Hosea 04: The Jealous Husband

What happens when God decides He's had enough of unfaithfulness? Hosea chapter 4 gives us a front-row seat to witness "The Jealous Husband" in action as God brings serious charges against His people Israel. 

This powerful message unpacks the vivid imagery of God as a husband returning to find those entrusted with caring for His beloved have instead led them astray. The corrupt priests, who should have been spiritual shepherds, were actively benefiting from the people's sin—they were "glad when the people sinned" because it meant more offerings and food for themselves. God's verdict is devastating: "My people are destroyed because they don't know me."

The heart of this message reveals why God refuses to share our devotion with idols. It's not because He's controlling or insecure—it's because He knows that anything we place above Him will eventually disappoint us. We were designed for relationship with our Creator, and nothing else will truly satisfy the human heart. As Pastor Brandon explains, "God doesn't mind if we have stuff; He just doesn't want stuff to have us." This is profound truth for a culture obsessed with possessions, status, and pleasure.

Perhaps most encouraging is the revelation that when we properly order our lives with God first, everything else falls into place. We actually end up loving our spouses, children, and even our possessions more genuinely when we love God most. By submitting everything to God's authority, we find the true freedom we've been seeking all along.

Are you struggling with idols that have taken God's place in your life? Listen now to discover how God's jealousy for your heart is actually the most loving thing you could experience. When you align your heart with His purpose, you'll find the peace and satisfaction you've been looking for all along.

Ask a Question
Send Encouragement

|||| Take a Next Step ||||
SOAP Bible Study Method.
Bible Reading Plan.
Free Weekly Newsletter.

|||| Social ||||
Facebook.
Instagram.
X.
YouTube.

The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello everybody , welcome back to the Bible
Breakdown Podcast.
We're your host, pastor Brandon.
Today, hosea, chapter 4, andtoday's title is the Jealous
Husband the Jealous Husband, andI'm telling you, I tried to
tell you that this is like thesoap opera of the Old Testament
and we're going to get to seemore of that today, and the
reason why I'm laughing ishopefully become evident in just

(00:22):
a moment.
But if you have your Bibles,open up with me to Hosea,
chapter 4.
While you're doing that, asalways, if you're new around
here, make sure you like, shareand subscribe to the YouTube
channel and the podcast, makesure you leave us a five-star
review on the podcast and makesure you're going to the Bible
Breakdown Discussion on Facebook.
It's an amazing group of peopledoing a wonderful job and, as
always, the more we dig, themore we find.

(00:42):
Well, once again, as you'regetting everything ready, don't
forget that Hosea is about thereckless love of God, and God
had told Hosea hey, listen, Iwant you to go marry a
prostitute, have family with her.
She's going to cheat on you andthat's just going to.
It's going to be an example ofwhat Israel does to me and how
you're going to go back and saveher.

(01:03):
Over and over again.
You're going to do all thethings and this is exactly what
I'm doing for Israel over andover again.
And today, in Hosea 4, we'regoing to see God as the vengeful
husband.
And the reason why I laugh is Ican't tell you I went through
this season not too long ago andI don't recommend it at all

(01:25):
because it'll just make youdoubt humanity.
But I got on YouTube and thereare these people who would post
these YouTube videos of policeofficer, like dash cams and body
cams when they would go and dothese house calls or traffic
stops.
And man, can I just say thisfor everyone who is listening or
watching this all over theworld who is involved in law

(01:46):
enforcement.
Thank you.
Now I get that.
In your profession, just likein every other profession,
nobody hates a bad cop worsethan a good cop.
Just like in what I do for aliving, no one hates a bad
pastor more than a good pastor.
You know what I mean and that'strue for everybody.
I'm sure no one hates a badpizza delivery person better
than a good one.
I mean, it's just the way itgoes.
So I know that they're bad, butthere's a whole lot of really

(02:09):
good police officers and whenyou realize the fools they got
to deal with, listen, just thankyou, just thank you so much.
But I would watch these bodycams and stuff like that.
And, man, you want to talk aboutthe funniest thing in the world
and it wasn't funny at the time, but it is when you're watching

