Hosea 4: 1 – 19
Knowledge Rejected
1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. 2 By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. 4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. 5 Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 “The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And it shall be: like people, like priest. So, I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds. 10 For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the LORD. 11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. 12 My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, and their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God. 13 They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is good. Therefore, your daughters commit harlotry, and your brides commit adultery. 14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore, people who do not understand will be trampled. 15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth Aven, nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the LORD lives’—16 “For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; Now the LORD will let them forage like a lamb in open country. 17 “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. 18 Their drink is rebellion, they commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. 19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
The words ‘Rejected knowledge’ signifies to reject with despite and contempt.
I have learned that knowledge is rejected in two ways.
1. When the means of knowledge are rejected, then knowledge is rejected.
2. When the directions of our knowledge are rejected, when we refuse to be guided by it, upon this our knowledge decays, and eventually is contemned.
Rejected knowledge is the precise equivalent of religious heresy in today’s secular scientific culture, the field of rejected knowledge consists of all those beliefs, ideas, and systems of thought about nature, history, and the universe that have been condemned by accepted scientific authorities. While many of the elements of today’s rejected-knowledge scene date back centuries, or even millennia, a hard and fast distinction between accepted ideas and rejected ones did not begin to take shape until the second half of the nineteenth century, when scientists won the struggle with Christian religious authorities over the age of the earth and the origins of humanity.
Why do some people reject knowledge?
Fear: Likely the most common reason. The challenge some knowledge poses to our individual or collective sense of reality is traumatic.
Unreasonable Doubt: Some people will doubt with the force of "why? Why? WHY?" expecting that every digression of questioning is equally valid to the main idea at hand. This is not the same as stupidity. Often, these folks are merely untrained or resistant to the rigorous methods of debate and scientific methodology.
Stupidity: As insulting as this term is, grant that I refer to 'lack of mental processing power.' Rather than merely mocking one to whom I feel superior, some people simply can't process or incorporate new information.
In today’s study we will hear firsthand our Holy Spirit’s conviction of how our sinful ways draw us downward.
The God of Israel, YHWH now charges ‘the people (children) of Israel’ with being deprived of all truth and compassion because of their lack of the knowledge of YHWH. In consequence they are breaching all the commandments, and engaging in widespread bloodshed, and the result is that the whole land is suffering through severe drought. But they are in no position to lay charges against YHWH with respect to this, for they are disqualified as being like ‘strivers with the priests’, that is, as being like anarchists, those who reject and despise the verdicts of their own supreme court. In other words, they are lawless. That is why they and the prophets to whom they listen will stumble by day and night, and Israel itself (their mother) will be destroyed.
1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.
Hosea, addressing the ‘children of Israel’ starts the passage by pointing out that he has received ‘the word of YHWH’, and that it is a word that indicates that YHWH has a charge to lay against all who live in the land. Israel here indicates the northern kingdom. And the basis of the charge is rooted in the fact that there is no truth/truthfulness in the land and no compassion towards the poor and needy. Underlying this is the lack of the knowledge of God in the land. Because they do not know God in all that He Is, they are without truth and honesty, and without compassion. For God Is the God of truth and compassion.
Their lack of gratitude and appreciation of what He had done was a result that they had no knowledge of God in the very land that God had given them as an inheritance. Thus, the land would mourn (verse 3), and they themselves would finally be removed from the land because they no longer deserved it.
2 By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.
This lack of truth and compassion comes out plainly in their behavior. They continually pronounce curses on others, they break faith and deceive and bear false witness, they kill, they steal, and they commit adultery, thus breaching the mansard side of the commandments in Exodus 20.
Most heinously they are guilty of much bloodshed - ‘They break out’. That is, they at times remove all restraint engage in shedding the blood of their fellow-Israelites. Thus, the whole land is constantly on the edge of violence.
All this encouraged violence and thoughts of violence, and violence begets violence.
