When Corruption Abounds, Conviction is Necessary

The 10th chapter of Hosea reveals the internal division within Israel's heart, as reflected in her actions. She was religious on the outside, presenting worshipful presentations, but it wasn't of God, and her heart was deceitful. 

Hosea 10:1–2 (ESV) Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. 2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

Many prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Psalmists, referred to Israel as a vine, the planting of the Lord, abundantly provided for and prepared for bearing fruit. But Israel failed to produce anything other than sin. Here God stipulates the root of the problem: her "heart is false". They did not love the Lord, AND worse, they deceived themselves into believing they were fine. 

God then calls them out regarding their commitment.

Hosea 10:4 (ESV) They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Though they sounded religious and made promises, their words were empty and poisonous. This is the problem with dead religion: it appears sacred from the outside, but if the heart is not right, it poisons the mind because others might consider it authentic worship when the Lord knows it's fake. 

Hosea 10:5–6 (ESV) The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests— those who rejoiced over it and over its glory— for it has departed from them. 6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

Here God stipulates that these pagan idols Jeroboam made, which had become a snare for Israel, would prove to be the useless idols they always were. It will go into exile, and the people will follow.

A theme in Hosea repeated now in this chapter is the reference to Israel's sin in Gibeah:

Hosea 10:9 (NLT) The LORD says, “O Israel, ever since Gibeah, there has been only sin and more sin! You have made no progress whatsoever. Was it not right that the wicked men of Gibeah were attacked?

Gibea was the home of the events in Judges 19, when Israel had become so corrupt that they did the very evil of Sodom, where men surrounded the house with a visiting Levite (and his concubine) to rape him. The man instead offered them his concubine, and they abused her all night until she lay dead on the door. He took her body home, cut it up into twelve pieces, and sent a piece to all the tribes of Israel. This outraged the nation, and civil war broke out against Benjamin.  The country was already bent on sin, and Hosea makes clear, it had only gotten worse. 

So God says:

Hosea 10:10 (ESV) When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for their double iniquity.

People don't understand God's judgment in the Old Testament because they have NO CLUE how bad people were. We live in a culture that has benefited from centuries of Gospel preaching, which has kept human evil in check and maintained a preservative presence (salt) in the life of the church. Remove both of those, and we will see how fast culture corrupts itself. 

YET even in Hosea's time, as dark as it was, there remained a remnant to whom was delivered a message of hope. 

Hosea 10:12 (ESV) Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Those who see the corruption leading to judgment must turn to righteous living, love, and seeking the Lord. God will preserve for Himself. 

This chapter of Hosea resonates well with 1 John 2:3–6 (ESV) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

When we see the wickedness destroying our world, the response of the church is to walk away from it and seek God's kingdom and His way of life. It preserves and protects.