Hosea 2:8-9 (ESV Strong's)
And she did not know
that it was I who gave her
the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal.
Therefore I will take back
my grain in its time,
and my wine in its season,
and I will take away my wool and my flax,
which were to cover her nakedness.
Steal From God; He Takes It Back
The above passage is God’s condemnation of Israel through the prophet Hosea. God had blessed them and, instead of honoring Him with that blessing, they used it “for Baal.” God gives us blessings so that we can turn around and bless Him for them. But, the nation of Israel did not do that. They turned around and blessed a fake god they called “Baal.” They would also use the gifts God gave them for their own pleasure:
Hosea 2:13 (ESV Strong's)
And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned offerings to them
and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers
and forgot me, declares the Lord.
We like to take what God gives us and treat ourselves to a “spa” day. The nation of Israel “adorned herself” and then went whoring after other gods of pleasure. That is not why God blesses us. In the above passage God states He will come and take back those blessings. This is what God did as Israel went into captivity. God took them away and exposed the nakedness of their spiritual lives. God blesses us so that we will bless Him with those blessings. If we don’t - He will take it all away!
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