Hosea 9:2
The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them, and the new wine will fail them.
The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them
In ancient Israel, the threshing floor and winepress were essential for agricultural productivity and sustenance. The threshing floor was where grain was separated from chaff, and the winepress was used to extract juice from grapes. These were symbols of abundance and God's provision. However, in this context, they represent a withdrawal of divine blessing due to Israel's unfaithfulness. The imagery suggests a time of famine and scarcity, reminiscent of the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28:38-40, where disobedience leads to agricultural failure. This phrase underscores the consequences of Israel's idolatry and spiritual adultery, as they have turned away from God, the true source of their sustenance.

and the new wine will fail them
New wine, a symbol of joy and celebration, often represents God's blessing and prosperity (Proverbs 3:10). In this passage, its failure signifies the loss of joy and divine favor. The new wine failing indicates that even the initial stages of harvest, which should bring hope and promise, will be disappointing. This can be seen as a fulfillment of the warnings given by the prophets, where reliance on foreign alliances and false gods leads to emptiness and despair (Hosea 2:8-9). The failure of new wine also points to a deeper spiritual barrenness, as Israel's pursuit of other deities leaves them spiritually unfulfilled. This can be contrasted with the New Testament portrayal of Jesus as the true vine (John 15:1), who provides spiritual nourishment and joy to those who abide in Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hosea
A prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope. His life and marriage serve as a metaphor for God's relationship with Israel.

2. Israel
The Northern Kingdom, often depicted in Hosea as unfaithful to God, engaging in idolatry and alliances with foreign nations.

3. Threshing Floor
A place where grain is separated from chaff, symbolizing abundance and provision. In this context, it represents the source of sustenance that will fail Israel.

4. Winepress
A facility where grapes are crushed to produce wine, another symbol of prosperity and joy that will be lacking for Israel.

5. Judgment
The event of God's impending punishment on Israel for their unfaithfulness and idolatry, leading to a lack of provision and blessing.
Teaching Points
Dependence on God for Provision
The imagery of the threshing floor and winepress failing highlights the futility of relying on material abundance without God's blessing. Believers are reminded to trust in God as the ultimate provider.

Consequences of Unfaithfulness
Israel's unfaithfulness leads to tangible consequences, serving as a warning to remain faithful to God. This calls for self-examination of our own faithfulness and obedience.

Spiritual and Physical Realities
The physical lack of food and wine symbolizes a deeper spiritual barrenness. Christians are encouraged to seek spiritual nourishment through God's Word and presence.

Repentance and Restoration
While Hosea speaks of judgment, it is also a call to repentance. Believers are reminded of the hope of restoration when they turn back to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the threshing floor and winepress in Hosea 9:2 reflect Israel's spiritual state?

2. In what ways can we see the consequences of unfaithfulness to God in our own lives or communities today?

3. How do the themes of judgment and provision in Hosea 9:2 connect with the blessings and curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that we are spiritually nourished and not just relying on material abundance?

5. How can the message of repentance and restoration in Hosea encourage us in our personal walk with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, including agricultural failure, which connects to the judgment described in Hosea 9:2.

Joel 1
The prophet Joel also speaks of agricultural devastation as a sign of God's judgment, similar to the imagery used in Hosea.

Amos 4
Amos describes a series of calamities, including agricultural failures, as a call for Israel to return to God, paralleling Hosea's message.
The Miseries of SinGeorge Hutcheson.Hosea 9:1-2
Unreliable JoyA. Clayton Thiselton.Hosea 9:1-2
The Lord's Land for the Lord's PeopleJ. Orr Hosea 9:1-6
The Assyrian CaptivityC. Jerdan Hosea 9:1-9
People
Baalpeor, Hosea
Places
Assyria, Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Gibeah, Gilgal, Memphis
Topics
Crushed, Delight, Fail, Feed, Floor, Floors, Grain-floor, Grapes, Press, Threshing, Threshing-floor, Wine, Winepress, Wine-press, Winepresses, Winevat, Won't
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Hosea 9:1-2

     4524   threshing-floor

Library
Of Councils and their Authority.
1. The true nature of Councils. 2. Whence the authority of Councils is derived. What meant by assembling in the name of Christ. 3. Objection, that no truth remains in the Church if it be not in Pastors and Councils. Answer, showing by passages from the Old Testament that Pastors were often devoid of the spirit of knowledge and truth. 4. Passages from the New Testament showing that our times were to be subject to the same evil. This confirmed by the example of almost all ages. 5. All not Pastors who
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Earliest Chapters in Divine Revelation
[Sidenote: The nature of inspiration] Since the days of the Greek philosophers the subject of inspiration and revelation has been fertile theme for discussion and dispute among scholars and theologians. Many different theories have been advanced, and ultimately abandoned as untenable. In its simplest meaning and use, inspiration describes the personal influence of one individual upon the mind and spirit of another. Thus we often say, "That man inspired me." What we are or do under the influence
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

John's Introduction.
^D John I. 1-18. ^d 1 In the beginning was the Word [a title for Jesus peculiar to the apostle John], and the Word was with God [not going before nor coming after God, but with Him at the beginning], and the Word was God. [Not more, not less.] 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him [the New Testament often speaks of Christ as the Creator--see ver. 10; I. Cor. viii. 6; Col. i. 13, 17; Heb. i. 2]; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. [This
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Hosea
The book of Hosea divides naturally into two parts: i.-iii. and iv.-xiv., the former relatively clear and connected, the latter unusually disjointed and obscure. The difference is so unmistakable that i.-iii. have usually been assigned to the period before the death of Jeroboam II, and iv.-xiv. to the anarchic period which succeeded. Certainly Hosea's prophetic career began before the end of Jeroboam's reign, as he predicts the fall of the reigning dynasty, i. 4, which practically ended with Jeroboam's
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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