“Israel empties his vine; he brings forth fruit for himself.
According to the multitude of his fruit he has increased the altars; according to the bounty of his land they have embellished his sacred pillars. Their heart is divided; now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; he will ruin their sacred pillars.
For now they say, “We have no king, because we did not fear the Lord. And as for a king, what would he do for us?” They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.
The inhabitants of Samaria fear because of the calf of Beth Aven. For its people mourn for it, and its priests shriek for it—because its glory has departed from it. The idol also shall be carried to Assyria as a present for King Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel. As for Samaria, her king is cut off like a twig on the water. Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars; they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
“O Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah; there they stood. The battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them. When it is My desire, I will chasten them. Peoples shall be gathered against them when I bind them for their two transgressions. Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh grain; but I harnessed her fair neck, I will make Ephraim pull a plow. Judah shall plow; Jacob shall break his clods.”
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.
Therefore tumult shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be plundered as Shalman plundered Beth Arbel in the day of battle—A mother dashed in pieces upon her children.
Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel shall be cut off utterly.
“according to the bounty of his land they have embellished his sacred pillars .” Poor Hosea! As he looks out his doorway, he can see altars and sacred pillars throughout the town and on the top of every hill. Evidently, every time there was a good harvest, rather than offering the Lord the first fruits, the Israelites set up another altar and worshiped another idol.
“For now they say, “We have no king, because we did not fear the Lord. And as for a king, what would he do for us?” Evidently, by this point, the king had already been carried off into exile, and he must not have been much of a king in the first place. “The inhabitants of Samaria fear because of the calf of Beth Aven. For its people mourn for it, and its priests shriek for it—because its glory has departed from it. The idol also shall be carried to Assyria as a present for King Jareb.” As far as the Lord is concerned, they might as well carry off that calf; it is totally worthless. “The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars; they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” There will come a day when the people of the Northern Kingdom will be desperate for places to hide from the Assyrian invaders, but there will be no place of escape.
“Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh grain; but I harnessed her fair neck, I will make Ephraim pull a plow. Judah shall plow; Jacob shall break his clods.” Both the Northern and the Southern kingdoms are going to be destroyed and their people will go into slavery.
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity.” Even now, there is still a small chance if the Israelites will turn and repent. But time is running out; if they persist in wickedness, they will be destroyed.
APPLICATION: Relentless dedication to evil – how can anyone be so stupid and short-sighted? But how many people want to boast about being “bad – ass?” Why doesn’t anyone want to be complimented for virtue?
When I was growing up in a small farming community in the Middle West, hard work and honesty were highly-prized attributes. Two of the biggest compliments going were “he/she’s a good worker” and “he/she’s as honest as the day is long.” These days, school systems that teach the Ten Commandments are mocked and ridiculed; yet, Mosaic Law forms the basis for much of our current laws.
Why do we think that we can fence off portions of our lives and allot parts of them for bad behavior while reserving a tiny part for virtue? Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The amazing thing about Hosea is that God is using Hosea to try to pull His people back from the brink one more time. “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” God is begging His people to repent.
Here in Ghana, we have to be particularly careful when eating local rice; otherwise, we may break a tooth on a small rock. When we cherish little bits of rebellion, it’s as dangerous as finding a rock with your teeth. The Bible tells us that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” Practicing even small bits of rebellion against God’s laws can result in spiritual disaster.
“You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.” When we refuse to do things God’s way, we may be courting destruction, not only for ourselves, but for our families and our communities, and even our countries. Let us plow up our fallow ground!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow Your Laws and to seek Your Will and not our own. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment