Hosea and the atonement.
Hosea 3:4
The excesses of the carnival of Christmas and New Year are over and now the period of abstinence has begun.
This period is leading up to Christianity’s most holy day, Easter, is the 40-day period called Lent, when pledges are made to give up everything from alcohol and smoking to nail-biting and overeating.
But given the importance of Jesus’s death from the very dawn of Christianity, it’s rather surprising that the practice of recognising this significant period has changed considerably over the past two thousand years – and in some very strange ways.
We have no record in the Bible, anywhere, where the Apostles, Disciples, or any Christians ever observed Lent. It is a tradition evidently taken from Christ’s fasting for forty days and forty nights, as given in Matthew 4:2. I have never seen anyone yet who has gone forty days and forty nights without eating, as did Christ!
Even though Lent is not mentioned in the Bible closer examination of the ancient sources, ( see Facts, Myths & Maybes (Everything You Think You Know About Catholicism But Perhaps Don't), by John Deedy, copyright 1993, published by Thomas More Press, page 235. however, reveals a more gradual historical development of the practice. While fasting before Easter seems to have been ancient and widespread, the length of that fast varied significantly from place to place and across generations. In the latter half of the second century, for instance, Irenaeus of Lyons (in Gaul) and Tertullian (in North Africa) tell us that the preparatory fast lasted one or two days, or forty hours—commemorating what was believed to be the exact duration of Christ’s time in the tomb. By the mid-third century, Dionysius of Alexandria speaks of a fast of up to six days practiced by the devout in his See.
We find that the time of Lent developed as part of the historical Christian calendar and is typically celebrated by some Christian churches that follow a liturgical calendar. Many of the theology handbooks of the nineteenth and early-twentieth century confidently claimed that Lent was established by the apostles themselves or in the immediate post-apostolic period at the latest. They assumed this season of fasting was closely connected with preparation for the Easter baptisms—a practice likewise considered to be of apostolic foundation (cf. Romans 6) and observed everywhere throughout the Church since its earliest days. Although its format has varied throughout the centuries and throughout different cultures, only following the Council of Nicea in 325 a.d. did the length of Lent become fixed at forty days. Lent traditionally lasts forty days, modeled after Christ's forty day fast in the desert, and ends on Good Friday. In the Western Church, Lent officially begins with a reminder of our mortality on Ash Wednesday (In 2019 , falling on March 6th. ) And it is observed only by a few denominations.
Search the scriptures diligently, from Old Testament to New, and you will find no mention of Jews or Christians observing an annual period of 40 days of fasting and abstinence preceding the festival of the Passover, yet today most of the Christian world observes a 40 day period called Lent, which precedes the festival of Easter Sunday.
Why 40 days because a period of 40 days is rather common in scripture
It rained 40 days and nights: Gen 7:4, 12.
Forty days after sighting the tops of the mountains, Noah set forth a raven and a dove: Gen 8:6-7.
Joseph mourned the death of his father Jacob for a period of 40 days: Gen 49:33 - Gen 50:3.
Moses on Sinai for 40 days: Exo. 24:18, 34:28, Deu 9:9-11.
Moses pleads for Israel 40 days on Sinai: Deut 9:18-25, 10:10.
Canaan spied on for 40 days: Num 13:25, 14:34.
Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days: 1 Sam 17:16.
Elijah fasted and journeyed to Horeb for 40 days: 1 Kings 19:8.
Ezekiel bore the iniquity of Judah for 40 days: Eze 4:6.
Jonah warned Nineveh of judgment in 40 days: Jonah 3:4.
Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days: Matt 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2.
Jesus was seen for 40 days after His crucifixion: Acts 1:3.
As we look into this period for our own spiritual growth we will be basing this study on the book of Hosea.
Hosea was a man of deep spiritual conviction who throughout his long ministry became progressively concerned both for the Lord’s person and testimony as well as his troubled people During his ministry corruption had spread throughout the whole land; even the places once sacred through God’s revelation - Bethel Gilgal, Gilead, Mizpah, Shechem were especial scenes of corruption or of sin. Nevertheless, he remained faithful to God and his calling through it all. The exact time of his death is unknown, although it seems likely that he did not live to see the fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C.
