EGW WritingsHosea 8

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)

Lt 30, 1900

15LtMs, Lt 30, 1900, par. 12

Church members, who have seen the light and been convicted, but who have trusted the salvation of their souls to the minister, will learn in the day of God that no other soul can pay the ransom for their transgression. A terrible cry will be raised, “I am lost, eternally lost.” Men will feel as though they could rend in pieces the ministers who have preached falsehoods and condemned the truth. The pure truth for this time requires a reformation in the life, but they separate themselves from the love of the truth, and of them it can be said, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.” The Lord sends a message to the people: “Set a 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.” [Hosea 13:9; 8:1.]

The Great Controversy

Chapter 17—Heralds of the Morning

GC 310.1

It was needful that men should be awakened to their danger; that they should be roused to prepare for the solemn events connected with the close of probation. The prophet of God declares: “The day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” Who shall stand when He appeareth who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil,” and cannot “look on iniquity”? Joel 2:11; Habakkuk 1:13. To them that cry, “My God, we know Thee,” yet have transgressed His covenant, and hastened after another god, hiding iniquity in their hearts, and loving the paths of unrighteousness—to these the day of the Lord is “darkness, and not light, even very dark, and no brightness in it.” Hosea 8:2, 1; Psalm 16:4; Amos 5:20. “It shall come to pass at that time,” saith the Lord, “that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil.” Zephaniah 1:12. “I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” Isaiah 13:11. “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them;” “their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation.” Zephaniah 1:18, 13.

The Great Controversy (1888 ed.)

Chapter 17—Heralds of the Morning

GC88 309.3

It was needful that men should be awakened to their danger; that they should be roused to prepare for the solemn events connected with the close of probation. The prophet of God declares: “The day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” [Joel 2:11.] Who shall stand when He appeareth who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity?” [Habakkuk 1:13.] To them that cry, “My God, we know thee,” yet have transgressed his covenant, and hastened after another god, [Hosea 8:2, 1; Psalm 16:4.] hiding iniquity in their hearts, and loving the paths of unrighteousness, to these, the day of the Lord is “darkness, and not light, even very dark, and no brightness in it.” [Amos 5:20.] “It shall come to pass at that time,” saith the Lord, “that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees; that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.” [Zephaniah 1:12.] “I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” [Isaiah 13:11.] “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them;” “their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation.” [Zephaniah 1:18, 13.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Ms 90, 1897

12LtMs, Ms 90, 1897, par. 10

God made the world in six days, and rested on the seventh day, sanctifying it as the day of His rest. He gave it to man as a memorial of His creation, saying, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” [Exodus 20:8.] But Adam’s sin is repeated. The Sabbath of the Lord is discarded and scorned, while a spurious sabbath, the child of the papacy, is accepted by the Protestant world, and is cherished and exalted as supreme. But it has not a vestige of sacredness, [any] more than has any common working day. “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. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. Israel hath cast off the thing that is good; the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by me; they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. ... I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.” [Hosea 8:1-4, 12.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)

Lt 58, 1901

16LtMs, Lt 58, 1901, par. 24

Men have shown that they cannot be trusted to handle the means raised from God’s people to do a certain work for Him. The Lord declares that a change must come. He says to those in responsible positions, I will be with you no more unless you set things in order. “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. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. Israel hath cast off the thing that is good; the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes and I knew it not: of their silver and of their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. ... I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.” [Hosea 8:1-4, 12.]

Testimony for the Church — No. 27

Jeremiah.

T27 42.1

He entreated them to hear the words that he spoke. He cited them to the prophecies of Hosea, Habakuk, Zephaniah, and others whose messages of reproof and warning had been similar to his own. He referred them to events which had transpired in their history in fulfillment of the prophecies of retribution for unrepented sins. Sometimes, as in this case, men had arisen in opposition to the message of God, and predicted peace and prosperity, to quiet the fears of the people, and gain the favor of those in high places. But in every past instance the judgment of God had been visited upon Israel, as the true prophets had indicated. Said he “The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known that the Lord hath truly sent him.” If Israel chose to run the risk, future developments would effectually decide which was the false prophet.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)

Lt 82, 1895

10LtMs, Lt 82, 1895, par. 1

Sabbath, October 19, the gathering at the tent was larger than we expected, as in the forenoon meetings were held by our people in the different churches. Hereafter all will come to the ground on Sabbath and Sunday. In the forenoon Brother Corliss spoke from Hosea words that were full of instruction. I spoke in the afternoon from the fourth [chapter] of John: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” [Verse 10.]

