Reap the Whirlwind

For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. Hosea 8:7

In today’s passage, God issues a blistering judgment upon the wandering Israelites. In it, he says that though they claim to follow him (Hosea 8:2), still, they create the idols of their own destruction (Hosea 8:4). As they follow their own path, they sow the futility of the wind. In doing so, they reap the pain and misery of the coming storm.

In reading this passage, it is easy to look down at the Israelites. How could they be so dumb? It’s also easy for me to see those to whom the passage applies today. I can’t believe how you can continually follow yourself into such destruction. If I’m willing to ask what God is saying to me though, the passage is more than a little uncomfortable.

I claim to be a God-fearing person. I’m a Christian. I’m saved by faith. Again, if I am honest enough to engage in a little introspection, I must see that I’ve pursued the idols of my own misery. I’ve claimed to follow God, yet I’ve still followed my own self-destructive appetites, leading to the inevitable consequences.

This isn’t just about idols or drugs. This is about those things that we pursue on a daily basis above God. Do we get up early to spend time reading his word or do we sleep in, ignoring him? Do we spend more time on social media than in the Bible? Do we love those around us, or do we simply live for ourselves? Do we pursue our relationship with him above all, or do we expend ourselves on gluttony, lust, bitterness, resentment, greed, selfishness, and pride?

Anyone can claim to be a Christian. In today’s passage though, God points out the obvious difference between those who follow him and those who follow themselves. Those who follow their own path reap the whirlwind. Thankfully, the opposite is true as well. When we pursue God, we find him (James 4:8). This is not a promise of wealth and success. This is a promise that when we truly love and follow God, we sow the seeds of our own life, joy, and peace.