They Sowed the Wind

The ram's horn is put to the lips because an eagle looms over the house of the LORD. The alarm announces that Israel has transgressed God's covenant and rebelled against His law. Israel cries out, “O our God, we know You,” but the claim is contradicted by what the people have done.

They have rejected good, set up kings without the LORD, and made princes without His approval. With silver and gold they make idols, and the result is their own destruction. The calf of Samaria is not a god. A craftsman made it, and it will be broken to pieces.

Then comes one of Hosea's memorable images: they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Their choices are seeds, and the harvest will be larger and more destructive than they expect. There is no standing grain, and even what sprouts cannot yield flour. If there were a harvest, foreigners would swallow it.

Israel is swallowed up among the nations like a worthless vessel. Ephraim goes to Assyria like a wild donkey and hires lovers, seeking security through alliances. The nation is not merely making a diplomatic mistake. It is treating political power as a substitute for God.

The charge against worship grows sharper. Ephraim has multiplied altars, but the altars have become places for more sinning. The LORD wrote great things of His law, but the people regarded them as strange. They offer sacrifices and eat the meat, yet the LORD does not accept them because the ceremony has not changed their loyalty.

Israel has forgotten its Maker and built palaces. Judah has multiplied fortified cities. Buildings and defenses look permanent, but the LORD says fire will consume the cities and citadels. What people build to secure themselves cannot rescue them when the foundation is rebellion.