Hosea 8:1-9:17

When God's Love Is Refused

In Hosea chapters 8?9, God mourns over Israel as they turn their hearts away from Him and place their trust in idols and empty alliances. Pastor Lloyd highlights how Israel?s persistent rebellion leads God to hand them over to judgment?not as an act of cruelty, but as a sobering consequence of their refusal to repent. These chapters reveal the deep sorrow of a loving God whose people have rejected His covenant, and they serve as a powerful warning about the cost of forsaking the Lord. At the same time, this message calls us to examine our own hearts, reminding us that true security, joy, and life are found only in faithful obedience to God.

  1. Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
  2. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
  3. Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
  4. They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
  5. Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
  6. For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
  7. For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
  8. Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
  9. For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
  10. Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
  11. Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
  12. I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
  13. They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
  14. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
  1. Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
  2. The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.
  3. They shall not dwell in the LORD's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
  4. They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.
  5. What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?
  6. For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.
  7. The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.
  8. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
  9. They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
  10. I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
  11. As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
  12. Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!
  13. Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.
  14. Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
  15. All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.
  16. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
  17. My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.