Day 187: Hosea 4-8 - The Bible Dept.

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Transcript21 lines

[00:00]
A
Hey, Bible nerds. This is Dr. Manny Arango and I'm your host for the Bible department podcast. Powered by Arma. This podcast follows a Bible reading plan we created to help you read the.
[00:11]
B
Entire Bible in a year. You can head to the show notes.
[00:14]
A
Or thebibledepartment.com to download our reading plan.
[00:18]
B
And join the journey.
[00:26]
A
Let's be honest, a lot of us are still treating digital ministry like it's a backup plan from 2020. But discipleship isn't just happening on Sundays anymore. People need gospel centered connection every day of the week. And if you're stuck juggling five different platforms, one for giving, another for sermons, something else for events, it's no wonder engagement feels off. That's not ministry.
[00:55]
B
That's a mess.
[00:56]
A
Subsplash changes that one platform. Everything you need. Media, giving, events, messaging, your app, your website built specifically for churches. No hacks, no workarounds, just clarity and simplicity. Because every day you wait, families scroll past your sermons, new guests click away from clunky sites, and real people miss real moments with Jesus. Don't waste another summer stuck in digital survival mode. Use it to get ahead, simplify, upgrade, get back to what matters. Head to subsplash.combible-dept and schedule a free no pressure demo. And let this be the summer your church gets focused and fully equipped.
[01:48]
B
Family. Welcome to day 187. We're going to continue our trek through the Book of Hosea. Today we're in Hosea 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. So a good chunk of of of scripture to read. Honestly, I read it, it went by pretty good. It went by, it went by quick. It reads, I don't know, something about poetry, just kind of like reads quickly. For anyone who's wondering, my favorite audio Bible is Dwell, so I use it all the time. And they're not sponsoring anything or promoting ARMA in any way. But anyway, for anyone who's just curious for a tool that you can use to read the Bible, and that works really well, I love Dwell. So if you've done the reading for the day, good job. If you haven't done the reading for the day, pause the video, stop the audio, don't listen, don't watch, go do the reading. Hosea, chapter four, five, six, seven and eight. All right, like always, I'm gonna give you context clues, nerdy nuggets, and I'm gonna leave you with a timeless truth. Interestingly enough, for context. Actually, the thing that provides context for Hosea chapters four through eight is actually Hosea chapters one to three. So this sign act that Hosea is involved in where he's married to a woman who has prostituted herself, this woman by the name of Gomer. That is the context for the metaphors that now Hosea is gonna use for the next five chapters. So the repeated theme over and over and over and over again as you read through Hosea, chapters four through eight is prostitution. There's a spirit of prostitution. You love prostitution, you return to prostitution. Okay? So, like, that theme of prostitution is going to get used over and over and over and over again. And the context for that is the first three chapters of the book where Hosea enters into a marital covenant relationship with a woman who is drawn to prostitution. Okay, so that's actually like our biggest context. Okay, so to today's episode is really going to focus on a lot of nerdy nuggets, okay? I'm going to give you as many nerdy nuggets as I can. First is that this is what's called a lawsuit oracle, okay? A lawsuit oracle, which means different groups are going to be on trial. Okay? Hosea, chapter four is actually going to start with these words. Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land, okay? A charge to bring against you. So this is a lawsuit oracle. You can imagine it's essentially God bringing a legal case. It's a style of communicating, okay, where God is bringing a legal case against the people and kind of want to just break this down for you to help you to see the flow of, of what you're reading. So from chapter four, verse one to four, God has an issue with normal citizens, okay? They're being accused of faithless, loveless, and not knowing God. This is what Yahweh says, okay? There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There's only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. So they've literally broken the ten Commandments. In verse five, we transition again, chapter four, verse five to ten, the priests and the prophets are accused of rejecting knowledge of God and ignoring the Torah. And like always, okay, all throughout the Bible, God holds leaders to a different standard. He holds leaders to a higher standard. And then we get verses 11 to 14. And now the cults worshiping foreign gods are accused of worshiping idols and replacing Yahweh worship with pagan fertility rights. So that's verse 11 through 14. I'll read the transition sentence for you. It says to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the Understanding of my people. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. Okay. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray. They're unfaithful to their God. I just want to hone in on that verse right there. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. Like the language is communicating. Like, guys, like, how ridiculous is this? You have trust in some sticks, man. Like it's made out of wood. Like what is drawing you to this? You may be thinking to yourselves, like, yeah, what is it about cult like practices that are appealing? And I would say the key word here is trust. What do you put your trust in? And although this may sound ridiculous, there are people who essentially have their trust in the modern equivalent of sticks. Stick, sticks in, in, in wood like that. That's what they have their trust in today. One of the like things that confuses me to no end are people who have faith in chakra stones, people who burn sage like in their house. It's like your faith is in sage, homie, sage. And if you think that like God has no issue with it, then why would God have an issue with stuff, sticks and wood? In the Old Testament, God doesn't have an issue with the thing. He has an issue with the fact that you think you need it. And God says, hey, like you can't do anything in addition to me and still have me. Nothing, Nothing, nothing at all. Like this is the equivalent of somebody saying like, because remember, adultery is the theme that we're dealing with. This would be the equivalent of somebody saying like, oh, I didn't cheat on my wife. I was just texting, you know, or out. And it's like, nah, homie, like that's cheating. Like, you don't draw the line at sex. You draw the line at anything. Anything, whether it be major or minor. What it doesn't matter. Like all of it is not okay, because you are in faithful, loyal, covenant relationship with another person.
[08:20]
A
So.
[08:20]
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So I would 1000% like if there, if you want a modern equivalent to this, it would be crystals in burn of sage. Like chakra stones. Crystals and burn of sage. 1000% are cultic rituals that if you're a believer, are not. Like, why would you put your trust in that? Your trust is in the almighty God. And you're going to see this theme actually develop as, as we keep moving. Chapter 5, verse 1 and 2, verse 10, verse 13. The thing that's gonna be the lawsuit oracle is going to be spoken against the ruling classes. Royalty are going to be accused of moving boundary stones, actually. So this is one of the moments in Hosea where injustice is actually going to rear its head again. Okay, so this is verse 10 of chapter 5. Judah's leaders are like those who move boundary stones, which means Judah's leaders are unjust. Okay, Moving a boundary stone. A boundary stone is how you delineated what's my property versus my neighbor's property, the boundary. And this is leaders are not supposed to move boundary stones, okay? Property is the land got divided up by. By God in the book of Joshua. And every tribe has allotments of land. And so it's not my job to move a boundary stone. This is deeply rooted in injustice. So in verse 11, Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah. So Ephraim is going to be a repeated word. Okay, so here's just another nerdy nugget. Ephraim is gonna. So this is the tribe of Ephraim. Remember, Manasseh and Ephraim become the tribes that replace the tribe of Joseph, because Ephraim and Nasser are the sons of Joseph. And so in the north, Ephraim is actually the strongest tribe in the same way that the tribe of Judah is the strongest tribe in the south. Okay, so, so Ephraim is obviously Judah's nephew, okay, in the story that, that all this comes from. So the tribes are named after the sons of Jacob. But then the second youngest son's name is Joseph. He has two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh. So Ephraim is the reason it's like Ephraim and Judah. Ephraim and Judah is because Ephraim is referring to the Northern kingdom, But the most influential tribe of the Northern Kingdom, which is the tribe of Ephraim. Let's keep kind of going with some nerdy nuggets here. We're going to get to chapter 4, verse 15, and Hosea is going to flat out say, like, do not go to Gilgal. Do not go up to Beth Aven, and that's Bethel. Okay? So for anyone who's like, oh, what's like that? That name, I'm not familiar with that name. Okay, here's the irony, okay? Hosea tells Israel not to enter these places, both of which are connected to Israel possession of the promised land. So, like, these places should be like, cities that bring back all this symbolism of, like, God's faithfulness. But now they're connected to idolatry, which is really, really, really Sad family. The wait is over.
[11:51]
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My brand new book, Crushing Chaos is out now and available everywhere. Books are sold.
[11:58]
B
Literally. Today I walked into a Barnes and.
[12:01]
A
Noble and I signed a bunch of.
[12:03]
B
Copies at a physical location. So you can grab this book at a physical Barnes and Noble or you can go to a Books A Million.
[12:11]
A
Or Amazon or anywhere books are sold and grab a copy. If you enjoy reading the Bible from an ancient perspective, if you understand that.
[12:21]
B
The beauty of scripture is actually knowing.
[12:23]
A
It in context, then you'll love this book. And if there's any chaos in your personal life, I think that reading the Bible from an ancient perspective can actually help to crush the chaos in your life.
[12:36]
B
I think this book is going to be a New York Times bestseller. I really do. I think we wrote a good one.
[12:41]
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I think you should get a copy today.
[12:44]
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Day. All right, back to the episode. It was at Beth Aven, or Bethel, where God promised Jacob that the land where he slept would belong to his descendants. Remember, this is. Bethel is the place where Jacob sees a ladder. This would be Jacob's ladder. He probably sees a ziggurat and he sees angels ascending and descending. Gilgal was the place the tribes of Israel gathered to begin their conquest of Canaan. So Bethel and Gilgal should actually trigger all of these thoughts of God's faithfulness. They should be monuments, like national monuments of great pride and joy. But now they are monuments of, like, shame and guilt and idolatry. Hosea, chapter 4, verse 15. Do not go to Gilgal. Do not go to Bethel. And here's just a theme along the lines of, like, that theme of trust. Two things that I want to say. The first is that syncretism is idolatry. And syncretism is taking anything from culture and, like, mixing it in with Christianity. That's syncretist. So a lot of the people who are being accused of prostitution or adultery or idolatry, what they're doing is they're worshiping God and baal. And God demands exclusive worship, okay? Loyalty, faithfulness. BAAL doesn't care if you worship multiple gods, but Yahweh cares that you only worship the one true living God. And so syncretism is, I