The opening words of Hosea’s prophecy place his ministry in the context of the eighth century B.C. The recording of four kings of the Southern Kingdom provides information as to the length of Hosea’s ministry, while the mention of just one Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam II, indicates something of the prophet’s particular focus. This becomes apparent when we note that names for the Northern Kingdom such as Ephraim, Israel, and Jacob occur some seven dozen times, while that of Judah a mere fifteen times and that always in connection with one or more of the names for the Northern Kingdom.
The mention of the Southern Kingdom kings from Uzziah to Hezekiah assures us that Hosea’s ministry lasted through a great portion of the period. For Uzziah reigned some 52 years (c. 792-740 B.C.), while the reigns of the three successors lasted throughout the rest of the eighth century B.C. Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom likewise enjoyed a long reign (c. 792-752 B.C.), but the six unmentioned kings who succeeded him often vied with each other for power throughout a period of growing political friction and weakness, which culminated in the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 722 B.C. Since Hosea does not mention this event and because the prophet’s focus is on the reign of Jeroboam II, a date for Hosea’s prophecies from c. 760-725 B.C.
During Uzziah’s long 52-year reign the Southern Kingdom also enjoyed economic prosperity and political power. Uzziah (or Azariah) improved Judah’s military strength, which included the fortifying of Jerusalem (2 Chr. 26:11-15) and launching successful campaigns against his neighbors to the west, east, and south (2 Chr. 26:6-8). Israel controlled various trade routes because of the weakness of the Aramean kingdom to the north and because the great power Assyria was occupied elsewhere. Judah also prospered during this time during the lengthy reign of King Uzziah. So much money was coming into Israel through extensive trade and the tribute brought in by the conquered nations that people lived in great luxury and pleasure. It was the best of times and also the worse of times for Israel.
Thus Hosea was God’s man for a difficult era spiritually. Prosperity had brought an unprecedented degree of cultural corruption. The period of prosperity had opened Israel to foreign cultural influence, including the demoralizing influence of Canaanite Baal worship (2:7, 17; 11:2) with its fertility cults and orgies (4:10-13).
It has been said that the book of Hosea tells the second greatest love story ever told. The first, of course, is the story of the love of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, shown by his death on the cross in our behalf. In the book of Hosea we see the love of God for his people illustrated in the story of the marriage of a godly man, Hosea, to an adulteress, Gomer.
Hosea stands first among the twelve minor prophets in the Bible. Of these twelve writing prophets, Hosea was the only one who not only came from the northern kingdom, Israel, but prophesied to it. He was a contemporary of Isaiah who prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah. Hosea and Amos were contemporaries who overlapped both in terms of historical context and theological content. Amos is the earliest prophet named in the Old Testament books. He lived in southern Judea but spent his life prophesying about the apostasy of the northern kingdom during the reigns of Jeroboam II and Uzziah. Hosea lived in northern Israel and prophesied to his own people during the reigns of Jeroboam II and the flurry of bad kings that followed him until Assyria finally swept away the northern kingdom in 722 B.C.
The driving theme of these books is the description and indictment of Israel’s idolatry. Both authors frequently use “Yahweh,” the name representing God’s special relationship between him and Israel. This is intentional—Israel hasn’t just rebelled, they’ve broken covenant with their covenantal God. The God whose love they’ve rejected is the God who chose them for himself and brought them out of the land of Egypt into the Promised Land.
In the prophecy of Amos we get a picture of the luxury in which the people of Israel lived. In the sixth chapter of Amos we read warnings which also describe the affluent lifestyle these people were enjoying. In chapter 6:1 1 we read, “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!” And in verses 3-7 we read, “You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.”
So it was the best of times. Materialism was reigning. Those who were rich and powerful abused the poor by legal manipulation and got richer while the poor got poorer. There seemed to be no end to the prosperity of Israel.
However, it was also the worst of times for Israel. The religion of the Israelites became void of any truth and sincerity. We read about that in Amos 5:21-24. Here God rebukes the Israelites, saying, “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream” The Book of Amos portrays the dangers of the observance of religious ceremony without genuine devotion and commitment to the Lord. This period of prosperity brought in spiritual compromise, selfish ambition, and lack of integrity in one’s personal activities and dealings.