3 Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
The consequence of all this will be that the land itself will suffer, and everyone in it will languish, to such an extent that it will have a major effect on the wild animals, the birds, and the fish. The affecting of the fish would appear to be an indication of heavy drought. So, the problems coming on Israel will be environmental as well as man caused.
4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
None of the people of Israel will have any cause to grumble, or disagree with YHWH’s actions, or reprove Him for what He has done, because they themselves are lawless. They are like ‘priest-challengers’. In Israel the priests were the final supreme court, and to openly challenge their final decision was worthy of death (Deuteronomy 17.12-13). It was to engage in anarchism. And those who are lawless, and anarchists are in no position to lay charges against anyone else at all, and especially not against God.
5 Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.
The result of their behavior will be that God will cause them to stumble, as He metes out His punishment on them, and it will be to such an extent that it will be by both day and night. Furthermore, the prophets, whom they approach after work is done (therefore by night), will stumble with them and lead them astray with false prophecies. Thus, both people and false prophets will be caught up in the furor. And in the end mother Israel will itself be destroyed. There will be no more Israel. The prophets stumbling in the night is due to their being in ‘spiritual darkness’. But the main emphasis is undoubtedly of the continuing nature and inescapability of the punishment.
Now we see our Holy Father God YHWH as attacking the priests for failing to teach the people, with the result that the people too will be punished for their doings.
Also we need to understand that the whole people are seen as ‘priests to the nations’ in accordance with Isaiah 61.6. Either way we have to recognize that the priesthood in the northern kingdom was not a legitimate one. They were not ‘sons of Aaron’ in accordance with the Law, but appointees of the king. Thus, the distinction between them and the people was blurred.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
We must remember that from YHWH’s viewpoint Israel had no distinctive priesthood, for their priests were not descended from Aaron. They were charlatans originally appointed by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 13.33). Thus, as far as He was concerned the distinction between priest and people was blurred. The priests were merely ‘of the people’.
His accusation is that His people are ‘destroyed for lack of knowledge’, that is because they do not know YHWH as He really Is (verse 1) and are ignorant of the covenant. It may be that this was being laid directly at the priests’ doors, for it was their responsibility to teach the Law, but the failure was undoubtedly partly because the priests had been appointed by the people (through their king) rather than by God, so that the people had to share the blame. The charge is that they have culpably rejected knowledge, and especially knowledge as found in His Law, and therefore will themselves be rejected so that they can no longer serve YHWH in a priestly function, or indeed in any other way. It is always dangerous to ignore genuine truth. And because they have forgotten the Law of God, He will no longer watch over and care for ‘their children’. He will in return ‘forget’ them.
7 “The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.
YHWH then draws attention to what He had done for them. He had caused them to multiply, and He had given them prosperity (‘glory’). This was always seen as a sign of God’s approval. And what was the result? The more they multiplied the more they sinned against Him. They turned God’s goodness into an excuse for more sin. In return, He would turn their glory into shame. The glory of a nation was found in its wealth and prosperity (Isaiah 17.3-4), so that this was saying that He would destroy their wealth and render them poverty-stricken with the result that they would be ashamed, a situation certainly fulfilled in the various exiles.
8 They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity.
The ‘they’ here might suggest that the priests are in mind as a distinctive body, becoming wealthy as a result of leading the people astray (feeding on the sin of His people). And the second charge is that they themselves then also set their minds on iniquity, being therefore without excuse either way.
There is a warning in this to any who minister in God’s name, lest they use their position to obtain wealth for themselves. It is a reminder that it will then not be long before setting their minds on iniquity. Wealth is a dangerous thing to possess, especially for a man of God, and many a ministry has been rendered powerless by the effects of wealth.
Also the ‘they’ might simply refer to Israelites as taking advantage of fellow-Israelites even though they were God’s people. Certainly, all the people did at that time take advantage of the general sins of the people in order to enrich themselves. And all, apart from a few godly souls, set their hearts on iniquity. So, the words could equally be seen as applying to Israelites.
