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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of
the Lord because the people have broken My covenant and rebelled against My
law. Israel cries out to Me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge You!’ But Israel has
rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. They set up kings without My
consent; they choose princes without My approval. With their silver and gold they
make idols for themselves to their own destruction. Samaria, throw out your
calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of
purity? They are from Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not
God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.”
“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. Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like
something no one wants. For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey
wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers. Although they have sold
themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin
to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king.”
“Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these
have become altars for sinning. I wrote for them the many things of My law, but
they regarded them as something foreign. Though they offer sacrifices as gifts
to Me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now He
will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to
Egypt. Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified
many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will consume their
fortresses.”
Hosea 8
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever seen a whirlwind?
I believe everyone has but they probably have used different
terms to describe the weather phenomenon which is sometimes used as an analogy
for other things in life. These terms may include tornado, cyclone, hurricane,
typhoon, twister, or even dust devil.
When we think about a whirlwind in this perspective, I think
the first thing that comes to mind is the destructive nature of these occurrences,
damage that typically comes from the force of the significant wind against
objects that can be moved or ripped apart. If you’ll recall any imagery of the
aftermath of a tornado or hurricane, you can definitely attest to the
devastation that occurs.
This matter of damage caused by storm is central to Chapter
8 of Hosea as we see God using it to illustrate the judgment He was about to
bring on His people. Look again at His words here:
“Put the trumpet to
your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have
broken My covenant and rebelled against My law. Israel cries out to Me, ‘Our
God, we acknowledge You!’ But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will
pursue him. They set up kings without My consent; they choose princes without My
approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their
own destruction. Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against
them. How long will they be incapable of purity? They are from Israel! This
calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that
calf of Samaria.”
“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. Israel is swallowed up; now she is
among the nations like something no one wants. For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers. Although
they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They
will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king.”
“Though Ephraim built
many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. I wrote
for them the many things of My law, but they regarded them as something
foreign. Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me, and though they eat the
meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now He will remember their wickedness and
punish their sins: They will return to Egypt. Israel has forgotten their Maker and
built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their
cities that will consume their fortresses.”
Hosea 8
Note here the whirlwind God is talking about was coming in
the way of the attackers He was sending to exact judgment on His people, the
Assyrians against the northern kingdom of Israel and the Babylonians against
the southern kingdom of Judah. These forces would “swallow up” the Israelites
and destroy their land, taking anything of value that they owned before hauling
them off into captivity. A once proud country that was revered and envied by
other nations would now be just a shell of its former self, a country that God
likened to “something no one wants.”
Here’s the worse part of all this?
The people of God brought it on themselves. They reaped the
whirlwind of obliteration that came upon them.
So what did the Israelites do to reap God’s judgment?
God tells us the following reasons in His word:
1. The people had broken their covenant with God, rebelling
against His law.
“Put the trumpet to
your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have
broken My covenant and rebelled against My law.”
God had promised to be the God of the Israelites as long as
they would be His people, remaining obedient and loyal to His will and way. But
the people of God decided to turn away from Him and instead give their devotion
to false gods and idols, actions that clearly broke their covenant with Him.
2. The people rejected what was good.
“Israel has rejected
what is good.”
The only way to live in goodness, to live in a way that was
pleasing in God’s sight, was to live in His righteousness, something that required
a resolute commitment to Him in everything a person would do. Unfortunately, we
know the people were unfaithful to God and immersed in spiritual adultery,
evidence that they had clearly rejected what was good.
3. The people set up kings without consent.
“They set up kings
without My consent; they choose princes without My approval.”
In the days leading up to God sending judgment, the
Israelites reached a point where they didn’t think it was prudent to consult
God regarding the leaders they appointed. After King Jeroboam II, five
different kings ruled over Israel over a fifteen year period, three of which
took over the throne through violence.
4. The people made idols and worshiped them.
“With their silver
and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.”
“They are from
Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken
in pieces, that calf of Samaria.”
“Though Ephraim built
many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning.”
This was perhaps the greatest sin that the Israelites
committed against God for He had clearly commanded that there were to be no
other gods before Him and that no worship was to be directed anywhere except to
Him. And yet, the people of God decided to give their attraction and attention
to the pagan gods and idols of the day, essentially abandoning God in their
spiritual lives, something that wasn’t going to set well with Him.
5. The people tried to pay other nations for protection.
“Ephraim has sold
herself to lovers.”
“They have sold
themselves among the nations.”
God had always protected His people with a power that was
unrivaled. And yet, the Israelites decided to sell out to other nations and
ironically, Assyria was one of them, the nation that would soon attack and be
used as an instrument of God’s judgment.
6. The people acted like they had no understanding of God’s
commands, laws, or decrees.
“I wrote for them the
many things of My law, but they regarded them as something foreign.”
God had not kept His expectations secret. Rather, He had
clearly delineated what He wanted His people to do and how He wanted them to
live. It was given to the Israelites in plain language but their sinful
behavior showed God that they didn’t desire to be obedient to His wishes.
Rather, they behaved as if God’s orders had been issued in a language they didn’t
understand.
This was the lengthy list of wicked acts God’s people
carried out as they instigated His wrath and reaped His whirlwind of judgment,
a judgment that would include:
1. Destruction of the idols.
“This calf—a
metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf
of Samaria.”
Anything worshiped outside of God needed to be obliterated
and God promised to do just that.
2. Famine.
“The stalk has no
head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would
swallow it up.”
“They will begin to
waste away under the oppression of the mighty king.”
If the Israelites had chosen to not bless the Lord with
their devotion then they would find out what it would be like living without
His blessing of provision.
3. Punishment through destruction.
“He will remember
their wickedness and punish their sins.”
“I will send fire on
their cities that will consume their fortresses.”
When the Assyrians and Babylonians attacked the north and
south respectively, the scriptures clearly paint a picture of utter devastation
as the nation was plundered and left in smoldering ruin by a fire sent by God
that consumed all their fortresses.
This is what happens when a whirlwind comes, no matter its
form, either physically or figuratively.
So where do we stand today?
Are we sowing the seeds of complete, uncompromising devotion
and dedication to God, a life attitude that will lead us to reaping righteousness
and blessings?
Or will we, like the Old Testament Israelites of Hosea’s
day, sow sin and wickedness through living in opposition to God’s word, will,
and way, subsequently reaping the whirlwind of His destruction?
These are questions we had better carefully ponder for no
one should want to find themselves in the midst of God’s punishing storm.
Not now. Not ever.
Amen
In Christ,
Mark
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