Hosea 9:7

Hosea 9:7 says, The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. Can you imagine how Hosea must have felt bringing this message to Israel?  They felt that they were so successful that they didn't even need to remain faithful to God, yet Hosea continued to tell them they were going to be destroyed.  Many false prophets prophesied of prosperity to come so they would be popular with Israel, but Hosea proclaimed the truth.  The days of destruction were at hand, and there was nothing the people of Israel could do to delay that fact, other than return to God, which they refused to do.  There would be no doubt to Israel that Hosea was accurate in his prophecy.  There are people today who promise that as long as we simply claim to be God's people, whether we are actually following His will and His teachings or not, that everything will be all right.  Being one of God's people, His children, requires more than simply speaking the right words.  It requires a whole new attitude and change of heart.  God said the prophets of Israel were fools and the spiritual men were mad, because they really were not seeking God's guidance and protection.  Their sin and hatred were great, and that was not what God had called them to be ruled by.  We today are called to witness to people with the love of God and not with hatred in our hearts.  Verse eight adds, The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.  God's prophets had been His watchmen over the people of Ephraim, and the whole nation of Israel.  Now, they were following false prophets who were snare to their relationship with God.  Instead of the house of God being a place of refuge and worship, it had become a place of hatred.  I believe this applied not only to the people's attitude toward others, but also to their attitude toward God.  We cannot not love with all our heart and hate those around us and the way His word teaches us to live.  Verse nine continues, They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.  God's people were special because He had called them into a covenant relationship with Himself, but now they were turning away from that relationship.  It had happened before, and Israel had suffered for their rebellion.  God was telling the people of Israel at this time that they were no better than those who had turned away from Him before.  It would be wonderful if God's people always were always devoted to following His leadership, but we know that is not always the case.  Still, when we do fail, we must acknowledge that failure and ask for God's forgiveness and restoration before we find ourselves totally useless to Him.  Verse ten concludes, I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.  God was reminding the people of Israel that they weren't God's people because they were special, but that they were special because He chose them to work through to reveal Him to the world.  They had been true to God at first, but now had separated themselves from Him to their shame.  When we start to live without daily seeking God's direction, we become separated from God in our effectiveness.  Again, this does not mean that we have lost our salvation, but we have certainly lost our effectiveness for God.  This should cause us to feel shame for our actions and to repent and return to God, which Israel refused to do.