Hosea 9

Being unfaithful towards God can never bring true and lasting joy, for spiritual and physical adultery will only lead to reaping the wages of sin which is death, vs 1! The immediate self gratification that one receives on doing such things will never really satisfy, but only give a deceptive hope of satisfaction, vs 2.

It will expel us from God’s presence and from our inheritance, and cause us to seek help from earthly sources, which will only result in falling into deeper levels of idolatry, vs 3! While in this condition, none of our sacrifices offered unto the Lord will ever amount to anything, vs 4! So there will be no point in offering any special sacrifices on one’s festival days too, vs 5!

Our treasures and homes will be left desolate, and even if we seek deliverance from our slavery and destruction, it will only result in bondage and destruction, vs 6. One needs to realise that such sinful behaviour will unmistakably attract God’s judgment and retribution, vs 7! To such people, the prophet is considered a fool, and the inspired man is viewed as a madman, and while animosity rages against the prophet in the land, traps are laid for him along all his paths  vs 8!

This shows how deep one has sunk into corruption, vs 9, and so God will be determined to visit them with judgment! God’s people were not like this in the beginning, however, they got defiled at Baal Peor, vs 10, and that’s when their backsliding began. (Temptations to sin will surely come, but God expects us to be overcomers by his grace.) Therefore, God will render them childless, vs 11,14,16, and even those that bear children will find them to be taken away by the Lord, vs 12,13.

On account of all their evil deeds, God will hate them, reject them and drive them out of His land so that so they will be fugitives among the nations, 15,17.

This is exactly what happened to God’s people in the old testament and is written for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come! Let us put away all forms of adultery if we want our offerings to be accepted and pleasing to God and if we desire to enjoy our inheritance in Christ Jesus, and so be fruitful and bear spiritual children.

Let us take heed to the prophetic words that come to us which tell us to turn from all idolatry, spiritual adultery and sin without getting offended with or oppressing the prophet! Let us return to our first love so that our homes and treasures may be used for God’s glory and the furtherance of his kingdom.

And God will be gracious to us thus causing His mercy to triumph over judgment on our account. Amen.

Rowena Thomas
Mumbai, India.