Think on these questions as you dwell in Hosea 13:1-16:

1. The text emphasizes the transient nature of idolatry and false worship, likening it to morning mist or smoke. How can this imagery serve as a cautionary reminder in modern times when individuals might pursue temporary fulfillment or material things over a lasting relationship with God?

2. The passage highlights the tendency to forget God's providence and grace during times of abundance. How can believers cultivate a consistent and unwavering devotion to God regardless of their circumstances, ensuring they remain connected to Him even in times of plenty?

3. The passage highlights the dangers of a lifted-up heart leading to forgetting God in times of plenty. How can believers guard against spiritual complacency or forgetting God's significance in their lives, ensuring a continual reliance on Him even amidst abundance and success?

Transcript:

 Now I know what you are thinking today. This is exactly what I wanted. This is the kind of imagery I wanted for devotional thoughts today as I looked at God's Word. Obviously, nobody is thinking that. This is very harsh language. This is difficult stuff to read, difficult. stuff to hear. But what it shows us is the unfaithfulness of Israel.

Now we have to remember that how God judged Israel was he removed his restraining hand. He removed his blessing and he allowed other nations to come in and basically pillage to destroy to do all those kind of things. And it was because of the unfaithfulness of Israel and of Judah.  And so we see this story as we go back to the top of the passage and look at the story that we've heard over and over again in the book of Hosea, verse two, and now they send more and more and there's idolatry involved.

Now, look, they say, hey, they made idols skillfully out of silver. They were the work of craftsmen. Hey, Hosea even says they're nice. They may have been some of the best there ever were, right?  But what is, what is being said? They're the work of craftsmen. This is not the work of God. This is something you are worshiping that is made by the hands of other people.

And so, we see this here. It says those who offer human sacrifices kiss calves. In other words, they are going after one who is not God. They go after the Baals.  And so...  What does God have to say? Therefore, they shall be like the morning mist. In other words, the morning mist goes away pretty quick, the sun comes out, and it's gone.

Even our strong frost, right? If the sun hits our windshield before we try to get into our car, we don't have to scrape it, right? Because even that strong frost on a cold day, it's short lived. And that's the idea here. That's what is being expressed, like the morning mist, it goes away, like the dew, it's gone, uh, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor, it just, it just blows away because there's nothing to it, or like smoke from a window, it's, it's just a vapor, it is quick, um, that, that's all they're going to be, they, they're going to follow after the bales, they're going to have these idols, And because of this, there is nothing substantial to them.

But notice what the Lord says. He is substantial. He's saying, look, you have all these things, but truly, you know no god but me. Baal is not a god. He is a false idol. And besides me, there's no savior. You have salvation in no one else. Baal did not bring them out of Egypt. Baal did not bring them through the Red Sea.

Baal did not save them from all the other things that we, uh, that we see in the Old Testament, right? It was through the hand of God that helped them and the illustration that's brought here, and it's a powerful one, right? Um, it was I who knew you in the wilderness in the land of the drought. It was not the Baals who brought the manna.

It was not the Baals who brought water from a rock when they were parched, when they were in that drought.  But notice what it what else it says here. God had given them these things, but when they had grazed, they became full they were filled and their heart was lifted up. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm feeling better and then they forgot God.

How prone are we to do this? When things are good, it is easy for us to forget God. When we are in trouble, it is easy to go to prayer. When we are struggling, it's easy for us to go to prayer. But when our bellies are full, when things are going well, it's easy to forget God. And that is what has happened here.

With Israel and Judah and Ephraim and notice what verse 9 says he destroys you Oh Israel for you are against me against your helper. They have gone against God. Now remember God does not do these things that are being described here. It's foreign nations What has happened the help that he had given them that restraint has been removed That is how God came in judgment on the people so as we think about this passage as we try to find some application from this Harsh language here.

I think the important thing that we need to remember is what we see here in verse 6 We have grazed on God's Word. We have received his sacrament. We have been filled abundantly by God.  Knowing that we have this, we need to be prepared and be ready to not have our lifted-up hearts turn away and forget God.

We need to be continually remembering the grace that we have received in Christ. We need to hear the word and believe and desire to conform ourselves to God's law because it is so easy for us. To forget so may we remember our status without God. May we remember that we were dead in trespasses and sins And may we remember that new life that he has given us in Christ and may we continually seek it out May we having been filled desire to be filled even more through his Word and Spirit.