How are people destroyed from a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)?

In this second or remaining part the opening chapter (Hosea 4) begins to set out the ground of complaint against the sons of Israel. They are called to hear Jehovah; for He "has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." It is well to note this. In the hypocrite or the theorist there may be a certain knowledge without good fruit; but, in those who are simple and real, knowledge of God cannot be separated from holy and righteous ways, as practical evil goes with ignorance of God. As the first verse puts their state negatively, in the second we have the positive wickedness charged home with amazing energy: "Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, burst out, and blood [lit. bloods] touches on blood." There was to the prophet nothing else. Profanity against God, corruption and violence among men, filled the scene; and this in the land where Jehovah's eyes rested continually, whence He had destroyed the former inhabitants because of their iniquities. "Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." God marked His sense of all by desolation in the lower creation, down to those which might seem farthest from the control or influence of man. Such was the havoc and misery under God's hand through Israel's sin. "Yet let not man strive, and let not man reprove; for thy people [are] as they that strive with the priest." It was vain for man to speak now: God must take in hand a people who were like such as rejected him who spoke and judged in His name. Therefore was their destruction imminent, and would it be unceasing, "thou" and "the prophet" and "thy mother" — all, root and branch. "Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother."

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I also will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: because thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I too will forget thy children" (ver. 6). The true meaning seems to be Israel's loss of their relative nearness to God as His people (Ex. 19), not to such sons of Aaron as might pander to irregularities in worship or connive at sin. Not individuals but "my people" are in question; as those who bring priests into the verse seem to see in the following clause. We shall hear of priests presently. Here it is the people. "As they increased, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin [perhaps sin-offering] of my people, and long after [lift up their soul to] their iniquity. Therefore it shall be, like people, like priest; I will visit upon him his ways, and make his doings to return to him." Here imperceptibly we come from the people to the priest, who are singularly identified, as in wickedness so in punishment, in the latter clauses of verse 9 — not "them" but "him." They were alike evil. No class was exempt from pollution: people and priests were indiscriminately corrupt. From their position the priests might be more guilty than the people; but they were all morally at one. But God would not fail in judgment.

The people were destroyed for lack of knowledge, the knowledge of God and His truth. They had lost their place of nearness to the Lord, their priestly character into which the Lord had called the nation (Exod. 19). Therefore they would be rejected to be no longer in priestly relationship to Jehovah. And the priestly class was as corrupt as the people--"like people like priests." They were to be punished for their ways and their doings.

But it may be remarked in passing that knowledge, the knowledge of God, is a very great point in Hosea.

Israel's declension is traced, first of all, to her lack of knowledge concerning Jehovah's bounty, "She did not know that I gave her corn" (Hosea 2:8). But in the day of future glory, when Jehovah betroths her to Himself, she shall fully know Him. "Thou shalt know the Lord" (Hosea 2:20).

Meanwhile the prophet has to mourn over this lack of knowledge: "There is no truth.… nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1). This was the cause of all the trouble. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." They had "rejected knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).

It was this, too, that stood in the way of their return to God: "They have not known the Lord" (Hosea 5:4). But when repentance is wrought in them, and they are raised up, and live before God, then shall they know, and shall "follow on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3), and they will learn that this is more agreeable to God than anything else; "the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).

Mere profession would not do. Though Israel cried: "My God, we know Thee" (Hosea 8:2), it was in vain. But even then, amid all the surrounding corruption, those who, like Hosea, groaned over it and sought the Lord should be brought into the real knowledge of His ways. "He shall understand these things … and he shall know them" (Hosea 14:9).

This chapter begins with a terse description of the condition of the professing people of God. First, we have the negative side--no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God. And there was no truth, because they had rejected the Word of the Lord, hence the result no mercy and no knowledge of God. It is so still whenever and wherever the Word of God is set aside. Then follows the positive evil which was so prominent in their midst: Swearing, lying, killing, stealing, committing adultery, and abundant shedding of blood. Such was the continued moral condition of the house of Israel, the ten tribes. It was all the result of having rejected the Word of the Lord and having turned away from Him. The result of unbelief, destructive criticism and denial of the truth is today, as it was then, swearing, lying, stealing, killing and the immoralities of our times. Therefore judgment would overtake all, even the land itself.

