4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites! For the Lord has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God.
Hosea has another message for the ten northern tribes of Israel. Jehovah is going to take Israel to court and sue her for not keeping the Mosaic Covenant. The reason for the lawsuit is that there is no faithfulness nor loyalty in the land of Israel. There is no knowledge of God in the land.
4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to violence and bloodshed.
Cursing is a violation of the Third Commandment. Lying is a violation of the Ninth Commandment. Stealing is a violation of the Sixth Commandment. Adultery is a violation of the Eighth Commandment. Murder is a violation of the Seventh Commandment. Jehovah is taking Israel to court for breaking the Mosaic Covenant. The Ten Commandments were just 10 of the 613 laws required of the people.
4:3 Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.
Since Israel had violated the Mosaic Law, the inhabitants in the land would perish. The judgment would even reach into the animal kingdom. Animals, birds, and fish would die as well.
4:4 Do not let anyone accuse or contend against anyone else: for my case is against you priests!
The Levitical priests were responsible for teaching the Bible to the twelve tribes of Israel. There was no printing press in that day, so not everyone had a copy of the Scriptures. There were some true priests who were teaching Bible doctrine, but their message was rejected. Most of the priests were teaching false doctrine. This same situation exists in the church today.
4:5 You stumble day and night, and the false prophets stumble with you; You have destroyed your own people!
The people were stumbling, because they were listening to false prophets. The false priests did not teach the Word of God, so the people were being destroyed. Any pastor who does not stand in the pulpit to teach the Word of God is destroying his congregation.
4:6 You have destroyed my people by failing to acknowledge me! Because you refuse to acknowledge me, I will reject you as my priests. Because you reject the law of your God, I will reject your descendants.
The Levitical priests were destroying God’s people, because they were not teaching them Bible doctrine. Since the priests refused to teach the Word of God, God was going to reject the priests. He was also going to reject their descendants. By the time of Jesus, the teachers of the Law were teaching the man-made Oral Law and not the divinely inspired written Word of God. Jesus rejected the Oral Law. Jesus many times taught, “It is written,” to emphasize the written Word of God. The Oral Law is nothing but rabbinical superstition. Most rabbi today spend more time studying and teaching the Talmud (Oral Law) than they do the written Word of God.
4:7 The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me. They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace!
As the population of the priests increased, the population of false teachers increased as well. The Levites were given the glorious calling of teaching the Word of God. Instead, they were teaching satanism. Satanism is the philosophy of the satanic world system.
4:8 They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity!
The people were feeding the Levitical priests with offerings from their own home. In return, the Levitical priests were feeding the people satanism.
4:9 I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds.
Since the people have become as evil as the priests, then the people would be judged like the priests.
4:10 They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the Lord by pursuing other gods.
The people will eat, but they will not be satisfied. The people will engage in temple prostitution, but their population will not increase. The reason is that the priests led Israel into idolatry.
4:11 Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people.
The lack of Bible doctrine leads to drunkenness. Drunkenness leads to a lack of understanding Bible doctrine. The satanic world system promotes alcohol, because it kills brain cells and saps away the nation’s ability to understand Bible doctrine. Believers should be addicted to Bible study, not alcohol.
4:12 They consult their wooden idols, and their diviner’s staff answers with an oracle. The wind of prostitution blows them astray; they commit spiritual adultery against their God.
When Bible doctrine is neglected, the nations will replace it with idolatry and temple prostitution. Modern nations have neglected the Word of God and replaced it with evolution, fornication, adultery, pornography, and homosexuality.
4:13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and burn offerings on the hills; they sacrifice under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is so pleasant. As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery!
Israel rejected Bible doctrine, so they fell into human sacrifice and cult prostitution. America sacrifices their unborn children to the goddess of fornication by abortion. Hollywood and the pornographic industry have turned many men into cult prostitutes. Many actresses who want to bear their breasts on the big screen sell themselves as prostitutes to Hollywood producers.
4:14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men consort with harlots, they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. It is true: “A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!”
When people lack Bible doctrine, it ruins their society. When man rejects revelation from God, they replace Bible doctrine with immoral values from the satanic world system. According to Romans 1, those who reject the revelation given to them will actually follow a path of evil towards homosexuality and lesbianism. Satan wants to promote same sex marriage, because it helps him to turn the society against God.
4:15 Although you, O Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty! Do not journey to Gilgal! Do not go up to Beth Aven! Do not swear, “As surely as the Lord lives!”
Hosea’s messages were mostly to the northern tribes of Israel, but sometimes he will give a side warning to Judah. In this instance, he warned Judah not to follow in the evil adulterous ways of Israel.
Elijah and Elisha established a school of prophets in the city of Gilgal. Now, Gilgal had become at the center of Israeli idolatry.
Bethel was the place where Abraham and Jacob built altars to God. Elijah and Elisha also established another school of prophets in this city. Bethel means house of God. The name was changed to Beth Aven, meaning house of emptiness. Jehovah offered King Jeroboam I an eternal dynasty. Instead, Jeroboam rejected God’s offer and established worship of the golden calf in Bethel.
4:16 Israel has rebelled like a stubborn heifer! Soon the Lord will put them out to pasture like a lamb in a broad field!
Israel was as rebellious as a stubborn heifer. Therefore, God was going to put Israel out to pasture like a baby lamb. The lamb will be free to run around and do what she desired, but she would not be protected from the wild beasts who wanted to devour her. The wild beasts were the Gentile nations.
4:17 Ephraim has attached himself to idols; Do not go near him!
Ephraim was the largest tribe in Israel. They were given a double portion of blessing by God through their population. However, they turned this double blessing into double idolatry. Ephraim was also a name for the ten northern tribes of Israel. The Book of Hosea used the name of Ephraim in place of Israel 37 different times in this book alone.
4:18 They consume their alcohol, then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior.
Instead of studying and applying the Word of God, most of Israel had fallen into alcohol consumption and temple prostitution. Modern America spends more time in bars than in Bible study. Some believers want to go into bars and evangelize the drunks. Instead, the believers turn into alcoholics and lose the capacity to understand the Scriptures. God does not reveal light to drunkards.
4:19 A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship.
The sacrifices of Israel would not be accepted. Israel loved her spiritual adultery, so she will be brought to shame.