey upon the righteous. (Dearman, 171)
- 10 – Moving boundary markers to expand, by force or deceit, one’s own allotted holdings, was an intolerable offence in ancient Israel (Dt. 27:17). The punishment, an outpouring of divine wrath, shows how deeply God cared that the rights of others be regarded. (David Allan Hubbard, Hosea, 122)
- Then the imperative in Hosea 5:8 begins the next unit. Wolff calls it a “kerygmatic unit” of sayings all related to the disastrous days of 733 B.c. when the Assyrians attacked Israel and other Palestinian states following the appeal of Judah for Assyrian help against Israel and Syria (2 Kings 16; Isa. 7). (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Hosea, 86)
What does this indictment reveal about God, Israel, and life in general?
- It reveals how deeply God cares about, and responds accordingly to his, justice.
(vv. 1-2, 6-7, 9-10, 14 | Ps. 33:5; Prov. 21:3; Is. 30:18; 61:8; Am. 5:24; Mic. 6:8; Rom. 12:19)
Israel has become her own worst enemy. She is a death-trap to herself. She had put justice in the hands of certain men. They were supposed to uphold the law. Instead they had become a law to themselves. (Kevin Logan, What is Love?, 43)
God’s judgment upon Israel and Judah is expressed in two bold metaphors. “Moth” and “dry rot” work slowly and unnoticed. Just so God is at work destroying both kingdoms. (Billy K. Smith, Layman’s Bible Book Commentary, Vol. 13, 31)
The wrath of God is not ignoble. Rather, it is too noble, too just, too perfect – it is this that bothers us. (James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith, 251)
- It reveals the futility of hiding anything, from a God that sees everything.
(v. 3 | Prov. 15:3; Is. 40:28; Jer. 23:24; Luke 8:17; Acts 1:24; Heb. 4:13 1 John 3:20)
Israel could not find God because he was not available; he had withdrawn from them. It wasn’t that God was not at home, that he had gone on a journey or had retired. He was at home, all right, but not to unrepentant Israel. He was there to know (v. 3) and to judge (v. 1) and to chastise (v. 2). (H. D. Beeby, Grace abounding: A Commentary on the Book of Hosea, 62)
The fact that God sees every aspect of our lives may, at first, leave us afraid and eager to hide from God rather than in awe, wanting to embrace Him. But the fear of the Lord makes us aware both of God’s holy purity and hatred of sin and His holy patience and forgiveness. When we remember both, we have no reason to run in fear, especially since there is no place to run beyond the gaze of God. Instead, as we look at the Lord, we see that He invites, cleanses, and empowers us to grow in holiness. (Edward Welch, Addictions–A Banquet in the Grave, 177)
- It reveals the paralyzing power of pride.
(vv. 4-7 | Proverbs 8:13; 11:2; 16:5; 16:18; 18:12; 26:12; 29:23; Galatians 6:3; James 4:6)
This is a summation of the evidence that the Judge applied to all the accused. He condemned the leaders for trapping innocent people and exploiting them. There was no justice in the land. They were sinking deep in sin and lacked the power to repent and turn back to God, for their sins had paralyzed them. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Amazed: Minor Prophets, 29)
Spiritual growth depends on two things: first a willingness to live according to the Word of God; second, a willingness to take whatever consequences emerge as a result. (Sinclair Ferguson, Grow in Grace, 95)
Conclusion… What principles should inform our life and faith in light of all this?
A. God will never bless rebellion, even when it’s “hidden”.
(Deut. 28:47-48; 1 Sam. 15:23; Ps. 68:6; Isaiah 1:19-20; 63:10; John 14:15; Eph. 5:6)
When God says, “I will not leave you alone,” He is not only promising His continuing presence, He is promising holy confrontation when we abandon Him. (Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace, 160)
What is sin? Sin is a species of rebellion against God. It is self-pleasing: it is the utter ignoring of God’s claims: being completely indifferent whether my conduct pleases or displeases Him. (A.W. Pink, The Way of Salvation)
God does not afflict His children willingly. He takes no delight in seeing our tears – or hearing our groans. But He does take delight in doing us good, making us holy, conforming us to His own image, and fitting us to dwell in His own presence. (John Angell James, The Widow Directed to the Widow’s God, 1841)
Every sin, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is an act of rebellion against the sovereign God who reigns and rules over us and as such is an act of treason against the cosmic King. (R.C. Sproul, “Cosmic Treason”, Tabletalk, May 2008, 6)
