Hosea 13:1–8 (NIV)
When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;
he was exalted in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
Now they sin more and more;
they make idols for themselves from their silver,
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifices!
They kiss calf-idols!”
Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,
like chaff swirling from a threshing floor,
like smoke escaping through a window.
“But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
no Savior except me.
I cared for you in the wilderness,
in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
So I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.”
Israel’s sin and idolatry have reached a fever pitch. But notice that right in the middle of this passage is the key to the whole book—and to the problem with Israel.
I cared for you in the wilderness,
in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
God blessed them incredibly, and that just made them proud. They took it all for granted.
America has the same problem. We’re too blessed.
Our blessings make those of ancient Israel look like nothing. What would an ancient Israeli think of a smart phone? An airplane would terrify them.
But we take all this for granted. Blessings like these have made us soft and proud.
Actually, it’s worse than that. Suppose we could transport Hosea to modern America. After he got over the shock of seeing smart phones and airplanes, what sin do you think he would see everywhere? What sin would he say defines our culture?
I think he’d be more shocked by what we do with the smart phones than by the phones themselves. We treat them like idols!
Our sin isn’t pride; it’s idolatry.
