Hosea 13 – Sowing the Wind and Reaping the Whirlwind

The Word of God from Hosea 8:1–7

“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord, because they have broken my covenant and transgressed my law. They will cry to me, ‘My God, we, Israel, know you!’ Israel has spurned the good; the enemy will pursue him. They set up kings, but not by me; they appointed princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, that they might be cut off. Your calf is rejected, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? For it is from Israel; a craftsman made it; it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces. For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no head; it shall yield no meal; if it were to yield, foreigners would swallow it up.” Amen.

 

Unforgettable Memories of a Typhoon

Unlike my recollections from Korea, here in California, we rarely experience the powerful typhoons or hurricanes we are familiar with. In contrast, Korea often suffered greatly from typhoons every year, leaving me with many vivid memories of such events.

 

The most memorable was Typhoon June in 1984, which completely flooded my family home. We had to evacuate to a hill where the school was located, leaving the submerged house behind. I can still clearly see the faces of the disaster victims who, having lost their homes, sighed as they looked down the hill. It was likely the typhoon that inflicted the greatest damage on me personally. Although historically, Typhoon Sarah in 1959 claimed more lives, the typhoon most deeply imprinted on my life was Typhoon Betty in 1972.

 

At that time, I spent my childhood in Mapo, Seoul, where I witnessed the Han River overflowing its banks, houses submerged, and cows and pigs floating down the river. The sight of people frantically calling for help while clinging to rafts, and the crowds gathering on the riverbank, anxiously wringing their hands, asking, “What should we do? What should we do?” remains sharp and immediate.

 

The fear was immense—everything was swept away by just two days of rain. The damage was surely compounded by the lack of adequate flood control facilities at the time. Seeing the disaster unfold right before my eyes—not on a news screen—with livestock being carried away, left a deep shock on my young mind. That terrifying memory has never faded.

 

From Gentle Breeze to Whirlwind

Do you know, brothers and sisters, that even the most terrifying typhoon begins as a very faint breeze? While all great things typically start small, this is especially true for a typhoon. Initially, it is merely a small cloud or gust of wind. However, as the ocean temperature rises, water vapor supplies energy, and the earth rotates, it gradually assumes the form of the great whirlwind we know.

 

A wind that begins at less than 10 meters per second eventually transforms into a powerful storm of 60 meters per second, spanning a diameter of a thousand kilometers, threatening to engulf an entire nation. Japan frequently experiences this, and Korea has endured it countless times. What began as a small, weak breeze ultimately becomes a colossal whirlwind that sweeps away everything in its path.

 

The Small Wind Threatening Faith

The passage we read today, Hosea 8:7, begins, “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” Israel sowed a small, seemingly insignificant wind, but ultimately encountered an unmanageable whirlwind, leading to destruction. What exactly was that trivial wind they had sown, and how did it bring about such a tremendous catastrophe?

 

Our lives are similar. Seemingly trivial habits often determine the course of our lives. Small good habits protect our lifelong health, while a single small bad habit can plague us for a lifetime. These habits are difficult to break, yet they are crucial elements that shape our lives. You know well that what seems trivial is never nothing at all.

 

Today’s passage speaks of a few ‘small winds’ that can later become a destructive whirlwind, inflicting fatal blows upon our faith.

 

The Illusion of Knowing God

The first dangerous wind appears in verse 2:

 

“They will cry to me, ‘My God, we, Israel, know you!’”

 

The Israelites proclaimed that they knew God. How about you? Can you confidently say that you know God? Of course, you can confess that God is Almighty and loves you. Israel, too, said as much.

 

However, look at verse 14, the conclusion of chapter 8. This verse, paired with the opening, exposes Israel’s true condition:

 

“Israel has forgotten his Maker…”

 

The Scripture declares that they forgot their Creator. They either never knew Him or, having known Him, forgot Him. That is, those who cried out, "We know God," were in reality oblivious to Him. They were merely deceiving themselves into thinking they knew Him.

