Hosea 4:11-14
11 Infidelity, wine, and new wine take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray,
And they have been unfaithful, departing from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the prostitute,
And your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute,
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
Because the men themselves slip away with the prostitutes
And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined.
The Result of Rejecting Knowledge
The spiritual condition of the Gentiles
The people of Israel had fallen into a spiritual condition like that of the Gentiles. The spiritual condition of the Gentiles is as follows: (1) They are given God’s revelation through nature. (2) They are also given a conscience in their hearts, which is part of God’s revelation. (3) Therefore, even Gentiles who do not know the Word of God have been given the light of God’s revelation. If a Gentile responds to that light and walks in it, God will give even clearer revelation and will lead that person to salvation. God is the One who providentially guides us. I am often asked what happens to those who die without ever hearing the gospel of Christ. Such people are those who, even if they had heard the gospel during their lifetime, would have rejected it (this is the argument of Romans chapter 1). The Gentiles reject the light of God’s revelation and drive themselves into the depths of corruption, and now the people of Israel, who are God’s own people, are doing the very same thing.
The spiritual condition of the people of Israel
Everything began when they rejected the knowledge of God (the Word). As a result, six curses came upon them. (1) They became enslaved to wine and lost sound judgment. (2) They began to inquire of mute idols. A person who denies the true God will inevitably turn his eyes elsewhere. This is what it means when it says, “For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray.” A person who rejects the gospel of Christ will inevitably turn his attention to another religion. (3) Next, they began offering false sacrifices to idols. (4) Their daughters and daughters-in-law became involved in the immoral temple worship. (5) Judgment comes upon the men who created and practiced this immoral temple worship. (6) And finally, the entire people, lacking understanding, come to experience destruction. The rebellion of the Gentiles against God is indeed tragic, but even more tragic is the sight of Israel, God’s own people, rejecting the knowledge of God and rushing headlong down the path of destruction. What about us as Christians? For those who have experienced the greatness of Jesus Christ, nothing could be more tragic than rejecting the Word of God.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I long for Your Word now. Please fill my heart with Your Word. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.