READ: HOSEA 4:1-14; MICAH 6:8; SOAP: HOSEA 4:12

Hosea 4:1-14

The Lord’s Case against Israel 4 Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. ² You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. ³ That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing. ⁴ “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. ⁵ So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night and I will destroy Israel, your mother. ⁶ My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. ⁷ The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols.

⁸ “When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! ⁹ ‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. ¹⁰ They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord to worship other gods. “Wine has robbed my people of their understanding. ¹² They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. ¹³ They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. “That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

¹⁴ But why should I punish them for their prostitution and adultery? For your men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O, foolish people! You refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed.

New Living Translation

I think Hosea’s time was very similar to what we experience today: A lack of faithfulness or steadfast love.  

See other comparisons in today’s LGG Blog: Idols, Then and Now

REFLECTION QUESTION: WHAT THINGS IN YOUR OWN LIFE CAUSE YOU TO TURN AWAY FROM GOD OR LEAD YOUR HEART INTO IDOLATRY? – I KNOW THIS ONE IS TOUGH, BUT WHETHER YOU SHARE YOUR ANSWER HERE OR NOT – I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER IT AND WRITE IT IN YOUR OWN PRIVATE JOURNAL OR AT THE VERY LEAST TALK TO GOD ABOUT IT IN PRAYER. I BELIEVE WHEN WE SEE AND NAME THE PROBLEM IT’S HALF THE BATTLE.