Descending into Sin

We have a picture of the descent into sin in Hos 9.7b: "Because of your great sin and hostility [Israel] you say, "The prophets are crazy, and the inspired men are fools" (NLT). Israel has reached a stage in sin in which, not only do they reject the messages that God sends through the prophets, but they call the prophets themselves "fools" and "crazy." This is a sign of a hard heart indeed, and it is the nature of sin. When the descent into sin goes far enough then not only are we doing what we want without regard to what God says, but we are actively opposing all that he is and does.

Notice, however, that the people would probably answer this charge by saying, "Well, we are not opposing God at all, we are just opposing these prophets who are bringing such a simple message." It's easy to justify what one wants to do, especially when blinded by sin. They were oblivious to the fact that opposing God's messengers was like opposing God himself.