go to church on Sunday, but I also burn sage. You know, I go to church on Sunday, but I also use my crystals and my chakra stones and it's like, got it. So you're mixing, okay? This is called syncretism. You're mixing. You're trying to mix Christianity with, you know, African traditional religious experiences. You're trying to Mix, you know, Christianity with native, you know, spiritual, spiritist practices. Like, you're trying to take Christianity and instead of being a purist and going, yeah, no, I'm going to be a purist. You're actually mixing it with other stuff. And it's because you don't trust that Jesus is enough. You don't trust that God's enough, that the Bible's enough, that this is enough. You think that God needs help or assistance or he needs your kind of. He needs your practices. And God's like, man, I don't need any of that. So I want you to, like, see, this theme is not just with idolatrous or religious practices, but this theme is also the reason that God's upset about Israel's religious political practices. Okay, listen. Listen to these and you'll see the theme emerge. This is Hosea 7:11. Ephraim. So that's Israel is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless. Now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria, Calling to Egypt for what help? Turning to Assyria for what help? I need to be rescued. I need to be saved. And then I need you to read Hosea 5:13. Then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king for help. Okay, Then I want you to read. Yeah, Hosea 4:12. My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner's rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray. They are unfaithful to their God. Okay, so for the people that they're trusting in wooden idols and a diviner's rod for the leaders they're trusting in Assyria and Egypt, the thing that is the common denominator here is trust. Who do you trust? Stop trusting in horses and chariots. Stop trusting in baal. And if we translate that into the modern age, there's just stuff we trust. Hey, stop trusting in the government. Stop trusting in, you know, your job. Stop stop trusting in this stuff. We are quick to say, oh, it's ridiculous that they would worship idols. But idolatry is not about how you express that idolatry. It's about a distrust on the inside that says, yeah, I don't think God's enough. I don't think that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, I don't think Christianity is enough. And God needs assistance. God needs help. And God says, that is absolutely the most offensive thing you could ever say to me. I would say, as we transition to the end of the episode, that's my timeless truth, is that as you read through this stuff, I don't just want you to go, oh, man, they don't have it together. God's mad at them. I want you to think, do I fully trust in the Lord? Like, where do I stand in terms of my exclusivity? In whom I trust, in whom I place my trust? Where does my trust come from? And I'm preaching to me. Do I trust in speaking engagements or do I trust in God? Do I trust in how many subscribers we have as a business? Or do I trust in God? Do I trust in my ability to hire the right people? Or do I trust in God? Like, what do I trust? Because idolatry is rooted in me not being able, not having sole exclusive, giving, giving sole exclusive rights to God in terms of the resources that I'm going to choose to trust. Last little bit that I'll say this is actually really, really helpful is the state of Israel towards its end is almost unrecognizable from the picture of Israel in our minds. Okay? Jeroboam II's reign was one of extreme unfaithfulness to Yahweh in his Torah. But it all started with the first Jeroboam, who decided to worship Yahweh in his own way. He just didn't trust. He didn't trust to worship God and just be literal. Just stick to the book, man. He chose to deviate. He chose to make small decisions. This decision doomed Israel and led to this chaos. This is the danger of idolatry. We'll worship for our own sake. Leads. So trust, trust, trust. Trust leads to patience, man. Trust leads to so many things. You gotta trust. You have to place your trust in God and say, lord, like, I trust you and I trust you even in the middle of a famine or a drought. And, and, and I trust that you can provide for the real needs of my family. I think sometimes it's easy to villainize these people. But it's like, yo, if it hasn't rained and your kids are hungry, like, you start to compromise. And the moment we can't empathize with the character of the Bible, I think that we can. We were unable to, to really learn something from them. And so they're not idolatrous for any reason, then they are placing their trust for real needs in the hands of gods who cannot meet those needs. And the kings of Israel are putting their trust in the horses and chariots of Egypt because they're scared that their people are going to experience violence against them. And so they reach out for these alliances. And God says, man, every time you trust in foreign powers to help you, it always leads to the thing you were scared of actually coming to pass. Which means fear is fear has to be conquered in that you can't keep obeying your fears because ultimately, if you keep obeying your fears, the very thing you're scared of will come to pass. And so that's our Thomas truth, and that is Hosea, chapter four through eight. Tomorrow we will be back for day 188 and we've got Hosea. Let me make sure I got the right thing. Hosea, chapter nine to 11 tomorrow. If you're on a streak, don't break it. Whatever you do, don't break your streak. If you're not on a streak, let's start one. I'm so proud of you. I love you. I'll see you right here for tomorrow's episode and can't wait to continue our trek through the Book of Hosea and the prophets in general. Love y'. All. Peace.
[21:32]
A
Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department Podcast. You can find us online and learn more about the show at the Bible Department and on Instagram. Hebibledepartment if you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: The Bible Dept. - Day 187: Hosea 4-8