 

The image of Israel presented by the prophet Hosea is not confined merely to the past. Even though they had forgotten God, they still claimed to know Him. Verse 3 accurately points out their state: “Israel has spurned the good.” Spurning ‘the good’ here does not simply mean they failed to perform morally good deeds. It signifies that they rejected the goodness of God and the history of grace He had worked for them.

 

Of course, they did not entirely abandon religious practices. They continued to build altars, offer sacrifices, and call upon God’s name. Thus, they believed they knew God well. But in reality, they did not.

 

In our terms, they claimed to know God with their lips, but in reality, they did not trust Him. Their external appearance suggested familiarity with God, but their hearts had already turned away from Him.

 

True Faith and Trust

Their problem was simply that they did not trust God. Hebrews 11 explains true faith well through the story of Enoch. After mentioning that Enoch walked with God by faith, the Scripture continues:

 

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

 

The Bible here does not say they must ‘know’ or ‘understand,’ but uses the word, ‘must believe.’ This is because the faith spoken of in Scripture implies a relational meaning—one of relying and trusting—that goes beyond mere intellectual acquisition of knowledge.

 

We can see the difference through a common example. Knowing intellectually that someone can score 100 on a test is one thing. To completely trust that person’s word, so much so that you buy a car and bring it home before the test results are even known, is another dimension entirely. True faith thus involves the action of fully depending upon and trusting the other person's word.

 

Trust leads us to action. True faith naturally results in works. This is because we clearly rely on the object of our faith. When trusting God is true faith, we naturally depend entirely on His Word and promises.

 

Conversely, not believing means intellectually recognizing and understanding the facts but failing to rely on them in real life. This stems from a failure to realize how God’s heart is at work towards oneself and an inability to deeply reflect on what God has done for one's sake.

 

We call God ‘Father,’ but sometimes we treat Him like an ‘acquaintance.’ Even though God is truly our Father, we regard Him as a deity we mobilize to satisfy our own comfort and desires—a God of transactional blessing. Such a god must always be an object of fear and vigilance. Because He might withhold blessings or inflict punishment if slightly displeased, He is a deity that demands constant anxiety and watchfulness. It is impossible to rely entirely on such a god. He is merely an object to be appeased and flattered.

 

When the author of Hebrews said, “You must believe that he exists,” it did not simply mean intellectual knowledge of His existence. The readers of Hebrews were already believers in God. The author is pastorally teaching them what their confession of faith ought to look like in their lives. The phrase ‘believe that He exists’ here means knowing experientially, as Enoch demonstrated, that God is one who walks with us, understanding who He is, what He has done for us, and what relationship He has maintained and what trace He has left in our lives. This is not mere information or logical fact, but knowledge tasted and known through life.

 

Encountering God Personally

You know well that when it’s lunchtime and you invite a guest to “eat together,” the most difficult part is deciding on the menu. Even if you settle on a restaurant, you then have to agonize over what to choose from that menu. This is because you are not sure what is truly delicious.

 

In such a case, people usually say, “The soft tofu stew is good here.” I can take someone and say, “I heard the soft tofu stew is good here,” but I cannot assert with conviction, “The soft tofu stew is truly delicious.” This is because I have no personal experience of eating it.

 

However, if you have tasted that soft tofu stew yourself, it is different. You could give a detailed description: “The soft tofu stew here is spicy and very tasty. The aftertaste is refreshing, and if you choose the mushroom, clam, or seafood version, you can experience a wonderfully cool flavor.”

 

Then, do you know the God who has a deep interest in your life? What kind of person is the God you confess to ‘know’? I am sometimes curious about that. Are you actually encountering the God who guides your life onto the path of true goodness? Are you worshipping and deeply reflecting on the One who truly loves us, grants grace, and even gave up His own life, right at this moment?

 

The same question can be put to the Israelites: “Are you sacrificing an animal at the altar right now, but do you know the true reason for sacrificing that animal? Do you understand the meaning of shedding that blood? Are you contemplating how that blood relates to your life? Are you listening attentively to God’s real story contained within the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant, rather than regarding them as merely complex religious facilities?”

 

The same applies to us. Attending church faithfully and not missing worship is not enough. What truly matters is whether you are encountering the cross. Are you reflecting deeply on what role the cross is playing within you, and what transformation is taking place in your heart because of it?

