Hosea 13:1-4

Israel sinned more and more -- Hosea 13:1-4: There was a time when the leaders in Israel spoke for God and the people showed great respect for Him. As long as Israel had respect for God she enjoyed divine favor. But they sinned by worshipping Baal and now they faced certain destruction. Israel could be described with the term "they did not remain faithful." This brought destruction to the nation. Their sin became worse and worse. They made silver idols and even kissed them. Baal was one of the idol gods that they worshipped. They wanted a god that they could see. However, they should have known that such a god would have no more power than the human that made it.

Hosea predicted the quick overthrow of the false gods. They would vanish like the mist or the dew of the early morning or husks of grain in the wind or smoke from a chimney. God had been so good to Israel. He had been their God and blessed them from their time in Egypt. He is the one true God and the only God thy should know. Jehovah wanted it know that He is the one true God of the people. It is He that stretched out the heavens and created the earth. Man, at his best, loves God, reverences Him and obeys His will. Jehovah is the only one that can save. They learned a difficult lesson well because they were completely cured of idolatry after the captivity.