After beginning with the marriage illustration for Israel’s rejection of God, Hosea brings God’s words directly with massive condemnations of their sins. One of the problems in Israel was that they claimed to know God, when at the same time they, “spurned the good” (Hos. 8:2-3). Everything about their lives denounced God, no matter what their lips professed. They said they knew God, and yet they made kings and priests without God’s approval or guidance (8:4). Worse than this, they made idols from silver and gold! (8:4). So, not only are they rejecting God by not seeking after Him, but they are spitting in His face by making replacements, and yet they claimed to know Him!
God says that He hates their calf idol and that His anger burns against them (8:5). He points out the folly of worshipping something that is created by the people that is itself not God (8:6). When He offered them His laws in abundance, they utterly rejected them (8:12). I love how the NLT renders that verse, “Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them” (8:12, NLT). Israel claims to know God, but God concludes that he will punish their sins, “For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities” (8:14). They claim to know God, but God knows the truth, they had forgotten Him.
So, God calls them to repentance. He says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you” (10:12). They had formerly plowed iniquity (10:13) and it was a time for change. They could amend their ways and spare the coming judgment. If only they would turn back to the true and living God with their hearts and not just their lips, with a religion that wasn’t just in word, but in deed.
They claimed to know God, but they denied Him through the lives that they lived. Jesus once quoted the prophet Isaiah to a group of the Pharisees, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matt. 15:6). In another place He said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46) or in John, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). I love how R.C. Sproul once said, “He’s either Lord of all, or not Lord at all.” If Christ is our Lord then it ought to show in more than just the words that we speak, but the lives that we lead.
The Scripture never presents the possibility of living a genuinely God-pleasing life apart from Him and obedience to Him. Now, in Christ, we can live a God-pleasing life, for God is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). But we can’t claim that our lives are pleasing to God if we live wholly independent of Him.
Israel claimed to know God, while they were ignoring His guidance and will, while they were worshipping idols, while they were ignoring His laws, and God concludes, “they have forgotten me.” Let us not be deceived into thinking today that God loves the life that is lived with complete indifference to Him and independence from Him.
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