This week, we finish up God's sentence on sinful Israel. Don't be discouraged—His tender mercies and pronunciation of love are coming! His unfailing love for us is at the ready, but we cannot receive God's love when we're unwilling to turn from our sin. First, we must allow God to deal with our sin, then we can begin to walk the road of healing.
1 Israel was a spreading vine;
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;
as his land prospered,
he adorned his sacred stones.
2 Their heart is deceitful,
and now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will demolish their altars
and destroy their sacred stones.
In Ecclesiastes, a wise and discerning king (1 Kings 3) named Solomon talked about how the toils and pleasures and fruits of life are meaningless. The Israelites had allowed their wealth (vineyards) to cause them to wander. The Lord of the harvest was pushed aside and altars and idols were constructed. God gives us a vineyard of time. He provides each of us with an orchard to plow and to labor in and to yield fruit (think: marriage, family, relationships, work inside and outside the home, etc.). Let's take a moment and prayerfully consider what sacred stones (stumbling blocks) we've allowed in our vineyards.
My Father, You are holy. Teach me to fix my gaze upon You alone, and not to invest in meaningless work. My heart is deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)! Save me so that the sacredness is for You and only You.
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many promises,
take false oaths
and make agreements;
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol of Beth Aven.
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.
6 It will be carried to Assyria
as tribute for the great king.
Ephraim will be disgraced;
Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
Hosea is informing God's people that they'll be ruled by foreign kings. Everything will be "swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters." How quickly our lives are destroyed when sin rules over us.
As we head into the 2020 presidential elections, verse 4 is a reminder for us. We'll hear plenty of promises, oaths, and agreements. It's easy to listen to the media or what's on social platforms, but the most intense time should be spent seeking God, His understanding, and asking for His best.
King of Kings, there is no one like You. Be the One who sits on the throne of our hearts and on the throne of this country. Turn our rebellious lives towards You.
8 The high places of wickedness will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 “Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel,
and there you have remained.
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
Gibeah (which is a city of Israel) is mentioned twice in this passage. To understand that story we must look in Judges 19 and the horrific sin that occurred. Homosexuality, grotesque sexual immorality, abuse, and a severe lack of righteousness for starters. It's a difficult passage to read, but friends, while it was written in the past, it happens today even more than it did then. This is a wicked and broken world that's in desperate need of redemption.
Creator God, I know You are not the creator of sin, but the provider of salvation. You sacrificed Your only Son for all so we could have a holy and righteous relationship with You. Help me to follow You each day.
10 When I please, I will punish them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.
An agricultural picture is offered here about plowing the ground, which has some terrific application for us. Breaking up the soil and sowing righteousness allows us to reap unfailing love. What a reminder for us to keep our hand to the plow and not to look back (Luke 9)! He's given you a vineyard in life—plow the ground. Break up the dry soil of your heart by fearing God and keeping His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Those showers of righteousness He sends as you obey Him will soften the ground and provide an abundant harvest.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated—
as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
I much prefer the previous analogy around plowing our own vineyard, working the soil, allowing God to water it, and reaping unfailing love. These final verses are a stark difference and hard reality of what life the wicked produce.
Resisting God has such terrible consequences. Not because He's mad at us, but because He fully desires His absolute best. He knows when we seek our own way it only leads to heartache and pain.
Lord God, I desire Your absolute best. Teach me to live within Your boundaries because that is a bountiful place. Hide Your Word in my heart so I might now sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Amen.