Hosea 9:1

Hosea 9:1 says, Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.  God's people were warned that they should not rejoice in their idolatry.  They were sacrificing the things of God to idols.  If we are putting our faith in the things of this world instead of God, we certainly have no reason to rejoice.  We must rejoice in faith in God alone.  Verse two says, The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her. While God's people looked to other gods for their deliverance, they were again warned of their ultimate failure.  We may feel secure in our place in the world, but if we are allowing anything to come between God and us, we can be certain that whatever it is will ultimately fail us.  Verse three continues, They shall not dwell in the LORD’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.  God's people were promised that without their obedience to Him that they would not be allowed to live in His land and under His protection.  We today, when we follow Christ, live in His land and under His everlasting protection, no matter where we are in the world.  Hosea told the people of Israel that they were going to eat unclean things in Assyria. They were already eating things that were spiritually unclean, but now they were going to be at the mercy of Assyria for their food.  When we turn away from God, everything we eat can be said to be spiritually unclean, even if we have gone through the motions of asking God to bless it.  God does not bless half-hearted obedience. We have to put Him first if we expect to be blessed by Him.  Verse four states, They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.  This verse continues what was being said in verse three.  The people of Israel would no longer be allowed to offer sacrifices to God, and even if they went through the motions, the sacrifice would not be accepted, because they had turned their backs on God.  There was a second warning, that the bread of their soul would not come from God.  When we are not in God's will, we cannot expect to be spiritually filled.  Verse five adds, What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD? Now that Israel had turned away from God, and their sacrifices were no longer acceptable to Him, God asked them what they were going to do on those solemn days of worship. They weren't willing to acknowledge God, so what were they to do when they should have been worshipping Him?  We need to understand that just because we show up for religious services, that does not mean that God has to accept our worship if we are out of His will.  God might indeed ask us what we are going to do instead.  Verse six continues, For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.  God told Israel in no uncertain terms that their nation was going to be destroyed.  The people would still live, but they would live under the authority and power of another nation.  We today when we reject God's will lose the freedom, He gave us through salvation and place our lives back under the authority and power of sin.  Though we may live, we are dead to the joy of salvation.