Hosea 9:1-17

We lose a lot more than we could imagine when we turn from the Lord and choose to live in sin.  Israel had been blessed as the chosen nation of God.  They had been given super-natural deliverance from their enemies and had been given a land where they could worship the Lord freely, grow a nation under God’s blessing and protection and be a lighthouse for all the surrounding nations to see the results of a nation dedicated to serving the Lord.  Their strength and prosperity would have been something unparalleled in the history of mankind.  Unfortunately, all of this blessing is lost because of sin.  There is so much that God wants to do in our lives but because of our sin and rebellion, we limit our effectiveness for the kingdom and His willingness to bless us.  The blessings of obedience always outweigh the pleasures of sinfulness.

CARNALITY WILL LEAD TO CAPTIVITY: God had called the nation of Israel to be a spiritual nation; a nation that was dedicated to pleasing God and trusting Him to provide for their spiritual needs.  Instead, the people looked at their surroundings and placed their trust in their own flesh for their protection and sought to satisfy their own flesh in complete disregard of the Law of the Lord.  Trusting in the flesh and seeking to please the flesh is the very definition of carnality.  We think that carnal living will bring us great joy and pleasure in freedom from restraint but nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, just the opposite happens.  The pleasure of carnality is passing and the price of carnality is captivity.  The children of Israel wanted to live free from the restraints of the Law and ended up being under the restraint of slavery.  Sin always works like that.  Sin sounds like freedom but it always ends in fetters.   


IDOLATRY WILL LEAD TO INFERTILITY: The greatest demonstration of sinfulness was found in the children of Israel’s dedication to false gods.  They wanted to make gods of their own that did not make demands on their lives.  However, these gods were not only powerless to make demands but they were also powerless to meet their needs.  When they were worshiping the Lord and living in submission to His will; they were blessed with great productivity.  Their fields were full of grain and their homes were full of children.  God’s blessings were evident.  However, when they tired of the standards of God’s Word and sought to live by their own lusts, they began to experience a very different life.  Their fields and their wombs were no longer fertile.  Their crops failed and the children they did have were hauled off as slaves to serve other nations.  God longs to demonstrate His power through those who are faithful.  However, we must trust Him if we are to experience this power.

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