They Murder Their Rulers?

Hosea 7:7
All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.

Good News Translation
“In the heat of their anger they murdered their rulers. Their kings have been assassinated one after another, but no one prays to me for help.”

Contemporary English Version
They are flames destroying their leaders. And their kings are powerless; none of them trust me.

New Living Translation
Burning like an oven, they consume their leaders. They kill their kings one after another, and no one cries to me for help.

In this chapter of the prophetic book of Hosea, God describes how wicked His people are in spite of all the efforts in place to save them. They are so wicked it almost seems hopeless. They are criminals in the very sense of the word, Hosea 7:1. They do so much evil then behave as if God has forgotten how evil they are, Hosea 7:2. They like visiting leaders and pay allegiance through corrupt means and tell lies in order to gain favor with the leader, false praises, and accusing others so that they seem like secret spies who totally support the leadership, Hosea 7:3. They are immoral, drunkards, and having uncontrolled passion, Hosea 7:4-6. These people are really wicked.

What captures our attention today, is that in their wickedness they destroy their own leaders, Hosea 7:7. Various versions as you can see above and many others present it differently. Some see it as murdering their leaders (Assassination). Some see it as swallowing to destroy, to devour. Whichever way, things get bad for the leader. As a result, leaders regret becoming leaders. As a result, leadership becomes a source of life threatening diseases. They murder their leaders!

Wicked people do not support their leaders, they murder their leaders. Do you support your leaders or you are the perfect one who does no mistakes? Have you appointed yourself the corrector of leaders, the exposer of the leader’s mistakes? In the process of seeming righteous, you destroy them? Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

Murder could be direct murder. Food poisoning, seeking services of assassins, procuring witchcraft powers, etc. Murder could be character assassination so that the person is forever perceived as a fraud a fake. Murder could be a refusal to cooperate through coordinated frustration of their work. Murder could be a refusal to erase and instead of resolving to publicize embarrassing issues. Whichever murder it is, murder is murder. Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

Wicked people create a toxic environment that no pastor can survive before being murdered. If an environment is toxic for the leader, the people being led are wicked Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

We murder leaders by killing their passion for service, they now serve for the sake of income, because we killed a dream. We murder leaders by discouraging them from serving God. We murder leaders through threats, , blackmail, and extortion. Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

Leaders even the bad ones serve us by God’s grace, Romans 13:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13-14. If we murder leaders, we are challenging God directly to deal with us. This is what befell Israel and they were severely punished. Are your leaders happy because of you or sad because of you? Could you be among those who murder leaders? Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

Leadership is an enviable position. People envy the authority. People envy the power. People envy the privileges. People envy the titles. People envy the income. People envy the admiration and attention leaders get. Consequently, even those who can’t lead, brood thoughts of themselves being leaders, and since they can’t, they focus their frustrations on the current leader. You may be a good person loved by many, but the day you become a leader, a significant number of people treat you suspiciously and hate you. Given the opportunity, they will murder you. Because you are a leader and they are not. Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

In murdering a leader there is the satisfaction that we are now equal. In murdering a leader there is the satisfaction that he/she is not shining. In murdering a leader we feel that revenge for us not being leaders has been paid. In murdering a leader we make it less attractive and therefore increasing the chances of us being leaders. Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

Murder their career. Murder their psyche. Murder their passion. Murder their visions and goals. Murder their reputation. Murder their character. Murder livelihood. Murder their lives. Wicked people, according to our text today are known for murdering their leaders!

Dear God, forgive me for murdering my leaders, teach me, and enable me to be supportive of my leaders. In my leadership, dear God, save me from those who murder leaders, in Jesus’ name, Amen!