Hosea 5:1

Hosea 5:1 says, Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.  In their prosperity, Hosea was warning them that God's judgment was coming.  We may feel so secure in our own wealth that we begin to forget God and attribute our success to our own abilities, but we must never allow this attitude if we are truly followers of Christ.  Israel was warned of the coming judgment against them, because the priests and kings had become corrupt.  We today can expect no less.  We cannot be unfaithful to God and still expect Him to bless us.  If we want God to bless America again, we must start by blessing Him.  I think we have become too much like Israel was in Hosea's day, professing to be God's people while ignoring His leadership.  We, of our own merit, are no more deserving of God's blessing than people anywhere in the world.  The nation of Israel in Hosea's day had become vain.  They felt that God would be with them no matter what.  We today need to be careful that we don't become the same way.  Verse two adds, And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.  Those who were revolting against God were profound in their beliefs, but that did not make them right.  We can be deeply convinced of our beliefs, but if they go against the word of God, they will always be wrong.  Hosea, as God's prophet, rebuked them, from priests to rulers.  We today must speak out against sin, no matter who is proclaiming it to be right.  Verse three continues, I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. The people of Ephraim and Israel, those who had been chosen by God to represent Him, were not hiding their sin from Him.  They may have thought that God wasn't involved in the world when they felt they didn't need Him, but they were sadly mistaken.  The same holds true today.  Verse four states, They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.  They had become arrogant in their sin.  They would not put an end to their sin and turn to God.  There was an even greater indictment in that Hosea said they had not known God.  We have to wonder how this could be true of God's chosen people, but many today who call themselves God's people refuse to acknowledge Him.  They reject the truth that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone.  Verse five adds, And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.  The people of Israel had pride in themselves, but Hosea gave them a warning that all God's people were going to fall due to their sins.  Judah may have lasted longer, but iniquity would also claim them in time as they turned away from God.