Hosea 6:7 (ESV)
But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
The prophet Hosea has a very rough ministry. It starts out with him being told to take a wife who is a prostitute, have babies with her, allow her to return to her prostitution and then go buy her back to be his wife again. Those in full time ministry might want to compare their struggles with keyboard warriors on social media to Hosea’s ministry foot print. His life is to be an example of God’s love for Israel. God loved them and took them from idolatry when He called Abraham to leave his idolatry and follow Yahweh. From Abraham came Israel. Then Israel left God’s care and returned to idolatry. God then redeemed them back. The people of Israel continued to break their covenant with God and returned to their old lovers, as a prostitute. In the above verse Hosea reminds them they are just like Adam. He, too, broke his covenant with God. God promised Adam a great life if he would but take care of the garden while staying away from on single tree. He could not do it. He had all the other trees in the garden, but ate from the one he was told not to eat. Like the proverbial wet paint sign he just had to touch it to see if it was wet. God compares the nation of Israel to that moment. Breaking God’s covenant will result in the doom and gloom prophecy Hosea is delivering to the nation. His turn or burn message is one of the harshest in Scripture. But, like lovers cheating on the other, Israel continued to look for idolatry to satisfy their longing. That breaks God’s covenant for them. It does for us, as well. When we seek other things to fill our hearts desire we are breaking a covenant with God.
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