Thy Strong Word — Hosea 5:1-15: “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God.” -God

God calls out the leaders of Israel and Judah for their corruption and failure to guide the people in righteousness. Both nations are warned of impending judgment due to their unfaithfulness and idolatry. Despite repeated warnings, their stubborn hearts and pride prevent them from seeking God’s face. As a result, God will withdraw His presence, leaving them to experience the consequences of their actions until they earnestly seek Him in their distress.

The Rev. Ryan Kleimola, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, OH, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Hosea 5:1-15.

Hosea tells the powerful story of a prophet commanded to marry an unfaithful woman, Gomer, as a living symbol of God’s boundless love for Israel despite its repeated betrayals. Through heartbreak and redemption, Hosea’s marriage becomes a vivid portrayal of how deeply God desires His people to return to Him, even when they chase after idols. Packed with raw emotion, prophetic warnings, and a message of divine mercy, this book captures God’s relentless pursuit and offers a stirring reminder that restoration is always possible—through Jesus–no matter how far one has wandered.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Hosea 5:1-15

Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah

5 Hear this, O priests!
    Pay attention, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
    For the judgment is for you;
for you have been a snare at Mizpah
    and a net spread upon Tabor.
²And the revolters have gone deep into slaughter,
    but I will discipline all of them.

³I know Ephraim,
    and Israel is not hidden from me;
for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore;
    Israel is defiled.
⁴Their deeds do not permit them
    to return to their God.
For the spirit of whoredom is within them,
    and they know not the Lord.

⁵The pride of Israel testifies to his face;^[a]
    Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt;
    Judah also shall stumble with them.
⁶With their flocks and herds they shall go
    to seek the Lord,
but they will not find him;
    he has withdrawn from them.
⁷They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord;
    for they have borne alien children.
    Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.

⁸Blow the horn in Gibeah,
    the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven;
    we follow you,^[b] O Benjamin!
⁹Ephraim shall become a desolation
    in the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
    I make known what is sure.
¹⁰The princes of Judah have become
    like those who move the landmark;
upon them I will pour out
    my wrath like water.
¹¹Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
    because he was determined to go after filth.^[c]
¹²But I am like a moth to Ephraim,
    and like dry rot to the house of Judah.

¹³When Ephraim saw his sickness,
    and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria,
    and sent to the great king.^[d]
But he is not able to cure you
    or heal your wound.
¹⁴For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
    and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear and go away;
    I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.

¹⁵I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Hosea 5:5 Or in his presence
Hosea 5:8 Or after you
Hosea 5:11 Or to follow human precepts
Hosea 5:13 Or to King Jareb

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.