Such was the situation in which God’s prophet Hosea ministered.
It was a period when people lived a good life materially, but this materialism produced a false sense of security and independence. The people forgot about God and his covenant during the forty years–793 through 753–when they enjoyed the greatest material prosperity.
The time in which Hosea prophesied was a time like ours–a time of global trade, individual and national wealth. As materialism and prosperity increases our homes become filled with things, and it seems the river of pleasure from which we can drink is inexhaustible. There is one problem with this picture: In the midst of materialism, we tend to forget God. Why think about heaven when we have so much on earth? In fact, we may be so satisfied with earthly pleasures that we think this is heaven. Our thoughts are occupied, not with heaven, but with plans of how we can enjoy greater and greater pleasure here on earth.
In the midst of this time of great wealth and spiritual poverty in Israel, God raised up Hosea, which means salvation, to speak to the people of Israel who were deceived by their riches and living in carnal security. God’s people need salvation, not riches. And in God’s plan, Hosea’s married life became a public illustration of Israel’s relationship with God.
God directed Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer who would not be faithful to the covenant of marriage. She bore three children–two boys and a girl–who became sign children, like the children of Isaiah in Isaiah 8–whose names demonstrated God’s relationship to Israel.
The firstborn son was named Jezreel. That word has two meanings. The first meaning is “scattered, judgment, exile,” and certainly that was the sense in which that name was given. In other words, Jezreel’s name was a sign that God would soon punish and scatter Israel and destroy its military might. In Hosea 1:5 God declares, “In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.” God was going to put an end to Israel’s false security by destroying their military might.
The second-born child was a daughter named Lo-Ruhamah. Lo in Hebrew means “no” or “not,” and Ruhamah means “loved.” She was a sign that the covenant Lord would not love Israel because she abandoned him, her true husband.
The third-born child was a son named Lo-Ammi. Ammi means “my people,” so Lo-Ammi means “Not my people.” This was the harshest name of the three. God was saying to Israel, “I will not deal with you anymore! I refuse to own you as my people!” In other words, God will not put up with the arrogance of man forever. He will not tolerate religious syncretism–the worship of Jehovah and Baal at the same time. And in modern times - the worship of God and worldliness at the same time.
In Hosea 3 we read that Gomer had left Hosea to live with one lover after another. Finally, however, they all rejected her, and she found herself alone, possessing nothing and in debt. Here in Hosea 3 we find her standing in the marketplace to be sold as a slave.
Here we see the love that will not let us go. In Hosea 3:1 we read, “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.'” That’s why this is the second greatest love story. After all Israel had done, God says, “I still love Israel.”
God told Hosea, “Hosea, I want you to go to Gomer and love her. I know she is an adulteress, she is terrible, she is a wanderer. But I want you to go as the redeemer and pay the full ransom price of thirty shekels.” This demonstrates the great love of God for us.
Probably there was an auction and Hosea outbid the others. He didn’t have thirty shekels of silver, which was the full price of a slave, so he said, “I will give you fifteen shekels of silver for her and the rest in grain.” In that way Hosea bought back his wife, clothed her, fed her, and brought her home. Oh, what love that will not let us go!
Praise God for his great mercy revealed to us in this second greatest love story!
Just as Hosea found Gomer, so also God finds us in the marketplace–naked and slaves of sin. Just as Hosea loved and redeemed Gomer, so God loved and redeemed us. But God gave much more than thirty shekels for us. He sent his Son, who said, “I have come, not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give my life a ransom for many.” We were not redeemed with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. And not only that, he still loves us and will not let us go.
In 1 Peter 1:19 we read, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” And in 1 Peter 2:24-25 we find, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we might die to sins and live to righteousness; by his wounds we are healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and [Bishop] of your souls.” Such is the love of God toward miserable sinners like us!
So we have here a model of the Atonement. Hosea, the type of Christ, pays a great price to redeem his bride. But this price is not any kind of punishment or fine; nor is it the price paid to be victorious in a battle. Rather it is a purchase price, which is actually paid to someone, and it is not paid to God. The recipient is the one who held Gomer captive.