Introduction

On Day 187 of The Bible Dept., hosted by Dr. Manny Arango of ARMA Courses, listeners delve deep into Hosea chapters 4 through 8. This episode continues the podcast’s mission to guide listeners through a comprehensive 365-day Bible reading plan, aiming to bridge the gap where 94% of Christians have yet to read the entire Bible. Dr. Arango provides a thorough exploration of these chapters, emphasizing themes of faithfulness, idolatry, and trust in God.

Overview of Hosea 4-8

Dr. Arango begins by summarizing Hosea 4-8, highlighting the swift and poetic nature of the chapters. He underscores that these chapters depict God’s indictment of Israel for their persistent unfaithfulness and idolatry, using the metaphor of prostitution to describe the nation's spiritual adultery.

Dr. Manny Arango [07:00]: "The repeated theme over and over is prostitution. There's a spirit of prostitution. You love prostitution, you return to prostitution."

Context Clues: Understanding the Backdrop

To fully grasp Hosea 4-8, Dr. Arango emphasizes the importance of the preceding chapters (1-3), where Hosea’s marriage to Gomer symbolizes Israel’s covenant relationship with God, marred by infidelity.

Dr. Manny Arango [04:30]: "The context for Hosea chapters four through eight is actually Hosea chapters one to three. So this sign act that Hosea is involved in where he's married to a woman who has prostituted herself."

This marital covenant serves as the foundation for Hosea’s prophetic metaphors, illustrating Israel’s continual turning away from God.

Nerdy Nuggets: Deep Dive into Details

Dr. Arango shares several insightful details to enrich listeners’ understanding:

Lawsuit Oracle: Hosea 4 is identified as a lawsuit oracle, a style where God presents His grievances as a legal case against Israel.

Dr. Manny Arango [03:15]: "Hosea, chapter four is actually going to start with these words. Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land."
Role of Ephraim: The tribe of Ephraim, representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel, is frequently mentioned, symbolizing its significant yet unfaithful role.

Dr. Manny Arango [06:10]: "Ephraim is like Ephraim and Judah because Ephraim refers to the Northern kingdom, the tribe of Ephraim being the most influential tribe in the North."
Significant Locations – Gilgal and Bethel: These cities, initially symbols of God’s faithfulness, are now associated with idolatry and betrayal.

Dr. Manny Arango [11:00]: "Hosea 4:15 says, 'Do not go to Gilgal. Do not go up to Bethel.' These places should trigger thoughts of God's faithfulness but are now monuments of shame and idolatry."
Syncretism Defined: Mixing Christian practices with other religious rituals, termed syncretism, is condemned as it denotes a lack of exclusive trust in God.

