In the first three verses of chapter 4, God, through Hosea, accuses the people of Israel of three things. They lack faithfulness, love, and knowledge of God. In verses 4-10, God put the blame squarely on the priesthood. The priests are primarily responsible for the widespread of Israel's national corruption.
How so? They did not teach the law rightly. The nation’s
deplorable condition attests to the priests' failure. They did not teach the
law of God appropriately, leading to ignorance of God or His ways. This lack of
knowledge has caused the people to be wayward, thus destroying them. Since they
had forgotten God and His law, He would, in return, reject them as His priests.
The priests are entitled to receive the meat of the sin offering.
Driven by their greed, they would encourage the people to make more offerings,
not for the sake of their spiritual growth, but for their own profit. The more
they offer, the more meat they would get. Yet unwittingly, the more the
people would offer, the more they would multiply their sins.
The priests, as guilty as the people, if not more, had
all but stopped heeding the instructions of the Lord. Their waywardness, driven
by their own desires, would never satisfy their needs. Instead of
satisfaction, they would receive disappointment, a consequence of their own
actions.
Hosea 4:4-10 reminds us of the responsibility and
accountability that come with our roles as spiritual leaders. It emphasizes the
importance of responsibly guiding and shepherding others. Leaders must diligently
teach and uphold the principles of God and not be driven by greed or personal
gain. What leaders do will impact their own well-being as well as those whom
they are leading!
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