Could Hosea be addressing todays Church?

Hosea 10:1-8

If one was to read only verse one you would come away believing wrongly about Israel’s devotion to God.  Verse one states; “Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit.  The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.”  On the surface, all is good, but never forget it’s not the outer surface that God examines but it is the heart.  It is a warning to each of us who live in prosperity, examine yourself to see if you are serving self or God.  Israel was God’s beloved vineyard, and it was planted with choice vines, and in a very fertile ground, and he cleared it of stones and built a watchtower for its protection.  As we turn to Isaiah chapter 5, we find God is asking the people of Jerusalem and Judah to sit in the role of judge, for He is bringing a lawsuit between Himself and His vineyard.

Picking up the account of the lawsuit in chapter 5 verses 5-7, as God gives His summation; “Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.  I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”  The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. “  We the church are the vineyard of our Father, of the LORD Jesus Christ, are we taking the same role as the people Hosea is talking to?

Maybe it is time to read Hosea 10:2, “Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt.  The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.  Now we understand what the LORD is talking about in Isaiah chapter five, but are you asking the right question, am I yielding wild grapes out of the vineyard God has placed me in? 

Often, I wrongly believe we are the first culture that has had the attitude of self above all else, but I am wrong, for it is a problem with mankind.  We want to be the king of our life, we desire no external authority, this was the attitude of Hosea’s time and ours, as we read verse three, “For now they will say: “We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord; and a king—what could he do for us?”   Verse four is very clear a culture like this always looks for justice but has no route to finding it.  Verse four, “They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.”

Assyria was God’s instrument of judgment on Israel and yet the people ask to be buried at the place of their idolatry.   As a nation, the United States has also worshiped in the idolatry of materialism and acquired an unquenchable thirst for the latest and greatest gadget this is the heart and soul of people.  We often watch in horror at the actions of foolish people on a black Friday sale, and wonder what would they do if it was not a T.V. they were fighting over, but food in a time of great need.  It is not too late, today if you hear His voice, repent and confess you do have need of a King, His name is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah who has come and lived with us and is living in many this very day.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice