#DailyDevotion What Sins Do The Idols Of Your Heart Lead You To?
Hosea 10 Israel is a luxuriant vine, producing fruit for himself. The more he produces, the more altars he makes; the finer his country, the finer the pillars he makes for his idols. 2Their hearts are divided; now they must take their punishment. He will tear down their altars and destroy their pillars. 3Yes, soon they’ll be saying, “We have no king because we don’t fear the LORD. But what could a king do for us?”
The LORD had blessed Israel for the sake of Abraham. It had become a luxuriant vine. It produced a lot of wealth for itself and perhaps that was the problem. They did not recognize it was the LORD who blessed them. Because of that it did not care for the poor, the widow, the orphan or the priest of the LORD in the land. The wealthier they got the more places of worship, i.e. temples they made, to the LORD and to false gods. Yet the LORD told them to sacrifice at Jerusalem.
Their hearts were divided. They worshiped the LORD at places He did not designate and they worshiped the idols of the nations they dispossessed and their neighbors. A house divided cannot stand. Because they did not worship Him as He directed and worshiped idols they would be punished. It wasn’t as if they were not warned. He sent prophet after prophet calling them to repent but they would have none of it. The LORD would tear down their altars and pillars by the hands of the Assyrians when they carried them all off to distant lands.
They rejected the LORD as King when they asked for Saul. They separated themselves from the house of David after Solomon (though who could blame them). Their kings led them away from the worship of the LORD and caused them to worship idols. They will say, “We have no king because we don’t fear the LORD. But what could a king do for us?” Well they will have no king of their own. They rejected the LORD as King and the kings of Israel would be no more. Now they would be ruled by the Assyrians. No king of theirs could help them now.
4They speak mere words, swear to lies, and so they make contracts, and court cases spring up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field. 5Those who live in Samaria are fearing for the heifer of Beth-aven [house of wickedness). Yes, its people will weep over it and its priests wail over it because its glory has departed from it. 6Yes, the thing itself will be carried to Assyria as a present to the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be disappointed in what he planned.
Here we see the accusation of breaking the 8th commandment to not bear false witness. They were breaking the 2nd commandment to not use the LORD’s name in vain. They feared the golden calf at Bethel (which the LORD calls Beth-aven) which was breaking the 1st. In breaking these commandments, they called down the LORD’s curses which they pronounced at Mr. Ebal. The LORD was going to give the unclean thing to the Assyrians and their king. The people would weep over it because they had lost their god. They shed no tear though over losing the LORD long before this in exchange for this idol. The people of Israel would be disgraced by the Assyrians. What will it take for us to get rid of the idols of our hearts? What do we turn to in times of trouble instead of the LORD? Come to the Father through Jesus Christ and He will strengthen your heart. He will give you all good things in the right time and measure.
Heavenly Father, clear out the idols of our hearts so we may trust You alone for all good things, though Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen.