by
Rev. Mark Perkins, Pastor
Denver Bible Church
326 E. Colorado Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80210
To: Hosea
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1. This chapter divides into two: the first half comprises
verses 1-7, while the second 8-14. Verse fifteen stands separate
from the rest of the chapter, more or less a summary of God's
purpose in the judgment and discipline
2. The first half concentrates on the judgement of Israel for
their harlotry from God, paying some attention to specific acts
of harlotry and idolatry.
3. The second half anticipates the final discipline of Israel,
and spends some time on the specific details of that fifth cycle.
It also sends a warning to Judah, the Southern Kingdom.
4. In this chapter, Hosea becomes the conduit for God's message
to Israel. Really, it is mostly God, and very little of Hosea's
humanity enters the picture.
"Hear this O priests! And give attention O house of Israel
and give ear O house of the king! For the judgment is for you.
Because you were a trap to Mizpah, and a net spread out over
Tabor."
1. The Jews had begun to use these two mountains in Israel for
idol worship. Thus they are a trap.
2. Both of these mountains were famous watch towers from which
they would watch for the approach of the enemy from the North.
Now they are a trap for the people. They provide temptation.
Formerly a symbol of watchfulness they now epitomize the opposite.
3. On these watch-mountains they now welcome the deadliest of
enemies - fallen angels.
4. A note: Mizpah is right on the mutual border between Israel
and Judah, as are Gilgal and Ai. The southerners would only have
to travel a few miles to participate in the idolatry at these
spots. That is why the southern kingdom is warned about these
specific places of idol worship.
"And the revolters have gone deep in slaughter, but I
am a correction to all of them."
1. The slaughter here is the Hebrew SHAHATAH, which denotes the
slaughter of animals, for whatever reason.
2. It can be for legitimate reasons, such as food or animal sacrifice.
3. It can also be as here, the slaughter of animals for demon
worship. The description of Israel wading deep into slaughter
is a really good description of the depth of degeneracy.
4. The discipline is MUSAR, always Yahweh putting divine disicipline
on someone or some group for their own good.
5. Though Israel wades deep into degeneracy, Yahweh disciplines
them on the chance that they respond.
"I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For
now you have committed fornication, O Ephraim. Israel is defiled."
1. Interesting. Ephraim was the dominant tribe and largest territory
in the Northern Kingdom. God tells us that the pollution of this
tribe extended to the entire nation. Indeed, the picture is of
rape.
2. Ephraim commits fornication and Israel receives defilation.
3. The niphal stem of the verb NITMA reveals that Israel does
not produce this action, but receives it. The produced action
is the fornication of Ephraim and the verb that describes it
is HIZNEBA, and is in the hiphil causative stem. The cause is
the fornication of Ephraim; the effect is the defilement of Israel.
4. God knows Ephraim and his degeneracy; he sees what goes on
in Israel at the hand of Ephraim and it is not hidden from His
view.
"Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God,
for a spirit of fornication is in their midst, and they do not
know Yahweh."
1. General and specific idolatry make it quite difficult to have
a relationship with God.
2. A spirit of fornication works in a twofold manner:
a. First, it reveals an addictive complex of sin related to fornication.
b. Second, it reveals a personal relationship with a fallen angel.
c. This is a double entendre of general and specific idolatry.
3. Idolatry and relationship with God do not ever mix. They are
mutually exclusive.
4. The idolatry must be relinquished in order to initiate relationship
with God.
5. Do not confuse this by thinking that anyone's past can abrogate
the possibility of relationship with God. Such is not true.
6. What the verse does say is that their present behavior is
incompatible with God, and that they must leave it behind in
order to gain Him.
7. This does not mean that idolaters are instantly 'cured' of
their addictive relationships with demons.
a. Any demon possession immediately ceases at the moment of belief in Christ.
b. Addictive behavior, in some cases, does cease at the moment of belief in Christ. And in many cases, the object of addiction just switched to something else.
c. However, many new believers revert back to the form of their idolatry.
8. It is abundantly clear from this verse that the idols must
be rejected for one to believe. In fact, the very expression
of belief is a tacit rejection of idols.
"And the Majesty of Israel testifiesin His presence [face],
and Israel and Ephraim will be tripped by their iniquity; also
Judah will stumble with them."
