Hosea 4:4-8 Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. 5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity.
INTRODUCTION
I mentioned in the introductory sermon that Hosea is one of the most textually challenging books in the bible. I read six commentaries on this section this week and there were four different opinions on what constitutes “this section” (and I followed none of them). That is, there is no real consensus as to where the prophecy, which begins in 4:4, ends. Some of that is owing to manuscript issues and some of it is owing to the way in which Hosea’s prophecies were compiled. Regardless of where it begins and ends, however, this much is certain: no one in Israel, not even its leaders, were exempt from God’s charge of spiritual adultery.
There are two main things I want you to take away from this sermon. First, I want you to consider deeply the reality that being specific about what constitutes sin and righteousness is a remarkable expression of God’s love. And second, I want you to understand that it is an especially heinous affront to the glory of God when His leaders lead His people into sin. Please pray, then, that we would be eager to press into the depths and specifics of God’s will for us and that we’d properly examine, esteem, and protect our leaders.
THE LOVING STING OF GOD’S CHASTISEMENT
Before we get into the specifics of the text, I’d like to draw your attention to two crucial implications of this text. I mean to do so because I think it will set us up well for the rest of today’s sermon and the coming passages. Again, here’s the situation: God had graciously agreed to enter into a covenant with Israel. He charged Israel to love, hope in, and obey Him. If they would remain faithful, God would be with them to protect them and bless them and glorify His name through them. However, Israel failed to do so and therein brought upon herself a level of peril that is impossible to fully capture. What’s worse, in a very significant way Israel didn’t even understand (because she lacked knowledge, 4:1) that she had betrayed God and incurred His righteous wrath. Hosea was called by God to inform, warn, and call Israel to repent of all of this.
1. God’s Warning of Sin Is a Remarkable Gift
The first thing to see is that this—God’s warning through Hosea—was a remarkable gift. It certainly didn’t feel like it to the Israelites. Evidently the most common response to God’s messages of warning was anger and murder. For that reason Stephen would later say of the Israelites, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute [and kill]” (Acts 7:51-52)? And yet, as harsh as this book is in its indictments, it is really a loving call to Israel to recognize the danger she was in, in order that she might get the help she needed and God offered.
Of course no one wants to be told they have cancer, but what’s worse than having cancer? Not knowing that you have cancer and therein not knowing that you need to get treatment for it. The question to ask ourselves, then, is whether or not we truly appreciate this. Do you want to be made known of the danger you are in? If you are a non-Christian and hell is real, don’t you want to know it while you still have time to do something about it? If you are a Christian, isn’t it better to be stung by the words of a friend (or an enemy for that matter) than to continue on in rebellion against God? Isn’t it better to be wounded by your circumstances than to remain blind to your sin?
Would you consider making it a regular practice to press your life against the Word of God; to really test your thoughts, attitudes, affections, and actions against those which God’s word calls you to? Would you consider making it a regular practice to ask godly people if they see any hints of sin in your life—and to be really slow to dismiss their answer? Would you consider becoming more deeply entrenched in the life of the church here in order to be exposed to situations that will reveal your sin and sanctify you? Finding out (by whatever means God chooses) that we are in danger is a loving gift of God.
2. The More Specific God is with Us About Our Sin, the Greater the Blessing
The second implication of this text is that God didn’t merely sound a general alarm. As we will soon see (beginning in this next section and continuing on throughout the rest of Hosea), God is remarkably specific in His condemnations and warnings. Why is that? Hasn’t he made His point sufficiently already? Isn’t this just pouring salt in Israel’s wound? Why push harder when it will hurt so much more to hear more?
Consider a friend approaching you and suggesting that your parenting might be lacking a bit. That would certainly sting. Now imagine them handing you a 4000 word document (the number of words in Hosea 4-13) detailing the faults of each of your children and the things you’ve done and neglected to do to contribute to them. Wasn’t your friend’s initial, general challenge enough? If not, wouldn’t 500 additional words be sufficient?
Believe it or not, the ultimate answer as to why God continues on for ten chapters of specific accusations and judgments is His love. As counterintuitive as this may seem, it truly is loving. Let me explain what I mean.
Again, being told that you are sick is not pleasant news, but it does enable you begin seeking the help you need. That was the first thing I wanted you to see. But let me ask you this: do you think you’re more likely to get the help you need if the Dr. simply looks you over and tells you that you’re sick, or if he runs enough tests to identify the particular sickness you are dealing with? Are you more likely to get help if you’re just told that you have cancer or if you’re told the particular kind of cancer you have, where it is, and how developed it is?
That’s the second thing I want you to see: the more specific God is with us about the nature of our covenant rebellion, the more specifically we can target our sins, repent, and live in a manner pleasing to God.
Again, then, Grace, don’t be content with the general knowledge that you are a sinner. Don’t even be content with the specific understanding that you are a gossip. As much as possible, with the Spirit, Word, and people of God, drill deeper. Find out why you’re tempted to gossip, what God’s Word says about gossip, how to kill gossip, etc. As Israel found out, sin is not to be treated lightly.
