Moths and Worms

O. T. #2043    "Moths and Worms"

Oct. 11, 2021

Hosea 5-Part 3

Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. (verse 12)

LET IT GLOW

The other day I found a pretty, little moth dead on my kitchen floor.  I didn't think much about it, for there are  always several flying around our porch light if we leave it on very long at night. So I put it in the trash. I read that moths like to eat on wool, clothes, blankets, and fabrics, just as the worm or termite eats on wood.

Then I recalled Hosea mentioning the moth in verse 12. The judgment of God was coming upon Israel like a moth and rottenness and a worm. Slowly, Israel was wasting and decaying away by their sins. God used the prophets to warn His people of their future captivity, but they do not heed the warning.

 The moth breeds in the clothes, and the worm or rottenness in the wood; thus sinners are consumed by a fire of their own kindling. (Matthew Henry)

Ephraim suffers for following man's will, not God's will. (MacArthur)

It takes a wooden board or a wooden foundation of a house a long time to become rotten. (McGee)

God said in verse 12 in New Living Translation: I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood.

And so He did.

When Judah warred against Israel, taking the land of Benjamin, they sought help from an ally, Assyria. It backfired on Israel, for Assyria attacked Israel and penetrated the Northern Kingdom. In 722 BC,  they conquered Israel and brought Jerusalem under siege in 701 BC. Then Babylon conquered Judah. God will bring His children to repentance, no matter the cost or method.

We must come to Him in repentance of our sins, lest we consumed, too.

LET IT GROW

I have a mamma cat, Boots, who is very protective of her 4 kittens. If another animal or cat comes around them, she is ready to fight. so it is with mamma lions as they protect their cubs.

However, God is going to be as a lion towards the Northern Kingdom., pouncing on them. He intended to destroy them for their idolatry, adultery, and sins. No matter how much they whined and cried, He would not rescue them, for judgment had come.

Even today, God judges us and nations. Look at the effects venereal disease and the deadly Covid virus. Will we turn back to God? Will we stop sitting by and not condemning sin?

The good news is that when we seek God with our whole heart, confess our sins, turn away from them, He forgives us. Such a faithful and merciful God!

LET IT GO

Jesus, You alone are our ray of hope.

Keep us humbly serving, loving, and seeking You.

Let us run to the Heavenly Father, again and again.