Starting in chapter 8, God pronounced His sentence over Israel. His desire wasn't to punish them but to sanctify them. God reveals our sin through His holy light. God judges because He is holy, not because He takes pleasure in punishment. The standard is the cross, friends, and He has provided a way through His Son, Jesus. 

1 Do not rejoice, Israel;

    do not be jubilant like the other nations.

For you have been unfaithful to your God;

    you love the wages of a prostitute

    at every threshing floor.

2 Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people;

    the new wine will fail them.

3 They will not remain in the Lord's land;

    Ephraim will return to Egypt

    and eat unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord,

    nor will their sacrifices please him.

Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners;

    all who eat them will be unclean.

This food will be for themselves;

    it will not come into the temple of the Lord.

We must ask God to reveal to us whether we're sacrificing to false gods of the modern-day culture we live in. Food, sex, money, entertainment, success, social media, and even our own families can take the place of God.

• Hosea gave a warning about the apparent rejoicing when destruction was on the way. We all love fun and good times, but they can drown out the signals God provides if we don't balance it with a heart that is willing to sit and listen.

• The threshing floor was where grain was processed (which, for an agricultural society, was essential to their livelihood). The Israelites made idols and worshipped them on the threshing floor in hopes of their "god" blessing the harvest. This seems like a strange act to us, but we each have a threshing floor in life. A place where provision is given. We must ask God to reveal to us whether we're sacrificing to false gods of the modern-day culture we live in. Food, sex, money, entertainment, success, social media, and even our own families can take the place of God. We can begin to ascribe worth to these activities, and they can slowly creep onto the throne of our hearts and displace God. 

Father, show me where there are gods at war vying for my heart. I want You and You alone to sit on the throne. Please help me to see with spiritual eyes what needs to change, and give me the courage and strength to change my mind so you can change my heart. 

5 What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals,

    on the feast days of the Lord?

6 Even if they escape from destruction,

    Egypt will gather them,

    and Memphis will bury them.

Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers,

    and thorns will overrun their tents.

7 The days of punishment are coming,

    the days of reckoning are at hand.

    Let Israel know this.

Because your sins are so many

    and your hostility so great,

the prophet is considered a fool,

    the inspired person a maniac.

8 The prophet, along with my God,

    is the watchman over Ephraim,

yet snares await him on all his paths,

    and hostility in the house of his God.

9 They have sunk deep into corruption,

    as in the days of Gibeah.

God will remember their wickedness

    and punish them for their sins.

• God was painting a picture of what life would be like: no treasures, overrun tents, and desolation. Before He corrects, He's faithful to warn!

• Notice what the people thought about Hosea: he was a fool and a maniac. Keep that in mind, friends. If you are a follower of Christ and you consistently speak out the His truths as a warning to others, be prepared to be mislabeled by this world. That's why we need to be anchored in Christ. To understand the Truth of Christ, we must study Who He is. As we learn more about His nature, His demeanor, and His way, we become like Him! That's the powerful transformative work He wants to do in us. Hallelujah! 

10 "When I found Israel,

    it was like finding grapes in the desert;

when I saw your ancestors,

    it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.

But when they came to Baal Peor,

    they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol

    and became as vile as the thing they loved.

11 Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird—

    no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.

12 Even if they rear children,

    I will bereave them of every one.

Woe to them

    when I turn away from them!

13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,

    planted in a pleasant place.

But Ephraim will bring out

    their children to the slayer."

14 Give them, Lord—

    what will you give them?

Give them wombs that miscarry

    and breasts that are dry.

• God fondly reminisces about the Israelites in the beginning. Like fruit in the desert, they were a joy to Him. 

• Baal Peor, mentioned in verse 10, is a reference to what happened in Numbers 25. This chapter is about Moab seducing Israel; sexual immorality and the worshipping of false gods was the result. The Lord grieved the sin of His people, just like when people we deeply love practice sin. It burdens our soul. 

15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,

    I hated them there.

Because of their sinful deeds,

    I will drive them out of my house.

I will no longer love them;

    all their leaders are rebellious.

16 Ephraim is blighted,

    their root is withered,

    they yield no fruit.

Even if they bear children,

    I will slay their cherished offspring."

17 My God will reject them

    because they have not obeyed him;

    they will be wanderers among the nations.

• God sends dryness and wandering upon Israel. Again, not because He takes joy in punishing them, but because He must correct them to woo their hearts toward Him. The blessings of God are found within His boundaries. We talked about bountiful boundaries in chapter 4 for this reason. My husband and I don't enjoy punishing our boys, but it's essential they are disciplined and corrected as they live under our care. Without correction, they would not be a light to the world, and they would reap destruction. Affliction is essential to grow us and to reap fruit in our lives. God is faithful to forgive as we repent and turn from wickedness. 

God, we thank you for providing a Way to wholeness. Help me to not just understand the boundaries You've established, but to live within them. I know there are seasons of correction and discipline so that I may be more like You. That is a blessing. Help me to have a tender and repentant heart, so I don't wander away from You. Amen.