A Divided Heart

(#862, Imperial, 1959, 1968)

Read Hosea 10:1-12.

Israel offers many lessons to the Church in their failures and shortcomings.  Israel is not to be confused with the Church, but what happened to Israel is for our instruction and admonition.

Scripture frequently compares Israel to a vine.  John 15 speaks of the vine in relation to the Christian.  Here in Hosea Israel is called an "empty vine".

ƒ      The indication of an empty vine, v1

w    The vine had leaves and fruit, but still it was empty.  It was empty toward God.  Christians can be a similar picture: having leaves and fruit, but none toward God.

w    There was a perverted use of prosperity (v1).  God had blessed Israel with abundance, but it was abused.  It was used without a supreme regard to the claims of God.  Material prosperity can be dangerous, resulting in idols of materialism rather than the glory of God.

w    Fruit unto himself (v1).  The fruit was not for God's glory.  Do you remember the story of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21?  The rich man spoke of my fruits, my barns, my goods, my soul.  Self-glory, self-gratification and self-enrichment result in an empty vine toward God.

ƒ      The reason for an empty vine, v2.

We find here the cause of Israel's sin was her divided heart.  This was Israel's trouble all along.  Elijah had called upon Israel, "How long halt ye between two opinions."  This is our trouble too.

w    God has made one heart in man.  To divide it is injurious to the man's life.  A church divided becomes weak and useless. A Christian divided becomes faulty in his character.

w    The effect of a divided heart is that God is not loved.  God is not loved at all when he is not wholly loved.  Thus we become spiritual adulterers and adulteresses (James 4:4).  The divided heart leads to a weak and useless life.

ƒ      The solution for the empty vine, v12.

We must seek God alone.  The heart must be withdrawn from God's rivals and yielded without reservation and delay to Him who has the right to possess it.

Prone to wander Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.