1. The word G'ON describes often the majestic nature of God.
It serves as a synomym for 'the glory of God'. So this is God
here.
2. God testifies in His own throne room, with the result that
discipline comes against the Northern Kingdom.
3. The discipline itself is described by the niphal verb YIKASHELU.
In the active voice it is stumble, while in the passive, it is
more less, 'trip'.
4. Since this is the passive voice, the Northern kingdom does
not produce the action of the verb, but instead receives it.
They do not stumble, they are tripped by their own iniquity.
5. So they fall because of their own iniquity - their general
and specific idolatry.
6. But an interesting add-on here: Judah will stumble with them.
a. The verb is in the prophetic future perfect tense. This prediction will most certainly come true.
b. The time remains undefined, so that no one gives up using fate as an excuse.
c. Remember, God uses the destruction of the Northern Kingdom as an example to the Southern. "Pay attention! See what I am doing to you neighbors to the north!"
"And they walk with their flocks and with their herd
to seek Yahweh. But they will not find Him; He withdrew from
them."
1. Here is a verse that hits home. It is at the time a very popular
thing to 'seek Yahweh'. And so they go on pilgrimages looking
for God.
2. Looking for an omnipresent God must be an interesting and
time consuming task.
3. Of course you never have to look for God! What hypocrisy!
First they 'X' God out of their lives through general and specific
idolatry, then they go looking for him, like they had lost their
car keys or something. This is utter pig-headedness.
4. In Colorado, of course, we go looking for God in the mountains.
In Israel it was apparently popular to take a flock of sheep
and wander through the countryside looking for God with your
sheep in tow. This is why they have religious retreats, you know.
To look for God. I have been to many of them, and I can say with
confidence that God is no different at a retreat than He is in
the inner city. Do not get caught in the trap that you can only
think things through by getting away from it all. This is lazy
thinking and a fallacy.
5. The fact of the matter was God had withdrew from Israel as
a part of His discipline. And let me tell you, when God withdraws
from you, forget about finding Him.
6. If they would repent, God would return.
"They dealt treacherously against Yahweh, for they bore
strange children. Now a new moon will devour them with their
portion [land]."
1. The new moon was a time for idol worship - consider it an
astrological kind of thing. At the new moon the people would
get involved in orgiastic fornication, and as a result, many
women would conceive.
2. But now those children are monsters - they hate their parents
and their souls are full of bitterness toward God.
3. This will come because they have children out of wedlock,
and they continue to commit adultery against the Lord.
4. In Israel, the family has been destroyed, from this has come
much degeneracy. The family is a major restraint on the sin nature.
a. For parents, it ties down with responsibility.
b. For children, this means training.1. The family is an organization which is designed to prepare children for life in this world.
2. The parents should be constantly training their children. They should be trained to respect authority and to be dependable when given responsibility.
They should be trained in manners, so that they will fit in to any social situation.
They should be trained to discipline themselves, mind and body.
They should be trained to respect and be sensitive to the opposite sex.
They should be given the gospel, and the plan of God.
They should be trained to be patriotic.
3. This training, when done properly, strengthens the child's conscience against the schemes of the cosmic system, and is a great system of prevention against self-destruction.
4. The training should include both punitive discipline and a fair system of reward.
5. The training should break the child's arrogance, but not his spirit.
6. The loving and sensitive training from the mother to the male child protects the women of the next generation from male tyranny.
7. The loving and sensitive training from the father to the female child protects the men of the next generation from female tyranny.
Having children outside of wedlock or raising children from a
divorce makes it very difficult for them to be normal.
1. Parents who do not make a commitment to one another will not make a commitment to their children.
2. Parents who give up on each other also give up easily on their children.
3. The majority of divorces are the result of self-centered arrogance, and that arrogance cannot properly raise children. Some divorces are necessary and unselfish; some are done to protect the children.
4. Fornication and adultery is just plain self-centered arrogance, and children who come from such a liaison suffer from their parents' arrogance. Therefore, having illegitimate children is a disaster for any nation. However, an illegitimate pregnancy is not a legitimate excuse for abortion.
The conclusion: do not get involved in fornication and adultery.
Grace Notes
Warren Doud, Editor
1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas 78757
Phone: 512-458-8923