In Hosea 4:16, God says he is going to feed Israel like a lamb in a large place. Now, on first reading that sounds good. It sounds like God is going to give them all they can eat. And that He is giving them a large place to live.
But, you need to understand something about such a statement in relationship to the lamb. The lamb is not able to defend itself. The lamb is dependent upon the shepherd for safety. A good shepherd would always stay close to the lambs. The good shepherd never allowed one lone lamb to wander off into a large field. This would put the lamb in a bad situation.
There were wild animals like lions and wolves that loved to eat lamb. These animals could easily kill a lamb all alone in a large field before the shepherd could come to the rescue. The lamb would be torn to pieces before the shepherd could do anything about it.
So, God was telling Israel that He was going to allow them to be in a very bad situation. They were going to think that things were wonderful. They were going to think that they were being blessed with great things. But, they were simply like the lonely sheep out in a large field without the safety of the shepherd. Instead of being blessed by God, they were being left by God. He no longer would keep them safe from their enemies.
Do not be a lone sheep in a large field. Stay close to God. Study your Bible. Obey God. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