Now we don’t know how Gomer became a prostitute, apparently reverting to her former life before first marrying Hosea (1:2), but we can suppose that she started with adultery (3:1) and gradually became enslaved through her sin. And it is a general rule that people who sin gradually become enslaved through their sin, not necessarily to a human slave owner but to a greater or lesser extent to the powers of evil, to the devil.
It is worth noting also Hosea 3:3: after Gomer was redeemed from her prostitution she was expected to become a faithful wife again, not to return to prostitution or adultery. In the same way our redemption in Christ is not to be taken as an excuse for continued sin or unfaithfulness to God. This theme of the redeemed remaining sexually and otherwise pure is taken up again in Revelation 14:3-5.
As we look into the scripture we see how Pharaoh-god refused to let Israel go free from slavery despite the Living God's demands through Moses. Pharaoh wanted to keep Israel under his power. God's response to Pharaoh's obstinate defiance in Exodus 7-10 is breathtaking. The one true God of the universe unleashes His power in acts of defiance against Pharoah’s gods . Order turns into chaos. Light is consumed by darkness. The water becomes a source of death rather than of life. The beasts swarm the people and their crops rather than serve them. Finally, just as Pharaoh attempted to destroy God's firstborn son (Ex. 4:22), God now destroys Egypt's with a final plague.
None of the earlier plagues had touched God's people, as they were separated from the Egyptians. Now, the Israelites and the Egyptians are drawn into God's final plague together (Ex. 11:4-5). Israel's involvement in the last plague is significant. If the Israelites did not trust in God's word and follow His instructions; their firstborn would also die. The need for salvation is made clear and the atoning sacrifice is provided on Israel's behalf (Ex. 12). The conditions for redemption are laid out, but Israel must respond in faith.
The Israelites were instructed to take a young male lamb without defect into their household, and after four days it was to be killed. The blood of the lamb was to be spread over the doorposts of the home, and the people were to feast on the lamb's roasted flesh with herbs and unleavened bread. During the feast, the Israelites were to be dressed and ready to journey at a moment's notice.
On the night of the Passover, if blood were spread on the doorpost when the Lord passed over; death would not plague the household. In other words, God's judgment would fall on the Passover lamb and not the Israelites (Ex. 12). Following the Passover, the Israelites were to exit Egypt, liberated from slavery and delivered from death. This event marked the beginning of Israel's new life as God's redeemed people.
The movement of the Israelites from slaves of Pharaoh to servants of the Lord involves divine redemption; it also involves the obedient response of God's people to His word. The Passover is both bloody and beautiful. God's judgment and salvation are clearly displayed in God's actions and in the symbolism of the Passover ritual.
The atonement of Christ is also both bloody and beautiful.
(a) Atonement: The slaughtered lamb redeemed the people by becoming a substitute for the Israelite firstborn. The lamb died in their place (Ex. 12:27).
(b) Purification: The smearing of the blood purified those within the house. The application of the blood with hyssop is significant here (Ex. 12:22). All throughout the Old Testament hyssop is associated with ritual purification (Lev. 14:4,6,4,9,51,52; Num. 19:6,18).
(c) Sanctification: The feasting on the meat signified the sanctification of God's people. The Israelites were consecrated as they consumed the sacrifice (Ex. 12:46-48).
Through the Passover God consecrated the Israelites as His atoned for, purified, and sanctified people (Ex. 19:6). This event marked the beginning of Israel's new life as they headed for Mount Sinai and eventually the promised land. The Passover is not only a powerful act of God to be remembered, but the powerful imagery pointed forward to the Passover Lamb to come.
The Passover is an event both meaningful to the Israelites in its immediate context and for Christians in its canonical context. The New Testament writers make the connection between Jesus' crucifixion and the Passover explicit in order to highlight the redemptive nature of His atonement. In the New Testament we see that Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29,36; 1 Cor. 5:7) whose 'once for all' sacrifice redeems and sanctifies God's people (Heb. 10:12-14).
