HOSEA 10
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.
2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.
3 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?”
4 They utter mere words; with emptyoaths they make covenants;
so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—
for it has departed from them. – Hosea 10:1-5
HOSEA 10 THE DIVIDED HEART
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When a believer serves two masters, his heart will be divided
He will surely have a bias towards one and neglect the other
When one is unfaithful, he will betray one and love the other
A divided heart can never please God since he is an adulterer.
Matthew 6:24 says that no one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. In this account, Israel continues to defy God by building more altars and worshiping other gods. The more the Lord blesses them, the more altars they build. The more they continued their unfaithfulness, they grew in pretense and deception. The book of James in chapter 1 verse 8 explains what a double mind is. It is unstable in all its ways. It is two-faced and its loyalty is divided, making him more confused and sinful. They say things that they don’t really mean because there is no truth in them. All they want is to cater to their own desires and satisfy themselves instead of truly serving their master. There is no honesty in them, it is all lies and deception that occupy their minds and hearts.
REFLECTION
- Why are integrity and honesty very important in a Christian’s life?