The Review and Herald

January 29, 1914

RH January 29, 1914, par. 1

For more than half a century after the death of Elisha, the kings of Israel continued to abuse the most sacred rites of the Hebrew economy, and to violate the laws of Jehovah. God had made his people the depositaries of his grace; but losing sight of this purpose, they “dealt treacherously against the Lord” and with one another. It was a time of violence and bloodshed. King after king was assassinated to make way for others ambitious to rule. “They have set up kings,” the Lord declared, “but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not.” Hosea 8:4. Every principle of justice was set aside, until king and people were held in contempt by the surrounding nations.

RH January 29, 1914, par. 3

Of the tribe of Ephraim, a leader in apostasy among the ten tribes, the Lord said: “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not.” “Israel hath cast off the thing that is good,” declared the prophet. Hosea 7:9; 8:3. “Broken in judgment” (Hosea 5:11), unable to discern the sure result of continued apostasy, the ten tribes were soon to be “wanderers among the nations.”

Prophets and Kings

Chapter 23—The Assyrian Captivity

PK 279.1

The closing years of the ill-fated kingdom of Israel were marked with violence and bloodshed such as had never been witnessed even in the worst periods of strife and unrest under the house of Ahab. For two centuries and more the rulers of the ten tribes had been sowing the wind; now they were reaping the whirlwind. King after king was assassinated to make way for others ambitious to rule. “They have set up kings,” the Lord declared of these godless usurpers, “but not by Me: they have made princes, and I knew it not.” Hosea 8:4. Every principle of justice was set aside; those who should have stood before the nations of earth as the depositaries of divine grace, “dealt treacherously against the Lord” and with one another. Hosea 5:7.

PK 280.1

Of Ephraim the prophet testified, “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” [The prophet Hosea often referred to Ephraim, a leader in apostasy among the tribes of Israel, as a symbol of the apostate nation.] “Israel hath cast off the thing that is good.” “Broken in judgment,” unable to discern the disastrous outcome of their evil course, the ten tribes were soon to be “wanderers among the nations.” Hosea 7:9; 8:3; 5:11; 9:17.

PK 285.3

The ten tribes of Israel were now to reap the fruitage of the apostasy that had taken form with the setting up of the strange altars at Bethel and at Dan. God’s message to them was: “Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; Mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency? For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.” “The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it.... It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to King Jareb” (Sennacherib). Hosea 8:5, 6; 10:5, 6.

From Splendor to Shadow

Chapter 23—The Decline and Fall of Israel

SS 151.1

The closing years of the kingdom of Israel were marked with violence and bloodshed not witnessed even in the worst periods under the house of Ahab. For two centuries the ten tribes had been sowing the wind; now they were reaping the whirlwind. King after king was assassinated. “They made kings, but not through Me,” the Lord declared of the godless usurpers. “They set up princes, but without My knowledge.” Hosea 8:4, RSV. Those who should have stood before the nations of earth as the depositaries of divine grace “dealt treacherously against the Lord” and with one another. Hosea 5:7.

The Review and Herald

February 5, 1914

RH February 5, 1914, par. 15

“Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off: mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency? for from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.” Hosea 8:5, 6. “The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to King Jareb.” Hosea 10:5, 6.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)

Lt 2a, 1896

11LtMs, Lt 2a, 1896, par. 19

We need to awake and consider now as never before that we shall reap that which we sow in kind, but the harvest will be largely increased. Sow one seed in careless, unkind, harsh, overbearing, self-important words; the ears of our fellow men hear them, [and] put upon them their own construction. They put upon their own construction, which, when worked out in another human agent, is reflected back upon ourselves, and comes back to the originator. Sowing thus, we reap a very objectionable harvest. “They have sown to the wind; they shall reap the whirlwind.” [Hosea 8:7.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)

Ms 56, 1898

13LtMs, Ms 56, 1898, par. 46

It is stated that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh because he yielded not to the command of God to let Israel go. After the plagues were removed, Pharaoh disregarded the evidence which caused him to yield when the plagues were upon the land. And because of his rejection of light and evidence, moral darkness came upon him. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” [Galatians 6:7.] “They have sown to the wind,” says God, “they shall reap the whirlwind.” [Hosea 8:7.] Disregard of the light that God has given brings the sure result. It creates a shadow, a darkness that is more dark because of the light which has been sent. The Lord did not confirm Pharaoh in his impenitence. If a man withdraws himself from light and evidence, and yields to Satan’s seducing arts, he himself draws the curtain of unbelief about him, so that light cannot be distinguished from darkness. More light and evidence would only be misunderstood by him. The greater the evidence, the greater will be the indifference. This will lead the deceived soul to call darkness light and truth error.

