Hosea against idolatry: With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. Hosea 8:4

The prophet Hosea was probably a contemporary of the prophet Amos, and he prophesied in the Kingdom of Israel before its destruction, during the reign of Jeroboam II, king of Israel, and Uzziah and Ahaz, kings of Judah, as stated at the beginning of the book. Hosea's teachings, despite being considered a minor prophet, have had a profound influence on the Christian faith, particularly his concept of the covenant between Israel and God as a marital relationship based on love.
And as a prophet, Hosea fought against the idolatry of Israel, and in particular the worship of the golden calves, introduced by King Jeroboam into the Kingdom of Israel after its separation from the Kingdom of Judah. Of the two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel was the one most affected by idolatry, a problem that intensified under a king of Israel before Hosea, King Ahab, who married a Phoenician princess, Jezebel, who introduced foreign cults to Israel. And this problem denounced by Hosea had one origin: the fear of God had been lost, and the covenant with God broken; that is why the prophet wrote: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land" Hosea 4:1.
And in this context of decline in the kingdom of Israel, the Assyrian people began to emerge as a problem for neighboring nations in the Middle East. And the prophet Hosea knew what that meant because selfish ambitions only create destruction. This is why the prophet announced the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel before the Assyrian empire, and he did so with these words, recalling the sin of Jeroboam: "With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them." Hosea 8:4-5.
The worship of the golden calves was a cult that lasted until the destruction of Israel, and it was an abomination to all the prophets, because ultimately, true security can only come from God, who gives his spiritual guidance to rulers. The prophet's words are a reminder that without wisdom from above, men's lives become uncertain and miserable.

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