Hosea 11:7 "Even if they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them."
Israel was a unique place in the world because it had the Temple. At the Temple, heaven and earth were brought together in one place. The structure of the Temple was a journey through the moments of creation as well as deeper into the mystery of God. At the end of the Temple, there was only darkness and God (much like things were at the beginning). Jerusalem was the center of the world, which explains why even modern maps have Jerusalem at the middle. The Temple was a truly unique place.
Sadly, having the Temple within their boundaries gave Israel an unfounded sense of control over God. As long as they had the Temple, they felt like they could do anything and received God's blessing. Hosea, along with several prophets, denied this false belief.
Sometimes, we as Christians get the same impression; that is, that God exists for us rather than us for God. A journey of discernment sometimes gets replaced with a magical sense that God is just going to bless our plans.
The prophet still speaks to us today. May we always be mindful of how God is at work and follow God in God's plans, rather than have God rubber-stamp our plans.
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