Hosea 8:1-14 | Food for Thought
Notes
8:10 | When Hosea talks about the king and princes writing because of the tribute, it’s likely in reference to the cost of hiring help from Assyria. To secure the assistance of the Assyrians, Israel’s rulers (king and princes) would have to offer a tribute - a payment to Assyria for their ongoing support. The writhing of Israel’s leaders probably refers to a price that would “make them squirm” because of how how it was. What’s worse is that this cost would likely show up as higher taxes / extortion of their people. Israel’s leaders would have to get the money somewhere, and they’d likley just have to squeeze it out of the people they’re called to protect.
Questions
“They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. …they made idols for their own destruction.” In other words, they established leadership and worship in ways that had nothing to do with the Lord, but they thought were good.
Where do we learn about leadership? Where do we learn about worship? What shapes the way we think about, approach, and pursue these things?
How can what we think about leadership or worship lead to destruction, guilt, and the anger of the Lord? Why is there a moral component to these things?
“They sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. …Already they are among the nations as a useless vessel. …Though they hire allies, I will soon gather them up.” In other words, what they’re doing, who they’re seeking, and - in some ways - who they are, is useless.
Churches can do a million things. Regardless of how big, how resourced, etc. a church might be, what things would make that church useless if they WEREN’T part of what they did? What should churches protect and guard at all costs?
How does this reveal what you think makes the church useFUL? What is it that God wants us to sow and reap? What are we to be vessels of?
What’s the purpose of God’s people? Why would Israel’s rulers hiring help for their people’s protection go AGAINST this purpose?
How does any of this shape your life around being useful to God’s purposes - even through what you do or don’t do?
Are you mindful of costs YOU pay for the things you hitch your life to? Who or what ends up paying that price? Is it worth it? Is it useful for God’s purposes?
“Ephraim (Israel) has multiplies altars… built palaces… multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire.” More and more doesn’t mean better. God values familiarity with him more than big numbers for him.
How does this challenge what we’re hoping our churches, ministries, efforts, etc. will produce? What are we shooting for? Is it familiarity, intimacy, and depth with the Lord?
Even in our own discipleship, are we concerned with “ticking the boxes,” reading a certain number of chapters, praying a certain amount of minutes, showing up to a certain amount of things? Do we engage in order to behold and know the Lord, or to say we’ve simply done something today?
God isn’t opposed to bigger numbers. He promises a bigger people than we can even count! How will his faithfulness - and our faithfulness to him and his promises - do more to grow the church than marketing strategies, hype, or reproducable, cookie-cutter programs?