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13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
And now they sin more and more,
and make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
“Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”
Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
or like the dew that goes early away,
like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or like smoke from a window.
But I am the LORD your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no savior.
It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
but when they had grazed, they became full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
So I am to them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rip them open.
He destroys you, O Israel,
for you are against me, against your helper.
Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
Where are all your rulers—
those of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him away in my wrath.
The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
his sin is kept in store.
The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son,
for at the right time he does not present himself
at the opening of the womb.
I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
I shall redeem them from Death.
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
Though he may flourish among his brothers,
the east wind, the wind of the LORD, shall come,
rising from the wilderness,
and his fountain shall dry up;
his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip his treasury
of every precious thing.
Samaria shall bear her guilt,
because she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword;
their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open.
(ESV)
Chapter 13 of Hosea brings much of the same for the people of Israel. How bad has it gotten? They are in the business of sacrificing babies to their false gods. And let’s just be honest… we would be furious as well. God’s response is hard to read and process but it is just.
But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.
Hosea 13:4 ESV
Consider, the gods that were being worshiped by Israel were nothing close to the One True God. They didn’t pursue them like God, or speak like God, or perform powerful miracles like God. He reminds them of this fact.
It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; 6 but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.
Hosea 13:5-6 ESV
We forget about God and turn to the worship of false gods because we love sin. False gods are really the scapegoat for our true motives. When you compare the track record of God with the track record of these false gods, it’s not even close. The people of Israel knew this. However, they knew if they chose to follow God, they would be required to obey. If they chose to follow false gods, they could do whatever they wanted. So, they suppressed the truth and believed a lie. Now, they will face the consequences of such actions.
It’s not a comfortable lesson, but it’s right. Where are we suppressing truth and believing lies? In what ways are we giving in to small compromises and choosing to follow our own belief system?