 

Are you meeting the God who accepted death without a single word of excuse, taking the place of our pain and sin? Are you truly thinking of Him?

 

If you delve into your loneliness, injustice, tears, and anger—you will find that most of these emotions arise from our greed, selfishness, and pride. Yet, do you know the Jesus who embraced all of that and died for us? Are you personally encountering the One who truly comforts you?

 

Are you confessing to the Lord who clothed us in His holy robes and poured out righteousness, wisdom, and eternal life without reserve, saying, “Yes, He is the One. He is indeed the One. He becomes my true comfort the more I realize who I am”?

 

When you are tired and struggling during the week, wrestling with unresolved problems, and crying out in frustration, “God, what should I do?”—does the image of ‘the One who is for me’ arise in your heart, regardless of your will or emotions?

 

Do you personally know the God who explains at length and with kindness that all these things will ultimately produce good results, urging you, “Just receive the grace,” the One who tells you so warmly, “I love you this much”?

 

The Forgotten God and Our King

If we do not rely on God, then who should we rely on? Israel simply refused to know this God and forgot Him. They forgot the God who rescued them from Egypt, guarded them in the wilderness, gave them victory on the battlefield, allowed them to experience incredible miracles in Canaan, and protected and guided their nation by establishing David.

 

There were two main reasons they forgot God. First, they were confronted with enemies and problems that were too difficult to handle. Unable to solve things by their own strength, they looked to and relied on a more powerful and more immediate force than God. Second, they failed to fully recognize God’s love and mercy. It is like ignoring 99 acts of grace and love because of one thing that displeases them. When faced with brief hardship and suffering, their hearts became capable of abandoning God.

 

Conversely, it may be that they possessed so much that they no longer needed God. As Moses already warned in Deuteronomy, “When you become prosperous and well-fed, you will forget God and not seek Him,” prosperity inevitably leads to spiritual forgetfulness. God warned this distorted-hearted Israel that He could show them judgment and wrath.

 

The result of this twisted heart is clearly shown from verse 4 onward. If we do not know God, we cannot understand the Kingdom of God. Israel forgot what kind of nation God had established them to be. Likewise, if we do not know who God is, how can we understand the Kingdom of God established within us? We will have no way of knowing what pleases God or what we should be doing now. Israel rejected God’s rule and established their own kingdom. They set up kings and appointed leaders themselves.

 

Verse 4 exposes this reality:

 

“They set up kings, but not by me; they appointed princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, that they might be cut off.”

 

This means that Israel arbitrarily ignored God’s rule and the fact that He was their King. Historically, the kingdom of Northern Israel was a series of unstable successions marked by bloody coups and rampant violence.

 

They proceeded in God's name, but their hands were actually full of blood and evil. To maintain power and legitimize their authority, they needed the validation of a 'god.' This is why they built altars and offered sacrifices, seeking divine approval for their actions. Making idols from silver and gold was also only for their own needs, not for the glory of God.

 

There may have been temporary political and economic effects. To prevent the people of Northern Israel from going to Jerusalem to worship and to control them, Jeroboam made golden calves and placed them in Dan and Bethel. This resembles the behavior of all heretical movements that emerge later. They use something other than the essence, establish multiple places of worship, and cause confusion. Ultimately, all this happened because they needed a 'god for themselves,' not for the living God.

 

Israel was clearly a theocratic nation established by God. However, Jesus Christ completed the meaning of the Kingdom of God when He came to earth and declared, "My kingdom is not of this world but of the heavens." After the completion of Christ’s work of salvation, a literal theocracy no longer exists on this earth. Even if America is called a Christian nation or Catholicism claimed a ‘Theocratic Rome’ in the past, they are not true theocracies in the genuine sense.

 

Even today, when people say they are waging war in God’s name, this is not true. All movements that attempt to change the world through violence and power on this earth have absolutely no relation to the holy war authorized by Jesus Christ. While we may participate in society out of historical responsibility and civic duty, that is not the holy war instigated by God. The true holy war that you and I must now engage in is taking place right within our own hearts and faith.