1907 310 1. Elisha's ministry in Israel (i.e., the kingdom of the ten tribes) was full of blessing for that guilty people. God recognised that the responsibility for their low moral tone rested mainly with their kings. Not, indeed, that He held the people guiltless — far from it, as is shown in many of the prophets; yet they were destroyed for lack of knowledge, and, as with the more favoured kingdom of Judah in a later day, their leaders caused them to err and destroyed the way of their paths (Isa. 3:12). It was so in Israel from the very commencement of their kingdom, so that the sin of "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin," was their ruin and their snare to the close of their national history. It was this which stood in the way of their blessing as a nation; there was not, from the very beginning of Israel's history, such a proper orthodox profession and recognition of Jehovah's name as He could acknowledge. Their links with God and channels of blessing were severed and gone, or at any rate, their streams were dried up or obstructed.

In Hosea 4 we see that the prophet addresses the whole people together. In verse 15 he distinguishes Judah from Israel, warning the former not to follow the apostasy of the latter. He dwells upon the sins (v. 2) of which the people were guilty. Israel is rejected from being a nation of priests unto Jehovah — a glory which had been promised them (Ex. 19). This introduces the judgments of the priests, properly so called, who took pleasure in the sins of the people, that they might enrich themselves with their sacrifices. The proverb, "Like people, like priest," was exemplified in them. Whoredom and wine took all sound judgment from the heart; and the people of God asked counsel of their stocks and of their staff, sacrificed in the high places, and committed whoredom there. God would give them up to the fruits of their iniquity.

Notwithstanding the present extensive amount of Bible knowledge, and acquaintance with the facts and literal details of Scripture, it may, however, be truly said that the children of God are suffering much through "lack of knowledge." As in the last days of Israel's history the prophet had dolefully to exclaim, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6), it may now be truly said that God's people are immense losers through lack of knowledge of Christ. For who now delights to tell of the comfort, victory, and blessings they enjoy, from having to do with Christ risen, ascended, and coming? The highest blessing many appear to think that they can know here is present forgiveness of sins, and the consequence is, they become associated and entangled with much that is contrary to the Lord's mind, and injurious to their own souls; which those who have a better acquaintance with Christ avoid, because they perceive another path laid open by the Scriptures to the true followers of the Lord Jesus.

Notwithstanding the present extensive amount of Bible knowledge, and acquaintance with the facts and literal details of scripture, it may however be truly said that the children of God are suffering much through "lack of knowledge." As in the last days of Israel's history the prophet had dolefully to exclaim, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6), it may now be truly said that God's people are immense losers through lack of knowledge of Christ. For who now delights to tell of the comfort, joy, victory, and blessings they enjoy, from having to do with Christ risen, ascended, and coming? The highest blessing many appear to think that they can know here is the present forgiveness of sins, and the consequence is they become associated and entangled with much that is contrary to the Lord's mind, and injurious to their own souls; which those that have a better acquaintance with Christ avoid, because they perceive another path set forth by the scriptures to the true friends of the Lord Jesus.

The peculiar privilege of Israel was nearness to God: "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself", (Exodus 19:4). This placed Israel, comparatively with all the nations around them, in a priestly standing before God. Hence it is said that Christ "came and preached peace to you which were afar off [the Gentiles], and to them that were nigh" (Eph. 2:17). In the time of Israel's declension, when they had become as the nations around them, in both their government and their worship, instead of standing in their original separateness, — the Lord says of them, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, and thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou. hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hosea 4:6).

The peculiar privilege of Israel was nearness unto God: "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." (Exodus 19:4.) This placed Israel, comparatively with all the nations around them, in a priestly standing before God. Hence it is said, "And came and preached peace to you which were afar off [the Gentiles], and to them that were nigh." (Eph. 2:17.) In the time of Israel's declension, when they had become as the nations around them, both in their government and their worship, instead of standing in their original separateness, — the Lord says to them, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6.)