Like a stubborn heifer

Hosea 4:15-19

“Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty.  Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, “As the Lord lives.”  Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the Lord now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?  Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone.  When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame.  A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.”

Do you know of anyone who wants to admit they have played the whore?  Do you recall Jr. High and High School, I do and still have flashbacks of doing anything to be liked and noticed by the so-called popular kids.  Values and beliefs were disposed of as if they were in the way of reaching the goal of being part of the popular group.  This is what, to a large degree, Israel has done and at a time of affluence, military might, and stability, much like the USA.  Now Judah was much like me in Jr. High and High School, they were watching Israel and believe me sin is fun for a season, but payday always shows up unannounced and the cost of sin is our personal shame and disgrace.  So Hosea is warning Judah not to be conned by Israel’s promiscuity, that they were going to pay in the near future for leaving the care and protection of God and chasing false gods.

Never was a cowboy, but for a while about 13 years Jan and I owned a small place we called the Oleo Ranch, best defined as a “Cheap Spread.”  Did I say it was small, a little over five acres, but on that five plus acres, we raised horses, a few cows, plus chickens, honey bees, and rabbits.  We had a great garden and a smoke house for drying meat.  We even had a milk cow but that lasted only one winter and my bride informed me that we were going to buy milk from a store and the milk cow was going to market.  In those 13 years, we had some stubborn cows and being a city boy they ran me more than I controlled them.   

When you have small acreage you do a lot of cross fencing and it requires you to move cows to areas they may not want to go to when you want them to.  So I understand how Israel was acting, they were acting like sheep that do not follow the call of their Sheppard.

Payday came for Israel and it came like a wind you are not expecting, but it came after many warnings, and yet like the United States, they were deaf to the voice of God and our payday has already begun.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice