Hosea certainly delivered a stinging message from God to the priests of the day. Spiritual leadership is a serious responsibility. No wonder the priests relished the sins of the people. The more the people sinned, the more sin offerings were brought to the priests. The priests were getting “fat” off the sins of the people.

“…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
“…a people without understanding will come to ruin!”
If spiritual leaders don’t speak against a sin, the people think its okay. And then what happens?

“A spirit of prostitution…” – selling out to the ways of the world.

And we have yet another example of His mercy, grace and love.
“I long to redeem them…”

How He longs to redeem us! He longs so much that He sent His Son. In these last days, are there people to whom we should witness? Do we feel an evangelistic urgency to “snatch others from the fire” (Jude 1:23a).

Hosea 4 mentions the Israelites being stubborn like a stubborn heifer. And then we have this contrast with lambs in a meadow. Are we any different now? Don't we want to go our own way like a stubborn heifer? Shouldn't we be more like the lambs in a meadow and follow the shepherd?