Hosea , Sarah Barry
IT IS TIME TO SEEK THE LORD
Passage: Hosea 10:1~15  
Key verse: 12
10 Israel was a spreading vine;(A)
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;(B)
as his land prospered,(C)
he adorned his sacred stones.(D)
2 Their heart is deceitful,(E)
and now they must bear their guilt.(F)
The Lord will demolish their altars(G)
and destroy their sacred stones.(H)
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many promises,
take false oaths(I)
and make agreements;(J)
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds(K) in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol(L) of Beth Aven.[a](M)
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,(N)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.(O)
6 It will be carried to Assyria(P)
as tribute(Q) for the great king.(R)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(S)
Israel will be ashamed(T) of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(U)
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places(V) of wickedness[b](W) will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(X) and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.(Y)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(Z)
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(AA)
9 “Since the days of Gibeah,(AB) you have sinned,(AC) Israel,
and there you have remained.[c]
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(AD) them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke(AE)
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(AF) righteousness(AG) for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(AH)
for it is time to seek(AI) the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness(AJ) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,(AK)
you have eaten the fruit of deception.(AL)
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,(AM)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated(AN)—
as Shalman(AO) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(AP)
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.(AQ)
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
- Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken
Cross references
- Hosea 10:1 : S Eze 15:2
- Hosea 10:1 : S 1Ki 14:23
- Hosea 10:1 : Hos 13:15
- Hosea 10:1 : Hos 3:4; S 4:7; S 8:11; 12:11
- Hosea 10:2 : 1Ki 18:21
- Hosea 10:2 : Hos 13:16
- Hosea 10:2 : ver 8
- Hosea 10:2 : Mic 5:13
- Hosea 10:4 : S Hos 4:2
- Hosea 10:4 : S Eze 17:19; Am 5:7
- Hosea 10:4 : Am 6:12
- Hosea 10:5 : S Ex 32:4; S Isa 44:17-20
- Hosea 10:5 : ver 8; S Hos 5:8
- Hosea 10:5 : S 2Ki 23:5; Zep 1:4
- Hosea 10:5 : S Jdg 18:17-18; S Hos 8:5; S 9:1, 3, 11
- Hosea 10:6 : S 2Ki 16:7; Hos 11:5
- Hosea 10:6 : S Jdg 3:15
- Hosea 10:6 : S Hos 5:13
- Hosea 10:6 : Isa 30:3; S Hos 4:7
- Hosea 10:6 : Jer 48:13
- Hosea 10:7 : ver 15; Hos 13:11
- Hosea 10:8 : S Eze 6:6
- Hosea 10:8 : S ver 5; 1Ki 12:28-30; S Hos 4:13
- Hosea 10:8 : S Hos 9:6
- Hosea 10:8 : ver 2; S Isa 32:13
- Hosea 10:8 : S Job 30:6; Am 3:14-15
- Hosea 10:8 : Am 7:9; Lk 23:30*; Rev 6:16
- Hosea 10:9 : S Hos 5:8
- Hosea 10:9 : S Jos 7:11
- Hosea 10:10 : S Eze 5:13; S Hos 4:9
- Hosea 10:11 : S Jer 15:12; S 31:18
- Hosea 10:12 : S Ecc 11:1
- Hosea 10:12 : S Pr 11:18; Jas 3:18
- Hosea 10:12 : Jer 4:3
- Hosea 10:12 : S Isa 19:22; Hos 12:6
- Hosea 10:12 : S Isa 45:8
- Hosea 10:13 : S Job 4:8; S Hos 7:3; 11:12; Gal 6:7-8
- Hosea 10:13 : S Pr 11:18; S Hos 8:7
- Hosea 10:13 : Ps 33:16
- Hosea 10:14 : S Isa 17:3; Mic 5:11
- Hosea 10:14 : S 2Ki 17:3
- Hosea 10:14 : S Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16
- Hosea 10:15 : S ver 7
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. They will say to the mountains, "cover us!" (1-8)
For a time, Israel prospered outwardly, like a spreading vine. They built more altars and spiritual decorations, but on the inside their hearts were becoming more and more crooked. They gave false oaths and brought lawsuits against each other and fell into idolatry. So God would tear down their altars and demolish their sacred stones. At the time of God's judgment, the people would call on the mountains to fall on them and cover them. It was a preview of the final judgment to come on the world (Rev 6:16).
2. Sow righteousness (9-15)
Hosea used the analogy of plowing a field to represent the hard punishment that Ephraim had to endure. He called them to repent, breaking up the unplowed ground of their stubborn hearts, and to seek the Lord. We should not depend on our own strength to make our lives fruitful. But when we repent sincerely, we can sow seeds of righteousness, and we will bear fruits of unfailing love.
Prayer: Father, help me not to rely on earthly riches. Help us to sow righteousness in our hearts.
One Word: It is time to sow righteousness