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Hosea 4 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
God is honest and open with Israel about their sins. As The Message translation puts it, it was sheer anarchy.
“No doubt, this happened after the pattern of human nature. When Hosea and Gomer first married, she probably promised eternal love and devotion. She probably showed every sign of being committed to Hosea. But after a while, and in difficult circumstances, she fell back into prostitution. Perhaps it was out of boredom. Perhaps it was out of a feeling of neglect. Perhaps it was out of a sense of need. Sadly, we share the same inexcusable reasons for our idolatry, when we prefer another god to the LORD God.”
David Guzik
Throughout Scripture, God has tried to show man his sins in many different ways. It happens in nearly every chapter of Scripture. God knows that sin is our problem and at the cross, Jesus made it His problem. However, when we read of Hosea’s commitment and we reflect on how Jesus fulfilled that spiritually, the cost is staggering.
The world tells us our sins aren’t that bad; they are just “mistakes.” God says they are deep, concentrated stains, incapable of being washed cleaned by human hands or animal sacrifices. The law shows us we are flawed, condemnable, and deserving of death. We can’t please God, let alone please ourselves. Like concentric circles, the stains of our sins overlap the lives of others and vice versa. Like a seeping infection, the growth of sin knows no bounds.
For Israel, with each generation came new levels of idolatry and separation from their God. With each separation came the repetitive and continuous sacrificial system of animal blood being shed in order to pay for their sin. In between those sacrifices, we find the people once again returning to their vomit. If you have ever read the OT all the way through, it reads like a tense, frustrating see-saw relationship of human rebellion and God’s grace.
Amazingly, there is grace. Even in the stench of wickedness, God’s heart is set toward grace.
Oh, the amazing, unbelievable, flawless grace of our Lord Jesus. It cannot be overstated that the more we realize the depth of our sin, the more gratitude we have for His amazing grace; the grace that saved a wretch like me.