Hosea 9 could be titled “The Day of Judgement is Near.” Israel has exhausted God’s patience. What we are reading about in this chapter is the suffering of Israel as they are taken into captivity. It is this punishment that will end the people’s idolatry. Their celebrations and feasts to false gods will cease as the people are scattered. The ironic thing is, the worship that they should have been doing, that would have kept them safe, will also be made impossible in their exile. How sad a state for Israel, they were the people of the one true God, the watchmen, and yet, they gave that up to follow things that were hollow and empty and eventually lead to their destruction. When we choose sin over obedience, we bring condemnation on ourselves. F.B. Meyer puts it this way:
“In other words, every sin carries within itself the seed of its own avenging. If allowed to work itself out, its harvest is unutterable and irretrievable.”
The unfortunate outcome of sin in Israel is that the birth rate drops. We see that in verses 11 and following. This judgement is very severe because in other parts of scripture we read about the blessing that children are.P
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. (4) Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. (5) Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalms 127:3-5 ESV
Israel’s sin has become so bad that God has even removed future generations from them. When you think about this, you should realize that this is maybe the heaviest punishment. If Israel does not repent and honour God, there is no future for them. This is God on the bull-horn trying to get the attention of His people.
I find this passage interesting because, as our society moves farther and farther from our knowledge of God, the birth-rate has dropped. We no longer see children as a gift from God. As a society, we have legalized and celebrated the killing of the pre-born. We have also begun seeing children as a burden and not a blessing. In Canada, the birthrate has declined by more than half since 1965. We cannot be exiled because God’s people are now the church. We are not part of a regional nation-state, but we can, through our sin, be exiled from God’s blessing.
For His glory and our good!
Pastor Jonathan Welch
