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Joy and rejoicing removed from Israel because of the multiplicity of her worship of Idols. As with many who use idols for worship they placed their idols in a great variety of places. In their temples, their homes, fields and threshing floors. A god for every purpose. All of which were helpless and hopeless. Hos. 9:1 There could be no blessing of the Lord upon these idols nor on those who bowed before them. They would only lead to a failure of their crops. Hos. 9:2 As a backslidden people they were persistent in their ways for they are under the influence of a vile spirit, called the spirit of whoredomes. Hos. 5:4 Because they did not know the Lord they were under the control of a wicked vile spirit.
The land belonged to the LORD, Jehovah. It was to be to them a land of blessing and plenty. Which, indeed it would have been if they had but kept their part of the covenant of the Lord. They were to inherit the land as a gift from the Lord. If was to flow with milk and honey. The requirement of the Lord was that they be a separated people unto Him. Lev. 20:24 Certainly not too much to ask of them, is it. The Lord still seeks a people today who will separate themselves from the worldly things, from the flesh and from the devil. 1 John 2:15-16 Hosea adds an interesting tidbit by saying, that the new wine shall fail her. The new wine is a type of the Holy Spirit. The attempt to mix the Lord and heathen idols simply will not work. It can only end in failure. They shall not dwell in the LORD’s land. Hos. 9:3 In violating the Law of the Lord they cut themselves off from dwelling in the land of blessing and abundance. Once again we see that it was their actions which caused them to lose out on all that with which the Lord has blessed them. They were headed back to Egypt and servitude. Or to Assyria where their unclean and impure life would continue. Hos. 9:3.
The Lord has strongly determined that He would not receive their offerings. They were extremely displeasing to Him. There is but one way to please the Lord and that is to accept His atonement offered to all mankind. That is, to come before Him in true contrition of heart and soul in complete repentance. Then, and only then can He be pleased. Hos. 9:4 Their sacrifices, then and forever, are like the bread eaten in the house of one who died. It is unclean. Deut. 19:14 They were to be unclean seven days.
Those who had been in the house of the dead were excluded from the house of the Lord. Regardless of how hungry they had been, having eaten of the bread of the dead they were forbidden to enter the house of the Lord. So the Lord barred them from His house and land. They had lost their privilege of appearing before the Lord on the Sabbaths and special feast days. They had become a pathetic people.