 

A Life Where I Am King

The theocratic nation today, the nation ruled by God, is not the earthly Israel but you, the people of God. God rules over you, and you are citizens of that kingdom. To exaggerate the problem of the believer a little, 99% of it is this issue of sovereignty. It is because we continue to live by denying that God is our King.

 

How many believers live this way? This is clearly seen in the story of the Laodicean church in Revelation. It is the famous scene where the Lord stands outside the door and knocks. Many interpret this verse to mean, “Jesus is knocking, so now He will enable me to believe.” But that is not correct. The Laodiceans were already believers in the Lord. The problem was that Jesus Christ was not their King and Lord in their life and affairs. They failed to experience the abundant blessings that could be enjoyed with Christ, their Master.

 

The Result of a Masterless Life

If you are diligently following Jesus, serving, and striving for correct faith, yet still lack joy and cannot enjoy the deep pleasure of faith, the problem is that Jesus Christ is not your King and Master. It is like a servant being unable to enjoy the pleasure that the Master enjoys. The Lord is the source of joy right now, and He rejoices over you.

 

Yet, we cannot rejoice. It is because the King is still ourselves. When we are king, we must take responsibility for our emotions, thoughts, and every area of our lives. Thus, our emotions are bound to fluctuate, and everything that happens in the world is bound to cause misery. We are frustrated and stifled by our inability to overcome these things. Even small problems feel insurmountable, and the name of Jesus Christ, whom we have believed in for so long, seems to possess no power.

 

Why is this? It is because the true sovereignty of Christ is absent in the reality of our lives. Jesus Christ is still standing outside the door, knocking. You are unable to enjoy the pleasure of eating and drinking with Christ. You have received new life, but you have not forsaken the old self at all; rather, you have lived by pulling in countless Bible verses and religious experiences to better package and glorify that old self.

 

Lay Down the Life Where You Are King

If you are now questioning, “Am I really believing in Jesus properly?” you must boldly resolve to start over from the beginning. You must lay down all the accolades you have attached to yourself and all the things you thought you learned and believed about Jesus. Even if they are correct doctrines or experiences, you must set them aside. If you grant the role of owner even slightly, your ‘correct doctrines’ and your ‘experience and knowledge’ will become your king, not God.

 

In that case, before God, we will inevitably offer only what we have accomplished—my experiences, my prayers, my Bible reading, my feelings. Believing in Jesus is not about adding more things to fill a void. God has already given us Christ. What could be better than Christ, and what more could be added?

 

Conversely, we are adding too much to Christ. The number of things is so great that we would never finish scratching them off in a lifetime. I am the same, and so are you. We must constantly confess, “God, this is not mine,” and lay them down. It is the work of abandoning what we held onto—our own desires—instead of what God gave us.

 

We often think, “Since I believe in Jesus, let’s enjoy the blessings the Lord gives.” But the order is reversed. We must first examine how we are blocking the blessings the Lord has already given. The priority is to deeply search for what God’s Word requires and how we can break through where things are blocked. If we live in the reverse order, true joy and blessing can never fully come into our lives.

 

A Life Under the Word

The phrase, ‘not being governed by God,’ is most simply expressed as ‘not listening to God’s Word.’ For those listening to the sermon, this might sound unfair. You might be thinking, “Isn’t what I am listening to right now the Word of God?”

 

However, there are two ways to listen to God’s Word, depending on one's attitude. There are those who listen under the Word and those who listen above the Word. For the person who listens under the Word, that Word becomes their King.

 

Conversely, what happens when one listens above the Word? They evaluate and judge the Word itself. Of course, it is natural to examine whether a sermon truly aligns with God’s Word. But even when the Lord’s Word is correctly interpreted and confirmed as "This Word is right," if one says, “I don’t like it,” or “I don't think so. God is love, so how can He lead us into suffering?” then there is a problem. The Scripture clearly says, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

 

At this point, if we view the Scripture from above the Word, we begin to perceive a disconnect between what the Scripture says and the reality of our lives. If someone says, after believing in Jesus, “I am so happy. I have no suffering. The Lord always leads me only on a joyful path,” one must be cautious. This might be a ‘fake’ because it differs from the Gospel the Bible speaks of. All knowledge and experience, such as ‘A certain pastor said this,’ or ‘This is what I learned,’ must also be under the Word.

