Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange. Though I wrote for them the great things of My lawThis phrase emphasizes God's direct communication with Israel through His law, which is a reflection of His covenant relationship with them. The "great things" refer to the comprehensive and profound nature of the Mosaic Law, which includes moral, ceremonial, and civil instructions. The law was given to guide Israel in holiness and to set them apart as God's chosen people ( Exodus 19:5-6). The law is not just a set of rules but a revelation of God's character and His expectations for His people. The giving of the law at Mount Sinai was a pivotal moment in Israel's history, marking them as a nation under God’s rule. This phrase also underscores the privilege Israel had in receiving divine revelation, a privilege not extended to other nations ( Deuteronomy 4:7-8). they regarded them as something strange
This part of the verse highlights Israel's failure to appreciate and adhere to God's law. Despite the clarity and importance of the law, the Israelites treated it as foreign or irrelevant. This reflects a spiritual decline and a turning away from God, which is a recurring theme in the prophetic books. The term "strange" suggests that the people had become so distant from God's commands that they no longer recognized them as their own. This estrangement can be linked to their idolatry and assimilation of pagan practices, which led them away from the covenant (Hosea 4:6). The prophets often rebuked Israel for their unfaithfulness and called them to repentance. This disregard for the law foreshadows the coming judgment and exile, as the people failed to live up to their covenantal responsibilities. The New Testament echoes this theme, where Jesus criticizes the religious leaders for their legalism and failure to understand the heart of the law (Matthew 23:23). Persons / Places / Events 1. HoseaA prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century BC, Hosea's ministry focused on calling Israel back to faithfulness to God amidst widespread idolatry and moral decay. 2. IsraelThe Northern Kingdom, often referred to as Ephraim in Hosea, which had turned away from God, embracing idolatry and foreign alliances. 3. God's LawRefers to the Torah, the divine instructions given to Israel, which were meant to guide them in righteousness and covenantal faithfulness. Teaching Points The Value of God's LawGod's law is a treasure meant to guide and bless His people. When we treat it as foreign or irrelevant, we miss out on its intended benefits and wisdom. The Danger of Familiarity Breeding ContemptIsrael's familiarity with God's law led to complacency and disregard. We must guard against taking God's Word for granted in our own lives. The Call to Return to God's WordJust as Hosea called Israel to return to God's law, we are called to continually return to Scripture, seeking to understand and apply it in our lives. The Consequences of DisobedienceIgnoring God's law leads to spiritual decline and judgment, as seen in Israel's history. Obedience brings life and blessing. The Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentWe must pray for discernment to recognize the value of God's Word and not be swayed by cultural or personal biases that deem it irrelevant. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Hosea 8:12 reflect Israel's attitude towards God's law, and what are the modern parallels in our own lives? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we do not treat God's Word as "something strange" in our daily walk? 3. How do the additional scriptures (Deuteronomy 4:6-8, Psalm 119:18, Jeremiah 6:16) enhance our understanding of the importance of God's law? 4. What practical steps can we take to cultivate a deeper appreciation and understanding of Scripture? 5. How can we encourage others in our community to value and adhere to God's Word in a culture that often disregards it? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 4:6-8Highlights the wisdom and understanding that the law provides, contrasting Israel's disregard for it as mentioned in Hosea. Psalm 119:18A prayer for understanding God's law, which Israel failed to appreciate, treating it as foreign. Jeremiah 6:16Encourages seeking the ancient paths, which Israel ignored, similar to their treatment of God's law in Hosea. People Hosea, ZechariahPlaces Assyria, Egypt, SamariaTopics Accounted, Alien, Counted, Law, Laws, Manifold, Numerous, Precepts, Prescribed, Reckoned, Regarded, Rules, Strange, Stranger's, Ten, Though, Thousand, Thousands, Writing, Written, WroteDictionary of Bible Themes Hosea 8:12 8703 antinomianism Hosea 8:9-13 7233 Israel, northern kingdom Hosea 8:11-13 6616 atonement, in OT
7328 ceremonies Library The Bible
Oh! how ten-thousand-fold merciful is God, that, looking down upon the race of man, he does not smite it our of existence. We see from our text that God looks upon man; for he says of Ephraim, "I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing." But see how, when he observes the sin of man, he does not dash him away and spurn him with his foot; he does not shake him by the neck over the gulf of hell, until his brain doth reel and then drop him forever; but …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855And First, Can it be Said that Mammmon is Less Served by Christians...
And first, can it be said that Mammmon is less served by Christians, than by Jews and infidels? Or can there be a fuller proof that Christians, Jews, and infidels, are equally fallen from God and all divine worship, since truth itself has told us, that we cannot serve God and Mammon? Is not this as unalterable a truth, and of as great moment, as if it had been said, Ye cannot serve God and Baal? Or can it with any truth or sense be affirmed, that the Mammonist has more of Christ in him than the Baalist, …
William Law—An Humble, Affectionate, and Earnest Address to the Clergy That the Unskilful Venture not to Approach an Office of Authority.
No one presumes to teach an art till he has first, with intent meditation, learnt it. What rashness is it, then, for the unskilful to assume pastoral authority, since the government of souls is the art of arts! For who can be ignorant that the sores of the thoughts of men are more occult than the sores of the bowels? And yet how often do men who have no knowledge whatever of spiritual precepts fearlessly profess themselves physicians of the heart, though those who are ignorant of the effect of …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem "For they that are after the Flesh do Mind the Things of the Flesh,",
Rom. viii. 5.--"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh,", &c. Though sin hath taken up the principal and inmost cabinet of the heart of man--though it hath fixed its imperial throne in the spirit of man, and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfil its boundless lusts, yet it is not without good reason expressed in scripture, ordinarily under the name of "flesh," and a "body of death," and men dead in sins, are …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint.
1. The carnal mind the source of the objections which are raised against the Providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God, refuted. Angels and men, good and bad, do nought but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. 2. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples, with answers to objections. 3. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection, that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion A Few Sighs from Hell;
or, The Groans of the Damned Soul: or, An Exposition of those Words in the Sixteenth of Luke, Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED THE LAMENTABLE STATE OF THE DAMNED; THEIR CRIES, THEIR DESIRES IN THEIR DISTRESSES, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF GOD UPON THEM. A GOOD WARNING WORD TO SINNERS, BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BETIMES, AND TO SEEK, BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO AVOID, LEST THEY COME INTO THE SAME PLACE OF TORMENT. Also, a Brief Discourse touching the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Hosea
The book of Hosea divides naturally into two parts: i.-iii. and iv.-xiv., the former relatively clear and connected, the latter unusually disjointed and obscure. The difference is so unmistakable that i.-iii. have usually been assigned to the period before the death of Jeroboam II, and iv.-xiv. to the anarchic period which succeeded. Certainly Hosea's prophetic career began before the end of Jeroboam's reign, as he predicts the fall of the reigning dynasty, i. 4, which practically ended with Jeroboam's …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Hosea 8:12 NIVHosea 8:12 NLTHosea 8:12 ESVHosea 8:12 NASBHosea 8:12 KJV
Hosea 8:12 Commentaries
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