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Oséias 4

John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin

Oséias 4

MacArthur - Hosea was facing the reality in Israel that God’s people had abandoned God. Consequently, they fell into all kinds of sin. They became a harlot-wife, an adulterous nation, violating their vow to God. But what was their basic problem? How did it happen? and why did it happen? Well, listen to what he writes beginning in verse 1: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel.” Stop right there. Hosea puts his finger on the problem. When a nation ceases to hear the Word of the Lord, confusion and chaos take place. He continues, “For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.” They had removed the foundation, and when the foundation was gone, what was left? Verse 2 gives us the answer, “By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery they break out, and blood toucheth blood.” In other words, you get national chaos when you give up the foundation of the Word of God. In America today people are concerned about the condition of our country; they’re concerned about a rising crime problem; they’re concerned about the disintegration of the family; they’re concerned about chaos in government; they’re concerned about economic stress and the chaos that results—the people have all of these concerns in their hearts. But I’ll tell you the truth: there is no resolution to any of these problems unless there is a reaffirmation of the absolute qualification of the Word of God as the standard to set the pace for this country. Israel had failed. When you destroy a biblical base, all you’re going to get is chaos. Everything bad had begun to happen because they wouldn’t hear the Word of the Lord. Verse 3 says, “Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the heavens; yea, the fish of the sea also shall be taken away.” Everything went wrong. Verse 6 sums it up for us: “My people are destroyed.” But why? “For lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge.” Now when a people rejects the law of God and the knowledge of God, they open the floodgates to chaos. As it is true in a nation, as in the case of Israel, it is also true in the life of an individual. (How to Study the Bible) Bob Gass- Danger of Not Knowing - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6) Iused to think that blessings were all spiritual. I resented folks who were well off and told myself they were probably miserable. I knew it would take money to reach the world with the Gospel, but I had no idea, and even less concern, where it would come from. Then one day I read, “They … searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). I knew God used the word “prosperity” many times, but I’d seen it abused and couldn’t get comfortable with it until I heard it defined as having enough to do the will of God. Surely if God has a will for me, then He intends me to have enough to carry it out! Your purpose determines your prosperity. So here’s what I can tell you for certain: The whole world will hear the Gospel (see Revelation 14:6); God will use His people to do it (see Matthew 28:19); they can’t do it if they’re broke. It’s time to claim God’s provision so that we can carry out God’s purposes (see Deuteronomy 8:18). God says clearly, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9, NIV). NOW ASK GOD TO MAKE THAT REAL IN YOUR LIFE. Hosea 4:7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. KJV Hosea 4:7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. NET Hosea 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! LXE Hosea 4:7 According to their multitude, so they sinned against me: I will turn their glory into shame. NLT Hosea 4:7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. ESV Hosea 4:7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. CSB Hosea 4:7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me. I will change their honor into disgrace. NIV Hosea 4:7 The more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful. NAB Hosea 4:7 One and all they sin against me, exchanging their glory for shame. NKJ Hosea 4:7 "The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. NJB Hosea 4:7 The more of them there have been, the more they have sinned against me; they have bartered their Glory for Shame. GWN Hosea 4:7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. So I will turn their glory into shame. NRS Hosea 4:7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; they changed their glory into shame. YLT Hosea 4:7 According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change. The more they multiplied: Ho 4:10 5:1 6:9 13:6,14 Ezr 9:7 I will change their glory into shame.: 1Sa 2:30 Jer 2:26,27 Mal 2:9 Php 3:19 Hosea 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BAD MATHEMATICS! It would have been better had they just been "added" because "multiplied" implies a plethora of pseudo-priests! The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me - They is still referring to the priests of Israel. Ideally the increase of those set apart to God (or holy as the priests were to be), should have resulted in a commensurate increase in holy living. Sadly, the converse took place, so that an increase of religious men brought an increase of wrong perpetrated