THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
HOSEA
CHAPTER
4
1. Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel: for the LORD has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 1)
Oh God my Father if You had to comment on the world of today I think that You would have similar comments. During our times there is more than knowledge about You. Many people are joining spiritual groups and praising Your name, however others have, become totally cold towards Your name, the Roman Catholic Church and Your teachings. Legislation and social trends are being based on issues that are against Your will. Homosexuality is at its best, divorce has become the rule of the day, mixed marriages have also been accepted and the right for adoption may be in the pipeline. Oh God have mercy on us I beg You!
2. Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and adultery break out; bloodshed follows bloodshed.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 2)
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 2)
During our times oh God there is also many bloodshed in the world and even adultery. According to the following link some countries in the world score higher than others in the level of adultery practised:
Adultery in different countries
Astounding enough Malta has a black history of swearing ever since its native history as in the following link:-
Malta history of swearing
3. Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish together with wild animals and the birds of the air even the fish of the sea are perishing.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 3)
(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 17 to 19)
Adultery in different countries
Astounding enough Malta has a black history of swearing ever since its native history as in the following link:-
Malta history of swearing
3. Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish together with wild animals and the birds of the air even the fish of the sea are perishing.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 3)
Oh God, the earth is mourning under the burden of our sins. We are meddling in areas that are very delicate and that we should not meddle with. We are trying to dismantle all the systems that You created and we are making a mess of nature. Nature is being abused by cases of pollution on many levels both air sea and land and we are paying for our sins, for we are reaping the fruit of our sins.
4. Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest 5. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night and I will destroy your mother.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God nobody can accuse or pass judgement on others for we all are sinners. By day we stumble when we are guided by the light of the sun however You guide us by both day and night and rise with us when we rise and fall with us when we fall in order to protect us from being harmed by the fall because You love us so much.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God nobody can accuse or pass judgement on others for we all are sinners. By day we stumble when we are guided by the light of the sun however You guide us by both day and night and rise with us when we rise and fall with us when we fall in order to protect us from being harmed by the fall because You love us so much.
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 6)
Oh God, the society of our times is being destroyed by an excessive supply of knowledge, however as in the case of Your chosen people the knowledge acquired is worldly and not of God. It is totally scientific based on experiential and scientific principles which at times persuades us to place You in a corner so that we can take control of our lives, at least that is what some people think.
7. The more they increased the more they sinned against me; they changed their glory into shame.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 7)
The more we have grown in knowledge and advanced in technology the more our ignorance and pride increased so much that we started to try and depend on our selves instead of on You my Father and the glory and dignity that You gave us as humans created in Your form became shame because we disgrace the human race by means of our sinful acts.
8. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. 9. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds. 10. They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply; because they have forsaken the LORD to devote themselves to 11. whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the understanding
(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 8 to 11)
Oh God we are already experiencing such terrible times. We are becoming more avaricious, consuming items more than capacity just to satisfy our desires, however we are not at peace with our selves and even with others. We are always feeling empty because only You can fill in this emptiness and not the commodities of this world.
12. My people consult a piece of wood, and their diving rod gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have played the whore, forsaking their God.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 12)
Oh God years have passed and Your people are still referring to idols and even fortune tellers, who are still leading them astray from You. I pray that You save us from such a cursed malady which is infecting our society.
13. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and make offerings upon the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh God when we offer prayers to You to simply attract the attention of others this is not fruitful but a complete waste of time, for You tell us to give worship in our private quarters where we are alone with You and not in a place where we attract the attention of others in order to impress them.
14. I will not punish your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with whores, and sacrifice with temple prostitutes; thus a people without understanding comes to ruin.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh Jesus may I be like You. Although You had all reason and evidence on which to pass judgement on Your people and even om each one of us, You were not too hasty or swift or even impatient to pass judgement as we do among each other. I pray for the gifts of patience, mercy and endurance in spirit so that my faith in You will remain forever Amen.
15. Though you play the whore, O Israel, do not let Judah become guilty. Do not enter into Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear, "As the LORD lives."
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh God You love us so much that You warn us and make us aware of not indulging in more sinful acts than we may already are. Your people were already up to their neck in sins, however You still made them aware of the idolatry practised in Gilgal and Beth-aven so that they would not become more corrupted in sins.
16. Like a stubborn heifer; Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 16)
Oh God how kind are You and how stubborn we are. Even though You show us how much You love us, we still keep on pursuing our sinful ways.
17. Ephraim is joined to idols let him alone, 18. When their drinking is ended they indulge in sexual orgies; they love lewdness more than their glory. 19. A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars.(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 6)
Oh God, the society of our times is being destroyed by an excessive supply of knowledge, however as in the case of Your chosen people the knowledge acquired is worldly and not of God. It is totally scientific based on experiential and scientific principles which at times persuades us to place You in a corner so that we can take control of our lives, at least that is what some people think.
7. The more they increased the more they sinned against me; they changed their glory into shame.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 7)
The more we have grown in knowledge and advanced in technology the more our ignorance and pride increased so much that we started to try and depend on our selves instead of on You my Father and the glory and dignity that You gave us as humans created in Your form became shame because we disgrace the human race by means of our sinful acts.
8. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. 9. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds. 10. They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply; because they have forsaken the LORD to devote themselves to 11. whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the understanding
(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 8 to 11)
Oh God we are already experiencing such terrible times. We are becoming more avaricious, consuming items more than capacity just to satisfy our desires, however we are not at peace with our selves and even with others. We are always feeling empty because only You can fill in this emptiness and not the commodities of this world.
12. My people consult a piece of wood, and their diving rod gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have played the whore, forsaking their God.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 12)
Oh God years have passed and Your people are still referring to idols and even fortune tellers, who are still leading them astray from You. I pray that You save us from such a cursed malady which is infecting our society.
13. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and make offerings upon the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh God when we offer prayers to You to simply attract the attention of others this is not fruitful but a complete waste of time, for You tell us to give worship in our private quarters where we are alone with You and not in a place where we attract the attention of others in order to impress them.
14. I will not punish your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with whores, and sacrifice with temple prostitutes; thus a people without understanding comes to ruin.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh Jesus may I be like You. Although You had all reason and evidence on which to pass judgement on Your people and even om each one of us, You were not too hasty or swift or even impatient to pass judgement as we do among each other. I pray for the gifts of patience, mercy and endurance in spirit so that my faith in You will remain forever Amen.
15. Though you play the whore, O Israel, do not let Judah become guilty. Do not enter into Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear, "As the LORD lives."
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh God You love us so much that You warn us and make us aware of not indulging in more sinful acts than we may already are. Your people were already up to their neck in sins, however You still made them aware of the idolatry practised in Gilgal and Beth-aven so that they would not become more corrupted in sins.
16. Like a stubborn heifer; Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?
(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 16)
Oh God how kind are You and how stubborn we are. Even though You show us how much You love us, we still keep on pursuing our sinful ways.
(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 17 to 19)
Oh God we are overcome by alienation. Some of us are alienated by work, others by our careers, others by idolising themselves, who have become their own God, others have made Pop stars as their gods, while others indulge in acts of sexual pleasure or hobbies such as offline or on line gaming in order to satisfy their pleasure. Alienation has become the name of the game. We are so afraid of the reality of the day that we have to leave this earth, that we are doing all we can not even to mention this reality.
Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh God I pray that You bust the bubble of our alienation so that we come face to face with the reality that one day we have to face the music of our sins and accept the fact that one day we are to leave this earth and appear before You. May we all be well prepared for this important moment in our life Amen.
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