All of that to say, the contents of the coming chapters of Hosea—both the general and specific charges against Israel—are really significant gifts of God—special expressions of His jealous love. It might not seem like it because of how harsh it can be at times, but make no mistake, God’s specificity is nothing but a rescue plan and a treasure map rolled into one for all who will receive it.
That leads us to the text and the first round of specific charges God makes; this time against the priests.
GOD’S CONTROVERSY WITH THE PRIESTS
Consider with me Hosea’s four specific declarations concerning the adulterous sins of Israel’s priests/leaders:
1. There Is No Defense Against God’s Controversy
Again, in the first few verses of chapter 4, Hosea declared God’s general controversy with Israel. The charges were serious, the evidence clear, and the consequences severe. Under ordinary circumstances the defendant would be given a chance to respond to such a significant set of accusations. In this case, however, God shut their mouths. He did not even let them reply. To do so would have implied that the case was in doubt, that God’s judgment might be questionable, and that Israel’s guilt was uncertain.
Yet let no one contend [same “controversy” in 4:1], and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest.
There is no legitimate defense against God’s controversy/case (4:1) with Israel. Indeed, there is no one who can bring a case against God or answer God’s case against them. To this point, in Job 38 we read,
Job 38:4-11 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
Let us hear and heed this, Grace. May we not be a people who think we can stand against the Almighty. Hear the word of God and be silenced. Let us stop pleading our case before God and start trembling at His case against us in order that we might repent and live. Please, Grace, let’s acknowledge God as the one and only Creator-King and Righteous-Judge. Let’s take ourselves, or whoever or whatever we’ve put on the throne that belongs to God alone, off of it and submit to God’s perfect, benevolent, eternal reign. He is those things and he rules those ways whether we accept it or not. We, like the Israelites, will either live in light of it and all the blessings that go with it, or we will reject it and die.
Jesus Christ has made a way for treasonists like you and I to be reconciled to God and to come back to God—not only under His reign, but also into His family.
Again, God’s case against Israel was air-tight. Hopefully, for you and I at least, this is already clear. However, flowing from His jealous love, God charged Hosea to be even more specific. And all of that began with the reality that Israel—especially her priests—had no defense.
2. God Leaders are Not Exempt from His Judgments
Next week, beginning in 4:9, we’ll see more about the nature of God’s punishments for the priests for their sins. And yet, we get a glimpse of that here in 4:5 (and, as we will see in a moment, in 6 as well).
5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.
I don’t even know for sure if this is true or not, but on all the TV shows there are certain people (like foreign diplomats and congressmen) who cannot be arrested while performing their official duties. They are considered above the law in certain ways. It seems that the leaders in Israel believed that they had that type of protection from God’s laws. However, while there is a decent amount of textual difficulty in this verse, the main point is simple: the leaders of God’s people are not exempt from God’s judgment and will be held accountable for their sin.
In Hosea 4:1-3 we find a general indictment against all of Israel. And then in 4:4 we read, “Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest.” The picture that this verse is meant to paint for us is one of the religious leaders, the priests, sitting back and nodding in agreement at God’s charge against the people. We are supposed to imagine them feeling morally superior such that they have we-told-you-so grins plastered on their faces. “That’s right, Hosea, we’ve been trying to tell them, but they won’t listen to us. Let ’em have it.” But then, instead of taking the priest’s bait, Hosea turns the tables and lays them out flat. “You have no right to condemn the people you’re charged to lead, o priests. In many ways you are worse and in every way you will be held more accountable” (more on that in the next point).
Grace, Mike, Matt, Kyle and I would love not to be micro-analyzed concerning our hair and clothing styles, sports teams of choice, aptitude in softball, mannerisms, etc. We already know we’re weird and inadequate in those areas. We’re happy to remain in our current level of knowledge of those things. What we do want from you, however, is to never overlook real sin in us. Please be prayerful, loving, and humble as you approach us, but PLEASE approach us.
There was no case to be made against God’s case against Israel’s spiritual adultery. Indeed, all of Israel stood guilty under God’s judgments, including—and especially as we will now see—her leaders. The second point, then, is that not even the leaders of Israel would escape God’s judgment. And that leads to the next point.
3. God’s Leaders Are Held to an Even Higher Standard
Not only will Israel’s leaders, the priest, be held accountable, they will be held to an even higher standard.
Everyone is held accountable for our own sins. No one (not even Satan himself) can make you sin. When you and I sin, it is because we decided to do so. Paul Tripp has a helpful way of illustrating this point. He shakes an open water bottle and asks why water came out. Our natural inclination is to say that water came out because the bottle was shaken. That’s how we typically treat our own sin. We act as if the circumstances or people around us (in their sin or mistreatment of us) cause us to act as we do (sinfully). Tripp continues with his illustration by asking the same question with a particular emphasis, “Why did water come out?”. And the answer, of course, is because the bottle was filled with water. If it had been filled with Diet Coke, Diet Coke would have come out. If it was filled with mouthwash, mouthwash would have come out.