against God. Beloved, all they needed was one good, godly, Word centered, Spirit empowered priest and yet not one could be found in all the land. So God was forced to send them one Word inspired, Spirit empowered holy prophet named Hosea! In God's mercy, he is giving the Northern Kingdom the final verdict. The jury is "in" and the verdict is guilty of sin against the Holy One of Israel. And note that phrase sinned against Me. THOUGHT - All sin is first and foremost against the Holy God, because ultimately though we might break men's laws, we primarily break God's righteous standard. Oh, how this principle needs to drop from our head (you are reading it right now and intellectually comprehending it) to our heart, our control center, so that His Words direct our steps. As Solomon wrote "Do not let them (My Words) depart from your sight; Keep (command not a suggestion; Lxx = phulasso in present imperative - only possible by depending on the Holy Spirit) them in the midst of your heart(Lxx = kardia)." (Pr 4:21) Joseph understood this principle when tempted by Potiphar's wife to whom he declared “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Ge 39:9) Sadly, God's priests did not follow Joseph's lead. But then neither do we when we willfully sin against God, knowing that the evil we do in thought, word or deed will not please Him! Thank God for the Cross and forgiveness! But thank God for the gift of the indwelling Spirit Who enables us to obey the command "put to death (aorist imperative) whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. (Col 3:5NET+)" So one more question - Is sin increasing or decreasing in your life? Or to ask another way are you "multiplying" righteousness or unrighteousness? I will change their glory into shame - Or "they exchanged their glory for shame." Either way it is a "bad exchange," and recalls the exchange Paul describes in Romans 1:23 where men "exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." (commentary) NET Note on I will change - The MT reads אָמִיר (’amir, “I will change, exchange”; Hiphil imperfect 1st person common singular from מוּר, mur, “to change, exchange”). However, an alternate scribal tradition (tiqquneh sopherim, that is, an intentional scribal change when the Masoretes believed that the received consonantal reading was corrupt) preserves the reading הֵמִירוּ (hemiru, “they have exchanged”; Hiphil perfect 3rd person common plural from מוּר). This alternate scribal tradition is also found in the Targum and reflected in the Syriac Peshitta. Several translations follow the MT: KJV, RSV, NASB “I will change their glory into shame” and TEV “I will turn your honor into disgrace”; however, others adopt the alternate tradition: NRSV “they changed their glory into shame” and NIV “they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful.” For discussion in favor of the MT reading, see D. Barthélemy, e.d., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:232. (ED COMMENT: The Septuagint (Lxx) has "I will turn their glory into shame" which would reflect divine retribution.) Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin of My people And direct their desire toward their iniquity KJV Hosea 4:8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. NET Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity! LXE Hosea 4:8 They will devour the sins of my people, and will set their hearts on their iniquities. NLT Hosea 4:8 "When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! ESV Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. CSB Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin of My people; they have an appetite for their transgressions. NIV Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. NAB Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin of my people, and are greedy for their guilt. NKJ Hosea 4:8 They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. NJB Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin of my people, they are greedy for their iniquity. GWN Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sins of my people, and they want them to do wicked things. NRS Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. YLT Hosea 4:8 The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul. They feed on the sin : Lev 6:26 Lev 7:6,7 set their heart on their iniquity: Heb. 1Sa 2:29 Ps 24:4 25:1 Isa 56:11 Eze 14:3,7 Mic 3:11 Mal 1:10 Ro 16:18 Titus 1:11 2Pe 2:3 Hosea 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PRIESTS FLEECING THE SHEEP! Instead of feeding the sheep (cf Jesus triplicate command in Jn 21:15-17+ = "Tend...shepherd...tend"), the priests were in essence fleecing the sheep! To fleece means to rip off! Does this sound like some modern television personalities? I know one with initials "J.O." whose net worth is reported as in the range of $40 million. That's more than the gross national product of some small third world countries! They feed on the sin of My people - The priests eat the sin offering. Most commentators think this is a reference to the sin offering indicating that the priests grew wealthy by taking the offerings the people brought. And don't miss the fact that the people are still "practicing religion," but it is futile and worthless for they have no personal relationship with God Himself in their "religion." One has to wonder how many of those who are calling themselves "Christian" on surveys or when asked about their religious preference on a government form, are actually like these Israelites who practiced religion without relationship! Religion saves NO ONE! Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by grace through faith saves one from the eternal fire of Hell! Wood on feed on the sin of My people - "They did this by enjoying the benefits of the people’s sins, such as taking bribes and eating the sin offerings.So the priests actually relished Israel’s wickedness.” And direct their desire toward their iniquity - This could be subtitled "Priest pursuing pagan pleasures." Instead of More literally "lift up their soul to their iniquity." The word desire is nephesh which can also mean passion, appetite, emotion. And so the NET version renders it "their appetites long for their iniquity!" The NIV paraphrases it as they "relish their wickedness." The ESV says "they are greedy for their iniquity." Direct is translated in the Septuagint (Lxx) with lambano which figuratively can mean to take advantage of or exploit. The idea of lambano gives us a vivid picture of these pseudo-priests because it means to get hold of something by laying one's hands on it or by grasping it. And so this pictures these greedy priests grasping for unrighteousness (Lxx for iniquity = adikia) or wickedness! Iniquity (05771)('avon from verb 'avah = to bend, twist, distort) describes the iniquity, evil, punishment or guilt which is associated with a twisting of the righteous standard or deviation from that standard. Since this word implies a deliberate twisting or perverting, 'avon describes sin that is particularly evil. Hosea 4:9 And it will be, like people, like priest; So I will punish them for their ways And repay them for their deeds NET Hosea 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. LXE Hosea 4:9 And the priest shall be as the people: and I will avenge on them their ways, and I will recompense to them their counsels. NLT Hosea 4:9 'And what the priests do, the people also do.' So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. ESV Hosea 4:9 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. CSB Hosea 4:9 The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. NIV Hosea 4:9 And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. NAB Hosea 4:9 The priests shall fare no better than the people: I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds. NKJ Hosea 4:9 And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. NJB Hosea 4:9 But as with the people, so with the priest, I shall punish them for their conduct, I shall pay them back for their deeds. GWN Hosea 4:9 So the priests will be punished like the people. I will punish them for their wicked ways and pay them back for what they have done. NRS Hosea 4:9 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds. YLT Hosea 4:9 And it hath been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it. like people: Isa 9:14-16 24:2 Jer 5:31 8:10-12 23:11,12 Eze 22:26-31 Mt 15:14 punish: Heb. visit upon, Ho 1:4 repay: Ps 109:17,18 Pr 5:22 Isa 3:10 Zec 1:6 Hosea 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE PEOPLE FARE NO BETTER THAN PRIESTS And it will be, like people, like priest - The point is that even though the lay people of Israel were not taught the Law and in actuality were led into sin does not free them of their personal responsibility for acquiescing to the sin. There is no "free pass." To be sure the priests will have a greater degree of punishment in the future Lake of fire for Jesus clearly taught this principle of greater knowledge yielding greater guilt and more severe punishment (read Mt 10:14,15, Mt 11:22-24). So I will punish them for their ways - Punish is translated in the Septuagint (Lxx) with ekdikeo which means to bring to judgment so as to punish (2 Cor 10:6) or to take revenge (Rev 6:10+, Rev 19:2+) And repay them for their deeds - The Septuagint (Lxx) translates repay with the verb antapodidomi which means to give back in return for something received. The idea is to practice reciprocity with respect to an obligation. In this case God will pay them their just rewards of His divine judgment for their evil deeds. In a negative sense it means to requite or exact retribution. Requite implies a paying back according to one’s preference and often not equivalently. God's repayment of the priests (and the people) reminds me of the old classic sermon by Robert G Lee entitled Payday Someday! (Text, youtube) The priests' payday has come and sadly they are now experiencing eternal punishment for their evil deeds. Henry

Oséias 4

