Hosea Chapter 10: Sow Righteousness, Reap Mercy

Hosea Chapter 10: Sow Righteousness, Reap Mercy

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh grain, but I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Judah, and Jacob will break up the ground.

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love. Break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness upon you like rain.

◇ God delivered the Israelites from slavery, granting them freedom and fertile land. Though their kingdom was divided, they prospered. The more abundant their harvest, the more altars they built, hosting thanksgiving festivals.

Yet God is not pleased. He threatens to destroy their altars. Their situation resembles a nouveau riche who, upon gaining wealth, forgets those who stood by them during hard times. God transformed them from slaves to landowners, from wanderers to providers - yet they now worship idols, bowing to carved images crafted by their own hands.

Moreover, their political system is in chaos. Kings no longer fear God, people no longer respect authority. Justice has disappeared, with courts ruled by bribery and corruption.

God, who led these people with love and patience, now threatens to make their nation vanish like foam, turning their lands into thorny wilderness.

But He offers a chance. Through Hosea, He pleads:

"Sow righteousness and reap mercy"

He calls them to uproot idolatry and wickedness, to plant justice and harvest compassion. It's not too late - seek the Lord now. Overhaul the corrupt systems - the kings, judges, prophets, and priests who have defiled God's people and His kingdom.

A nation without justice and mercy becomes overgrown with thorns and thistles.

♧ Good and righteous God, on this most abundant land, let justice take root and mercy overflow. Holy Spirit, guide us in truth. Amen.