They Sow the Wind

We were on our way to see my brother when I saw this field.  I was ecstatic, so Tommy stopped for me to take some pictures.  I think this was actually prison property.  Perfect.

Hosea 8:7  For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it. 
Sowing wind seems futile...much less impossible.  I guess growing grain that has no head is purposeless as well.  Yet, even if it did produce, God would have others devour it.  The Israelites would not benefit from their toil and labor.  They sowed folly and reaped destruction.
Hosea 8:8  Israel is swallowed up; already they are among the nations as a useless vessel. 
Israel rejected all that God had asked them to do and decided to change the way they lived. They were useless because they had lost favor with God.
Hosea's life was a picture of God's wooing His people and them/us turning their/our backs on His abundant love and provisions.  He was the last prophet to warn the Israelites of God's judgment before they were taken into slavery...again.
The Old Testament is full of pictures of the Father's love for His children and of His promise to bring a Messiah.  We are a flawed people that need a Savior.  A heart that rejects the Lord is without hope. God offered them the richest land, victory in battle, and blessings without number - if they obeyed His laws.  God offers us the same: Riches, victories, and blessings.  They may not all be visible, but they are promised to all those who believe.

We must look beyond the pastures that this world has to offer and keep our eyes fixed on that prize that is closer today than it was yesterday.  Let's learn from Ephraim's mistakes. Anyone can sow the wind.

Hosea 10:12   Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.