Hosea 4:1

Just a little background on the book of Hosea and a little commentary:

Hosea was a prophet of Israel during the kingdom reign of Jeroboam. Unlike Amos who prophesied in Israel but was a native of Judah, Hosea was a native of the 10-tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was the king of Israel during Hosea’s tenure as a prophet, and led the nation during a period of peace. Unfortunately, peace brought with it a sense of self-security, complacency, and national arrogance that would ultimately bring them down as a nation. After the six-month reign of Jeroboam’s son, the kingship would pass from one ungodly man to another, none to be anointed to the position by a prophet of God. After six such kingdoms, Israel would be overrun by the Assyrians and as a nation, Israel would be destroyed.
Hosea’s prophesy is probably best known by his marriage to the prostitute, Gomer. God called Hosea to marry a prostitute as an illustration of Israel’s act of unfaithfulness to Him that is similar in every way to the act of unfaithfulness to Him that is similar in every way to the act of prostitution. Through Gomer, God would reveal to Hosea and to the nation of Israel the sinful faithlessness of the nation. Hosea makes no reference to this marriage after Chapter 3, as his attention turns to the purpose of this illustration, the exposure of Israel’s sin, and a call to repentence.
Note that the prophesy of Hosea refers to the judgment of God upon sin-sick Israel, God’s chosen people, and not against the pagan nations of the land. We should keep this in mind as we study the book, and focus the judgment of God on the sin of His people, not of the pagan nations in which we live, including our own. As we look at the sins of Israel we cannot help but see the same sin in our national culture today, but unlike the national motto “In God We Trust,” we, as a nation, do not trust in God. On the political scene the predominate platform is to actively banish God from the nation, and promote endless moral decay.

Our first line of defense within the church is to say that those who are leading his nation to decay are not members of the church. However, it would not take much research to find out that many are.
Many members of the church have turned from God, ignoring His Word and His Spirit, and are more a part of the hedonistic culture in which we live than they are a part of the family of Christ. Many members of the church are suffering from spiritual schizophrenia, attempting to carry two personalities, and by doing so, are bringing upon themselves the rebuke of God. They are missing the blessing and peace that comes from knowing one is in God’s will, and are exchanging it for hoped-for gain in this world. Many of these people call themselves Christians and attend meetings of Christian churches, but have not had the life-changing experience that comes with accepting Christ, remaining a Christian in name only, and subject to the same eternal separation from God that the rest of the Godless world will find. Consequently, we can gain from this prophesy as we look at the attitude of the modern church and identify areas where repentance is needed.

Hosea 4:1 (finally)-
“Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truth,
nor mercy, nor knowledge of
God in the land.”

Again, God’s words of rebuke are not directed towards the pagan nations, but to those who, “live in the land.” The land represents God’s promise to them through Abraham that He would provide them a land, that they would be His people, and He their God, and that through them the whole world would be blessed. However, all throughout the Old Testament we find that the obedience that God requires in order to realize that blessing is difficult to maintain. Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for such obedience, and the people of Israel had turned so far from God that His Spirit was working in a very small remnant of the nation.

What is lacking in the people, according to this verse? God has searched over the land and found that there is no truth, love, or knowledge of Him. The first lack, translated “truth” or “faithfulness” refers to the truth of God’s Word. When one would visit the marketplace and in the homes, God’s word is not heard in a way that reflects the truth. Certainly, people quoted scriptures in their daily activities and in their religious ceremonies. However, the word they were reciting was simply recited out of the text and did not penetrate their hearts. Religion had become filled with legalistic rite and ceremony, driven by a church dogma that entirely overshadowed the truths of the words they were reciting. The authority for religion rested in the church (or the nation) and not in God.
Consequently, the people had wandered so far from God that His Love was not found in them. The word love, hesed, refers to that love that God has for man, and empowers man to share with each other. The closest Greek equivalent is the word, agape. The church had become a social order, devoid of any of the true love of God. The church was the social canter of their lives, defining who they were, and became opposite from God’s purpose for the Israelites to be a nation of priests who would share the goodness of God with the rest of the world.
Finally, we see that the church no longer taught the truth of God’s Word. It was required that young men memorize many of the words of scripture, but they completely denied its power. Consequently, over generations, the knowledge of God’s purpose in man was lost. It was necessary for God to raise up Prophets who would support and maintain the small remnant of the faithful through this very dark period of religious history.
We see a church that no longer teaches the truth, no longer demonstrates God’s love, and no longer a place of learning about the Kingdom of God.