"Hear this, O priests!
Take heed, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For yours is the judgment,
Because you have been a snare to
Mizpah
And a net spread on Tabor.
The revolters are deeply involved in
slaughter,
Though I rebuke them all.
I know Ephraim,
And Israel is not hidden from Me;
For now, O Ephraim, you commit
harlotry;
Israel is defiled.
"They do not direct their deeds
Toward turning to their God,
For the spirit of harlotry is in their
midst,
And they do not know the LORD.
The pride of Israel testifies to his face;
Therefore Israel and Ephraim
stumble in their iniquity;
Judah also stumbles with them.
"With the flocks and herds
They shall go to seek the LORD,
But they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn Himself from
them.
They have dealt treacherously with
the LORD,
For they have begotten pagan
children.
Now a New Moon shall devour them
and their heritage.
Hosea 5:1-5
Israel is not being faithful to God; they are worshiping idols. The pagan children are the results of worshiping other gods; don't children learn from their parents? God still loved Ephraim (Israel) throughout all this unfaithfulness.
I still have problems understanding the idol worship. This just popped into my head - many of God's blessing were attributed (by the people) to the worship of other gods and idols. The people wanted something or someone they could physically touch.
Hosea 13:9-11 refers to God giving the people a king and princes. God felt rejected, and He was. God loves His people, but He was disappointed by their bad behavior. Make sure you tell God that you love Him.
Note - Ephraim being called Israel gets a little confusing, at least for me. Remember, that Ephraim received Jacob's (Israel's) birthright.
The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Please read your Bible.
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Scripture Speaks
SpiritualReading God's Word is truly an enlightening, on-going experience; one that I truly enjoy. I began posting His Word in "My Highlighted Bible Verses" and couldn't stop. He started talking to me through Scripture, some of the messaging is beyond me...
