10:1
Israel was doing well. When Israel invaded the Promised Land they conquered many peoples, and then started to plant and cultivate the land. They started to prosper, but then instead of giving thanks and honour to God, they gave it to idols instead. Israel was warned against this, and it is a pattern that is repeated again and again in humanity, and even in churches. We will attribute success to anyone or anything other than the Lord from whence it truly comes.
10:2
Our minds and hearts are corrupted. And remember that when the Bible speaks of heart it includes far more than just our emotions, it also includes our mind and will. So our minds will deceive us, and Israel would have to bear her guilt. In the ensuing destruction her altars ad sacred stones would be destroyed.
10:3,4
There is a deep cynicism in the land. They had no king, but even if they did have a king what would he do for them. So promises and oaths multiply, but they all turn to nothing ending up with many lawsuits which are like a poisonous weed. This is prescient of our own society. Cynicism is rife, governments no longer seem to work. Politicians make promises, but they are often self-contradictory, nothing much happens except creating more work for lawyers. And courts rather than government seem to decide an increasing number of things. Israel’s situation in Hosea’s day, and our own situation, is the inevitable result of rejecting God. There is no longer any standard. We seek to set our own standards, making ourselves the reference point, yet it results only in chaos.
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