Hosea 8:1-7
1 Put the trumpet to your lips!
Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the Lord,
Because they have violated My covenant
And rebelled against My Law.
2 They cry out to Me,
“My God, we of Israel know You!”
3 Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
4 They have set up kings, but not by Me;
They have appointed officials, but I did not know it.
With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,
So that they will be eliminated.
5 He has rejected your calf, Samaria, saying,
“My anger burns against them!”
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For from Israel comes even this!
A craftsman made it, so it is not God;
Assuredly, the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.
7 For they sow wind
And they harvest a storm.
The standing grain has no kernels;
It yields no grain.
If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it.
The Trumpet of Judgement (1)
Breaking the covenant (v 1-3)
Chapter 8 begins with the command, “Put the trumpet to your lips!” This is a horn that announces judgment. In other words, judgment is drawing near. Five sins are identified as the reasons why judgment will fall upon Ephraim (the northern kingdom). Today, let us look at three of these sins. The first is the sin of breaking the covenant. “They have violated My covenant” refers to the fact that the people of Israel were breaking the Mosaic Law. For this reason, judgment would come upon them swiftly, like an eagle swooping down. When faced with danger, they cry out, “My God, we of Israel know You,” but this is a complete falsehood. They had continually rejected the knowledge of the Lord. Their ignorance of His word is what drove them far away from what is good.
A king unlawfully set up (v 4a)
In the southern kingdom, kings came only from the line of David. But in the northern kingdom, the king was supposed to be the one chosen by God. However, the people rejected God’s choices and kept appointing kings according to their own preferences, one after another. As a result, the northern kingdom experienced frequent assassinations and rapid changes of royal dynasties. The Lord despised this situation and said, “They have set up kings, but not by Me.”
A golden calf (v 4b-7)
The third sin is idolatry. More specifically, the sin of making a golden calf and worshiping it. The golden calves were set up in Dan and Bethel, but they were nothing more than idols, mere objects crafted by human hands. Because they worshiped what is not God, the wrath of God would fall upon them. (1) The golden calf will be crushed into pieces, and the idolatry of the northern kingdom will come to an end. (2) The land of Ephraim will become barren, unable to produce fruit. And even if it should yield anything, foreigners will devour it. In this way, the northern kingdom was placed in a hopeless condition. Let us examine whether any of these three sins have slipped into our own lives. Are you responding to God’s love? Are you rejecting the will of the Lord? Are you placing your trust in anything other than God? If so, that is idolatry itself. Let us seek the knowledge of the Lord.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, today I will continue to walk with You. Please guide me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.