Give to God What is Due to Him

Scripture Text : Hosea 2:8-13

Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:25 (ESV)

In April 2008, the antiques world was rocked by allegations that John Hobbs, a leading dealer in London, had been selling reproductions as original antiques. Dennis Buggins, who worked as Hobbs’s restorer for over two decades, produced evidence that he had created furniture that Hobbs then sold to antique buyers. For instance, Buggins made one piece valued at $55,000, which Hobbs then listed as an antique commode for $736,000 in his gallery.

People are outraged when they realize that an “artist” takes credit for someone else’s work, or when the value of something is knowingly misrepresented. But throughout human history, people have credited the wrong “gods” for works they didn’t do. Continuing the vivid parallel between Gomer’s adultery and Israel’s apostasy, Hosea revealed details of God’s judgment against His people for giving credit where it was by no means due.

Israel worshiped multiple false gods throughout their history, but Baal had been an object of their attention since their entry into Canaan (cf. Num. 25:1–3). Baal was reputed to have power over agricultural forces like animals, the land, and crops. Food and textiles produced in an agrarian society would have been considered part of the fruit of Baal’s power. The fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy would expose Baal as a phony, stripping away the rewards the people had attributed to Baal (v. 9) and putting an end to the celebration carried on under false pretenses (v. 11). Just as Hosea was Gomer’s true provider, God had always been the one and only source of Israel’s sustenance, even though they didn’t recognize and honor Him (v. 8).

Hosea used many metaphors to illustrate Israel’s depravity. He painted word pictures of marriage, farming, baking, weaving, celebrating, and other aspects of life that Israel attributed to false gods. By doing so, he revealed the folly of giving God’s praises to anyone but Him, a truth made more painful when Israel’s livelihood was taken away by their true provider.

Reflect

1. Are we giving the praises due to only to God?

2. Are we not taking the credit away from Him?

3. Do we worship Him and love Him wholeheartedly?

Remember

What ancient cultures credited to false gods, our society today attributes to science. We live in a world where everything—the weather, our health, our behavior, and even the existence of life itself—is considered a natural product of random scientific processes. But giving credit to science is no less foolish than bowing down to a stick. Science is really just the calculated observation of God’s unwavering power at work all around us. Praise Him, our Creator and Sustainer, for all His wondrous works!

Read

Deuteronomy 8:11-14; Romans 1:28; Acts 17:23–25

Pray

Dear God, search me and know my heart and mind today. Try me and reveal to me whatever and whoever pulls me away from You and unwarily making them as my “god” rather than You as the true God. Help me to renew my mind and heart that it may be thinking and beating only for the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.