Today you should read: Hosea 5
What a dire picture we have here in this chapter. Israel and Judah have both turned their backs on God and turned to the idols of the people living around them. God tells them that because of their unfaithfulness to Him they will incur God’s wrath and judgment. I think we can see three overarching lessons in this passage for us to take to heart.
1. God is serious about sin and obedience. When we turn from God and follow our own “idols,” God is not sitting in a corner crying hoping you will come back to Him when you are ready. God is just and holy and sin angers Him. Now, we are forgiven in Christ and will not endure God’s judgment because Jesus has already done that for us but sin still brings consequences and discipline into our lives. And we certainly see that in this passage. Take some time today and examine your heart and life for any sin you need to confess and turn from. Look for any “idols” in your life and get rid of them.
2. Leadership brings with it a huge responsibility to lead those around you well. Look at verses 1 and 10.Who is God blaming for His people’s idolatry? The leaders, the priests, those charged to lead. Leadership is a great thing and we should pursue it. But we must also be cautious because a leader is held to a higher standard and judged more harshly (James 3:1; Hebrews 13:7) We WILL be held accountable for those we guide as leaders. So, f For some of you that is your wife, your children, your employees, your co-workers, classmates, etc. So take some time today and think about whom it is you lead and how you are doing with that.
3. And now for the good part, verse 15; God does not cut them off completely. He “returns to His place” He waits for them to repent and turn back to Him. He says that when “trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me.” That is the whole book of judges and our lives as well. We live life feeling good and blessed and then we forget God and turn to other “gods” in our lives. Then trouble comes and we turn back to God. Then it happens all over again. What a great promise we have in Jesus that, through Him, we can always go back to God and find Him in His place. So, how about you? Are you dealing with struggles in life right now? Is there trouble in your life? Search earnestly for God, He wants you to.
Posted by: Robbie Byrd
JumpstartCPC.com 
As I read this passage, and Robbie’s commentary, I am reminded of two verses of scripture. John 10:10 says “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This is such a reminder that satan can be so deceptive in the way he entices, lures, and snags us to fix our attention (or more of it) on something other than Jesus. It doesn’t get any better than Him…..Jesus came not only to give life….but to give it in abundance! Anything else that robs our attention, is really cheating us of God’s best. The other verse that has spoken to me through the years is I Timothy 6:12 “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” This is an action, to which we are exhorted…..not just at the moment of salvation but for the rest of our lives. I believe that the scripture is telling us to, daily, take hold of God’s very best through completely being fixed on and surrendered to him and him alone. I praise him for his goodness, as I realize his unending patience when I don’t always honor him first and foremost!
This is truly a very sad chapter. Whenever God removes Himself from us because of our sin or disobedience we are in serious trouble. Yet, as in verse 4, many times our acts of disobedience create an inability to return to God and any attempts are futile because God has withdrawn Himself from us (vs 6). God and sin DO NOT mix. Unfortunately, at this point we like Israel, begin searching for help in all the wrong places (vs 13) to no avail. Help will only come as we humble ourselves, admit our guilt, turn from our wicked ways and seek the Most High God.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says it well:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Oh, heavenly Father, grant us mercy in quickly identifying those areas of our hearts that are given over to idols. Help us to humbly admit our guilt in following after them and cause us to turn away from them. As we do these things, please hear our cries for mercy, forgive our sin and heal our sickness. We seek to serve You and You alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen!