Hosea 9 DAYS OF PUNISHMENT Israel had days of feasting called the Feasts of Jehovah and one of those was the Feast of Tabernacles when they celebrated the blessings of a bountiful harvest and remembered their journey to the land of promise. But something had changed all of that even though to many it seemed like the usual festival. Like the idolatrous nations around, Israel did the singing, dancing and feasting - but it was to idols instead of the Lord. The threshing floors were used as places to make sacrifices to idols. Baal had taken the place of God in the hearts of God's people. They had deserted the God who had blessed them and "partied" in defiance and sinfulness.
Hosea's message would not be welcomed at all in that setting. "Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people..." Other nations did their feasting, partying and perverted worship in ignorance, but the Jews did the same things in defiance and willful sinning against the light they had received from the Lord. When Hosea spoke his warning of judgment coming on them, he would have been like a skunk coming to the party. To ignore and/or reject what God wants and substitute that which pleases people is spiritual adultery. To make that which is intended to be holy something that is pleasing to the perverse pleasure of human beings, is totally unacceptable to God.
Hosea warned them that the harvests to come would be so small and the grapes so bad that they would hardly have anything to eat, let alone use for a feast day. The leaders of the people had tried to form alliances with the enemies of God but those same enemies would be their captors. In spite of the warning Israel would not return to God. So judgment was coming from both Egypt and Assyria. Coming feast days would only be days of haunting memories and remorse as the joy of fellowship and appreciation of God were replaced with the sadness of bondage and rejection. In their captivity there would be nothing to bring. The "days of visitation," and "the days of recompense" are going to come even though it may seem at the present nothing bad is going to happen because of sin. Some say that God is too merciful to punish people for evil. They reject the fact of justice and recompense being carried out by a holy God.
Israel was not listening to God's prophets, and would not accept the truth about their sin. Apostate priests and leaders set snares to trap the faithful prophet Hosea and to stir up hatred against him. To the Israelites their mind toward Hosea was, "The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad." To Hosea, the false prophets were fools and the counterfeit messages they gave were insane. True prophets were guards for the people but they were refused and hated. Israel's mockery of the prophets of God will bring a recompense for their sin and animosity.
The depravity of His people is not something the Lord overlooks nor will He not carry out just punishment because of it. Hosea mentioned the event that took place in the time of the judges when the men of Gibeah wanted a traveler to be given to them to use sexually but instead his "significant other" was given to them and after they performed terrible acts of evil against her, he went even farther and cut her into twelve pieces for each tribe. Israel had sunk to an awful low then and now they were in a similar state again. Idolatry of any kind corrupts those who engage in it. People take on the characteristics of what or who they love. That is a present-day lesson for us. Who am I like? What am I becoming because of my love?
Hosea even prayed that the Israelites would not have children or that they would die in infancy so they wouldn't have to go through all the terrible things that were ahead of the Jews in captivity. He prayed that they would be like a barren woman because of their spiritual prostitution, their departure from God and their violence because of willful sin. The worship of God and their vitality as a nation had dried up. That is a natural result of their choice to do evil. At one time Israel had been a joy to the Lord like refreshing food and drink when they were in the wilderness. The Lord remembered those good days, and then they deserted Him. It was at Gilgal Saul was crowned as king beginning their political failure. It was at Gilgal when idols were first introduced to the nation making their spiritual failure. Both kings and idols took the place of God in their national life so the time had come for them to be abandoned to the consequences of their choices and the effect would be there for generations to come - even today.
The lying prophets and false spiritual leaders gave their counterfeit message and the glory departed from "Ephraim," (Israel) because of their attraction to Baalpeor and all that was associated with wicked deception. The dispersion would take them into bondage like they had been in Egypt long before. They would be like the city of Tyre that disappeared. Their identity would be lost among the nations with nothing to identify them as God's chosen people. Those who would survive the coming invasion would be driven from the land of promise and become instead "wandering Jews" - homeless people among the nations they had once ruled.
People today make pronouncements claiming to be prophets that are come from God with a message to our times. Some set dates for the coming of the Lord. Some say the end of time is almost here and get news coverage from stations that are willing to report anything that contradicts the Bible. We need to be aware of the fact that judgment from God is inevitable, but it will be according to His timetable and brought about in His way. Speculation about divine intention is not right. We have in the scriptures of truth all that God intends us to know. It is our responsibility to do what He has clearly commanded us and pay no attention to those things that are spurious speculations.