MacArthur - The Simple Profound Secret ONE OF THE MOST TRAGIC scenes in the Bible and yet one of the most familiar to us is the scene of the strongest man who ever lived, a man by the name of Samson, finding out he had no strength. Judges chapter 16:18ff+ this. “When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines saying, ‘Come up once more, for he’s told me all that is in his heart.’ Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands and she made him sleep on her knees, called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him and his strength left him. And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson,” and he woke from his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.’” (Jdg 16:20+) And here’s the telling line written by God the Holy Spirit. “But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. So the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, bound him with bronze chains and he became a grinder in the prison.” Sad. He didn’t know that the Lord had departed from him. I can’t imagine anything worse than being abandoned by God. To the sons of Israel earlier in the book of Judges 10:13+, God said this, “You have forsaken me, you have served other gods, therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen. Let them deliver you in the time of your distress.” This was God saying to Israel, “I’m done with you, abandoned by God. Proverbs 1:24-31+ records a similar sentiment. “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out My hands and no one paid attention. You neglected all my counsel, you did not want my reproof, I will even laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind. When distress and anguish come on you, then they will call on Me but I will not answer. They will seek Me diligently, they will not find Me because they hated knowledge, did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would not accept My counsel, they spurned all My reproof, so they will eat of the fruit of their own way and be satisfied with their own devices.” Again being abandoned by God, turned over to the inevitable consequences of sinful choices. Prophecy Of Hosea - A haunting line is found tucked away in the little prophecy of Hosea 4:17, and it refers to Israel by the name Ephraim and it says this, “Ephraim is joined to idols,” so says God. The next line, “Leave him alone.” Sounds out of character for God, doesn’t it? “Ephraim is joined to idols, bring him back,” might sound a little more like God. “Let him alone?” People and nations, even the covenant nation Israel can come to a point where they are abandoned by God. Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 15 when He confronted the Pharisees and then described them to the disciples. He said this, “They’re blind leaders of the blind. Let them alone.” When God lets you go, it’s serious. When Jesus pronounces over you abandonment, it’s serious. Now I’m going to say something, you’re going to have to hold on to your seat a little bit. I’m convinced beyond doubt that in this same sense, God has abandoned America. I know that’s a strong thing to say and I’m going to show you why I believe you can see that clearly in Scripture. The Cycle Of History - Open your Bibles to Romans 1...Romans 1. Don’t be surprised, by the way, by that statement because while you’re turning there, Acts 14:16 says this, this is from the Apostle Paul, “In the generations gone by,” that’s past history, “God permitted all the nations to go their own way.” This is not the first nation God has abandoned, nor if Jesus tarries is it the last, or is it now the only. This is the cycle of history and it is this very cycle of history that Paul describes in Romans chapter 1. Here in Romans chapter 1, beginning in chapter 18 running to the end of the chapter, you have the most clear presentation of God abandoning a nation, what that looks like, what happens and why He does it. This is the most graphic and the most detailed and the most comprehensive discussion of what it means for a people, a society to be abandoned by God. And it perfectly describes the moral chaos in our own nation today. It starts with very familiar words. Ro 1:18+, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven.” Now let me stop you there for just a moment. We’re talking about the wrath of God and I need to just let you know that in the Scripture and in reality there are five different manifestations of God’s wrath. Okay? And you will recognize them. There is eternal wrath. That is that wrath which God unleashes on the unbelieving dead in hell...eternal wrath, suffering forever eternal punishment. That’s eternal wrath. There is also in the Bible eschatological wrath, that is the unfolding of divine wrath at the end of the age described in detail, for example, in Revelation 6 through 19, the pouring out of God’s wrath in the breaking of seven seals, the blowing of seven trumpets, and the dumping of seven bowls of wrath...eschatological wrath, that wrath is yet to come as is eternal wrath for all society, yet right now there are many experiencing eternal wrath, all the unbelieving who have left this world are experiencing. The third kind of wrath is what I guess you could call calamitous wrath. That is that wrath of God which produces calamity in the world and the most notable illustration of that is the Flood which drowned the entire world, only eight people were saved. Massive wrath on the part of God against sinful man. Fourthly, there is consequential wrath, that’s sowing and reaping wrath. That’s the natural end of patterns and choices of sin. Whatever a man sows, he...what?...he reaps...that’s consequential wrath. The first thing you look for in a society you’re trying to discern whether God has abandoned that society is whether or not that society has gone through a sexual revolution so that illicit sex, adultery, every form of immorality is accepted as normal in that society. And