Hosea 9:1-3 - You have played the harlot

9:1,2

The most important factor in Israel’s life was that she had been unfaithful to the Lord. Everything else was of little importance compared to this. Building up her army would not help, diplomatic efforts would not help. Only repenting and returning to the Lord would help.

9:3

“They will not remain in the Lord’s land”. This is what happened, the Assyrians relocated many of the indigenous inhabitants of Israel. They forgot that it was the Lord’s land. All of us do well to remember that the earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1). Despite her apostasy, they still found eating “unclean” food revolting, yet that is what they would have to do when they were exiled. In the same way people who are nominally Christian, but have abandoned God’s ways still react against many types of immoral behaviour.But if they persist in their rejection of God’s ways they will get what they asked for and be revolted.