HOSEA 4:7

The Bible says in Hosea 4:7, “As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.” This verse reminds us of the temptation that prosperity can bring. Every good gift comes from God. God’s greatest gift is salvation through faith in Christ, but also every good thing that you have is a gift from God. Human beings can through life struggling and striving to reach some kind of financial and material success, but the problem is that if they ever attain to that, there always comes with it a temptation to forget God and to think that the material gifts came solely from one’s own efforts and wisdom. That is a serious spiritual mistake. Ephesians 5:20 reminds Christians, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

The Bible says in Hosea 4:8-9, “They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.[9] And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.” Notice the phrase in verse 9, “And there shall be, like people, like priest.” Here is a dreadful thought: as society falls away from God, the pastors and preachers might also fall away. The temptation for a preacher will be similar to the temptation for a politician: to say what people want to hear in order to gain their favor. A good preacher is someone who is faithful to the Word of God, but the Word of God preaches against sin. As people continue on in their sinfulness, they will not want to hear messages against their sins. As society degenerates, the best preachers will not be invited to the biggest churches. The best preachers will be relegated to the smallest congregations. But nothing will cause them to compromise their message because they love Jesus, and they know the value of the Word of God. Let me give one simple example of how this process works. There was a day when only a few people were divorced and then remarried. Preachers could turn to passages such as Matthew 5:31-33 where Jesus said, “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:[32] But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.[33] Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:” How many preachers will ever preach these words in our day? So many have been divorced now that there is always the possibility that people will be offended by this teaching from Jesus, and will leave the church and not come back. They should humble themselves and be thankful that God has been merciful to them even though they have made mistakes. But preachers will be tempted to not touch this subject just in case. Sin is a terrible thing the bad consequences of sin have a very long reach. Once a society goes on in sin, one of the consequences will be this: “like people, like priest.”

The Bible says in Hosea 4:10-12, “For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.[11] Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.[12] My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.” The book of Hosea is all about the fact that God viewed the nation of Israel as if she were a harlot, a whore. The reason for that is the spiritual whoredom. If you are married to someone and you take one or more other loves, then you are involved in whoredom. There is a spiritual connotation to that for anyone who is a true believer. A believer from a spiritual standpoint is married to Jesus. The closest of all human relationships is the marriage bond between a man and a woman. The closest of all spiritual relationships is the bond between a believer and Jesus. The biggest problem that the Israelites had was their spiritual whoredom going away from God. That is why it says in Hosea 4:12, “they have gone a whoring from under their God.” Because of what is happening in our own society with increased immorality, we should be aware of the close connection between sexual immorality and departing from the Lord. It says in the first part of Hosea 4:12, “for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err.” The committing of whoredoms is dome so under a certain “spirit.” It is the spirit of instability, unfaithfulness, and selfishness. Such a spirit will lead people into even greater errors.

The Bible says in Hosea 4:13-16, “They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.[14] I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.[15] Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.[16] For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.” The first part of Hosea 4:13 is talking about false religion that the Israelites had turned to instead of serving the one true God. It says, “They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms” Those acts of false worship were spiritual adultery because they represented unfaithfulness to the Lord. Once we know Jesus as Savior, we are joined to Him with a bond that is even stronger than the marriage bond. As a matter of fact one of the primary purposes of marriage is to symbolize the relationship of the believer with his or her Lord. Therefore, when anyone or anything replaces the rightful position of the Lord Jesus in our lives including false religion, then we have committed spiritual adultery. That is what happened to the Israelites. If you do not draw close to the Lord, something in your heart will replace Him.

Notice the result of departing from the Lord and committing spiritual adultery. It says in the second part of Hosea 4:13, “therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.” The result is actual adultery. This is a common theme in human history. As a nation departs from God, one of the results is an increase in sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is not what caused the problem, but it is a result of the problem. The real problems are spiritual problems. The solution is for people to turn back to the Lord. Then they will want to live more holy lives and will understand the importance of doing things God’s way even with men-women relationships.

The spiritual principles in Hosea 4:14 are important to notice. God says, “I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.” When people point to the sexual immorality and point to how bad it is or how much it should be punished, do not forget this verse or this principle. God said He was not going to punish it. One reason for that is because sexual immorality is as we already pointed out, symptomatic of a much more serious problem: straying away from God. Another reason might be because of what Jesus said in the incident in the gospels of the woman who was taken in adultery. The Bible says in John 8:1-12, “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.[2] And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.[3] And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,[4] They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.[5] Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?[6] This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.[7] So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.[8] And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.[9] And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.[10] When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?[11] She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.[12] Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Jesus readily forgave this woman, but He also said to her, “Go and sin no more.” True repentance involves a desire to change our ways and start following the Lord. The Lord is very forgiving and He loves to show us mercy, but He also wants us to improve our lives. That is one reason that we must always preach the truth of God’s Word and never compromise its high standards. Yes, the Word of God can hurt when it shows us that we come up short in some area of our life, but we must always be willing to admit our mistakes and be ready to ask for forgiveness. Some people like hearing the Bible as long as all they hear is a positive message that never reveals their shortcomings. There is nothing wrong with a positive message when the Biblical text offers that message, but sometimes the Biblical text will seem like a stinging rebuke to our failures. God wants us to improve. He wants us to be more like Jesus, and that will only happen by hearing the whole message of God from the Word of God.

In the same verse where the Lord says that He is not going to punish the prostitutes, Hosea 4:14, the Lord does say whom will be punished and why. God says, “therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.” We are back at the root of the problem. Spiritual understanding is what is important. That is why one of the first things said about Jesus in John chapter one is the “light” that Jesus brought. It says about Jesus in John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” We gain the spiritual understanding by coming to Jesus, and we come to Jesus when we repent of our sins and ask Him for forgiveness. It is interesting that the same truth that Hosea makes in Hosea 4:14 is what Daniel made in the last chapter of his book. Remember that Daniel said in Daniel 12:2-3, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.[3] And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

The Bible says in the first part of Hosea 4:16, “For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer.” The Israelites were going away from God instead of going towards Him. That is why the term “backsliding” is used. You are a backslidden Christian if you have gone back from the Lord Jesus. Maybe once you were close to Jesus, but you did some things that you should not have done, and now you are not so close to Him. That means you are backslidden: you have slid back and slid away from close fellowship with your Lord and Master. There is no such thing as standing still in the Christian life. You are either going with the Lord, learning to walk closer and closer to Him, or you are going away from the Lord. Which way are you going? Of course, the answer for a backslidden Christian is to turn to the Lord by His mercy. The Lord Jesus is always kind and merciful. We must make the decision to turn to Him. That is why First John 1:9 is such an important verse for a Christian to put into practice. It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Notice the word, “If.”

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