You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of lies (Hosea 10:13).

The Northern Kingdom of Israel did not follow the Law of Moses for the majority of their history. They practiced syncretistic idolatry, especially in their acceptance of Baal worship. They allowed injustice to proliferate throughout their society. They listened to false prophets and trusted in their lies. Therefore, in Hosea God pronounces judgment, which He would bring through the nation of Assyria, the world power of the day. 

As I read God's accounting of Israel's sins, I cannot help but think about the moral decline of my own time and country. In my generation, the genocide of children in the womb is legal. The millennia-held principle of marriage being defined as between a man and a woman has been upended. Likewise, the long-standing rule of "innocent until proven guilty" and the longer-standing principle that requires two witnesses to attribute guilt are both being set aside. Evil is characterized as good and good as evil, as news media cherry pick, manipulate and recast events and people to support whatever position they want to push forward.

As Christians, while we may not be able to permanently stop the moral decay, we can perhaps slow it down in our generation. In America, we in part do this through our vote. Having this freedom, it would be morally irresponsible not to use it. In our day the party and individuals that are most in line with Christian principles is the Republican Party. They stand against abortion. They stand against the redefining of marriage. They support Christian liberties. They more strongly resist the influence and terror of Islam. 

Therefore, dear friend, the midterm elections are just around the corner, on November 6, 2018. If you are not registered to vote, I strongly urge you to do get registered (in Texas, deadline is Oct. 9). If you can, vote early (starting on Mon. Oct. 22, link). Vote Republican. If you are in Texas, vote for Ted Cruz as Senator. The Democrats are trying to entrench and extend the moral decay of our country. They are trying to prevent President Trump from nominating a conservative Christian Supreme Court justice. They may be able to do so if they gain a majority in the midterm elections. We can do our part to stop them and support the president by voting Republican and encouraging as many others to do the same. 

Scripture teaches, "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2). Exercising our freedom to vote for righteousness in America is a part of being faithful to what has been entrusted to us.

Blessings!
Yujin

As they had their pasture, they became satisfied,
And being satisfied, their heart became proud;
Therefore they forgot Me (Hosea 13:6).

When God supplied provisions and abundance to Israel, Israel ought to have acknowledged God  and given praise to Him for His great bounty. Instead, they took these benefits for granted, and they became "satisfied"; that is, they became self-satisfied. They forgot about God, who gave these benefits to them. They developed a sense of entitlement and became proud. Since Israel responded to God's blessings by turning away from Him, God then gave them punishing curses insead:

So I will be like a lion to them;
Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside.
I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs,
And I will tear open their chests;
There I will also devour them like a lioness,
As a wild beast would tear them (Hosea 13:7-8).

When God was their Shepherd, seeking their good, Israel forgot about Him; therefore, He would come upon them as a wild beast, seeking their harm. For it was far more important for them to know and worship Him than it was for them to either enjoy or forgo His benefits. 

Friends, let us understand this pinciple: the nearness of God is our good (Psalm 73:28). We do not live for His benefits but for Him - to worship and adore and find our total satisfaction in Him! Again, the psalmist writes,

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26).

This passage is reflected in the Westminster Catechism, the first lesson of which is,

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Our life's point is not to enjoy His benefits. It is to enjoy HIM, and to enjoy Him forever. 

Therefore, friends, let us never be caught up in the idolatry of being "self-satisfied," of patting ourselves on the back, as if we achieved any good for ourselves. Instead, with every good, let us give praise to our God, from Whom comes every good (cf. James 1:17). Let every good find us praising Him as the source of the good. Let every suffering find us longing for Him, from whom we find true comfort. And so, whatever the circumstance, let our every breath be constantly praising the LORD (cf. Psalm 150:6).

As they had their pasture, they became satisfied,
And being satisfied, their heart became proud;
Therefore they forgot Me (Hosea 13:6).

When Israel came into the Promised Land, "they became satisfied". Finding rest in the land, "their heart became proud". Instead of being thankful and acknowledging that God had fulfilled His promises to them, "they forgot" Him. Hosea was simply recounting what Moses told the children of Israel right before they conquered the Promised Land:

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery... You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today (Deuteronmy 8:10-18).

Moses warned Israel that if they were not careful to remember the Lord, they would become proud, and instead of acknowledging Him, they would claim that they prospered themselves. 

We live in a generation that exalts personal initiative and commends effort and achievement. This is fine and well, but we must never forget that it is the Lord who gives us "the ability to produce wealth". God not only provides the miraculous, He is also the source of what we might deem as common. It is not without reason that Paul writes, 

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Friends, let us not take anything for granted or accept final praise for anything but always remember to acknowledge and give glory to our God in everything:

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).

Hosea 8:1-4 “Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my  covenant  and  rebelled against my law. Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’ But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. 

Lip service. That's what Hosea says that Israel has given to the LORD. They cry out, "Our God, we acknowledge you!" But then they break the covenant they made with Him and rebel against His Law. While acknowledging God, they reject what is good. They appoint leaders without seeking God's counsel and approval. While praising the God of heaven with their lips, with their hands they fashion idols of gold and silver. 

In the tradition of just about every prophet, Hosea charges Israel with spiritual and moral incongruity. Their words do not match their actions. While they say that they acknowledge the LORD, it is not evident by their lives. Jesus made the same charge in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)

The Lord Jesus' words are a sobering reminder that going through the motions of worship does not certify a person's faith. Even the manifestation of gifts and the doing of miracles do not certify a person's faith. In other words, you can do all these things as unbelievers. God may allow people to claim prophetic utterances, the casting out of demons, and the performance of miracles in Jesus' Name, and these still be unbelievers. Now, I take it that neither the prophecies, nor the signs, nor the miracles are from the Lord, even though those doing them declare they are, since Jesus uses such strong language to indicate that these people are rejected.

Jesus is speaking in the above passages about false prophets, for just before this he taught,

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-20 NIV)

Yet, there may be a larger application to all believers as well. For just after the passage he taught,

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27 NIV)

Thus, there is a relationship between all of these passages. The central idea is that the true and false prophet, as well as the true and false believer, are not known by external displays or claims or appearances of devotion but rather by obedience to Jesus' words from the heart. Thus, to discern the true from the false it is necessary to understand the Word of God and to measure every action and claim by that Word. 

It was the same in Hosea's day, for their were false prophets, as well as self-deceived people. 

Friends, I urge you to be diligent in your study of God's Word. And as you gain understanding, be diligent to apply your understanding to your own lives and then to those around you, so that you be like a wise builder in building your life on the strong foundation of God's Word, and so that you will be a faithful witness to those around, who may be leading others astray, making empty claims, or building their lives on unstable sand. Thus, we will be both salt and light to this world.

God longs for us to repent and come back to Him. I remember someone saying that the word, repent, means a change of mind in Greek unlike many people's common notion about the word which is feeling sorry for what they've done. Therefore, let us renew our mind to be transformed and then bring it down into our heart. I always sought the will of God for me whenever an important decision had to be made as if I were asking for help from a fortune teller, but today's text teaches me that the will of God is me growing into maturity through obedience to Him. Let us strive to obey Him in any circumstances

In Hosea 12:6 we are told to "maintain love and justice" (NIV).  In other translations maintain is translated as "hold fast to", "act with" and "observe".  I believe the point the author is trying to make is that together our thoughts, actions and words should keep these two priniciples in balance.  One without the other misses the mark.  For instance, parents that so want to provide every comfort for their child that they end up spoiling them and not teaching them the difference between right and wrong (i.e. God's higher standard.  Or the other end of the spectrum where a parent rules with an iron fist without showing their own flesh and blood a drop of love?  In both cases when one neglects to love or justice an imbalance occurs.  A heart for God coupled with God's higher standard is paramount in both of these cases.  Don't be afraid to step on another's toes when done in love.  Don't be afraid of being hurt when it means doing the right thing.

Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12 NASB)

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12, 13 NASB)

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; (Hebrews 12:4 NASB)

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NASB)