Shame and glory

Hosea 4 - 5:14
A judgment against Israel.
For every judgment against Israel, there is salvation, there is grace. For the judgments of Hosea 4 – 5:14, God saves in 5:15-6:3.
We’ve talked a lot in the last few months about harlotry and idolatry. Gomer was a harlot, Angel was a harlot. Both turned to their idols seeking salvation (Gomer to her men, Angel to Michael), but in the end were shown that God alone is salvation. They had to have things removed, they had to be hedged in to be set free.
Here, in Hosea 4 & 5, we see more of the same. God lays his case against Israel, including against its priests. They did not only turn from Him and His commandments, they turned to others for salvation, for knowledge, for fulfillment, for worship (4:11-14), for protection. (5:13) (cf, 2 kings 15:19-20)
God likens Himself again to Israel’s husband (Hosea 5:7, amplified), magnifying the fact that Israel is not only doing stupid things, she is cheating on the One who loves her.

1-3 No one is faithful, and there are consequences.
What are the consequences of your sin? What are things that may not even be punishments, just ripple effects?
Do you see how sin affects more than just you?

4-10 Blame the priests.
First off, God is furious with the priests and prophets of Israel. They are the ones who have played Pied Piper here. God says they “stumble in the daytime.” They have the lamp for their feet and the light for their path, but they also fumble around in broad daylight!
“My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true.”
“You’ve turned your back on knowledge”
“You’ve traded your glory for shame.”
How shameful it is when the people of God falter. How many headlines have been marked by “Rev. so-and-so” stealing or lying or cheating? And it burns those of us who call ourselves Christians.
There is much consequence for those who are instructed to instruct in the ways of God yet do not do it.
We know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, and yet we are also encouraged to do the best with what knowledge we have. We are quite often the “spiritual leaders” in relationships, are we not? I would venture to say that all of you have a friend who looks up to you, a child, a coworker.
They are constantly seeking your guidance, right? What are you doing with that information? Are you leading them astray? Are you a stumbling block? This is a mighty challenge.
The priests here had a special responsibility because they knew the Word of God. The people did not have Bibles on every coffee table. They looked to the priests and prophets to hear Him.
Let us not trade glory for shame (4:7).

4:9 Like people, like priest
It’s not just priests who will be held accountable. Just because the priests misled them, the people are not getting off scot-free. They still chose to do things they knew went against God.
This is a huge admonition: It is not up to Pastor Edwin or Pastor Skip to make sure you know God’s Word or to hold your hand to keep you from straying into the wilderness. You know when something is flat-out adultery or idolatry, and there is consequence for that.
4:11-14
Israel had turned to idol worship. They worshiped their own bodies, they made sacrifices to false gods. And they gave in to the idolatry that permeated other nations. They had sex temples and gave their wives and daughters over to them, then went and slept around with others.

4:15-19 Don’t drag down Judah
Israel is warned not to drag others into its sin. And it is also told that other places won’t save it: Gilgal is where (in Josh 5:9), God says He has “rolled away His reproach of Egypt on you.” In Gilgal, the Israelites celebrated with feast, circumcision, prayer and Passover the end of their 450 years of Egyptian slavery. Instead, God warns that reproach is coming.
Beth-Aven is a play on words, a reference to Bethel. “Bethel” means “House of God.” But because Jeroboam 1 set up a golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-29), Hosea calls it “Beth Aven,” or “House of Sin” or “House of Deceit.”
This goes back to those ripple effects that we talked about. Israel turned to idols and left itself defenseless, naked. But what about Judah, who was not caving so easily? Their border is rotting away or watched by drunken whores.
Who is watching as we parade our idols around? And where will we turn when hurt sets in?

5:1-5 The sins of harlotry and pride
God here shows them that their harlotry has brought them nothing. Instead, they are stuck deep in corruption and are being slaughtered. They are defiling the whole nation, not just themselves.
What does their pride get them? They are stumbling and guilty.

5:6 Sacrifice without faith
These people sacrifice and say all the right words but God is not listening. He’s looking for something else entirely. (Psalm 51:16-17)

5:9-11 A warning
Assyrians eventually come in and trample through, destroying the lands and people. The Israelites have left themselves totally defenseless, relying on every other thing under the sun except God, who has saved them time and time again. (cf, 2 Kings 15 and 16, and 2 Chronicles 26-27) Israel had time and time again turned to the Assyrians for protection, yet it is those “protectors” that come through and destroy it.
Those things that we replace God with are the things that will eat us alive. They cannot give us fulfillment, they cannot give us security.
What are the things you have replaced God with?

5:1-14 Consequences
These people were being eaten by moths and decay. Dry rot eats from the inside out, making wood weak but appearing strong.
When you abandon the Lord for other lovers, you feel it don’t you?
What does that inner decay feel like? And why do we choose it?

Homework
If you believe that God wants you in church, then how much is enough?
If you believe God wants your prayers, then how much is enough?
If you believe God wants you to do something, then how do you know when you’ve met that requirement?
What we need to understand is that God wants just you. All of you. He wants you from the inside out, not the other way around. Relationship, not sacrifice. He wants love, not merely adherence to law.
Find verses about sacrifice, and choose one to memorize. WE WILL HAVE SHOW AND TELL NEXT WEEK. Give us the verse, and tell us why you chose it. What does God really want from you, and are you giving it to Him? It’s got to be more than words, more than deeds. It’s got to be all of you.
Let us not trade our glory for shame.