Dr. Manny Arango [16:50]: "Syncretism is taking anything from culture and mixing it in with Christianity. If you're burning sage or using crystals, you're engaging in syncretism."

Timeless Truths: Practical Application

Dr. Arango draws contemporary parallels, urging listeners to evaluate where their trust lies:

Exclusive Trust in God: Emphasizing that true faithfulness requires exclusive trust in God, without relying on external aids or alternative belief systems.

Dr. Manny Arango [19:00]: "Idolatry is rooted in not having sole exclusive trust in God. You need to ask yourself, 'Where do I place my trust?'"
Avoiding Modern Idolatry: Encourages believers to identify and eliminate modern equivalents of idolatry, such as excessive reliance on government, career, or personal achievements.

Dr. Manny Arango [20:15]: "Stop trusting in the government, your job, or other secular things. Place your trust solely in God."
Conquering Fear Through Trust: Addressing the leaders of Israel who placed their trust in foreign powers out of fear, Dr. Arango advises overcoming fear by trusting in God’s providence.

Dr. Manny Arango [20:50]: "Fear has to be conquered. If you keep obeying your fears, the very thing you fear will come to pass."
Self-Examination: Urges listeners to introspect on their personal trust issues, ensuring their faith remains untainted by worldly dependencies.

Dr. Manny Arango [21:00]: "Do I trust in speaking engagements or do I trust in God? Do I trust in my business's subscribers or in God?"

Conclusion

Dr. Arango wraps up the episode by reinforcing the central message of unwavering trust in God. He challenges listeners to reflect on their own lives, ensuring that their faith remains exclusive and untainted by external influences. The episode concludes with a preview of the next day’s study, continuing the in-depth exploration of the Book of Hosea.

Dr. Manny Arango [21:15]: "Trust leads to patience, trust leads to so many things. You have to place your trust in God and say, 'Lord, I trust you even in the middle of a famine or a drought.'"

Additional Resources

Listeners interested in further exploring these themes are encouraged to:

Download the Reading Plan: Available at thebibledepartment.com/plan
Explore ARMA Courses: Access free courses at thebibledepartment.com
Read Dr. Arango’s Book: "Crushing Chaos," available at major book retailers like Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and Amazon.

Final Thoughts

This episode of The Bible Dept. offers a profound examination of Hosea 4-8, blending historical context with practical application. Dr. Manny Arango’s engaging discussion not only elucidates the biblical text but also challenges listeners to introspect and reaffirm their trust in God, steering clear of modern idolatry.

Connect with The Bible Dept.

Website: thebibledepartment.com
Instagram: @thebibledepartment

Thank you for joining us on this journey through Scripture. Stay tuned for Day 188, where we continue our exploration of the Book of Hosea.

