Hosea 8:12-14

Israel had forgotten her maker -- Hosea 8:12-14: Israel could not claim ignorance as a reason for her failure to obey God. His "instructions for sacrifices were written in detail, but you ignored them." It is a wonderful blessing to have God's law in written form. He said "I have written to him the great things of my law." Sadly they did not treat the law as a great gift from their Creator. At times Israel did make the correct sacrifices and do so in the proper way. However, these sacrifices were unacceptable to God because of the corruption and iniquity of the nation. God remembered their sin and now they would face their punishment. They would return to Egypt. Egypt was used in a figurative way to tell the nation that they were headed into captivity. This captivity would be a cruel and destructive enslavement under the Assyrians.

In Hosea 8:14 God gave a summary of His feeling of both the nations of Israel and of Judah. "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof." God had created them, yet they had forgotten their Maker. Judah also received a warning because they were becoming more and more corrupt. "Both houses of Jews were destined to be overthrown by the foreign forces to be brought against them." God said, "Now I will send fire to destroy your towns and fortresses." Sin brings certain and sure misery!