And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,
of which she said,
‘These are my wages,
which my lovers have given me.’
I will make them a forest,
and the beasts of the field shall devour them.
13 And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned offerings to them
and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers
and forgot me, declares the LORD.
Being caught red handed is a painful ordeal. You know the game is up or, as British detectives say, “You’re nicked!” All that’s left to do is look back at where you went wrong and wonder what you were thinking before everything fell apart. That may be what the people of Israel thought when they heard the prophecy of Hosea. He had the honor of being the last prophet before they were vanquished by Assyria in 722 BC. God had warned them of the curses in store for those who were unfaithful and this stark prostitute language makes it all the more painful.
The saddest part is that the Israel of Hosea’s day was unfaithful and deserved every bit of the judgment of God. But look at the world today. We have forgotten the Lord and went after the objects of our desires, seeking pleasure in idolatry with money, gratification, and power. Now we are caught red handed. When Jesus returns, so many people will look back and say, “That’s where I messed up.” It will be too late. We have an urgent message to the world, much like that of Hosea to Israel. You will reap what you sow and you are sowing discord and strife. You have forgotten the Lord Jesus and sought other gods…
He will remember.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church