Loading summary

Transcript21 lines

[00:00]
A
Hey, Bible nerds. This is Dr. Manny Arango and I'm your host for the Bible department podcast. Powered by Arma. This podcast follows a Bible reading plan we created to help you read the.
[00:11]
B
Entire Bible in a year. You can head to the show notes.
[00:14]
A
Or thebibledepartment.com to download our reading plan.
[00:18]
B
And join the journey.
[00:26]
A
Let's be honest, a lot of us are still treating digital ministry like it's a backup plan from 2020. But discipleship isn't just happening on Sundays anymore. People need gospel centered connection every day of the week. And if you're stuck juggling five different platforms, one for giving, another for sermons, something else for events, it's no wonder engagement feels off. That's not ministry.
[00:55]
B
That's a mess.
[00:56]
A
Subsplash changes that one platform. Everything you need. Media, giving, events, messaging, your app, your website built specifically for churches. No hacks, no workarounds, just clarity and simplicity. Because every day you wait, families scroll past your sermons, new guests click away from clunky sites, and real people miss real moments with Jesus. Don't waste another summer stuck in digital survival mode. Use it to get ahead, simplify, upgrade, get back to what matters. Head to subsplash.combible-dept and schedule a free no pressure demo. And let this be the summer your church gets focused and fully equipped.
[01:48]
B
Family. Welcome to day 187. We're going to continue our trek through the Book of Hosea. Today we're in Hosea 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. So a good chunk of of of scripture to read. Honestly, I read it, it went by pretty good. It went by, it went by quick. It reads, I don't know, something about poetry, just kind of like reads quickly. For anyone who's wondering, my favorite audio Bible is Dwell, so I use it all the time. And they're not sponsoring anything or promoting ARMA in any way. But anyway, for anyone who's just curious for a tool that you can use to read the Bible, and that works really well, I love Dwell. So if you've done the reading for the day, good job. If you haven't done the reading for the day, pause the video, stop the audio, don't listen, don't watch, go do the reading. Hosea, chapter four, five, six, seven and eight. All right, like always, I'm gonna give you context clues, nerdy nuggets, and I'm gonna leave you with a timeless truth. Interestingly enough, for context. Actually, the thing that provides context for Hosea chapters four through eight is actually Hosea chapters one to three. So this sign act that Hosea is involved in where he's married to a woman who has prostituted herself, this woman by the name of Gomer. That is the context for the metaphors that now Hosea is gonna use for the next five chapters. So the repeated theme over and over and over and over again as you read through Hosea, chapters four through eight is prostitution. There's a spirit of prostitution. You love prostitution, you return to prostitution. Okay? So, like, that theme of prostitution is going to get used over and over and over and over again. And the context for that is the first three chapters of the book where Hosea enters into a marital covenant relationship with a woman who is drawn to prostitution. Okay, so that's actually like our biggest context. Okay, so to today's episode is really going to focus on a lot of nerdy nuggets, okay? I'm going to give you as many nerdy nuggets as I can. First is that this is what's called a lawsuit oracle, okay? A lawsuit oracle, which means different groups are going to be on trial. Okay? Hosea, chapter four is actually going to start with these words. Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land, okay? A charge to bring against you. So this is a lawsuit oracle. You can imagine it's essentially God bringing a legal case. It's a style of communicating, okay, where God is bringing a legal case against the people and kind of want to just break this down for you to help you to see the flow of, of what you're reading. So from chapter four, verse one to four, God has an issue with normal citizens, okay? They're being accused of faithless, loveless, and not knowing God. This is what Yahweh says, okay? There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There's only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. So they've literally broken the ten Commandments. In verse five, we transition again, chapter four, verse five to ten, the priests and the prophets are accused of rejecting knowledge of God and ignoring the Torah. And like always, okay, all throughout the Bible, God holds leaders to a different standard. He holds leaders to a higher standard. And then we get verses 11 to 14. And now the cults worshiping foreign gods are accused of worshiping idols and replacing Yahweh worship with pagan fertility rights. So that's verse 11 through 14. I'll read the transition sentence for you. It says to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the Understanding of my people. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. Okay. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray. They're unfaithful to their God. I just want to hone in on that verse right there. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. Like the language is communicating. Like, guys, like, how ridiculous is this? You have trust in some sticks, man. Like it's made out of wood. Like what is drawing you to this? You may be thinking to yourselves, like, yeah, what is it about cult like practices that are appealing? And I would say the key word here is trust. What do you put your trust in? And although this may sound ridiculous, there are people who essentially have their trust in the modern equivalent of sticks. Stick, sticks in, in, in wood like that. That's what they have their trust in today. One of the like things that confuses me to no end are people who have faith in chakra stones, people who burn sage like in their house. It's like your faith is in sage, homie, sage. And if you think that like God has no issue with it, then why would God have an issue with stuff, sticks and wood? In the Old Testament, God doesn't have an issue with the thing. He has an issue with the fact that you think you need it. And God says, hey, like you can't do anything in addition to me and still have me. Nothing, Nothing, nothing at all. Like this is the equivalent of somebody saying like, because remember, adultery is the theme that we're dealing with. This would be the equivalent of somebody saying like, oh, I didn't cheat on my wife. I was just texting, you know, or out. And it's like, nah, homie, like that's cheating. Like, you don't draw the line at sex. You draw the line at anything. Anything, whether it be major or minor. What it doesn't matter. Like all of it is not okay, because you are in faithful, loyal, covenant relationship with another person.
