Hosea Chapter Eight

Written By: Timothy Fish Published: 10/13/2008

“Set the trumpet to thy mouth!” The enemy is on the move. Israel is about to be attacked because of their sin. By going against God’s law they have set themselves up for the enemy to come. (Hosea 8:1)

How do they respond? They cry out, “My God, we know Thee!” When the going gets tough, they start looking for God to help them. Isn’t that so much like us? We do our own thing until something bad happens and then we want God to fix whatever problem we created.

Look at what Israel did while they were off doing their own thing. They turned against God. They set up kings and princes that God didn’t approve. They used their silver and gold to make idols.

It appears that Samaria had a calf. It was something like the golden calf Aaron made. It could not protect them from God’s anger. They claimed it was God, but the workman made it, so it wasn’t God. It would be broken in pieces.

Verse seven is a warning that their crops would not produce. The wind kept them from sowing well. The whirlwind knocked down the stalks and the buds produced nothing. The little it did produce would be eaten by strangers, rather than the people who sowed it.

Hosea 8:8 shows Israel being among the Gentiles, but they are compared to a vessel wherein is no pleasure. Instead of living in their homeland in peace, Israel would have to live among the Gentiles and the Gentile would not like them very much. They would just be something to use, but nothing to desire.

The last of the chapter explains why these things will be. Ephraim has sinned and they have built altars to sin. The Lord told them what they should do in his law, but they have not bothered to learn his law. They made sacrifices, but there were unacceptable sacrifices. After they offered the sacrifice, they would take it home and eat it, which is not the way to offer a sacrifice for sin.

Israel forgot God and built temples. Judah built fortified cities for protection, but God would destroy their cities.

For the Love
of a
Devil

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