Minor Prophets XI: Sowing and Reaping Wind

“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. Hosea 8:7

So what does the proverb in Hosea 8:7 mean?: "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind"?

We now start to get into powerful prophetic imagery. We see proverbial sayings mixed with metaphors. We see a nation locked into a vicious cycle of sin and self-destructive futility and the saying, “they sow the wind” means just this. Wind to me represents something that is real but lacks substance and wit...it is worthless. Instead of getting what they really wanted they would instead “reap” an additional portion of what they had sown. Wind=Futility. Wind planted as a seed would grow much larger than the way it was sown and turn into something much larger. It is the nature of sin in man--left unchecked and allowed to grow, it becomes this monstrous twisting destructive force. Everything done with the best intentions under the influence of sin and evil comes out twisted and damaging. In the case of Israel it would be devastating.