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"We have no king"

Text: Hosea 10:3

THE DESPAIR OF THE NATION

The sense of despair of Israel was palpable. There was dissatisfaction with the rulers of the nation.

“For now they say,
‘We have no king,
Because we did not fear the LORD.
And as for a king, what would he do for us?'”
Hosea 10:3

1. “For now they say”

a) This describes the feelings of the nation.

b) The sense of discouragement was deep and heart-wrenching.

2. “We have no king”

a) Israel’s kings were sometimes assassinated.

b) People fought for the throne.

c) There were months when there was literally “no king”.

3. “Because we did not fear the LORD”

a) This was an obvious statement.

b) There was no fear of the LORD practised.

c) Few actually acknowledged faith in the LORD at all.

d) Because of such unbelief there was no turning to God for His mercy.

4. “As for a king, what would he do for us?”

a) Israel’s kings were bad.

b) They plunged the nation into one war after another.

c) There was much unrest in the nation:

i) Injustice

ii) Oppression

iii) Evil

iv) High crime rate

v) Economy collapsing

vi) Many suffered from hunger and illnesses

d) What could any king do for a nation bordering on collapse?

e) The sense of despair was grave.

Israel was at the brink of total disaster!