we’re there. The second step in the progression, verse 26, “God gave them over, not just to passions that are explicable because they’re men and women, but to inexplicable degrading passions for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.” You know a society has been abandoned by God when it celebrates lesbian sex. God has given them over...gross affections, unnatural, unthinkable. So you follow a sexual revolution with a homosexual revolution, and homosexuality becomes normalized. Verse 27 adds the male part, “In the same way the men abandon the natural function of the women burned in their desire toward one another..” And by the way, it is a burning that is just hard to comprehend. There was a man named Halpern(?) who was the coroner for the city of New York and he did, I think, 26 or 28 thousand autopsies in his day. He said we can look at a corpse that had been murdered and tell you whether a homosexual killed that person by the multiple wounds. He’s not a Christian, he’s a Jewish guy and he just said, “There’s something about the passions of that kind of involvement that are not explicable.” But interestingly enough, the Holy Spirit puts the women first here and the men after. Why? The Holy Spirit refers first to the degradation of women because they’re usually the last to be affected in the decay of morals because their hearts are so naturally inclined toward a husband and toward the responsibility of nurturing children. But when they lead the parade, God has removed His restraint. And the amazing thing of it is this, verse 27, “The man abandoning the natural function of the women, burning in their desire toward one another, men with men, committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Right into this wrath of abandonment comes the wrath, the consequential wrath and even though it generates venereal disease and AIDS, they keep doing it. This is what step two looks like and we know this has come like a flood. But it’s not the final step. The final step comes in verse 28, the middle of verse 28, “God gave them over to a depraved mind.” And so we see what happens in a society when God turns them over and we see why He turns them over. And that was just a quick overview. So we look at our nation, our hearts are broken, the mind is depraved, they think they’re smart, they’re morons. They can’t get to the truth, the mind is completely gone. They invent bizarre religions. They become religious. And today they like to talk about being spiritual, right? I’m very religious, I’m very spiritual. What in the world does that mean? What does that mean? As if you can invent your own worship and your own religion. That’s man at his lowest. That’s all the way at the bottom, total complete rejection of the true God and the true faith. That’s where we are. Now the question is...how do we pray? God Only Wants One Thing - God only wants one thing out of a nation. Listen and believe this book. I really get grieved even when I hear evangelical people in the media and the public eye kind of equivocating about the clarity of the gospel. It’s all we’ve got. Or about the clarity of what Scripture says. Your prayer and mine has to be that God would raise up faithful preachers and people who would proclaim His Word across this land. Pray for this generation of young men that God will call and shape and send, pray for pastors everywhere. Pray for lay people, for Christians to be bold. There’s only one solution and that’s the truth...the truth by which God saves, by which God sanctifies, and if this nation will respond and listen to His truth, God will open the flood gates. We might be the greatest recovery story in history. But there’s no other way than that people listen to Me and walk in My ways. It’s not going to happen if there’s a famine of the hearing of the Word of God. Pray that the Word, as Paul said, would have free course and that it would run with all its power across this land. (Sermonindex.net) Hosea 4:18 Their liquor gone, They play the harlot continually; Their rulers dearly love shame. KJV Hosea 4:18 Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye. NET Hosea 4:18 They consume their alcohol, then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior. LXE Hosea 4:18 He has chosen the Chananites: they have grievously gone a-whoring: they have loved dishonour through her insolence. NLT Hosea 4:18 When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor. ESV Hosea 4:18 When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. CSB Hosea 4:18 When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity. Israel's leaders fervently love disgrace. NIV Hosea 4:18 Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways. NAB Hosea 4:18 When their carousing is over, they give themselves to harlotry; in their arrogance they love shame. NKJ Hosea 4:18 Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor 1>. NJB Hosea 4:18 Their drunken orgy over, they do nothing but play the whore, preferring Shame to their Pride; GWN Hosea 4:18 When they're done drinking their wine, they continue to have sex with the prostitutes. Their rulers dearly love to act shamefully. NRS Hosea 4:18 When their drinking is ended, they indulge in sexual orgies; they love lewdness more than their glory. YLT Hosea 4:18 Sour is