Study notes

Hosea 8

Introducing HoseaWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

4:1–14:9 Section

The people and leaders of the northern kingdom hadn’t loved God. They hadn’t shown faithfulness to him. The way that God explained this was like bringing charges against them in court. God accused them of not being faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant.

The people and leaders of the northern kingdom didn’t honour God as God. They stole and told lies. They committed murder and adultery. These things went against the Ten Commandments. The ways that God’s people acted brought harm to the land and animals around them. This showed that they weren’t being rulers of God’s creation like they should be.

They burnt incense to false gods on high places. They killed human beings and sacrificed them to false gods. This showed that God’s people didn’t recognise who God is. They didn’t recognise how he wanted to be worshipped.

The priests didn’t lead the people in following the Law of Moses. Many prophets didn’t speak the truth to the people. God’s people made fun of prophets who did speak the truth. The kings and princes didn’t follow God’s rules for kings recorded in Deuteronomy 17:14–20. They depended on the strength of their large armies and the armies of other nations. They trusted nations like Egypt and Assyria to save them when they were attacked. They didn’t cry out to God when they needed help.

Because of all of these things, God had made a decision. He would no longer keep the covenant curses from coming upon them. He would allow the northern kingdom to be destroyed by the armies of Assyria. The people and leaders of the northern kingdom would suffer terribly. Many would be killed and many would be forced to leave their land. They would be forced to live in Assyria and other nations. This was the exile of the northern kingdom.

God was very sad about this decision. He didn’t want it to happen. He wanted to bless and heal his people and give them success. But he could only do that if they changed their ways and did what was right and fair. He could do it if they recognised that he is God. He could do it if they asked him to forgive them. That was why God sent them messages through Hosea. God understood that his people refused to turn back to him. They refused to repent of their sin with their whole heart. But God’s heart was full of kindness, pity and mercy towards them. He described himself as Israel’s father. God was gentle and tender towards his son. He didn’t want his son to be destroyed.

God promised something for after the time of judgement. He promised to bring his people back from exile. Then they would follow God faithfully and he would love them freely.

8:1

  • Put the ram’s horn to your lips!: The ram’s horn trumpet (shofar) called people to worship (Psalm 98:6); it also signaled battle (2 Samuel 20:1). God was sending an enemy, the Assyrians, to carry out his judgment on Israel.

  • rebelled against My law: God's law (Hebrew torah) is more than just the individual laws in the Pentateuch. It represents all of God's teachings to his people through his words and actions.

    Loving fulfillment of the Torah was Israel’s part of the covenant. They had broken God's commandments and turned away from their covenant relationship with the Lord.

8:3

Jesus says that only God is good (Mark 10:18). God is the source of all good things, but Israel rejected him.

8:4

They make princes, but without My approval: They quickly removed one king and chose another if they believed it would save their nation (see Hosea 7:7). They did all of this without consulting their true king, the Lord.

8:5–6

your calf: Jeroboam I was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He ruled from 931 to 910 BC. When he became king, he set up worship places in Dan and Bethel. He did this to prevent people from traveling to the temple in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom. At each site, he placed a gold calf for the people to worship (1 Kings 12:26–30).

8:7

When Hosea announced God's judgment, the punishment fit the crime (see study note on Hosea 4:10). Through their idol worship and political schemes, the Israelites caused their own downfall (see Galatians 6:7).

8:9

like a wild donkey: Hosea compared Israel's worship of the Canaanite fertility gods to an animal eager to mate (see Jeremiah 2:23–24).

8:10

I will now round them up: God sometimes promises to gather his people to save them (Zechariah 10:8–10), but here the Lord gathers them for judgment (Joel 3:11).

8:11

Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin: As Israel increased its worship of other gods, the people also increased their religious activities in an attempt to remove their sin. Instead, these practices only added to their sin.

8:14

  • Israel has forgotten his Maker: See Hosea 2:13.

  • God's judgment often appears as fire sent upon the royal palaces and fortresses (see Amos 1:4, 7).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources