Please read the passage before reading the commentary.
We had a big storm this morning where I live. It reminded me that in the pagan pantheon of the ancient Canaanites, the god of storms and agriculture was Baal. At times the Israelites worshiped Baal. Hosea called them back to the true God.
In this passage Hosea uses many agricultural words to relate to God. Bullocks, lilies, Lebanon cedars, grain, vine, wine, dew, verdant cypress tree are agricultural terms. It is the God of the Israelites who provides the fertility of the fields and farms.
In turning to false gods, like Baal, the Israelites had put their trust in foreign alliances and weapons of war. They were told by Hosea to give up aligning themselves with Assyria and the four-legged tanks called horses.
We tend to put our trust in international defensive associations and trade agreements. We rely on wealth and possessions rather than on God. Perhaps we need to give up our sleek black EU cars and the other fancy expensive things we use to satisfy ourselves.
God want to bless us, to give us abundant and fruitful harvests. God wants us to walk the paths Gd walks and enjoy the peace and pleasure of God.
Baal cannot help us. The gods of the ancient pantheons do not exist. Our only God is the one who provides for our every need, who protects us, and who calls us into God’s eternity forever.
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