This section is “bookended” by farming metaphors:

“For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind…”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice…”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And there are many other agricultural references in between: grain crops and grape vines, fruit, threshing, and ox yokes.

In these messages it feels like Hosea isn’t so much trying to convince Israel to repent as much as he’s trying to get them to see the connection between cause and effect.

Judgment is coming whether they believe him or not. He’s trying to make them understand that the coming judgment is the result of their idol worship.

🤨 Wasn’t that pretty obvious?

To us maybe. But most of them probably genuinely believed that Yahweh was an optional add-on calf-god and Hosea was a religious nut.

Let me put that in the language of a contemporary apostate:

“Christianity is an optional religious view. I think it’s oppressive and intolerant. You do you but don’t force your ideas on me. I have my truth based on my lived experience.”

Unless these folks crack open a Bible with a truly humble heart, they likewise will have no idea that the judgements that will befall the earth are the result of their rejection of Yahweh and His gracious salvation in Jesus.

Israel has already lost SO much territory to neighboring nations and the threat of the Assyrian Empire looms larger year by year. But do the people understand that their geopolitical and economic losses are a direct result of their unfaithfulness to Yahweh?

I don’t think they do. If they did, they would’ve repented. Even at this late stage, Hosea is having to spell it out for them.

“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” 📣

I can’t say that we’re much better off today. The world is filled with people who cannot seem to grasp the relationship between cause and effect; even in earthly things like basic economics and government policy. They are ignorant of history- which is basically the study of cause and effect. If they can’t grasp that, they are a long way from understanding the spiritual cause and the earthly effect. As God has already said, “My people perish for a lack of knowledge.”