What is the meaning of Hosea 9:5? What will you do • The question is personal and urgent, aimed at Israel’s conscience. Hosea forces each listener to picture the coming crisis and answer for himself. • Jeremiah echoes the same challenge: “But what will you do when the end comes?” (Jeremiah 5:31). The prophets agree—no one escapes accountability. • Israel’s misplaced trust in alliances (Hosea 7:11) and luxury (Amos 6:1) will not rescue them. The Lord Himself is asking, so excuses will not stand (Romans 14:12). on the appointed day • “Appointed day” points to the divinely fixed festivals (Leviticus 23:4). God, not Israel, set the calendar; therefore He controls whether the people can keep it. • Hosea has already warned, “I will put an end to all her celebrations: her New Moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts” (Hosea 2:11). Exile will empty the sanctuary and silence the songs. • Without repentance, even a sacred day becomes a day of reckoning (Isaiah 1:13–15). What was meant for worship turns into a reminder of broken covenant. on the day of the LORD’s feast? • “The LORD’s feast” highlights ownership. These gatherings belong to Him (Exodus 12:11; Deuteronomy 16:10), so He can withdraw the privilege when His people rebel. • Captivity in Assyria will leave Israel far from Zion and its altar (2 Kings 17:6). Psalm 137:3 pictures exiles with no temple, no sacrifice, only memories. • Lamentations 2:6 says, “The LORD has abolished His appointed feasts and Sabbaths in Zion,” fulfilling Hosea’s warning. The celebration becomes a day of the Lord’s judgment (Amos 5:18). summary Hosea 9:5 asks how God’s unfaithful people will cope when He interrupts their cherished religious calendar. The prophet breaks the sentence into three escalating phrases—first the personal challenge, then the divinely scheduled time, and finally the feast that belongs to the Lord. Each layer strips away false security, showing that when covenant breakers face exile, the very days meant for joy will underscore their separation from God. Repentance, not ritual, is their only hope. |
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