(a) Jesus' death atones for the sins of the people (1 John 2:2),
(b) His blood purifies and cleanses (Rev. 7:14),
(c) and partaking of His body sanctifies (John 6:53-56). Because the Last Supper is overtly linked to the Passover (Matt. 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20), we understand that Christ's death and resurrection inaugurate a new exodus.
Redemption in Christ is an act of re-creation, the beginning of new life - 2 Cor. 5:17
The Passover event profoundly shaped the memory and identity of the Israelites. As Christians, our deliverance from sin and death through Christ our Passover Lamb has the same effect. For this reason, the Lord's Supper functions much like the Passover meal as an act of remembrance, renewal, and response (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Redemption in Christ is an act of re-creation, the beginning of new life.
The Lord's Supper is not only a commemorative ritual looking back at our re-creation, but it is also an act of expectation as we look forward to our final consummation. At a moment's notice the church's exodus will be complete. One day God's people will gather around another table to celebrate their once and for all entrance into the true and greater promised land (Rev. 19:9). All of them purchased by Christ our Passover Lamb (Rev. 13:8). The atonement of Christ is both bloody and beautiful.
The ritual "Day of Atonement" , described in Leviticus 16, was the most holy day of worship in the Hebrew calendar. It was also the most complicated in terms of ritual performance. A ceremonial ritual conveys a powerful image in which there is a correspondence between a symbol (i.e., ritual) and the thing symbolized (i.e., message). On the Day of Atonement, there was a correspondence between the parts of the ritual and the spiritual meaning they represented. A wedding ceremony today with its ritual features has the same effect on the participants and congregation.
On the Day of atonement one of the most unique events in the Old Testament occurs on this special day. Aaron were commanded to randomly select (via lots) one goat to represent "the Lord" and another one to represent "Azazel" ( or sin bearer) . Casting lots is an ancient way of allowing God to decide something rather than imperfect man (Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26).
There were two features that distinguished this day of worship.
The centerpiece of the Day of Atonement begins when the goat that represented the sin offering was killed . The blood from the sacrifice was then taken by the High Priest into the tabernacle's Holy of Holies. The High Priest was allowed, only once a year during Atonement, to enter the most holy section of the entire tabernacle . Once in the Holy of Holies, the priest sprinkled the blood from the sacrifice on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The high priest sprinkled blood on the lid ("mercy seat") of the Ark of the Covenant, achieving the forgiveness of sin for the priest and the congregation. Next, the high priest sprinkled blood in the outer room of the Tent of Meeting. The blood "decontaminated" the ceremonial impurities accumulated by the sins and the ceremonial uncleanness committed for the year. The purification of the Tent of Meeting was national in scope, giving a comprehensive purging of sins and impurities.
Second, the Day of Atonement included a ceremony that involved the expulsion of the second goat from the camp, traditionally translated "scapegoat. "The "scapegoat" or "the Azazel goat" has the sins of the people placed on it by Aaron. It was then released into th e wilderness.
The various aspects of the Day's ritual provide a rich, multi-dimensional understanding and appreciation of the atonement we have in Jesus. NT allusions to this Day give a pictorial anticipation of the death and mediatorial role of Christ whose sacrificial blood achieves our salvation and sanctification (e.g., Rom. 3:25; Heb. 10:10; 13:11-12).
Hebrews 9-10 give a sustained explanation for the typological significance of the Day of Atonement and the parallel ministry of Christ. The author refers to the roles of Christ as eternal high priest, perfect animal sacrifice, and his blood's perpetual purging of sin and corruption of the heavenly Tent of Meeting by the sprinkling of his own blood based on the one-time act of his death and ascension into the heavenly throne room of God (Heb. 9:1-10:18).
The provision made by Christ enables us to enter the heavenly Most Holy Place where we offer our prayers to God (Heb. 10:19-20). However, the author does not refer to the scapegoat. What was the reason for the scapegoat, and what is its meaning for the ministry of Christ?
The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; it occurs only in our chapter (vv. 8, 10, 26). Some versions render it the traditional "scapegoat," based on the proposed meaning "the goat that departs." Others simply transliterate the Hebrew azazel or Azazel, referring to a location in the desert or to the name of a goat-demon in the wilderness. The suggestion that it names a goat-demon is unlikely since there is a specific prohibition against making an offering to a goat-demon in Lev. 17:7. Scapegoat probably is the best choice since it reflects the role that the goat played in the ceremony.