their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly. Their liquor gone: De 32:32,33 Isa 1:21,22 Jer 2:21 They play the harlot continually : Ho 4:2,10 2Ki 17:7-17 Their rulers: Ex 23:8 De 16:19 1Sa 8:3 12:3,4 Pr 30:15,16 Am 5:12 Mic 3:11 Mic 7:3 rulers: Ps 47:9 Hosea 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries CAROUSING LEADERS LEAD LAITY INTO LICENTIOUSNESS Licentiousness means sexually unrestrained or promiscuous, unprincipled in sexual matters. Their liquor gone - It's gone because they have drunk in excess. Their inhibitions now fully numbed (even their consciences had not even already been seared), they go off to commit sexual sins in abundance and without any sense of shame (see aselgeia below) ASELGEIA - In Galatians 5:19 in Paul's "dirty laundry list" (vice list) of sins there is a sin referred to as sensuality which is the Greek word aselgeia originally referred to any excess or lack of restraint but came to convey the idea of shameless excess and the absence of restraint, especially with sexual excess. Thus like koite, aselgeia was used almost exclusively of especially lewd sexual immorality, of uninhibited and unabashed lasciviousness. It refers to the kind of sexual debauchery and abandonment that characterizes much of modern society and that is often flaunted almost as a badge of distinction! Aselgeia refers to uninhibited sexual indulgence without shame and without concern for what others think or how they may be affected (or infected). The Greeks defined aselgeia as “a disposition of soul that resents all discipline,” as “a spirit that acknowledges no restraints, dares whatsoever its caprice and wanton insolence may suggest.” They play the harlot continually - "When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes" (NLT) "When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity" (CSB). The rulers were leading the people into these things. Play the harlot - In context this refers to literal immorality. See preceding discussion of zanah (Hos. 1:2; Hos. 2:5; Hos. 3:3; Hos. 4:10; Hos. 4:12; Hos. 4:13; Hos. 4:14; Hos. 4:15; Hos. 4:18; Hos. 5:3; Hos. 9:1) Their rulers dearly love shame - "They love shame more than honor." (NLT) (See discussion of aselgeia above). This is a sarcastic statement, for no one really loves shame. But so horrible is their leadership in their evil ways, they are essentially acting like they greatly desire the fruit of those ways, which is shame, disgrace and dishonor. Shame comes to the person who isn't willing to learn from instruction as taught in the proverbs (Pr 13:18). Chisholm on rulers - Rulers is literally "shields," a term which suggests the positive, protective role which a nation's leaders should play (cf. Ps. 84:9, 11; Ps 89:18). Israel's rulers failed miserably in this regard, loving only shameful deeds. Shame (07036)(qalon) means dishonor, ignominy, and the root signifies the lowering of another's social position. It is the opposite of glory and honor as in Proverbs 3:35 "The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor (qalon)." Gilbrant on qālôn - It is probably derived from qālāh (HED #7319), "to be despised," a by-form of qālal, "to be small," "to be light." The root indicates the lowering of a person's social status. Dishonor exists on both the national and individual levels in the OT. Qālôn is used seven times in the first instance (Ps. 83:16; Jer. 13:26; 46:12; Hos. 4:7, 18; Nah. 3:5; Hab. 2:16) and ten in the second (Job 10:15; Prov. 3:35; 6:33; 9:7; 11:2; 12:16; 13:18; 18:3; 22:10; Isa. 22:18). Israel, to its shame continued its spiritual prostitution, not even stopping when the party had ended (cf. Hos. 4:7). Since the people were filled with shame, a cup was being offered from God's right hand, the symbol of impending divine judgment (Hab. 2:16). Psalm 83 is an imprecatory prayer against those nations which have determined to destroy Israel. The supplicant prays to "fill their faces with shame" (v. 16). Figuratively, the national dishonor would indeed be exposed by Yahweh, even as when a woman's skirts are lifted (Jer. 13:26; Nah. 3:5). On the personal level, Shebna, who had desired for himself a tomb worthy of royalty (Isa. 22:16), would die in disgrace as a consequence of his sin (Isa 22:18). Eight references in Proverbs (Pr 3:35; 6:33; 9:7; 11:2; 12:16; 13:18; 18:3; 22:10) address human experience and, either by implication or direct contrast, promote the value of wisdom: "The wise will inherit glory, but shame will be the promotion of fools" (Pr 3:35); "But whoso commits adultery... dishonor shall he get" (Pr 6:32f). When a person corrects a scoffer, he "invites insult" (Pr 9:7NIV; the RSV here reads, "abuse"). A wise man conducts himself circumspectly, avoiding careless pride which leads to disgrace (Pr 11:2). An insult is ignored by the wise (Pr 12:16). "Shame" comes to the person who isn't willing to learn from instruction (Pr 13:18). Since he perceived that God had treated him unjustly, Job was left feeling full of shame (Job 10:15). BDB 885-86, KB 3:1101-2, NIDOTTE 3:924-25, Strong <H7036>, TWOT 2:799. (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Qalon - disgrace(4), dishonor(7), shame(6). Job 10:15; Ps. 83:16; Prov. 3:35; Prov. 6:33; Prov. 9:7; Prov. 11:2; Prov. 12:16; Prov. 13:18; Prov. 18:3; Prov. 22:10; Isa. 22:18; Jer. 13:26; Jer. 