B. Never underestimate the destructive power of pride in your life.
(Prov. 11:2; 13:10; 16:5; 16:18; 18:12; 26:12; 29:23; Mark 7:20-23; Gal. 6:3; James 4:6)
You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back. (Unknown)
Self is the most treacherous enemy, and the most insinuating deceiver in the world. Of all other vices, it is both the hardest to find out, and the hardest to cure. (Richard Baxter)
Those who think too much of themselves don’t think enough. (Amy Carmichael)
God’s wounds cure, sin’s kisses kill. (William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, Vol. 2, 239)
The human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked out with deceiving hypocrisy, that it often dupes itself. (John Calvin, A Calvin Treasury, Christianity Today, v. 37, n. 4.)
[God’s chastenings] are sent to empty us of self-sufficiency and self-righteousness: they are given to discover to us hidden transgressions, and to teach us the plague of our own hearts. Or again, chastisements are sent to strengthen our faith, to raise us to higher levels of experience, to bring us into a condition of usefulness. Still again, Divine chastisement is sent as a preventative, to keep under pride, to save us from being unduly elated over success in God’s service. (A.W. Pink, Comfort for Christians, Chapter 7)
Gospel Connection…
God’s love is willing to wreck in order to redeem. And the ultimate example of this took place when Jesus died to pay for the sins of all who turn to him in faith.
(v. 15 | John 3:16; Romans 10:10; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; Titus 2:14; 1 John 3:16)
God does deal with our sins, but only in such a way as for our good. He does not deal with us as our sins deserve, which would be punishment, but as His grace provides, which is for our good. (Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace, 40)
Divine discipline is God’s merciful expression of His love for children who deserve His wrath but will never receive it. (Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace, 194)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- How have you seen pride work to subvert or destroy people’s lives? Why is pride so dangerous to the spiritual life?
- Where in your life might pride be at work to undermine your life and faith? How can you be at work to regularly assess whether pride is at work in your life?
- Who would want to become a Christian because of what they see in your relationship with Christ?
- How might God’s approach to justice be different from what we see in the world today? What informs you in that thought?
Quotes to note…
In Hosea’s book, an idol is whatever knocks God into second place. If God is not Number One then you are worshipping an idol. You have another god. (Kevin Logan, What is Love? Hosea, 56)
Why has God withdrawn? It was not caprice or spite, or loss of love or interest. It was the inevitable act of God. It was the withdrawal demanded by love. The love that had chosen freely and given freedom to the chosen one could never do less than honor that freedom. (H. D. Beeby, Grace abounding: A Commentary on the Book of Hosea, 63)
The penalty for sin is determined by the magnitude of the one who is sinned against. If you sin against a log, you are not very guilty. On the other hand, if you sin against a man or a woman, then you are absolutely guilty. And ultimately, if you sin against a holy and eternal God, you are definitely guilty and worthy of eternal punishment. (David Platt, Follow Me, 31)
Tomorrow’s character is made out of today’s thoughts. Temptation may come suddenly, but sin doesn’t. (Randy Alcorn, The Purity Principle, 41)
The fact is, the higher up we find ourselves in terms of power, influence, and wealth – the more people look up to us – the more vulnerable we are to pride and self-deceit, and the more prone we are to be blind to our spiritual needs and deficiencies. Once we are established in a position of influence, we have a reputation to maintain. We have a lot to lose if we get honest about our real spiritual needs. For most of us, the subtle encroachment of pride is more dangerous, and more likely to render us useless to God and others, than any other kind of failure. (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Brokenness: The Heart God Revives, 81)
Some people get so caught up in their own holiness that they look at the Trinity for a possible vacancy. (John MacArthur, Leadership, v. 7, n. 2)
Pride is the idolatry of the self. It is the nature of pride as competition with God – the displacing of God by the self at the center – that has led many Christian thinkers through the ages to regard pride (superbia) as the mother sin and the essential element in all sin. (Robert Rayburn, Pride and Humility, Tabletalk, May ‘08, 64)
The moment we imagine that we have exhaustively assessed the sin of our hearts, we have planted, watered, and harvested a crop of pride. (Jerry Wragg, Exemplary Spiritual Leadership, 43)
It happened in the eighth century B.C., it happened during Jesus’ ministry, and it happens now. The only way we can avoid this obstacle is through a consistent daily inventory of our conduct, habits, attitudes, possessions, or involvements. We need to see if any of these things are inconsistent with our obedience to God. This inventory must be followed by our confession and renunciation. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, 90)