 

Cast Off Pride and Return to the Word

The habits and knowledge of faith learned from a young age are long-lasting and do not easily disappear. This is why many believers repeatedly encounter similar difficulties. Whenever this happens, we must ask ourselves before God’s Word: “Am I currently under the Word? Or am I measuring the Word based on my feelings, my thoughts, and the framework of Christianity that feels comfortable to me?”

 

In truth, this is not much different from the historical stance of Roman Catholicism, which placed tradition and human judgment above the Word. To abide under the Word means acknowledging God as King, seeking to understand what pleases and is desired by Him, and knowing that we are truly happy when that will governs us. Many understand being under the Word as confining themselves within a certain framework, but God declares, “The word of God that I speak to you is what sets you free.” Living according to God’s Word is what truly sets us free.

 

But Israel was not like this. God’s Law was a source of fear for them. They were strongly convinced that they would be punished if they did not listen well to the Word. And what happens when they keep it moderately well? They become proud, thinking no one is better than them, scoffing at others, and saying, “You just don’t know.”

 

The correct attitude is to say, “I don’t know well either. Let us return to the Word of God together.” But if one thinks, with their ‘small amount of knowledge,’ that “This is what Christianity is,” then it is all false.

 

Every thought about God that does not come from the Word is false and an idol. All knowledge about Christianity that does not come from the Word is counterfeit. It will ultimately muddy your soul, make you live for yourself rather than according to the Word, while leading you to the illusion that you believe in God.

 

Therefore, when judging everything, you must constantly examine: “Is this truly the Word? Does what I think align with the Word?” Only then will you realize, “This Word was given for me,” “This Word was given for my good, my holiness, my joy, and my freedom.”

 

As you begin to measure even seemingly trivial things against the Word, you will shed the pride that made you think, “I know enough. I’m doing fine in my faith.” We often deceive ourselves into thinking we are ‘doing well’ even when observing or judging various church matters.

 

However, we must ceaselessly return to the Word. Under any circumstances, even when our hearts are exhausted and weary, we must return to the Word. For there is no place where we can find peace and rest other than in the Word of God.

 

God's Gaze Upon Us

Even after forgetting God, Israel eventually built palaces and fortified cities. What does this signify? It means they did not turn to God, but rather began to construct new means of self-protection. They built their own kingdom and tried to prove their own worth.

 

This is the mistake we all frequently make. We, too, often want to prove our own faith. This is why many testimonies arise, as people seek to find “evidence that God is with me,” saying, “I went through this difficult experience, but God resolved it this way.”

 

But beloved, is the reason God loves you because of the amazing things you have experienced? No. God loves you because He never lets go of you, no matter what situation you are in.

 

The environments you inhabit are different for everyone, and things will continue to arise today and tomorrow that put us into difficult and trying circumstances. But God never forgets that you are His child, even amid all these situations. God delights in you fellowshipping and walking with Him.

 

The Unconditional Gaze of the Father

It is like the heart of a parent toward a young child. A little daughter plays market, and when asked, "Mr. Shopkeeper, what's the best thing today?" the five-year-old child imitates an adult, saying, "Today the watermelon is delicious, and the lettuce has come in well." The parents burst out laughing, accepting the child as she is and taking pleasure in it. It is because the sight is endearing.

 

God is the same. When we live before God, He says, “Do this, do that,” but He is not a God who says, “Alright, you are death,” if we make a mistake. God knows how He loved and saved you, how He guided you, and the price He paid by not sparing His Son. There is no way He would lose you.

 

God knows your pain, sorrow, wandering, and confusion. When I encounter a problem I cannot solve, I don’t have to struggle to overcome it myself. In those moments, I must remember: My Father, even amidst all these circumstances, does not lose His joy and laughter, but corrects me and delights in seeing me grow again. We must abide in this Gospel.

