The Folly of Hired Lovers Text: Hosea 8:9-10
Introduction: The Politics of Adultery
When a people abandon God, they do not simply become non-religious. They become polytheistic, which is to say, they become frantically religious. They exchange the worship of the one true God for the worship of anything and everything else. This idolatry is not a quiet, private affair. It always manifests itself in the public square, and it particularly manifests itself in a nation's politics. When a nation commits spiritual adultery against God, her foreign policy becomes that of a prostitute.
This is the charge that Hosea brings against the northern kingdom of Israel, whom he calls Ephraim. They had abandoned the covenant Lord who brought them out of Egypt. They had set up their own rival worship centers with golden calves. They had appointed their own kings without consulting God. And having abandoned their true husband and protector, they found themselves vulnerable and alone in a world of predatory empires. And so, what did they do? They did what the adulterous woman does. They sought to secure their position not through faithfulness, but by selling themselves to other lovers. They looked to Assyria, to Egypt, to anyone with geopolitical muscle, to provide the security that only God can give.
This is a timeless spiritual principle. A nation that will not trust in God for its ultimate security will inevitably trust in something else, whether that be military alliances, economic treaties, or international organizations. But all such arrangements, when they are a substitute for faith in God, are nothing more than hiring lovers. It is the politics of the brothel. And God here, through His prophet, exposes the utter folly and degradation of it all. Israel thought they were being shrewd and pragmatic. God says they were being like a stubborn, stupid beast, alone in the wilderness, braying for anyone who will listen.
The Text
"For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey all alone; Ephraim has hired lovers. Even though they hire allies among the nations, Now I will gather them up; And they will begin to diminish Because of the burden of the king of princes."
(Hosea 8:9-10 LSB)
Stubborn, Lonely Folly (v. 9)
We begin with verse 9, which gives us a striking and frankly pathetic image of Israel's diplomatic efforts.
"For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey all alone; Ephraim has hired lovers." (Hosea 8:9)
First, notice the direction: "they have gone up to Assyria." Assyria was the rising superpower of the day, the geopolitical bully on the block. For Israel to "go up" to Assyria was an act of submission, of seeking favor from a pagan king instead of from their covenant Lord. They were looking for a political savior. This is what nations do when they forget God. They deify the state, either their own or a more powerful one. They look to princes and parliaments for the salvation that can only be found in Christ.
But it is the imagery God uses that is so devastating. Israel is "like a wild donkey all alone." This is not a compliment. The wild donkey in the Old Testament is a picture of stubbornness, untamable willfulness, and isolation (Job 39:5-8). It wanders alone in the wilderness, driven by its own lusts and refusing all restraint. This is a perfect picture of covenant-breaking Israel. They had thrown off the gentle yoke of God's law and now wandered in the political wilderness, driven by fear and self-interest. They thought they were being independent and autonomous, but God saw them as a pathetic, solitary beast, cut off from the flock and from the shepherd.
And what does this wild donkey do in its loneliness? "Ephraim has hired lovers." The language is explicitly that of prostitution. The normal course of action is for the man to hire the prostitute. But Israel's degradation is so complete that she, the harlot, is paying her lovers. She is paying tribute to Assyria and other nations, trying to buy their protection and favor. This is the ultimate folly. She is spending her substance on fickle allies who will ultimately turn on her and devour her. Spiritual adultery always leads to this kind of debasement. When you refuse to be owned by the God who loves you, you will inevitably be owned by tyrants who will use you and discard you.
The Gathered and the Diminished (v. 10)
In verse 10, God reveals the outcome of Israel's frantic political whoring. Their attempts to secure themselves through alliances will be the very means of their destruction.
"Even though they hire allies among the nations, Now I will gather them up; And they will begin to diminish Because of the burden of the king of princes." (Hosea 8:10 LSB)
Israel is busy trying to "hire allies," trying to gather a coalition for her own defense. But God says, "Now I will gather them up." There are two gatherings happening here. Israel is gathering her lovers, and God is gathering them for judgment. God is the master strategist. He is sovereign over the geopolitical games of men. Israel thinks she is manipulating Assyria for her own ends, but in reality, God is gathering the Assyrians to be the rod of His anger against His unfaithful people. The very lovers she hired will become her captors.
This is a profound lesson for us. We often think our political choices are the ultimate determining factor in our nation's future. We wring our hands over elections and alliances. But behind it all, God is sovereignly gathering and arranging the nations to accomplish His purposes. Our job is not to be shrewd political deal-makers, but to be faithful to His covenant. When we are unfaithful, God can and will use the very things we trust in to bring us low.
And the result of this divine gathering is that Israel "will begin to diminish." Their frantic activity, their expensive treaties, their political maneuvering, all of it will lead to nothing but their decline. They will be bled dry by the very ones they are paying for protection. The phrase "the burden of the king of princes" refers to the heavy tribute and taxation imposed by the Assyrian king, who styled himself a "king of kings" or "king of princes." Israel thought paying this tribute was the price of security. God says it is the price of their slavery. It is the burden that will crush them.
This is what happens when we reject the light burden and easy yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:30). We do not become free. We simply exchange His light burden for the crushing burden of a human tyrant, a "king of princes." Every dollar sent to Assyria was a dollar that should have been given in tithes and offerings to the Lord. Every ounce of trust placed in a foreign king was trust stolen from the King of Heaven. And the result was not strength, but diminishment. They sowed the wind of political pragmatism and they would reap the whirlwind of national destruction.
Conclusion: The Only True Alliance
The story of Ephraim is the story of every church, every nation, and every individual who seeks security apart from God. We live in an age that is just as idolatrous as ancient Israel. We are tempted on every side to trust in princes, in political solutions, in economic strength, or in military might. We are tempted to make alliances with the world, to hire lovers, hoping to secure our place and our prosperity.
But God's warning through Hosea thunders down through the centuries. To trust in the arm of the flesh is to be like a wild donkey, stubborn, alone, and destined for ruin. To hire lovers is to invite judgment. The only true security is found in covenant faithfulness to our God. The only true alliance is the one sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The good news of the gospel is that while we were the unfaithful bride, hiring lovers and wandering alone in the wilderness of our sin, our true Husband came for us. Jesus Christ did not wait for us to pay Him. He paid the price for us. He went "up to Assyria," as it were, up to the cross, and took upon Himself the full burden of our adulterous rebellion. He was gathered up by His enemies so that we, His people, might be gathered into His kingdom.
Therefore, our politics must flow from our theology. We are not to be a wild donkey, frantically seeking alliances with the ungodly. We are to be the bride of Christ, trusting in our Husband. Our security does not lie in treaties with Washington or Brussels, but in the covenant promises of God. Our hope is not in the "king of princes," but in the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us therefore repent of our political idolatries, our fearful alliances, and our hired loves, and return to Him. For His burden is light, and in Him alone is there true and lasting security.