The fruits of the earth are gifts sent to us by the Lord. But those who sacrifice them to false gods, in essence, steal them from the true Creator and do not receive the gifts themselves. Already here one can see the payback built into such an act: hope in idols is vain, and so are the gifts offered to them. But the payback for ungodliness will be still more serious; it is not limited merely to squandering gifts for nothing. Turning to false gods will not leave the hearts of those who turn to them untouched, especially the hearts of those who were given communion with the true God and then turned away from Him. Idols loved by apostates, whether blood-demanding pagan deities or passionate attachments capable of eclipsing everything else, in the end destroy those whose hearts they have taken over. But falling is always more painful than lying in the lowland from the start, and everything the pagans hope in will also be destroyed.

It is never too late to come to one's senses and begin sowing righteousness again. But those who do not intend to come to their senses will have only themselves to blame.

Rebuking the people for the sin of a “divided heart,” Hosea prophesies the coming Assyrian captivity, almost a century before the prophecy was fulfilled! Living not according to the spirit but according to the flesh inevitably means condemnation, a severe sentence at God’s judgment: God will withdraw His protection, and Israel will be left defenseless and put to shame. How often in our own lives the most terrible punishment is simply for “everything to take its natural course,” according to the patterns of this world, according to the “law of sin and death”!