The point is plain: the only reason sin comes out of us when life is hard or when we are sinned against, is because that sin was in us in the first place. Situations and people can tempt us to sin, but they cannot put sin in us. We are responsible for our own sins.
Nevertheless, there is a particular way in which those who have been appointed to lead God’s people will be held doubly accountable. We will be held accountable for our own sins (sins in life and leadership), and we will be held accountable for the way our sins effect those whom we are charged to lead. That principle is right at the heart of 4:6.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Do you see what’s happening here? God’s people are being held accountable by God for abandoning God. The stated reason for their abandonment is that they lacked knowledge of what it meant to be faithful to God—they did not know the terms of the covenant their fathers had made with God. And for that, once again, they would be held accountable. Each Israelite was responsible to know what God required of them and obey it.
But look at the next clause. The people were to be destroyed for their own lack of knowledge, but they lacked knowledge because those particularly charged with imparting knowledge—their priests—had rejected it. ” My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge…”.
God’s people will be destroyed for their own sins resulting from their lack of knowledge concerning God’s will (ignorance is not an excuse). But God has an even more significant pronouncement of judgment for those charged to impart knowledge to His people. “And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Commentators debate the exact nature of this punishment, but whatever it finally means, it is not good and it is directed as an added judgment upon the priests.
To this point, Grace, please pray for Mike, Matt, Kyle and I.
To a degree that I’ve never witnessed, Christian leaders are disqualifying themselves at an alarming rate. At one point not long ago I had some personal connection to four men in significant positions of Christian ministry who sinned spectacularly within a few months of one another. One was found out to be an adulterer, another a serial adulterer, one was a missionary to refugees who was caught soliciting from young boys, and another was found to have a second (Muslim) family.
Pray that God would continue to protect us from anything like this. But please also pray that God would protect us from the more “ordinary,” everyday sins as well. In fact, would you consider taking the pledge that most of you read about in “Church Membership”?
I will pray for my pastors every day. I understand that the pastors’ work is never ending. Their days are filled with numerous demands that bring emotional highs and lows. They must deal with critics. They must be good husbands and fathers. Because my pastors cannot do all things in their own power, I will pray for their strength and wisdom daily.
There is no defense against God’s accusations. All of Israel will be held accountable for their abandonment of God and its leaders especially. That leads to our final point.
4. God’s Blessing on the Priests Led to Greater Sin
We’ve all, at times at least, fallen into the trap of believing that if only my life were easier, if only I were a few years older or younger, if only I had a bit more money, if only my health were to improve, if only my spouse was nicer or my kids more obedient, if only I had better friends, if only my house were a bit bigger or neighborhood safer, if only I were smarter or prettier or more athletic, if only God would bless me a bit more in this area or that, then I would truly be happy and free to live as God means me to live, love as God means me to love, and worship as God means me to worship. We’ve all thought at least a few of those things at times, haven’t we?
But consider all of that in light of the final two verses of our passage for this morning.
7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity.
As God increasingly blessed the priests, just like the Israelites, they used their blessing to sin. “The more they increased, the more they sinned against me.” God had blessed the priests in order that they might feed His people. But rather than feeding God’s people, God’s leaders ate from them. And rather than feeding them righteousness, the priests ate from their sin—and it wasn’t as if they ate reluctantly, God’s word says that they were greedy for it. The result of all of this was that God would change their glory (their blessing and abundance) into shame.
Again, Grace, the entire story of the OT is meant to show God’s people that we were made for blessing (which is why we all desire it as we do), but that sin has entirely corrupted our ability to receive it as we should. And as we come to realize this, we are meant to cry out to God for help. We are meant to learn from our greed for iniquity that we need one who would kill our appetite for iniquity and forgive us from it.
Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
That is to say that the whole story of the OT was meant to point us to Jesus. In him and in him alone may we find true blessing and appreciate it rightly. Let us learn from the Israelites and their leaders, the priests, to look not to the tiny, temporal, tempting blessings of this world, but to Christ and the unlimited, timeless, treasures of the next.
CONCLUSION
Grace, the priests had abandoned God in spiritual adultery. That’s the general charge against them. But here, God inspired Hosea to be even more specific about their sins. In particular, we saw that they thought they had a defense against God’s charge, that they were above God’s judgment, that they might merely face the same penalty as those whom they were charged to lead, and that God’s blessings were proof of all of this and irremovable.
That God made all of this known in such detail (continuing on into the following verses and next week’s sermon as well), as counterintuitive as it might seem, was a remarkable blessing of God. In love, he does not leave us in the dark as to His will for us. And he does not leave us to wonder at His countenance toward us.
Our response to all of this must first and ultimately always be, not to try harder, but to trust. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Look to Jesus today and find your sin, in all its depth and ugliness. And look to Jesus and find rescue.