Hosea 4:6

The plot thickens in Hosea as God delves further into the reasoning behind His temporary rejection of the Israelites, turning His focus to the priests, the spiritual leaders of the people. We see again, as we have seen time and again in the prophets (cf. Ezekiel 33), the distinction between the roles and responsibilities of those who are shepherding, watching, or otherwise in a position of responsibility, and that of the general populace. It seems very clear that God treats each differently (as is found in the New Testament also), although He treats every human the same on the base level. That is, although each person is individually responsible for their own sin and their own choices, and no person is treated differently to another, in fact those in ‘leadership’, as it were, are also held responsible for those they lead.

In this case, God makes the statement ‘And it shall be: like people, like priest.’ (Hosea 4:9a). That is, the people’s sins, which God has illustrated in a previous chapter, apply also to the priests, which not only participated in the sins, but misled people by their false role-modelling. This is a warning to us all, for we are all role-models in some sense, whether it is to little kids, our peers, new Christians, non-Christians, our church, or whoever. And we must realise that we are responsible for the image we convey to them.

However, there is a further aspect to God’s appraisal of the nation’s waywardness, not raised in the previous chapter, which is more applicable to the priests.

‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.’ (Hosea 4:6)

It is not clear to me whether their destruction (because of lack of knowledge) was effected by themselves, God, or both. That is, I am not sure whether the ‘are destroyed for’ is literally ‘have been destroyed by’, or whether in fact it means that because of their lack of knowledge, God will destroy them – or both. I lean towards both. The first sentence seems to suggest that their lack of knowledge has brought them to the place they are in; that in fact, all their ‘harlotry’ and idolatry is a product of not knowing God, and His law. This would have been the role of the priests, to teach them, to instruct them and guide them in the knowledge and understanding of the law and God’s incredible goodness. Without knowing the glory and goodness of God, it is understandable that the populace would turn away to more ‘fashionable’ and immediately pleasing things. And so God adds, since they (the priests) have rejected knowledge, that is, consciously disregarded it, He will reject them. A tough call, but fair. Not only are they leading themselves astray, but also a whole nation of people who may otherwise have been enjoying their relationship with a loving God.

How does this speak to us? Well it speaks volumes about the importance of knowledge. Knowledge is something that is highly sort after these days, but so little in the church, where knowledge is so much more important, and much sweeter! People go to any end to find out obscure information (trust me, I know!) and spend all their lives devoted to unveiling one fact, and yet in the church we have so much information in front of our very eyes, and so many of us can’t be bothered to look at it! And the knowledge we have available to us is so much more important, interesting, valuable and transformative than any other information, you would think we would all be chomping at the bit to get our teeth into it! Furthermore, our knowledge in this so called ‘Age of Grace’ surpasses by far any of the knowledge in the Old Testament, by the pure fact that we have a relationship with Jesus, whom we can come to know intimately.

A lack of knowledge can (and inevitably eventually will) lead down the path of sin and idolatry. This is the experience of Israel. Let’s all thirst for the truth found in His word, and dig deeper and deeper into its sweet promises!