Hosea 5:6,7 - God has withdrawn from them

5:6

People have a tendency to think that God ought to accept us on our terms. So here the people would go with their flocks and herds, presumably their sacrifices, thinking that God would be very grateful. But it is not us who set the terms, God is under no obligation to accept us, He sets the terms of engagement. So they would not find God, for God had withdrawn Himself from them. We need to approach God in humility, in reverence and in awe.

5:7

This rejection was not a capricious nor an arbitrary act, but a response to Israel’s actions, her repeated actions. For she had “dealt treacherously with the Lord”. Instead of being faithful to the Lord, she had acted unfaithfully. She worshipped idols, and neglected the righteous demands of the Law. “pagan children” could refer to children who were the result of union with pagan partners, or could mean that instead of producing a nation of God-fearing people, she had produced a nation of idol-worshipping people. “A new moon shall devour them” could either be a reference to aspects of Baal worship, or simply to the lunar cycle, ie trouble would soon come.