Human Precepts

Hosea 5: 1 – 15

Human precepts

1 “Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, because you have been a snare to Mizpah and a net spread on Tabor. 2 The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, though I rebuke them all. 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled. 4 “They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the LORD. 5 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore, Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them. 6 “With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. 7 They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, for they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage. 8 “Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven, ‘look behind you, O Benjamin!’ 9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. 10 “The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept. 12 Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness. 13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. 15 I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

In the gospel of Mark 7: 6-8 we read, “He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

In verses 1-5, the Pharisees and scribes noticed that Jesus’ disciples don’t follow all the traditional rules of Israel, rules about ritual washing before eating. Jesus says this, and then in verses 9-13 chastises them for some traditions they follow which end up breaking God’s commands.

These problems are not new. We will read in verse 11 of our chapter study that in the prophet Hosea our Great and Holy God told him to tell the people they were having the same issues, ‘11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept.’

This makes us also think about the arguments and dissensions in modern church bodies and congregations. It seems to me that people on both sides of such arguments tend to think the above passage refers to their opponents, particularly “teaching human precepts as doctrines, abandoning the commandment of God and holding to human tradition.”

How does this problem get started? I believe that all this crept in when Pastors began to teach on social issues instead of just preaching the word and giving the Good News about Jesus Christ. People need to come away from a teaching being more in awe, love, and appreciation for our Lord Jesus Christ.

We read in the book of Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12, “for the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Our Holy God does not need us to get into all these debates. Just let His Word go forth. It is alive and can do it work on its own.

Our Holy God points this out to us that we let social issues seep into our fellowships and the only thing this does as our Great and Mighty Creator has expressed over and over about keeping human precepts out of His church.

Hosea involves every section of society, including royalty, in their ‘going against YHWH’, and points out that what they are is known to YHWH. Their behavior and attitudes have been so affected by their false ritual that they have reached a position where they themselves do not really know God as He Is, and therefore cannot turn to Him. When they do seek Him it will be in vain, because He has withdrawn Himself from them as a result of their behavior and the consequences that result from it, children with no natural families. As a consequence, their new moon will not be a time of celebration and feasting but will rather be a time when their land portions given to them by YHWH are ‘devoured’.