[08:20]
A
So.
[08:20]
B
So I would 1000% like if there, if you want a modern equivalent to this, it would be crystals in burn of sage. Like chakra stones. Crystals and burn of sage. 1000% are cultic rituals that if you're a believer, are not. Like, why would you put your trust in that? Your trust is in the almighty God. And you're going to see this theme actually develop as, as we keep moving. Chapter 5, verse 1 and 2, verse 10, verse 13. The thing that's gonna be the lawsuit oracle is going to be spoken against the ruling classes. Royalty are going to be accused of moving boundary stones, actually. So this is one of the moments in Hosea where injustice is actually going to rear its head again. Okay, so this is verse 10 of chapter 5. Judah's leaders are like those who move boundary stones, which means Judah's leaders are unjust. Okay, Moving a boundary stone. A boundary stone is how you delineated what's my property versus my neighbor's property, the boundary. And this is leaders are not supposed to move boundary stones, okay? Property is the land got divided up by. By God in the book of Joshua. And every tribe has allotments of land. And so it's not my job to move a boundary stone. This is deeply rooted in injustice. So in verse 11, Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah. So Ephraim is going to be a repeated word. Okay, so here's just another nerdy nugget. Ephraim is gonna. So this is the tribe of Ephraim. Remember, Manasseh and Ephraim become the tribes that replace the tribe of Joseph, because Ephraim and Nasser are the sons of Joseph. And so in the north, Ephraim is actually the strongest tribe in the same way that the tribe of Judah is the strongest tribe in the south. Okay, so, so Ephraim is obviously Judah's nephew, okay, in the story that, that all this comes from. So the tribes are named after the sons of Jacob. But then the second youngest son's name is Joseph. He has two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh. So Ephraim is the reason it's like Ephraim and Judah. Ephraim and Judah is because Ephraim is referring to the Northern kingdom, But the most influential tribe of the Northern Kingdom, which is the tribe of Ephraim. Let's keep kind of going with some nerdy nuggets here. We're going to get to chapter 4, verse 15, and Hosea is going to flat out say, like, do not go to Gilgal. Do not go up to Beth Aven, and that's Bethel. Okay? So for anyone who's like, oh, what's like that? That name, I'm not familiar with that name. Okay, here's the irony, okay? Hosea tells Israel not to enter these places, both of which are connected to Israel possession of the promised land. So, like, these places should be like, cities that bring back all this symbolism of, like, God's faithfulness. But now they're connected to idolatry, which is really, really, really Sad family. The wait is over.
[11:51]
A
My brand new book, Crushing Chaos is out now and available everywhere. Books are sold.
[11:58]
B
Literally. Today I walked into a Barnes and.
[12:01]
A
Noble and I signed a bunch of.
[12:03]
B
Copies at a physical location. So you can grab this book at a physical Barnes and Noble or you can go to a Books A Million.
[12:11]
A
Or Amazon or anywhere books are sold and grab a copy. If you enjoy reading the Bible from an ancient perspective, if you understand that.
[12:21]
B
The beauty of scripture is actually knowing.
[12:23]
A
It in context, then you'll love this book. And if there's any chaos in your personal life, I think that reading the Bible from an ancient perspective can actually help to crush the chaos in your life.
[12:36]
B
I think this book is going to be a New York Times bestseller. I really do. I think we wrote a good one.
[12:41]
A
I think you should get a copy today.
[12:44]
B
Day. All right, back to the episode. It was at Beth Aven, or Bethel, where God promised Jacob that the land where he slept would belong to his descendants. Remember, this is. Bethel is the place where Jacob sees a ladder. This would be Jacob's ladder. He probably sees a ziggurat and he sees angels ascending and descending. Gilgal was the place the tribes of Israel gathered to begin their conquest of Canaan. So Bethel and Gilgal should actually trigger all of these thoughts of God's faithfulness. They should be monuments, like national monuments of great pride and joy. But now they are monuments of, like, shame and guilt and idolatry. Hosea, chapter 4, verse 15. Do not go to Gilgal. Do not go to Bethel. And here's just a theme along the lines of, like, that theme of trust. Two things that I want to say. The first is that syncretism is idolatry. And syncretism is taking anything from culture and, like, mixing it in with Christianity. That's syncretist. So a lot of the people who are being accused of prostitution or adultery or idolatry, what they're doing is they're worshiping God and baal. And God demands exclusive worship, okay? Loyalty, faithfulness. BAAL doesn't care if you worship multiple gods, but Yahweh cares that you only worship the one true living God. And so syncretism is, I go to church on Sunday, but I also burn sage. You know, I go to church on Sunday, but I also use