You could title Hosea chapter 10 “Puppet Kings and Puppet gods”. Leadership that goes astray often leads the people astray. In this case it didn’t take much convincing. It seems that the people were as excited for their idols as the kings were. The chapter opens with the prophet exclaiming that the more wealth that Israel accumulates, the more they veer into idol worship. Their idol worship leads them further and further into spiritual and moral decay until they get to the point that they no longer worship God as creator, but they worship man made things. In fact, they become so attached to their idols that they “tremble” when the statue is carried away as tribute to another country. It is interesting that we read this in the book of Romans:
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:21-23 ESV
Get Rid of Those Idols
As New Testament believers, we need to search out and determine those things that become idols to us. Because God is a good father, He won’t allow those idols to take His place. It is far better for us to get rid of them before we need our Father’s discipline.
Whenever we replace worship of the one true God with other things, we must make moral compromises, and when we make these compromises, we invite judgement on ourselves. That is what happened in Israel at the time that Hosea wrote.
Only Jesus can meet the need
However, God’s discipline for Israel was never for their complete destruction, notice He wipes away their idols, and their wicked kings. God does this so that the people would repent and turn back to Him. He does this for us as well. Notice that in your own life, those things you idolize are never fully satisfying. You will always need more and when you get more that can’t fulfill fully. So, you need more. That is because only Jesus can meet the need we have to be fulfilled. We are created to let Him be our everything. He is our all in all!
Pastor Jonathan Welch
