Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love

Hosea 10:1-15

Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars;

Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.

They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors, the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated—as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.

So will it happen to you, Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

Outwardly, affluent Israel made a great show of religion, but inwardly the people moved further and further away from God. The calf-image at Bethel had become the nation's only 'king, a king marked for destruction. Now they are reaping what they have long sown. Yet they could still sow an altogether different crop.

Why?

The Lord gave Israel a spreading vine, but his fruit increased, and he built more altars. This is totally disobeying God's grace and mercy. Their heart is deceitful, for their heart away from the Lord so their heart away from the honest.

Sow righteousness reaps the fruit of unfailing love. Planted wickedness, eaten the fruit of deception. The Lord is fair and righteous. What the Lord needs is our pure heart and mind and more honest deed with mercy and honor the Holy Name of the Lord.

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不要以色列人在豐收時狂歡，行宗教儀式，愈豐收愈敗壞。古代如此，今天的教會也是如此，因為1)以為豐收是依靠自己，2)心懷二意（敬拜耶和華同時敬拜巴力，或者靠神也靠自己）。所以葡萄愈豐收，愈拜巴力，即按照世俗的方法，愛神也愛世界(愛世界，愛神的心就薄弱了)，人愈有成就愈覺得自己功勞大，對神所有保留，對我有益就做。

心懷二意即榮耀變為羞辱。獻給亞述王，頭號大王（耶雷布王），以色列王變成老二這就是羞辱。拜金牛犢是羞辱，牛本來人效力，人反過來拜牛。教會如果走錯路，按照私意，教會就會荒涼！羞愧到求死。心懷二意的人自己也沒有查覺，完全不自知。

基比亞以前發生的事，如今的基比亞人以為過去的事與他們無關，如今他們一樣犯一樣的錯誤。

以法蓮喜愛踹穀，如同牛工作時可以吃穀物。表示我們在負軛的時候，其實是恩典，外表看似重擔、壓力，卻是可以享受恩典。所以神要以法連走上神的道路，載重公義，讓神把軛加在我們身上，不是栽種後收成，而是我們願意負軛開始降下公義的雨。負主的軛愈得享安息！

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How?

What I have depended on? I depended on the Lord, for God is my Lord, my shepher,d and my way.