my crystals and my chakra stones and it's like, got it. So you're mixing, okay? This is called syncretism. You're mixing. You're trying to mix Christianity with, you know, African traditional religious experiences. You're trying to Mix, you know, Christianity with native, you know, spiritual, spiritist practices. Like, you're trying to take Christianity and instead of being a purist and going, yeah, no, I'm going to be a purist. You're actually mixing it with other stuff. And it's because you don't trust that Jesus is enough. You don't trust that God's enough, that the Bible's enough, that this is enough. You think that God needs help or assistance or he needs your kind of. He needs your practices. And God's like, man, I don't need any of that. So I want you to, like, see, this theme is not just with idolatrous or religious practices, but this theme is also the reason that God's upset about Israel's religious political practices. Okay, listen. Listen to these and you'll see the theme emerge. This is Hosea 7:11. Ephraim. So that's Israel is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless. Now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria, Calling to Egypt for what help? Turning to Assyria for what help? I need to be rescued. I need to be saved. And then I need you to read Hosea 5:13. Then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king for help. Okay, Then I want you to read. Yeah, Hosea 4:12. My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner's rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray. They are unfaithful to their God. Okay, so for the people that they're trusting in wooden idols and a diviner's rod for the leaders they're trusting in Assyria and Egypt, the thing that is the common denominator here is trust. Who do you trust? Stop trusting in horses and chariots. Stop trusting in baal. And if we translate that into the modern age, there's just stuff we trust. Hey, stop trusting in the government. Stop trusting in, you know, your job. Stop stop trusting in this stuff. We are quick to say, oh, it's ridiculous that they would worship idols. But idolatry is not about how you express that idolatry. It's about a distrust on the inside that says, yeah, I don't think God's enough. I don't think that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, I don't think Christianity is enough. And God needs assistance. God needs help. And God says, that is absolutely the most offensive thing you could ever say to me. I would say, as we transition to the end of the episode, that's my timeless truth, is that as you read through this stuff, I don't just want you to go, oh, man, they don't have it together. God's mad at them. I want you to think, do I fully trust in the Lord? Like, where do I stand in terms of my exclusivity? In whom I trust, in whom I place my trust? Where does my trust come from? And I'm preaching to me. Do I trust in speaking engagements or do I trust in God? Do I trust in how many subscribers we have as a business? Or do I trust in God? Do I trust in my ability to hire the right people? Or do I trust in God? Like, what do I trust? Because idolatry is rooted in me not being able, not having sole exclusive, giving, giving sole exclusive rights to God in terms of the resources that I'm going to choose to trust. Last little bit that I'll say this is actually really, really helpful is the state of Israel towards its end is almost unrecognizable from the picture of Israel in our minds. Okay? Jeroboam II's reign was one of extreme unfaithfulness to Yahweh in his Torah. But it all started with the first Jeroboam, who decided to worship Yahweh in his own way. He just didn't trust. He didn't trust to worship God and just be literal. Just stick to the book, man. He chose to deviate. He chose to make small decisions. This decision doomed Israel and led to this chaos. This is the danger of idolatry. We'll worship for our own sake. Leads. So trust, trust, trust. Trust leads to patience, man. Trust leads to so many things. You gotta trust. You have to place your trust in God and say, lord, like, I trust you and I trust you even in the middle of a famine or a drought. And, and, and I trust that you can provide for the real needs of my family. I think sometimes it's easy to villainize these people. But it's like, yo, if it hasn't rained and your kids are hungry, like, you start to compromise. And the moment we can't empathize with the character of the Bible, I think that we can. We were unable to, to really learn something from them. And so they're not idolatrous for any reason, then they are placing their trust for real needs in the hands of gods who cannot meet those needs. And the kings of Israel are putting their trust in the horses and chariots of Egypt because they're scared that their people are going to experience violence against them. And so they reach out for these alliances. And God says, man, every time you trust in foreign powers to help you, it always leads to the thing you were scared of actually coming to pass. Which means fear is fear has to be conquered in that you can't keep obeying your fears because ultimately, if you keep obeying your fears, the very thing you're scared of will come to pass. And so that's our Thomas truth, and that is Hosea, chapter four through eight. Tomorrow we will be back for day 188 and we've got Hosea. Let me make sure I got the right thing. Hosea, chapter nine to 11 tomorrow. If you're on a streak, don't break it. Whatever you do, don't break your streak. If you're not on a streak, let's start one. I'm so proud of you. I love you. I'll see you right here for tomorrow's episode and can't wait to continue our trek through the Book of Hosea and the prophets in general. Love y'. All. Peace.
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Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department Podcast. You can find us online and learn more about the show at the Bible Department and on Instagram. Hebibledepartment if you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.