46:12; Hos. 4:7; Hos. 4:18; Nah. 3:5; Hab. 2:16 Rulers (shield)(04043)(magen from ganan = to cover, surround, defend) is a masculine noun which most often refers to a shield, indicating some kind of protection, literal or figurative. A shield is described as a weapon (Jdg. 5:8; 2 Sa 1:21; 1 Ki 14:27; Job 15:26), as an ornament (1 Ki. 10:17; 14:26), as the protective scales of a crocodile (Job 41:15). This use in Hosea 4:18 is the only instance in which magen is translated rulers. who should have functioned like a shield to protect the people under them from harm. Instead the rulers were more like a sieve, allowing evil to pervade the people! Hosea 4:19 The wind wraps them in its wings, And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices. KJV Hosea 4:19 The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. NET Hosea 4:19 A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship. LXE Hosea 4:19 Thou art a blast of wind in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars. NLT Hosea 4:19 So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame. ESV Hosea 4:19 A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. CSB Hosea 4:19 A wind with its wings will carry them off, and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices. NIV Hosea 4:19 A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame. NAB Hosea 4:19 The wind has bound them up in its pinions; they shall have only shame from their altars. NKJ Hosea 4:19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. NJB Hosea 4:19 the wind with its wings will carry them off and their sacrifices will bring them nothing but disgrace. GWN Hosea 4:19 The wind will carry them away in its wings, and their sacrifices will bring them shame. NRS Hosea 4:19 A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars. YLT Hosea 4:19 Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices! wind: Jer 4:11,12 51:1 Zec 5:9-11 and: Ho 10:6 Isa 1:29 42:17 Jer 2:26,27,36,37 3:24,25 17:13 Hosea 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DIVINE JUDGMENT PICTURED AS WIND The wind wraps them in its wings - This is a figurative description of their fate when God sweeps them away. From other passages and from history, we know that the "wind" God sent to take them away into exile was the horrible Assyrian army. Hosea's figurative description of their fate reminds me of a parallel picture in Psalm 1:4-6+ where God sees sinners as like worthless "chaff" which the wind blows away. The psalmist explains this blowing away by stating that "the way of the wicked will perish." The wicked won't be annihilated but they will eternally lose all purpose and value they could have had if they had worshiped Jesus (Lxx of will perish = apollumi). Notice the two ways in Psalm one, a theme Jesus emphasizes in His Sermon on the Mount calling for everyone to enter by the narrow gate, the narrow way (read Matthew 7:13-14+)... The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices - Well, at least they have some sense of shame left, but now it is "too little, too late" as they say! Judah did not heed Hosea's warning to avoid the sins of the Northern Kingdom and Jehovah even asks and answers a question concerning Judah “Were they ashamed (bosh) because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed (bosh) at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD." (Jer 6:15). Now that's a conscience that is bordering on or is overtly seared! (cf 1 Ti 4:2). Later in the book. Hosea alludes to the places where they sacrificed to idols and their shame... The inhabitants of Samaria will fear For the (golden, idolatrous) calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn for it, And its idolatrous priests will cry out over it, Over its glory, since it has departed from it. The thing itself will be carried to Assyria As tribute to King Jareb; Ephraim will be seized with shame And Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel. (Hos 10:5-6) Ashamed (put to shame) (0954)(bosh from root = “to become pale” or “to blush”) Always take a moment to ponder what is being explained. When failure or sin occurs, there is a disconcerting feeling, a flushing of the face. Always take a moment to ponder what is being explained.Bosh often occurs in contexts of humiliation and shattered human emotions. It is the feeling of public disgrace. The confusion, embarrassment, or dismay when things do not turn out as expected (Micah 7:16+ describes the arrogant anti-Semitic Gentile world powers who will definitely be surprised when things do not turn out as they had expected!). Bosh not only conveys the idea of shame, but of a type of shame in which utter defeat pervades the mood. Disillusionment and a broken spirit follow (Ezra 9:6; Isa 1:29; 30:5; Jer 2:36; 9:19). David Thompson concludes his message on Hosea 4 - God’s people need to realize that they will have a day in court. There will be a day of accountability. God’s people have a choice. They can pursue that which is fleshly or that which is spiritual. They can dabble in immorality or drunkenness or all kinds of religion, but in the end they will end up ashamed. Wise are the people who spend their time carefully studying God’s Word and applying it to life. Those people will discover God will shepherd them, prosper them and bless them. (Sermon)