1 Do not rejoice, O Israel,
with exultation like the nations,
for you have played the harlot against your God;
you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.
2 The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them,
and the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not remain
in the land of the LORD;
Ephraim will return to Egypt
and eat unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD,
and their sacrifices will not please Him,
but will be to them like the bread of mourners;
all who eat will be defiled.
For their bread will be for themselves;
it will not enter the house of the LORD.
5 What will you do on the appointed day,
on the day of the LORD’s feast?
6 For even if they flee destruction,
Egypt will gather them
and Memphis will bury them.
Their precious silver will be taken over by thistles,
and thorns will overrun their tents.

7 The days of punishment have come;
the days of retribution have arrived—
let Israel know it.
The prophet is called a fool,
and the inspired man insane,
because of the greatness
of your iniquity and hostility.
8 The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman,
along with my God,
yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths.
Hostility is in the house of his God!
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gibeah;
He will remember their guilt;
He will punish their sins.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

In our passage today, it seems that Israel is having a party. People rejoicing, new wine, fresh grain – all these ideas sound like a great feast day to the Lord. But in the midst of this great party, Hosea speaks a sombre warning – Don’t rejoice. The days of punishment have come.

You see, even though everything seemed great at this moment, Israel’s greatest problem still remained – their spiritual adultery (v1). They had been unfaithful to God. And God’s judgment was coming against them as a result. Hosea warns Israel of a great reversal of their situation – their abundant crops will not feed them; their silver will be taken; they will not be able to celebrate the LORD’s feasts; and they will be cast out of God’s land. They might be partying now, but soon their worlds will be turned upside down.

It's not easy to warn people about God’s judgment – especially when everything seems good. For a lot of my friends, life is a bit of a party – they have good jobs, good houses, and good holidays. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good. But they have a big problem too – they have been unfaithful to the God who made them. And I know that a day of judgment is coming for them too (2 Peter 3:8-10). Jesus has rescued me from that judgment – praise God! – but my non-Christian friends are still facing that judgment, even though they don’t know it. I’m not a prophet like Hosea, but as an ambassador of Christ, I still want to try and warn my friends, and implore them to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20). Why don’t you pray today that we would have the courage to warn others about God’s judgment, and share the amazing news of Jesus with them?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.