Africa Study Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 58
57
Since you priests refuse to know me,
I refuse to recognise you as my priests.
Since you have forgotten the laws of
your God,
I will forget to bless your children.
7 The more priests there are,
the more they sin against me.
They have exchanged the glory of God
for the shame of idols.*
“When the people bring their sin
offerings, the priests get fed.
So the priests are glad when the
people sin!
9 ‘And what the priests do, the people also
do.’
So now I will punish both priests and
people
for their wicked deeds.
10 They will eat and still be hungry.
They will play the prostitute and gain
nothing from it,
for they have deserted the Lord
11
to worship other gods.
8
“Wine has robbed my people
of their understanding.
12 They ask a piece of wood for advice!
They think a stick can tell them the
future!
Longing after idols
has made them foolish.
They have played the prostitute,
serving other gods and deserting their
God.
13 They offer sacrifices to idols on the
mountain tops.
They go up into the hills to burn
incense
in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars,
and terebinth trees.
“That is why your daughters turn to
prostitution,
and your daughters-in-law commit
adultery.
14 But why should I punish them
for their prostitution and adultery?
For your men are doing the same thing,
sinning with whores and shrine
prostitutes.
O foolish people! You refuse to
understand,
so you will be destroyed.
15
“Though you, Israel, are a prostitute,
may Judah not be guilty of such
things.
Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or
Beth-aven,*
and do not take oaths there in the
Lord’s name.
4:7
Hos 10:1; 13:6
Hab 2:16
Rom 1:23
4:9
Isa 24:2
Jer 5:31
4:11
Isa 5:12; 28:7
4:12
Isa 44:19
Jer 2:27
4:13
Jer 2:20; 3:6
Ezek 6:13
Hos 2:13; 11:2
4:14
Deut 23:17
Rom 1:31
4:16
Isa 5:17; 7:25
4:17
Ps 81:12
4:19
Hos 12:1; 13:15
H O S E A 5 : 1
African Touch Points
Idolatry Is
Spiritual Prostitution
In south-west Côte d’Ivoire, there is a small mountain
named Guékouzaliè. A village of hunters and farmers
stretches out from its hillsides. Its inhabitants used
to worship this mountain unashamedly because they
believed the mountain was the sanctuary of their
guardian spirit.
Like these people, many other traditional African
communities worshipped material things like lakes,
rivers, woods, or forests. In Hosea’s day the people of
Israel also worshipped such things. God condemned
them for worshipping idols, saying that they asked
a piece of wood for advice and thought that a stick
could tell the future (Hosea 4:12).
God looks upon idolatry as a form of spiritual
prostitution. The children of Israel worshipped natural
elements, but idolatry is not limited to these things.
Today we can have attitudes and behaviours that
creep in and are forms of idolatry. Perhaps a good
football match causes some of us to forget about
our time of prayer and meditation on God’s Word.
Sometimes business opportunities lead people to
give up their Christian principles. For other people,
their affection for titles or money competes with their
affection for God.
We must stop to consider: Have some of our
activities taken precedence over God? The children
of Israel gave up the worship of God for a piece of
wood. We are not immune. It is important to ask
ourselves if our favourite paper is found in the pages
of our Bibles or the bills in our wallets.
We should not give anyone or anything priority over
God. He is the only one worthy of worship (Exodus
20:3).
Israel is stubborn,
like a stubborn heifer.
So should the Lord feed her
like a lamb in a lush pasture?
17 Leave Israel* alone,
because she is married to idolatry.
18 When the rulers of Israel finish their
drinking,
off they go to find some prostitutes.
They love shame more than honour.*
19 So a mighty wind will sweep them
away.
Their sacrifices to idols will bring
them shame.
16
The Failure of Israel’s Leaders
1 “Hear this, you priests.
Pay attention, you leaders of Israel.
Listen, you members of the royal family.
Judgement has been handed down
against you.
5
4:7 As in Syriac version and an ancient Hebrew tradition; Masoretic Text reads I will turn their glory into shame.
4:15 Beth-aven
means “house of wickedness”; it is being used as another name for Bethel, which means “house of God.” 4:17 Hebrew Ephraim,
referring to the northern kingdom of Israel. 4:18 As in Greek version; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.