(02:31):
it through YouTube.
But anytime you'd see somerandom something going on and
then all of a sudden, out ofnowhere, here comes Billy Joe in
his pickup truck and he getsout of there and he's coming at
you.
It's usually a vengeful orjealous husband who thinks
something's up, and I can't tellyou how many times all of a
sudden he gets to coming upthere because it'd be like an
unarmed, an unmarked policeofficer, you know, and he's kind
of detaining someone and he'scoming with some smoke and all

(02:54):
of a sudden that police officerflashes his badge real quick and
that guy just stops in histracks.
Oh, hey, hey.
Well, here's the thing.
God's coming after some folks,but I don't care what they're
going to flash.
You know they're going to flashno badge against God.
He's had enough.
And so in the last chapter wetalked about how Boaz Hosea had

(03:18):
to go rescue Gomer and bring herback again.
Well, now it's like he'sturning around and he's saying
okay, now, just like Gomer wasunfaithful, the nation of Israel
has been unfaithful, and I wantto talk to you fools for a
minute, and so that's what he'sgoing to do.
So, if you're ready, get yourpopcorn and your Bibles.
Hosea 4, verse 1.
Here is the vengeful God comingafter him.

(03:38):
Verse 1, hear the word of theLord, o people of Israel.
The Lord has brought chargesagainst you, saying there is no
faithfulness, no kindness, noknowledge of God in your land.
You make vows and break them.
You kill, steal and commitadultery.
There is violence everywhere,one murderer after another.

(03:59):
That is why your land is inmourning and everyone is wasting
away.
Even the wild animals and thebirds of the sky and the fish of
the sea are disappearing.
Don't point your finger atsomeone else and try to pass the
blame.
My complaint, you priests, iswith you.
So you will stumble in broaddaylight and your false prophets

(04:19):
will fall with you in the night.
I will destroy Israel, yourmother, my people are destroyed
because they don't know me.
Pause, man, that's good.
My people are destroyed becausethey don't know me.
Other translations say mypeople are destroyed due to a
lack of knowledge.
They don't know who I am.

(04:40):
What he's saying is I'm mad atthese guys, the ones who have
been doing all this.
Is these evil.
Are these evil priests andpeople?
And so I'm after you right?
Rest of verse six says since youpriests refuse to know me, I
refuse to recognize you as mypriests.
Since you have forgotten thelaws of your God, I will forget
to bless your children.
The more priests there are, themore they sin against me.

(05:03):
You have exchanged the glory ofGod for the shame of idols.
And when the people bring theirsin offerings, the priests get
fed.
So the priests are glad whenthe people sin.
And what the priests do, thepeople also do so.
Now I will punish both priestsand people for their wicked
deeds.
They will eat and still behungry.

(05:25):
They will play the prostituteand gain nothing from it, for
they have deserted the Lord toworship other gods.
Wine has robbed my people oftheir understanding.
They ask a piece of wood foradvice.
They think a stick can tellthem the future, longing for
their after idols.
They have made them foolish andthey have played the prostitute

(05:47):
, serving other gods anddeserting their god.
They offer sacrifices to idolson the mountaintops and they go
up into the hills to burnincense In the pleasant shade of
oaks, poplars and terebinthtrees.
That is why why your daughterhas turned to prostitution and
your daughters-in-law commitadultery.

(06:07):
But why should I punish themfor their prostitution and
adultery?
For your men are doing the samething, sinning with whores and
shrine prostitutes.
Oh, foolish people, you refuseto understand.
So you will be destroyed,though you, israel, are a
prostitute.
May Judah not be guilty of suchthings.

