HOSEA 4
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.9 And it shall be like people, like priest;
I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which take away the understanding.12 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. – Hosea 4:7-12
HOSEA 4 IDOLATRY LEADS TO DEBAUCHERY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you turn away from God, you are turning to other idols
Some of these idols could be anything that heightens desires
It could be wine, whoredom, any object, or any substance
It could even be a loved one, work or anything you love much
The path of the selfish is the one that leads to debauchery
While the path of the wise and faithful leads to eternity
The spirit of whoredom will definitely lead you to be lost
While the Holy Spirit leads you to the Lord of lords.
This account of Hosea is God’s response to the ungratefulness of the Israelites. Despite God’s faithfulness in showering them with many blessings, they reciprocated with much idolatry. Instead of staying grateful and loyal to God for all his provisions for them, they abused it and misused and desecrated what God meant holy. They turned their backs on the Lord himself and worshipped other pagan gods. Even the priests who were supposed to be the examples of purity have defiled themselves by consuming what they were not allowed. According to Constable’s commentary “Israel’s priests were feeding on the sin offerings that the people brought to their pagan shrines. Yet since these offerings were to idols it was as though the priests really fed on the people’s sins. The priests desired these offerings, which meant they wanted the people to practice idolatry so they would bring more sacrifices.” Isn’t that a disgrace to God? They were stewards to bring the people to purity and they actually defile their calling.
It is easy to bow down to anything instead of giving God glory, but Hosea’s account gives us a picture of how God reacts to unfaithfulness. He calls it whoredom. It is prostituting our faith and yoking with other little gods that compete with the only One true God. In our world today, idolatry could be very covertly hidden in the things we love like family, spouse, career, food, alcohol, drugs, sex and even hobbies that look good on the surface but consume us. Idolatry always leads to debauchery. Be watchful.
REFLECTION
- Why do we need to be vigilant to identify what kinds of idols we are tempted to bow down to?
