CHAPTER 9 Nov. 12 
The Wrath of Love 
Don’t rejoice in jubilation, Israel, like the other nations; for you were unfaithful to your God. You love the wages of a prostitute at every grain threshing floor. 2The threshing floor and the winepress won’t feed them, and the new wine will fail her. 3They won’t dwell in Yahweh’s land; but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Assyria. 4They won’t pour out wine offerings to Yahweh, neither will they be pleasing to Him. Their sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat of it will be polluted.  Their bread will merely be for their hunger, it will not come with acceptance as an offering into the house of Yahweh. 5What will you do in the day of solemn assembly, and in the day of the feast of Yahweh? 6For, behold, they have marched off to destruction; Egypt will gather them up, Memphis will bury them. Nettles will possess their pleasant things of silver, thorns will come up in their tents. 7The days of visitation have come, the days of reckoning have come. Israel will consider the prophet to be a fool, and the inspired man to be insane, because of the abundance of your sins, and because your hostility is great. 8A prophet watches over Ephraim with my God. A fowler’s snare is on all of his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.  9They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity, He will punish them for their sins. 10I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at its first season; but they came to Baal Peor, and consecrated themselves to the shameful thing, and became abominable like that thing which they so loved. 11As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird. There will be no birth, none with child, and no conception. 12Though they bring up their children, yet I will bereave them, so that not a man shall be left. Indeed, woe also to them when I depart from them! 13I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place; but Ephraim will bring out his children to the murderer. 14Give them—Yahweh, what will you give them? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. 15All their wickedness is in Gilgal; for there I hated them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more. All their princes are rebels. 16Ephraim is struck. Their root has dried up. They will bear no fruit. Even though they bring forth, yet I will kill the beloved ones of their womb. 17My God will cast them away, because they did not listen to Him; and they will be wanderers among the nations.

Commentary

9:1 You love the wages of a prostitute- Israel are presented as sexually addicted, even paying men to sleep with her (8:9). It’s one thing to sin and hate ourselves for it; it’s another to love and revel in sin as Israel did.
9:4 Their offering of wine and bread to God would make them yet more unclean, just as it is possible to keep the breaking of bread service to our condemnation rather than to our blessing (1 Cor. 11:29). This stark reality means that the memorial meeting brings us to a T intersection in our lives; either we are drinking to our blessing (1 Cor. 10:16) or to our condemnation. 
9:10 I saw… as- God looked upon Israel as if they were perfect when they left Egypt (Num. 23:21), even though they were not. He was in love with them, as He is with us, having counted His righteousness to us as we emerge from our Red Sea / baptism into Christ. 
9:15 I hated them… will love them no more- And yet God protests His eternal and free love for Israel (14:4). See on 8:13.