My People perish...

…for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6)

This verse snaps like an alarm, and we should always stay alert to the warnings God gives through his prophets—even if we’re tempted to think they no longer concern us today because we are under the new covenant ! Let’s not forget that “these things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11)

In Hosea, God reproaches the priests and the people for abandoning the knowledge of God.
Not merely religious precepts, but living knowledge: meeting God, receiving his Word, and walking according to it. For the Hebrews, the knowledge being challenged is relational and practical.

Hosea is thus speaking to a believing people… but a misled one. Worship goes on, God’s words are still present, and yet justice collapses, idolatry seeps in, leaders betray their mandate. In other words: as today, we can keep Christian forms and lose the substance.

What our daily substance should be:
— In our relationship: to know God, to acknowledge him as Lord (Proverbs 9:10).
— Concerning truth: it is the Word that must shape us, not the reverse (John 17:17).
— In obedience: we only truly know when we put it into practice (James 1:22).
Without these three axes, faith takes on a form of religiosity.

How can we perish for lack of knowledge ?
— Morally: we confuse compassion with compromise, firmness with harshness.
— Spiritually: we mix Jesus with magical promises or traditions that set him aside!
— In the community: division, personality cult, fatigue symptomatic of the heart.
— Personally: inner dryness sets in, prayer becomes mechanical, choices lack a compass.
These signs should alert us immediately and move us to respond.

Now let’s consider a few markers for unmasking false doctrines. No need to draw up lists of enemies. Let’s seek the symptoms instead:

1. Christ off-center: lots of “me,” little of the cross (1 Cor. 2:2).
2. Grace without repentance or “law without grace”: two ditches, the same ravine (John 1:14).
3. Promises without bearing the cross: instant glory, no holiness required (Mark 8:34).
4. Unverifiable authority: “revelations” that refuse to be tested (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11).
5. Itching to hear what pleases: teachers chosen à la carte (2 Tim. 4:3).

If a church or a teaching checks several of these boxes, be cautious ! Biblical truth brings light, delivers, and produces the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).

Nevertheless, we have several paths to grow in true knowledge:
— Truly sit with the Scriptures: read whole books and seek the context, the thread, the author’s intent. Ask the Holy Spirit for help.
— Pray for the fear of the Lord: it is the beginning of wisdom.
— Don’t wait for others to move before putting the Word into practice !
— Put our humility back on the table! Don’t forget that pride is the Christian’s Enemy No. 1 !
— Return regularly to a central confession of faith: 1 Cor. 15:3–4 (the death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins). Any teaching that dilutes this drifts from the heart of the Gospel.

Let’s ask ourselves: what most nourishes my vision of God—the Word or my preferences? Have I replaced prayer with activism ? Let’s be careful not to fall into this trap !

To conclude:
This verse does not crush; it should awaken us. Where the knowledge of God returns—with his Word received, Christ at the center, and humble obedience—life returns.
It’s up to us: what small step can we take today toward truer knowledge ?

Franz