We move through Hosea, a prophet to “Israel,” the northern 10 tribes. What’s their problem?

Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is

• no faithfulness or
• (no) steadfast love, and
• no knowledge of God in the land;

there is

• swearing,
• lying,
• murder,
• stealing, and
• committing adultery;

they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. (Hosea 4.1 – 2, ESV)

Wow. We could stop right there, and there are 10 chapters to go! Sounds a lot like the US, does it not? No faithfulness or steadfast love (lots of divorces?). No knowledge of God. Check. Swearing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery. Check.

Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. (Hosea 4.3, ESV)

Is this the message of Romans 8?

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8.19 – 22, ESV)