by
Rev. Mark Perkins, Pastor
Denver Bible Church
326 E. Colorado Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80210
To: Hosea
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Hosea's First Sermon
A. The great word of Ephraim, now past. Hos. 13:1, "When
Ephraim spoke intensely, trembling, he exalted himself in Israel;
but he offended by Baal, and he died."
1. At one time, the word of Ephraim was great - and that greatness, though not mentioned, was due to the grace of God.
2. But then the idol worship came and resulted in his death.
B. The idol industry in Ephraim. Hos. 13:2, "And now
they personally increase sin, and they made a molten image for
themselves, idols made from silver, according to their own human
craftmanship - all of it the work of engravers. They say of them,
"Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!"
1. The increase of sin is sindustry, and the Ephraimites are personally involved.
2. All of the great effort in idol making is human craftsmanship, and none of it comes from the grace of God. This is the contrast with verse one.
3. And then they have the gall to demand that others kiss their work.
C. They will pass away from the pages of history. Hos. 13:3,
"Therefore they will be as a morning cloud, and as the
dew rising early, disappearing; as chaff storm-driven from a
threshing floor and as smoke from a latticed opening."
1. These four similes all describe the way in which things disappear quickly. So the nation of Ephraim.
2. The reason is their idolatry.
Hosea's Second Sermon
A. The exclusive nature of Yahweh. Hos. 13:4, "And I
Yahweh am your God, from the land of Egypt, and you will not
know another God besides me, and there is no savior except me."
1. This echoes back to the ten commandments, and forward to John 14:6. It concentrates on the exclusive nature of relationship with God.
2. It is an interesting twist on the first commandment, Ex 20:2-3, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me." The verbiage is quite the same, but in this verse something is added.
3. John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me."
4. God is the only savior, and His Son is that Savior.
5. Although the people of Ephraim were in a political-military jam, it is clear throughout this book that they must have their spiritual problem solved before the others will come into line.
B. The former relationship between God and Israel. Hos. 13:5,
"I knew you in the wilderness, in a land of drought."
1. The wilderness included a lot of adversity, and yet they knew God there.
2. That is, the second generation knew God there.
3. And now the northern kingdom endures a lot of adversity, but they do not know God.
C. The blessing of God led to their inflated view of self. Hos.
13:6, "They were sated according to their pasturage;
they were sated and so their heart was arrogant; therefore they
have forgotten me."
1. Israel was like a bunch of cattle in a really nice pasture.
2. The blessings of God formed the pasture, and Israel became sated with the sweet grass.
3. But from that contented state developed arrogance; they began to see themselves as the producers of the blessing. As a result, they forgot God.
D. The predatory attitude of God. Hos. 13:7, "And so
I will be as a lion to them; as a leopard, by the way I will
watch stealthily."
1. Israel is a fat cow in the pasture.
2. God is now the lion or the leopard, watching stealthily, waiting for the chance to pounce on a really good meal.
E. The violent nature of their discipline. Hos. 13:8, "I
will meet them like a bereaved bear, and I will tear the wall
of their heart, and I will devour them there as a lion rips open
the animal of the field."
1. A bereaved bear is a daunting and terrifying animal. Really, not much can stop it until it is completely dead.
2. It is a swift and violent death, when the walls of the heart are torn. Death comes quickly and irrevocably in this case.
3. They will be messily devoured after their death. Lions tear and fight and scrap and cover themselves with blood as they eat their prey.
Hosea's Third Sermon
A. The destruction of idolatry and the help of God. Hos. 13:9,
"It has really destroyed you, Israel; but your help is
in Me."
B. The desire for a king, and what good he does. Hos. 13:10,
"I want your king. Then may he save you in all of your
cities! And your judges of whom you said, "Give to me a
king and princes."
1. The first part is in quotes - it is what Israel said to God in the time of judges.
2. So God gave them a king, but the king is not the one who saves.
3. The king did no good, nor the judges, until Israel had a good relationship with God.
C. The presence or absence of a king as divine disciple. Hos.
13:11, "I gave you a king in my wrath, and I take him
in my fury."
1. Israel was under divine discipline and thought that a king would be the solution to their problems.
2. God gave them Saul. Their problems immediately became worse.
3. They were under divine discipline with a king, and God took the king, and things got worse.
4. This has universal application. Only God can solve your problems.
Hosea's Fourth Sermon
A. The hidden nature of Ephraim's sin. Hos. 13:12, "The
iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hidden."
1. Here, sin is a synonym for the divine discipline which comes as a result. This is called a metonymy.
2. The divine discipline is stored up like a fetus inside a woman.
B. However, the discipline is about to come forth. Hos. 13:13,
"The pains of a woman in childbirth will come to him;
for he is not a wise son, and time will not stand still during
labor."
1. The discipline is in the childbirth stage - it is about to be born.
2. Contrary to the perspective of the woman, time does not stand still during childbirth.
3. Israel is foolish, and believes that he has all the time in the world to respond to the discipline.
C. The clock ticks, but the mercy of God waits still. Hos. 13:14,
"I will ransom them from the hand of Sheol; I will redeem
them from death; O death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where
is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from your eyes."
D. Hos. 13:15, "Though he may bear fruit among his brothers,
the East wind will come, the wind of the Lord going up from the
wilderness. And his fountain will become dry; and his spring
will be dried up. It will plunder his treasury of every precious
article."
E. Hos. 13:16, "Samaria will be held guilty; she was
rebellious against her God. They will fall by the sword, their
children will be dashed in pieces, and pregnant ones ripped open."
Grace Notes
Warren Doud, Editor
1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas 78757
Phone: 512-458-8923