“We say of those whose
affection is mutual that there is no love lost between them; but here we find a
great deal of the love even of God himself lost and thrown away upon an
unworthy ungrateful people. The God
of Israel retains a very great love for the children of Israel, and yet they
are an evil and adulterous generation (Matthew Henry, Commentary on 3:1).”
Hosea chapter four begins with God’s court
case against the Hebrew nation.[1] In verses 1-2, God lists Israel’s violations
of the law. These violations
include: no truth, no mercy, no
knowledge of God, swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing
adultery. In verse 3, God lists the
rulings on these punishments. As a result,
the land will mourn and every one that dwells there will languish with all the
animals, birds, and fish, which will all be taken away.
4:5 fall on prophet…rain falls on just and unjust
Mt 5:45 That ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and
on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
4:6
4:13—high
places
God always instructed Israel to tear down
the high places because they were the places of idol worship. They high places often consisted of groves or
trees.
• A term used to describe places of worship. Genesis 12:8; Genesis 22:2; Genesis 22:14;
Genesis 31:54; 1 Samuel 9:12; 2 Samuel 24:25; 1 Kings 3:2; 1 Kings 3:4; 1 Kings
18:30; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chron. 16:39; 2 Chron. 1:3; 2 Chron. 33:17
• Signify a place of idolatrous worship. Numbers 22:41; 1 Kings 11:7; 1 Kings 12:31; 1
Kings 14:23; 1 Kings 15:14; 1 Kings 22:43; 2 Kings 17:9; 2 Kings 17:29;
Jeremiah 7:31
• Licentious practices at. Ezekiel 16:24-43
• The idolatrous, to be destroyed. Leviticus 26:30; Numbers 33:52
• Sacrifices and incense offered to idols upon. 2 Kings 12:3; 2 Kings 16:4
• Enchantments used upon. Numbers 23:3; Numbers 24:1
• Of the Canaanites to be destroyed. Numbers 33:52
• Provoked God with. 1 Kings 14:22-23; Psalm 78:58
• Threatened with destruction of. Leviticus 26:30
• Punished for.
2 Kings 17:11, 18
• DESTROYED.
• Asa, partially.
2 Chron. 14:3, 5; 2 Chron. 15:17
• Jehoshaphat.
2 Chron. 17:6
• Hezekiah.
2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chron. 31:1
• Josiah. 2
Kings 23:8; 2 Chron. 34:3
• NOT REMOVED.
• Jehoash.
2 Kings 12:3
• Amaziah.
2 Kings 14:4
• Azariah.
2 Kings 15:4
• Jotham. 2
Kings 15:35
4:17
ephraim joined to idols—apostate
Ephraim is a reference to the northern
kingdom
Jude is also known as the book of the
Apostates
A “falling away.” The common classical use of the word has to do
with a political defection (Genesis 14:4, LXX; 2 Chron. 13:6, LXX; Acts 5:37).
In the NT its more usual meaning is that of a religious defection (Acts 21:21;
1 Tim. 4:1; Hebrews 3:12). This is called “apostasy from the faith” (apostasia
a fide): a secession from the church, and a disowning of the name of
Christ. Some of its peculiar characteristics are mentioned, such as seducing
spirits, doctrines of demons, hypocritical lying, a seared conscience,
forbidding of marriage and of meats, a form of godliness without the power (1
Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:5). The grave nature of apostasy is shown by such passages
as Hebrews 10:26-29, 2 Peter 2:15-21, and John 15:22. Apostasy as the act of a
professed Christian, who knowingly and deliberately rejects revealed truth
regarding the deity of Christ (1 John 4:1-3) and redemption through His atoning
sacrifice (Phil. 3:18; 2 Peter 2:1) is different from error, which may be the
result of ignorance (Acts 19:1- That had
its own consequences in the Southern Kingdom (for the impact of this invasion
on the Southern Kingdom, see under the reign of Ahaz), but placed the
Northern Kingdom and Pekah in imminent peril. The Assyrian King, while not
really needing it to act, had an open invitation to invade the Northern Kingdom
with support from Judah to the South. The Assyrian armies began to deal one by
one with the rebellious nations. In 734, Tiglath-Pileser’s armies decimated the
Philistine territories along the coast southwest of Judah, cut off any
assistance from Egypt to the south, and then turned back north to deal with
Israel. By 733 the Assyrians had taken most of the northern territories of
Israel and surrounding areas, and were poised to take Samaria, the northern
capital (2 Kings 15:29). Later, they would strike further north and ravage the
Syrian territories.At this point, Pekah was assassinated by Hoshea who took control of the Northern Kingdom. Again, while we have no direct evidence, events suggest that this assassination was an attempt to change policy toward Assyria and save the nation.
Hoshea (732-724) and the end
Hoshea immediately surrendered the Northern
Kingdom to Shalmeneser V (some think this was Shalmaneser IV), the new king of
Assyria, and paid tribute (2 Kings 17:1-3). This action probably saved Samaria
from destruction, at least for a while, but only put the Northern Kingdom more
firmly in the grasp of the Assyrians.There was no doubt still a faction within Israel that wanted independence. While Hoshea had acted to save what remained of the nation, he eventually saw what he thought was an opportunity to break free of Assyrian control. He made an alliance with Egypt, thinking he could rely on them for military assistance, and withheld tribute from Assyria (2 Kings 17:4). But Egypt at this time was weak and was worthless as a military ally. Shalmeneser’s army attacked the reduced Israelite Kingdom in 724, captured most of the land, and took Hoshea prisoner. Only Samaria remained. It was besieged for 3 years, and was finally taken in 721 (2 Kings 17:5-6). The city was destroyed, the northern Kingdom transformed into a province of the Assyrian Empire, a number of the people taken as prisoners or exiles to Assyria, and other people resettled in the captured territory (2 Kings 17:24-34).
The Northern Kingdom had ceased to exist. Even though there were continued prophetic dreams of a restored and unified Kingdom (e.g., Ezek 37:18-22) it would forever disappear from history. The writer of 2 Kings gives a long theological evaluation of the fall of the Northern Kingdom, attributing their demise to faithlessness to their covenant with Yahweh in worshipping other gods (2 Kings 17:7-18).
6), or heresy, which may be the result of
falling into the snare of Satan (2 Tim. 2:25-26). Both error and heresy may
accordingly be consistent with true faith. On the other hand, apostasy departs
from the faith but not from the outward profession of it (2 Tim. 3:5).
Apostasy, whether among the angels (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:15; Jude 1:6),
in Israel (Isaiah 1:1-6; Isaiah 5:5-7), or in the church (Rev. 3:14-16) is
irremediable and awaits judgment. Mankind’s apostasy in Adam (Genesis 3:6-7) is
curable only through the sacrifice of Christ. Apostates apparently can only be
professors and not actual possessors of true salvation, otherwise their
defection would incur severe chastening or, if this failed to restore them,
untimely (physical) death (1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Cor. 11:32; 1 John 5:16).
5:7
begotten strange children
They trained their children in the paths
of idolatry
5:13—Ephraim
makes alliance w/ Assyria
Ahaz
had appealed to Assyria for assistance in repelling the invading coalition
armies.
6:8
Gilead?
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