By the high priest placing his hands on the head of the goat and confessing the sins of Israel, the priest symbolized the transference of the people's sin to the goat (vv. 20-22). Together the goat that was sacrificed and the living scapegoat showed that the goats were substituted for the people and that they bore the penalty of the sin.
The sacrificed goat perished and the scapegoat took away the impurities and sins to the wilderness (vv. 8-10). The scapegoat pictures Jesus who bore our sins, and by taking them away, frees us from the guilt of our sins.
As in the case of the wedding ceremony, the vows of committed love expressed by the groom and bride do not automatically mean they are authentic. Performing the ritual on the Day of Atonement did not robotically ensure forgiveness without sincere remorse for their sins.
The people prepared themselves for the day by humbling themselves before God (vv. 29, 31).
The book of Hosea is not primarily about Hosea and his marriage, it is ultimately about God and His relationship to His covenant people, Israel. Hosea was commanded to marry a prostitute because that is the kind of wife which Israel had become to Yahweh. By combining elements of Baal worship with the elements of Yahweh worship commanded in the Law, Israel was engaging in spiritual adultery – a religious syncretism which by combining true Yahweh worship with idolatry resulted in a perversion which God Himself viewed as spiritual adultery
Let’s look in more detail at each of these charges and perhaps see areas in which we as New Covenant believers also need to repent.
First, Israel committed harlotries and adulteries (2: 2, 5 and 13). She did this by pursuing Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility. The religion of Baal was both superstitious and sexual. Worshipers believed that Baal was the one who caused their lands and wives to be fertile. Therefore in an attempt to appease this god and cause him to bless their land, they engaged in immoral acts. The Israelites had somehow bought into this religion and forsaken the true God, Yahweh.
It began, perhaps, with something innocuous as the placing of an image of Baal in a farmer’s field. This is what their Canaanite neighbors did to increase production. It is what people did in this land, and it appeared to work. Gradually the invisible Yahweh lost ground to the baals whom the people could see and handle, whose religion was concerned with the necessities of life more than rigid moral demands. It was the baals, many Israelites came to believe, who fostered their crops and blessed them with children
At its core it was pragmatism, pure and simple. The Israelites pursued what they thought would produce results. Therefore they combined elements of pagan ritual together with divine ordained elements of worship of the true God. The result was a perversion which God declared adulterous and the legitimate grounds of divorce!
I believe that this is one of the great sins of the modern church today. In an effort to appear successful, we have brought into the church the management styles of the world. The question is never: “Is it biblical?” but rather, “Does it work?” , or " Is it popular" . I believe the resulting perversion of Biblical Christianity is just as appalling in the eyes of God as ancient Israel’s adulteries!
Second, Israel attributed her affluence to her lovers (2: 5 and 12). As a result of their perverted view of what caused the land to be plentiful, they began to credit any and all prosperity as gifts from Baal and not Yahweh. They failed to recognize that God alone is the giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). They forgot that God would not share His glory. As He declares in Isaiah 42:8,
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
I believe that this is a sin that we are often guilty of as individuals. Do we attribute our success to something other than God. Do we keep part of the glory for ourselves? If so, we are guilty of the same kind of sin for which ancient Israel was condemned!
Third, Israel misused Yahweh’s gifts (2: 8). She took God’s gifts and used them to worship Baal! How dreadful is this sin!?! To take the gifts that God has given and use them to commit spiritual adultery with a false god! But sadly, we as New Covenant believers can be guilty of the same kind of sin when in prayer “we ask amiss that we may consume it upon our own lusts” (James 4:3, KJV). That’s why in the very next verse, James calls those who do such, “Adulterers and adulteresses!”(James 4:4). Because in his mind God is like our husband who is jealous to be our highest delight. If we then try to make prayer a means of getting something we want more than we want him, we are like a wife who asks her husband for money to visit another lover.
The greatest adversary of love to God is not His enemies but His gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God Himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable…
This is the lesson we learn from Hosea 3:4 as we approach Good Friday and Easter this year.
