Join Allen J. Huth as he journeys through the compelling book of Hosea, examining chapter 4 in detail. As we reflect on the past’s spiritual warnings, we consider their implications for our contemporary lives. This episode challenges us to reassess our spiritual practices and relationship with the Bible, underscoring the importance of keeping God’s Word alive in our daily lives.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we are in Hosea chapter 4. We will listen to the 19 verses as recorded by Faith Comes by Hearing. Hosea 4
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Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love and no knowledge of God in the land. There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery. They break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. You shall stumble by day, the prophet also shall stumble with you by night, and I will destroy your mother. 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. The more they increase, the more they sinned against me. I will change their glory into shame. They feed on the sin of my people. They are greedy for their iniquity. And it shall be like people like priest. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. They shall eat, but not be satisfied. They shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills under oak, poplar, and terebinth because their shade is good. Therefore, your daughters play the whore and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes. And a people without understanding shall come to ruin. Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Avon, and swear not as the Lord lives. Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn. Can the Lord now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone. When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring. Their rulers dearly love shame. A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
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Chapter 4 starts out with the words, Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. Those words ring in our ears today. Hear the word of the Lord, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of our land. As we go back through Hosea chapter 4, although it is speaking to the nation of Israel, let’s think about it as it speaks to our nation and us as a people. What are the charges that God is leveling against the nation of Israel and maybe us today? Verse 1 even says, “…there is no faithfulness or steadfast love and no knowledge of God in the land.” It was true then. It probably is true today. There’s very little faithfulness or steadfast love for the Lord in our land, and there’s very little knowledge of God in our land today. We are becoming a biblically illiterate people. Without faithfulness or steadfast love or knowledge of God, verse 2 tells us what we get. It says they’re swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery. They break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. I believe we see an increase of these things today. Lying, stealing, adultery, and bloodshed. And verse 3 goes on to say, As I record these words, that’s kind of how it’s like in our land today. People don’t seem to be real happy. The moral decay seems to have us languishing. And verse 6 continues God’s accusations. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. So part of the problem then and now was the teaching or lack of teaching of God’s word. He continues in verse 7 by saying, The more they increased, the more they sinned against me. I will change their glory into shame. So as Israel grew, as we have grown, we forget God. We walk away. He continues his accusations in verse 10. They shall eat but not be satisfied. They shall play the whore but not multiply because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. Then and now people become so physically focused that we forget our spiritual compass. Verse 12 is very sad. It says my people inquire of a piece of wood. Instead of inquiring on the Lord God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, we’ve created our own gods. The verse continues, for a spirit of whoredom has led them astray and they have left their God to play the whore. And what’s the result of all this? Verse 14 says, And a people without understanding shall come to ruin. As a people, as a society, as a world, are we getting better or are we getting worse? And finally, verse 16 says, Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn. Not only is Israel stubborn, but we are also a very stubborn people. Referring back to my journal in 2007 on Hosea 4, I wrote, No faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. But Proverbs 1.7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The people deliberately reject knowledge and quit following God’s laws. They stop giving heed to the Lord. They have played the harlot, departing from their God. America is in danger of the same charges. Keep a remnant, Lord. We need to be taught God’s word. Sin produces greed, striving without satisfaction, idol worship, sexual immorality, and lack of understanding. Israel was stubborn. So are we. Lord, in this chapter you level the accusations you have against the nation of Israel, and they are very similar to the accusations you could level against us today. There was no knowledge of God in the land. And you warned Israel and you warn us that you will destroy us for lack of knowledge because we have rejected knowledge. We have rejected you. Oh God, forgive us for being a stubborn people. I believe you write these things in your word, not only for that day, but for our day, so that we can see we are like the people of Israel. We are just as stubborn. You warned them and you are warning us. May we have ears to hear, a heart to listen, and sense enough to repent, to come back to you. That’s what Hosea is all about. You’re telling us, come back to me. Lord, may we heed your call. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. According to a recent Barna research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. So until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air.
Join Allen J. Huth as he journeys through the compelling book of Hosea, examining chapter 4 in detail. As we reflect on the past’s spiritual warnings, we consider their implications for our contemporary lives. This episode challenges us to reassess our spiritual practices and relationship with the Bible, underscoring the importance of keeping God’s Word alive in our daily lives.
