Commentary - Hosea 8:4-6

Bird's-eye view

In this passage from Hosea, the prophet is channeling the Lord's indictment against Israel, and the charges are stacked high. The central issue is a deep-seated rebellion that manifests itself in two interconnected ways: politically and religiously. Israel has taken it upon themselves to establish their own authorities and their own objects of worship, effectively telling God that they can manage their own affairs, thank you very much. This is the essence of all sin, a declaration of autonomy. God's response through Hosea is to expose the utter futility and foolishness of their project. Their self-appointed kings and man-made gods are not just illegitimate; they are instruments of their own destruction. The whole enterprise is rotten from the foundation up, and the Lord is about to bring the entire structure down in a heap of splinters.

The passage moves from the political arrogance of setting up their own rulers to the spiritual adultery of crafting their own gods. But it is crucial to see that these are not two separate sins, but rather two expressions of the same root sin. When you reject God's authority in the civil realm, it is only a matter of time before you reject His authority in the sanctuary. The silver and gold that should have been used for the glory of God are perverted into idols, chief among them the infamous calf of Samaria. God's rejection of this counterfeit worship is total. His anger burns not because He is a petty tyrant, but because He is a holy God and a spurned husband. The passage concludes with a devastating critique of the idol itself. It is a mere artifact, a product of human hands, and therefore, by definition, not God. Its destiny is not the altar, but the ash heap.

Outline

Verse by Verse Commentary

4 They have set up kings, but not by Me; They have appointed princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, That they might be cut off.

Hosea begins with the political dimension of Israel's apostasy. "They have set up kings, but not by Me." This is a direct assault on their claim to be a self-governing people. All legitimate authority is derived from God. As the apostle Paul would later say, there is no authority except from God (Rom. 13:1). But Israel, particularly the northern kingdom after the split from Judah, had a nasty habit of engaging in coups and political machinations that installed one king after another, all without any reference to the will of God. They consulted their own ambitions, their own political expediency, but they did not consult the Lord. This is the very definition of rebellion. It is not simply breaking a rule; it is establishing a rival government.

He continues, "They have appointed princes, but I did not know it." The language here is striking. Of course, the omniscient God knew what they were doing in a factual sense. The point is one of relationship and approval. It is the same sense in which Jesus will say to some on the last day, "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23). God is saying, "These rulers you have chosen have no part in my covenant. I do not recognize their authority. They are illegitimate." When men decide to govern themselves without reference to God, they are setting up a system that is, by its very nature, at war with Him. They are playing house, and God is not playing along.

From politics, the prophet turns immediately to worship. "With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves." Notice the connection. The same spirit of autonomy that leads them to manufacture their own kings leads them to manufacture their own gods. Political rebellion and idolatry are two peas in a pod. The resources that God had given them, the silver and the gold, were meant to adorn His temple and advance His kingdom. Instead, they melt them down to create shiny trinkets to bow down to. This is the height of foolishness. They take God's gifts and use them to fashion replacements for God. All idolatry is fundamentally an act of cosmic ingratitude and theft.

And what is the result of all this self-willed statecraft and religion? "That they might be cut off." This is not an unintended consequence; it is the built-in result. The Hebrew indicates that this is the purpose toward which their actions lead. When you set up your own kings and your own gods, you are signing your own death warrant. You are choosing a path that leads directly to destruction. God has established the world in such a way that rebellion against Him is self-destructive. It is like sawing off the branch you are sitting on. They thought they were securing their future, but they were guaranteeing their ruin.

5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying, “My anger burns against them!” How long will they be incapable of innocence?

Now the focus narrows to the specific object of their idolatry. "He has rejected your calf, O Samaria." The "He" here is God, and His rejection is absolute. The calf cult, first established by Jeroboam at Bethel and Dan, was an attempt to create a syncretistic form of worship. They likely intended it to be a representation of Yahweh, much like the golden calf at Sinai was proclaimed as a feast "to the LORD" (Ex. 32:5). But God will not be worshiped on our terms. He will not be represented by an image forged by human hands. This calf, the state-sponsored deity of the northern kingdom, is an abomination to Him. Samaria, the capital, stands for the whole rebellious nation, and God is publicly disowning their central religious symbol.

