Hosea
8 reminds me of living on my own for the first time. I imagined the
freedom of doing what I wanted, when I wanted with no one telling me
what to do. Eat when you want, sleep when you want and don’t worry
about picking up after yourself. I quickly learned that the reality
was not nearly as much fun. Little bits of crud make big piles over
time. It is really easy to get out of balance without any rules or
purpose. Neglect always looks and feels like neglect, and Friday
night decisions always come with a due date. The chapter begins with
God peeking in on His independent kids in Israel. “The
people have broken My covenant and rebelled against My law“.
They say, “Our God, we
acknowledge You!“, “But
Israel has rejected what is good“.
Remember God told Israel He would be their King, but they wanted to
be like every other nation. Sadly all humans are corruptible, “They
set up kings without My consent“.
God knows without accountability, our tendency is toward
self-centered hedonism, “With
their silver and gold they make
idols for
themselves to their own destruction“.
Many parents have probably asked of their young adult children, “How
long will they be incapable of purity?”
In Genesis 2:18, God said of Adam, “It
is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable
for him“. The single greatest
way to escape selfishness is to give your energy to help another.
God
describes the result of continuing self-indulgence, “They
sow the wind and reap the whirlwind“.
Many look back at their twenties with regret knowing their time and
money were not well spent. The result is a useless crop, “The
stalk has no head; it will produce no flour“.
He describes Israel after this season, “she
is among the nations like something no one wants“.
Friend, have you spent a season reaping the whirlwind?
Even
in this sad emptiness, God reminds them of His promise, “Although
they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them
together“.
But they were not yet ready to grow up. Many kids add a touch of
familiarity to their freedom, but symbols do not save. “Ephraim
built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for
sinning“.
God’s wisdom was ignored, “I
wrote for them the many things of My law, but they regarded them as
something foreign“.
I remember coming home for the holidays and going through the
motions, then returning to my search for meaning. God says of
Israel, “They
will return to Egypt“.
Every time the nation stopped trusting in God, they went back to
that thing they knew was not good, but was better than nothing. Are
you settling for living in Egypt? God describes their living
condition, “Israel
has forgotten their Maker… Judah has fortified many towns“.
That isolation can happen in a one bedroom apartment or a large,
fine home. Romans 1:21 describes this place, “For
although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave
thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened“.
It is to those in this place that Jesus said, “I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life“.
God has a purpose for your life that is bigger than yourself. What
freedom are you afraid to give up?