Christ’s Object Lessons

Chapter 23—The Lord’s Vineyard

COL 306.2

The words of God to ancient Israel have a solemn warning to the church and its leaders today. Of Israel the Lord said, “I have written to him the great things of My law; but they were counted as a strange thing.” Hosea 8:12. And to the priests and teachers He declared, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee; ... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.

Education

Chapter 13—Mental and Spiritual Culture

Ed 126.6

The mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which it feeds; and it rests with us to determine upon what it shall be fed. It is within the power of everyone to choose the topics that shall occupy the thoughts and shape the character. Of every human being privileged with access to the Scriptures, God says, “I have written to him the great things of My law.” “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Hosea 8:12; Jeremiah 33:3.

Prophets and Kings

Chapter 24—“Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge”

PK 296.3

The enemy of God’s church upon the earth had not, however, taken fully into account the compassionate nature of Him who “will by no means clear the guilty,” yet whose glory it is to be “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Exodus 34:6, 7. Despite the efforts of Satan to thwart God’s purpose for Israel, nevertheless even in some of the darkest hours of their history, when it seemed as if the forces of evil were about to gain the victory, the Lord graciously revealed Himself. He spread before Israel the things that were for the welfare of the nation. “I have written to him the great things of My law,” He declared through Hosea, “but they were counted as a strange thing.” “I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.” Hosea 8:12; 11:3. Tenderly had the Lord dealt with them, instructing them by His prophets line upon line, precept upon precept.

The Review and Herald

February 19, 1914

RH February 19, 1914, par. 10

This prophecy, fulfilled in part in the time of the judges of Israel, met a more complete and terrible fulfillment in the captivity of Israel in Assyria and of Judah in Babylon. During the passing centuries, from generation to generation, Satan made repeated attempts to cause Israel to forget “the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments” (Deuteronomy 6:1) that they had promised to keep forever; for he knew that if he could only lead Israel to forget God, and to “walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them,” the chosen nation would surely perish. Deuteronomy 8:19. But the enemy of all souls had not taken into account the long-suffering of Him who “will by no means clear the guilty,” yet whose glory it is to be “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Exodus 34:6, 7. Despite the efforts of Satan to thwart God’s purpose for his chosen people, yet even in some of the darkest hours of Israel’s history, when it seemed as if the forces of evil were about to gain the victory, the Lord graciously revealed himself. He spread before Israel the things that were for their welfare as a nation. “I have written to him the great things of my law,” he declared, of Israel through Hosea, “but they were counted as a strange thing.” Hosea 8:12. “I taught Ephraim also to go,” he declared “taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.” Hosea 11:3. Tenderly the Lord dealt with them, instructing them by his prophets, line upon line, and precept upon precept.

Homeward Bound

Creative Energy, January 11

HB 26.4

The mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which it feeds; and it rests with us to determine upon what it shall be fed. It is within the power of everyone to choose the topics that shall occupy the thoughts and shape the character. Of every human being privileged with access to the Scriptures, God says, “I have written to him the great things of My law.” “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Hosea 8:12; Jeremiah 33:3.) . . .

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)

Ms 110, 1893

8LtMs, Ms 110, 1893, par. 13

The end of all things is at hand and iniquity abounds, because men have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant given on condition of obedience, and because of continual transgression. Isaiah 59; Ezekiel 20:12, 18; Amos 5:11-20; Micah 6:6-15; Haggai 1:5, 6; Hosea 6:1-11; 8:12, 13; Joel 1:2-7, 11-20. There we have the prophecies of the state of our world just prior to the second coming of the Lord thy God. The world will become more and [more] under the sway of seducing spirits as they turn away from God and His righteous government. Men professing godliness will indulge their own traits of character. Unless they are conscientiously under the control of God, they will become self-indulgent and self-centered.