(06:27):
Do not join false worship atGilgal or Bethhaven.
Do not take oaths there in thename of the Lord.
Israel is stubborn like astubborn heifer, so should the
Lord feed her like a lamb in alush pasture.
Leave Israel alone, because sheis married to idolatry.
When the rulers of Israel havefinished their drinking off,

(06:51):
they go to find some prostitutes.
They love shame more than honor.
So mighty winds will sweep themaway.
Their sacrifices to idols willbring them shame.
He's upset.
He's upset, and the reason whyis because he is saying the
people that were supposed totake care of them you know what

(07:13):
I'm saying, like, the priestswho were supposed to be leading
them toward me are the very oneswho have pulled them away from
me and look at what they'redoing.
And so God's had enough.
It's like the same thing as aman who goes off on a trip and
he says, hey friend, will youtake care of my wife and kids
while I'm gone?
Sure, I will.
And then while he's gone heabuses and mistreats them, and

(07:36):
when he comes back he's going todeal with it.
And that's the love of God.
And can I tell you, one of thethings I love about God is God
will systematically go to warwith every idol in our life.
It doesn't matter what thatidol is.
Here's the thing God doesn'tmind if we have stuff.

(07:57):
He just doesn't want stuff tohave us.
And if anything takes thethrone of our heart away from
him, he will systematically tearevery idol down, because he
knows we were made for him.
He made us, and so our heartonly finds its joy and its peace
in him.

(08:18):
Nothing else will satisfy.
And so it's not because hehates us, it's because he knows
that that's what's best for us,because that's what we were made
for.
And so he'll never stop untilhe systematically tears down
every idol in our life.
And so here's the thing If welove that idol more than we love
him, then that's how much it'sgoing to hurt, because he will
get rid of every idol in ourlife.

(08:39):
And that's what he's sayingright here.
He's saying I'm gonna destroyall you fools because you have
set these things up and you'veturned my people against me.
So the lesson for us today, theapplication point, is number one
never be that idol or never bethat person leading other people
away from God, cause then youput God's heart against you.
We all need that kind of ain't.

(09:00):
Nobody got time for that.
You know what?
Be aware that if we putanything in our life as more
important than God, god willsystematically go to war with
that until it submits to hisleadership.
That means everything.
You put anything on the throneof your life, it will not
satisfy.

(09:20):
It will eventually let you down, because only God can occupy
that place.
And so make sure everything inour life submits to the
authority of Christ.
But here's the good news is thatwhen you do that, god places
everything in order and you'reable to enjoy it more.
For instance, you put yourspouse as more important than

(09:40):
God.
It will ruin your relationship.
It will, because they're notperfect Eventually, I don't care
how much you love that spouse,they're gonna wake up with bad
breath, they're going to make abad decision and all of a sudden
, now this thing you've idolizedis no longer perfect.
But if you put God first and youlove God with all your heart,

(10:00):
soul, mind and strength, thenwhat's going to happen is God is
going to then teach us how tolove our spouse as Christ loved
the church and gave himself forit.
And God is going to then teachus how to love our spouse as
Christ loved the church and gavehimself for it.
And so you'll end up lovingyour spouse more by putting him
or her second.
Same thing with your kids.
You put them under theauthority of Christ in your life
and you look at your child andyou say child, I love you, but I
love Jesus more.
Which means then I don't careif you don't want to go, we're

(10:23):
going to go to church.
I don't care if you don't wantto go, we're going to get
involved.
We're going to have devotionstogether.
We're going to pray together.
Why?
Because I love you enough tolove Jesus more.
Watch what happens, and youcould do that with any area of
your life.
And so, if you want to be free.
Submit to God, because that'swhere true freedom is, and

(10:46):
that's what he is telling thesepeople.
Since you didn't do that, it'sabout to get bad.
Let's pray together right now.
God, thank you so much for today.
Thank you, god, that you'rewith us and you're for us, and
that the endless, reckless loveof God is all around us.
I pray you'll help us to seethat and to fall in love with
you more every day.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen,amen.
Well, god's word says in Hosea6, verse 6, I want you to show

(11:06):
love, not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me more thanI want burnt offerings.
My hope for you is that youwill have a rich, fulfilling,
true relationship with Godthat's not full of form, but
full of compassion and love.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow for Hosea, chapter 5.