9 And it shall be: like people, like priest. So, I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds.
For in the end there will be no distinction between people and priest. People and priest alike will behave badly and will be punished for their ways and requited for their doings, because they are all equally guilty.
10 For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the LORD.
Part of their punishment will lie in the fact that when they eat they will not have enough, and when the women have relations with men they will produce no children, both factors which can result from bad conditions, or from cruel exile. And this will happen to them because they have ceased listening to, and taking notice of, YHWH.
‘Playing the harlot’ refers either to participating in the false worship of Baal instead of the true worship of YHWH.
The strong wine and illicit sex which are a part of their religious activities have taken away their understanding, so that their minds are twisted and they seek to pieces of wood for their divination, and to the tops of mountains and under sacred trees for their worship. YHWH therefore intends to punish Israel for their ways and forbids them any longer to use His Name, a consequence of which will be that they will be put to shame for the behavior.
11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
Israel are here described as being lacking in understanding both because of their whoredom and licentiousness, and because they indulge themselves in abundance of wine, each of which is a consequence of their religious activities. Illicit sex and drink are thus dulling their minds and preventing them from thinking straightly.
12 My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, and their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God.
The result of their behavior is that they foolishly seek counsel from pieces of wood carved into idols, or alternatively from sacred trees (verse 13), and look to their staffs to divine for them. This involved holding a rod vertically and spinning it, or holding two or more rods vertically, and then letting go of them, reading the future from the way in which they fell (called rhabdomancy). The idea is that they prefer this to hearing YHWH’s word through His prophets, while using it as a substitute for the Urim and Thummim in the Temple, which was the God-ordained mean of consultation. And they do this because the spirit of licentiousness within them has caused them to err, turning their minds to folly.
The idea may well be that evil spirits have therefore taken possession of them (Deuteronomy 32.17; 1 Kings 22.22), or it could merely be indicating the driving force of their sexual sins which can make men think foolishly and do foolish things. And the consequence is that they have committed spiritual adultery, and probably literal adultery with sacred prostitutes thereby departing from being under YHWH’s control through the covenant. They are flouting all YHWH’s requirements.
13 They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is good. Therefore, your daughters commit harlotry, and your brides commit adultery.
High places, (raised sites, especially in the hills), were ever a feature of Canaanite religion and Baal worship, and Israel had been under instructions to destroy them (Numbers 33.52). Israel had been warned against such high places lest they come under God’s anger (Leviticus 26.30). The tops of mountains were seen by idolaters as being nearest to the gods, which made them a favorite place for erecting high places. There they sacrificed and burned incense to their gods. Another favorite site for such high places was under green trees whose branches offered shade from the heat, those being selected which had widespread branches and thick foliage. They provided the ‘feel-good factor’ and were also seen as containing ‘life’ as demonstrated by their greenness.
The consequence of this worship was that the young Israelite women were introduced to illicit sex as a part of the religious ritual, with their young unmarried women acting like prostitutes, and their newly wed brides committing adultery. As a result, the purity of the young women of Israel had become a thing of the past.
14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore, people who do not understand will be trampled.
YHWH then pointed out that He would not punish the young women for their behavior because they were only following the example of their elders. For their men also went apart with cult prostitutes or drunken female worshippers and offered sacrifices with prostitutes instead of with and on behalf of their wives. This would have brought up short those in Israel who blamed the young women of Israel for their licentiousness, and yet excused their men who were equally guilty. And at the bottom of this all this perverse sexual behavior lay a lack of understanding of the will of YHWH. They had persuaded themselves that they were encouraging nature to become fertile as a result of ‘sympathetic magic’ by which nature would follow heir example and failed to recognize how much they were debasing themselves and dishonoring child-bearing. Thus, this people who ‘do not understand’ (verse 11), partly because they are licentious and drunk, will be ‘overthrown’. They will receive what is due to them from YHWH at the hands of their enemies.
