Book of Hosea Chapter 8 Vs. 1

 

Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind

Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law. Hos. 8:1

Set the trumpet... The 10th prophecy in Hosea (Hos. 8:1-14, fulfilled). Next, Hos. 9:1.

Twelve Predictions—Fulfilled:

1. He will come as an eagle against the house of the Lord (Hos. 8:1).

2. Israel will cry to Me, My God, we know you.

3. The enemy will pursue him (Hos. 8:3).

4. They have sown the wind, and will reap the whirlwind (Hos. 8:7).

5. What is sown will not yield, but if it does strangers will get it.

6. Israel will be dispersed among the Gentiles as a forsaken vessel (Hos. 8:8).

7. Though they have been slaves among the nations, I will gather them (Hos. 8:10).

8. They will sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.

9. Their altars will be sin to them (Hos. 8:13).

10. God will remember their iniquity, and visit their sins (Hos. 8:13).

11. They will return to Egypt.

12. I will send a fire upon his cities, and it will devour the palaces thereof (Hos. 9:14).

trumpet to thy... The trumpet of war (Hos. 5:8; Isa. 58:1).

He shall come... The enemy will come as a swift eagle against the house of the Lord.

house of the... The word house here is used in the sense of being the household or people of God, as in Eph. 2:19-22; 1Pet. 2:5; Heb. 3:6.

because they have... Destruction of Ephraim—Twelve Reasons

1. They have transgressed My covenant.

2. They transgressed My law.

3. They cast off the thing that is good (Hos. 8:3).

4. They set up kings without God (Hos. 8:4).

5. They made princes without God.

6. They made idols of gold and silver.

7. They hired lovers (heathen) to help them instead of trusting Jehovah (Hos. 8:9).

8. They made many altars of sin (Hos. 8:11).

9. They counted God’s word as a strange thing (Hos. 8:12).

10. They have eaten the sacrifices.

11. They forgotten their Maker (Hos. 8:14).

12. built temples to idols.

Ten Curses for These Sins:

1. War (Hos. 8:1)

2. Defeat and pursuit by enemies (Hos. 8:3)

3. They will be cast away (Hos. 8:5).

4. Their idols will be broken (Hos. 8:6).

5. They will reap the whirlwind (Hos. 8:7).

6. Strangers will reap their crops.

7. They will be swallowed up (Hos. 8:8).

8. They will be dispersed among the Gentiles.

9. God will punish them (Hos. 8:13).

10. Their cities will be devoured by fire (Hos. 8:14).

as an eagle... Literally a vulture, Assyria was ready to descend quickly upon Israel to devour her (Deut. 28:49).

trespassed against my... The prophets and priests of Hos. 5:1-15, 9:1-17.

The trumpet, in this case, would be the trumpet blowing to tell of impending doom. It would proclaim war in the land. It is Hosea who is to blow the trumpet to proclaim punishment upon these people. This is frightening to our generation, because the same apostasy, that was going on then, prevails in our society today. The people were unfaithful to God and His teachings.

Even though they had been separated out as God's people and were the keepers of His law, they left God and started worshipping demon spirits. They committed spiritual adultery with their worship of false gods. The eagle is a mighty bird that strikes swiftly.

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.

To thy mouth with the trumpet! The Eagle is down upon the house of Jehovah! Where the carcass is, there are the eagles gathered together. For-to sum up the whole crisis-they have transgressed My covenant, and against My law have they rebelled.

Israel’s rebellion punished

This section includes several specific illustrations of the nation’s rebellious attitude and announces God’s coming judgment.

The chapter begins with a note of alarm. A trumpet must be blown to signal an impending battle (cf. Hos. 5:8). An enemy (the Assyrians) was ready to swoop down on Israel like a powerful eagle. The announcement of judgment recalls the covenant curse of Deut. 28:49. The house of the Lord refers here to the land of Israel (as in Hos. 9:15; cf. the Lord’s land, Hos. 9:3). Again Israel was said to be rebellious (cf. Deut. 7:13).