God's emotional response is not one of detached disappointment. "My anger burns against them!" This is the language of a betrayed husband. God's covenant with Israel was a marriage covenant, and their idolatry was spiritual adultery. His anger is not a petty tantrum but a holy and righteous jealousy. He loves His people too much to be indifferent to their treachery. This burning anger is the necessary response of a holy God to persistent, high-handed sin. We have domesticated God in our modern sensibilities, but the biblical God is a consuming fire.

Then comes a heart-rending question: "How long will they be incapable of innocence?" This reveals the depth of their corruption. They are not just making a few mistakes; they have lost the very capacity for purity. Sin has so twisted their hearts and minds that they are no longer able to think straight, to worship rightly, to act justly. They are trapped in a cycle of rebellion. This is what sin does when left unchecked. It hardens the heart and blinds the mind until innocence becomes an impossibility. This is not to deny their responsibility, but to highlight the desperate nature of their condition. They are spiritually diseased, and the sickness has reached a terminal stage.

6 For from Israel is even this! A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be smashed to splinters.

The final verse in this section delivers the knockout blow to their idolatry by exposing its absurd origins. "For from Israel is even this!" The idol is not some transcendent being that descended from heaven. It is a local product, a home-grown deity. It came from their own foundries, their own workshops. This exclamation points out the sheer arrogance of it all. They, the creatures, have presumed to create their own creator.

"A craftsman made it, so it is not God." Here is the logic of Isaiah 44 in a nutshell. The argument is devastatingly simple. A god who can be manufactured is no god at all. A being that owes its existence to a man with a hammer and tongs cannot be the uncreated source of all existence. It is a thing, an artifact, a piece of religious hardware. It can be dropped, melted, or stolen. To call such a thing "God" is not just an error; it is a category mistake of the highest order. It is a lie about the nature of God and the nature of reality. True worship is directed toward the One who made us, not something we made.

Because the calf is not God, it has a definite and inglorious future. "Surely the calf of Samaria will be smashed to splinters." This is not a possibility; it is a certainty. The idols will be destroyed. History bears this out when the Assyrians conquered Samaria and doubtless carried off or destroyed their religious artifacts. But the prophecy points to a greater truth. All idols, whether they are made of gold, or of ideas like power, sex, or security, will ultimately be shattered. They cannot bear the weight of our worship, and they cannot stand in the presence of the true and living God. On the last day, every idol will be exposed for the hollow fraud that it is, and only the Lord will be exalted.

Application

The sins of ancient Israel are not confined to the history books. The spirit of autonomy that drove them to set up their own kings and gods is alive and well in our own day, and in our own hearts. We too are tempted to establish authorities in our lives that are "not by Him." We look to political saviors, economic theories, or our own personal opinions as the final authority, rather than the Word of God. We must ask ourselves who our true king is. Is it Christ, or is it the spirit of the age?

Likewise, the temptation to idolatry is perennial. We may not bow down to a golden calf, but we are experts at fashioning idols out of our silver and gold. We take the good gifts of God, whether it be money, family, career, or reputation, and we elevate them to the place that only God should occupy. We look to them for our security, our identity, and our salvation. This passage calls us to take a sledgehammer to the idols of our hearts. We must recognize them for what they are: man-made, impotent, and destined for the scrap heap.

The good news is that God has not left us in our self-inflicted ruin. The same God whose anger burned against Israel's sin sent His own Son to bear that anger on the cross. Jesus is the true King, appointed by God, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given. He is the perfect image of the invisible God, the one true object of our worship. In Him, we are freed from the bondage of our political and religious rebellions. Through repentance and faith in Christ, we can be cleansed from our idolatry and restored to a right relationship with our Creator. The splinters of the calf of Samaria are a reminder that all rivals to Christ will ultimately fail. Therefore, let us bow to the only King who reigns forever and worship the only God who can truly save.