Hosea 5:6-10

Hosea 5:6 (KJB)

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

 

Proverbs 1:28 (KJV) Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:  Since Israel was steeped in idolatry they could go with their flocks and herds to make sacrifices unto God but because of their sin, God had intentionally withdrawn himself from them.  The warning to obey God and avoid disobedience is carried over into the New Testament.  Hebrews 3:15 (KJV) While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.  Hebrews 3:15 is a quote from Psalm 95:7-8 which has to do with nation of Israel provoking God at the waters of Meribah.  Exodus 17:7 (KJV) And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?  Now Israel was provoking the LORD once again by remaining in idolatry and not desiring to return unto the LORD.

 

Hosea 5:7 (KJB)

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

 

The word “treacherously” carries with it the meaning of “deceitfully or faithlessly.”  Their continual dwellings in idolatry has also caused them to spawn strange children.  This may carry with it the meaning of the fact that since Israel intermarried with the heathens, the children of those marriages were now being raised in idolatry instead of learning about the true God which was commanded them by God in the law.  Deuteronomy 6:2 (KJV) That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.  It is a lesson for modern parents.  If they raise their children in the wisdom and ways of the world, they too will suffer the consequences of having disobedient children heading for eternal damnation.  God uses the word “now” in the last phrase of this verse.  It refers to the fact that their judgment is imminent.  A month is considered but a brief time when the judgment of Israel will come and all the possessions they have will be devoured with them as the Assyrians will plunder Israel the Babylonians will plunder Judah.  Nothing will be left of them or their portions.  The word “portions” carries with it the meaning of “inheritance.”  Whatever they would have inherited will go into the hands of the heathens.

 

Hosea 5:8 (KJB)

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin.

 

Blowing the cornet and trumpet were alarm warnings along with crying aloud.  These alarms were to be sounded when the enemy was at the gates of the city ready to invade.  Gibeah and Ramah were both cities in the tribe of Benjamin which bordered on Ephraim.  This passage speaks about the Assyrian invasion into Beth-aven.  Beth-aven was located just south of the hill country of Ephraim where the Assyrians would have invaded from the north.  The judgment of the ten northern tribes was at hand.

 

Hosea 5:9 (KJB)

Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

 

Ephraim is going to face a rebuke in that she is going to be taken to Assyria but not for a specified time, it would be permanent as she would never be restored to the land as Judah would be in 516 B.C.  The day of rebuke is when Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, will arrive at the borders of Ephraim and begin the siege which will take them away forever.  God is going to make it known all over the land of Israel the penalty Ephraim is going to pay for her idolatry.  They will be removed from the land in a public showing and not in a private removal.  The fact that this will “surely be” means that it is definite and there is no way that Ephraim will be able to escape the consequences of their rebellion against God.

 

Hosea 5:10 (KJB)

The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

 

Deuteronomy 19:14 (KJV) Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.  In the law God gave a command that boundaries were not to be removed.  The boundaries were set to prevent neighbor wars and to prevent men of greed from expanding their lands by reducing the size of others.  There was also a boundary set for the purpose of a person staying within the law of God and not crossing that boundary meant that they were being obedient.  When boundaries are removed or breached, it means a person has crossed a line which sends them into rebellious territory.  Once that person crosses over they can come back with the proper sacrifices but in the case of Israel and Judah, they crossed the boundaries and never returned so God had to pour out his wrath upon them in punishment for their rebellion.  The wrath will flow like water and if you ever saw a waterfall or a flood, you know it cannot be stopped and that is what happened to Israel, their punishment came and nothing could stop it.

Back