 

You must live believing, within the Word of God, that God loves you, guides you, protects you, and is with you. But why do we turn God into a frightening ‘acquaintance,’ an object we must fear and dread every day? God is not an object we should fear.

 

Our Validation is in God’s Hands

We often want to prove ourselves. That is evidence that there is fear within us. We fear that life is meaningless or that we are nothing if others do not acknowledge us. Remember this anxiety. Our validation is done by God. The validation of our life and its value rests only in God's hands. We should live the very opposite of boasting our strength and achievements to the world.

 

Becoming the Wind of Life- From the Whirlwind of Death to the Wind of Life

 

The 'sowing the wind, reaping the whirlwind' warned about in Hosea is not the final conclusion of life. We must remember the east wind that blew during the Exodus. It was the wind of the Holy Spirit, but also the wind of judgment. When the Israelites reached the Red Sea, the sea meant death, and they had no choice but to enter death. A great wind blew all night, and Israel had to tremble in fear.

 

As they stood before the Red Sea with the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind, God spoke to Israel: “Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.” This amazing word does not mean simply stopping and doing nothing. It means to know who God is, how much He loves you, and what you will do with God now.

 

If Israel had just stood still, they could not have crossed the sea. We often emphasize grace and misunderstand this to mean God does everything, but we cannot cross the sea alone. Because God promised to walk with us, we crossed the sea like dry ground, in the grace of God.

 

Grace Enjoyed Without Full Understanding

You and I walk this path together in Jesus Christ. Among the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea then, many did not fully understand what was happening but simply followed. But because they were in Christ, they could share in that amazing grace even without fully comprehending it. It is not necessary to know everything to enjoy grace.

 

Of course, if you study the Bible and know that the Lord loves you this much, you can confess, like the psalmist, “He reached down from on high and took hold of me.” But God’s grace is not extinguished just because you are bewildered and confused about what is happening while you walk. The hand of God is not withdrawn just because you do not understand it all.

 

Surely, among the many Israelites then, some must have walked across, trembling with fear and astonishment, crying. What did the children understand? Yet, they all crossed the sea. Brothers and sisters, walk that path with the Lord. This is the reason why the outcome will not be a whirlwind, but the wind of life.

 

The Wind That Has Life

Let us think a little deeper. Look at Jesus Christ, who came in the small form of a mustard seed. That mustard seed grew into a tree where all the birds could perch. The Lord also began small. How is this different from Hosea's warning? It had life.

 

The wind of Israel was without life, which is why it eventually became a great whirlwind that destroyed everything and themselves. In contrast, the wind of Christ was the wind of the Holy Spirit, the wind of life. So, when it gained strength and demonstrated the authority, majesty, and power of God in your life and mine, we obtained marvelous new life, became new people, and began to live a new life.

 

There is a small wind that God has sown within you. Now, allow that love of God to move over the warm sea. Fill your heart with the moisture of grace. Whenever problems trouble you, remember: No matter how intense your worries and anxieties are, they cannot change a single hair on your head. Do not let your heart be completely taken by them, but remember Christ, my Lord and my God.

 

Please remember that He deals with me gracefully, that His grace is with me, and that my life is not defined solely by this problem. I am a person who walks with the Lord. That Lord is the One who is everything to you.

 

Therefore, receive that love. Be a wind that is not a destructive whirlwind, but a wind that is strong yet gentle and holy.

 

Be the tree where birds can perch, and the wind in which all creation can come alive. Do not be a typhoon, but be the wind of patience, the wind of mercy, the wind of joy that is with God. Do not forget that you are the wind of life, and may you walk the path the Lord has shown us, the path we must walk together.

 

Let us pray.

God, who else could bestow upon us this marvelous history of the Gospel and reveal such profound love?

 

We still deceive ourselves into thinking we know, yet in our true ignorance, we refuse to humbly confess, “Lord, I do not know,” and insist to the end that we do. We surrender even ourselves entirely into Your hands. Lord, establish us on Your holy path and enable us to walk the dry land with You.

 

Grant us to walk the path of dying with Christ and living with Christ, the path of rediscovering that the Lord is our true Master.

 

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.