15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth Aven, nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the LORD lives’—
Within the prophet’s heart was always a fear that Judah would go in the same way as Israel, while his hope was that if Judah remained solidly behind YHWH it would be a constant encouragement to him in the face of Israel’s coming demise. As a result, he always had one eye on Judah. For while Judah survived, the demise of Israel would not seem quite so bad, for it would mean that the worship of YHWH continued. That is why, in an aside, he prays in his heart that Judah may not follow in the same way as Israel.
Some see the call not to come up to Gilgal and Bethaven as addressed to the people of Israel, on the grounds that Judah would not be seen by Hosea as yet being in a state where they could not use the name of YHWH in oaths. But it may well be that ‘as YHWH lives’ had become a feature of the worship at Gilgal and Bethel so that Judah were simply being called on not to do it at Gilgal and Bethaven in idolatrous company. For certainly what follows appears to be addressed to Judah, warning them not to play the harlot like Israel was doing. The idea here then is that they were not to play the harlot like Israel by joint participation with them in these ways. This would suggest that many worshippers from Judah had taken to coming to enjoy the feasts at Gilgal and Bethel, which were not too distant from their border, a fact which would have grieved Hosea’s faithful heart and would explain his constant references to Judah. Gilgal and Bethaven were centers of syncretistic (blended) worship, and were thus to be seen as to be avoided because of their idolatry, whilst swearing ‘as YHWH lives’ was to be avoided in such company. This was why the call came to any who would hear to avoid all three, the two sanctuaries and swearing by YHWH. Gilgal was in the mountains of Ephraim, unless we see it as the sanctuary first set up by Joshua in the Jordan valley, and Bethaven (‘house of trouble’) was probably a satirical name for Bethel (‘house of God’), which was also in the mountains. They were easily accessible to northern Judah.
16 “For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; Now the LORD will let them forage like a lamb in open country.
In vivid terms Hosea then points out that Israel was like a stubborn heifer which digs its feet in and refuses to follow its owners, even when dragged with ropes. In the same way Israel has, as it were, dug in its feet firmly against YHWH and the requirements of His covenant. It refuses to respond to His call. And Hosea points out that this being so, they cannot expect YHWH to feed them like a lamb in an expansive pasture. So Judah is being warned not to be deceived by the claims made by the sanctuaries.
17 “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.
All are to recognize that Ephraim (Israel) is conjoined with idols and is therefore to be avoided. It is to be left alone. The command to ‘let him alone’ comes as something of a shock. The prophets would be expected to call for the uniting of Israel and Judah. But now Israel are having gone so far along the downward path, that they are to be avoided at all costs.
This is his first use of the term ‘Ephraim’ which will from now on become a regular feature of the prophecy. It is not always easy to distinguish between Hosea’s use of ‘Israel’ and his use of ‘Ephraim’ (the largest and most influential tribe in northern Israel).
18 Their drink is rebellion, they commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. 19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Hosea now provides the reasons why Israel are to be avoided. The first reason is because their drink has become sour, because of their disobedience and unfaithfulness to YHWH. Drinking was a major part of their feasts as they ‘drank before YHWH’ (Exodus 24.11). But now it is no longer to be religiously satisfying, or as a contribution to spiritual blessing as they join in worship, but is to be seen as ‘sour’, and as bringing judgment and condemnation on those who partake.
The second reason is because they constantly ‘play the harlot’ by lusting after the Baalim. By doing so they demonstrate their unfaithfulness to YHWH, even if they do introduce Him and His Name (‘as YHWH lives’) into their rituals. They are unacceptable to Him.
The third reason is because ‘her shields (her rulers/defenders) dearly love shame.’ The thought is that even the leadership, and those responsible for their wellbeing and protection, lust after shameful things rather than after YHWH. They love what is shameful
The fourth reason is because, as a result of their false sacrifices offered at the high places, Israel has been ‘wrapped up in the wings of the wind’, that is, are finding and will find that the winds of destruction are blowing heavily upon them and will eventually carry them away from their land.
