1. God and his servants watch over the land (1-9)

Because the people of Ephraim prostituted themselves with idols, they could not please God, no matter what they did. It was like the time of the Judges (Jdg 19). God would punish them and scatter them throughout Egypt and Assyria. Their sins and hostility to God had become so great that anyone who tried to teach the Bible was called a fool and a maniac. God's servants became candidates for mental hospitals. Yet, God's servants were the ones who, with God himself, watched over the land.

2. As vile as the thing they loved (10-17)

When God saved Israel and cared for her in the desert, she was so beautiful (10). But she turned to Baal and became as vile as what she worshiped. So God would drive them out of his house as a man drives out an unfaithful wife. But God still longs for his people to repent and return to him.

Application: Lord, give me courage to be a fool for Christ. Help me to grow in his image. Turn the heart of our people to God in repentance and faith.
One Word: Those who abandon God are the fools