8 DATE: Sunday, December 13, 2020

THE TEXT: Let us stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word. 8 S​ et the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law. 2 To me they cry, “My God, we—Israel—know you.” 3 Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.

4 They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction. 5 I have spurned your calf, O . My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6 For it is from Israel; a craftsman made it; it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour;

1. if it were to yield, strangers would devour it. 8 Israel is swallowed up; already they are among the nations as a useless vessel. 9 For they have gone up to , a wild donkey wandering alone; Ephraim has hired lovers. 10 Though they hire allies among the nations, I will soon gather them up. And the king and princes shall soon writhe because of the tribute.

11 Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning, they have become to him altars for sinning. 12 Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing. 13 As for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt. 14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.

2. PRAYER:

INTRODUCTION: In the summer of 2014, Amanda and I loaded up our kids and took a two week trip to Germany. The first week of our trip was devoted to sightseeing southern Germany, while the second week of our trip was spent serving and ministering to european missionaries who were gathered together for a yearly conference in the mountains of Germany. I’m not sure if you have ever been to Germany, but it is a stunningly beautiful country. Germany has some of the most breathtaking landscapes and remarkable buildings, towns and cities of any country in the world.

On our trip, we had the fortune of spending two days in the quaint little town of Rothenburg, located in Bavaria. The area of Rothenburg was settled by the Celts around 275 B.C. but was officially considered a township around 1274 A.D. So the area of Rothenburg is very, very old.

One of the highlights of our trip was when we participated in an evening tour of the city with the “Night Watchman of Rothenburg,” Hans Baumgartner. Baumgartner was the official Night Watchman of Rothenburg who had the job of meeting tourists at the town square and then leading them on a walking tour around Rothenburg, teaching the groups about the history of the town and the importance of the job of the Night Watchman. Baumgartner dressed like a Medieval Night Watchman, with a long black cap, a lanturn, a trumpet horn, and a pike.

You see, both the job and the instruments of a Night Watchman were crucial to the safety of the people in Medieval Europe. The Night Watchman had the job of staying up all night, patrolling the streets, keeping an ever vigilant eye on the town; waiting for any hint of danger. When danger would present itself, the Night

3. Watchman was the first one to sound the alarm, ready his pike and prepare to defend the town.

The prophets of the were a type of Night Watchman. The prophets were there to “sound the alarm” when spiritual danger was approaching. In today’s text we see that was exactly what Hosea was doing. Hosea was called to sound the alarm to Israel of a coming danger that was caused by an even greater spiritual danger. Which is why God commands Hosea in verse one to “Set the trumpet to your lips!

EXPOSITION: HOSEA 8:1-14

8 S​ et the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law.

God was calling Hosea to sound the alarm; to be the Night Watchman over Israel; to warn them of danger. But what was the danger? Look at the second sentence. “One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord, because “they” have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law.” It appears that Hosea is sounding the alarm because a vulture is over the house of the Lord. In this passage, the term “vulture” is the hebrew word “nesher” which means an unclean bird. Hosea is using the analogy of an unclean bird as representing sinful priests who were serving in the house of the Lord. These priests cared nothing for the Lord, they only wanted to advance their own gain. But how were these unclean priests established as priests? Look at the second part of the text, “because they (we will see in verse 4 that the “they” in this verse is the monarchy of Israel) have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law.” This shows how wicked leadership corrupts other forms of leadership. The wickedness of the monarchy was establishing wicked and unclean priests who were in charge of the spiritual leadership of the nation. This wicked

4. recipe served as a horrifying blueprint for the spiritual decline of the nation. Oh, but these people claimed to know God, but their actions proved otherwise.

2 T​ o me they cry, “My God, we—Israel—know you.” 3​ ​Israel has spurned (Zanach- cast off, rejected, expelled, excluded) the good; the enemy shall pursue him.

Notice what is happening in verses 2-3. These Israelite leaders claim to know God, but their actions prove the opposite. Their actions prove their stated belief to be false.Verses 2-3 is an issue of Lordship Salvation. If Israel claimed to know God, they would have had actions that represent God. Jason talked about this last week. Jason said that if you are truly walking with Christ, the things that God finds detestable, you will begin to find detestable. The same principle is true today. If Christians claim to know Christ, yet walk in a manner that is contrary to Christ, it must be questioned if they indeed know Christ. I am in NO WAY saying that good deeds can merit salvation. They cannot! However, I am saying that if the saving power of Jesus Christ has drawn a heart out of death and into life, then the by product of that heart will be that it will want to live a life that honors Christ. So the Israeliets were guilty of claiming to know God, while proving the opposite because they rejected the good things that are of God. But notice the last five words in verse 3. Because Israel has rejected the good, Hosea says that an enemy shall pursue him. Because of Israel's insurrection, a judgement is soon to come. But what were the Israelites doing that was so bad for God to judge them? What was Israel up to that was so offensive to God. Let’s unpack this in the next verses.

4 T​ hey made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not.

In verse 4, Hosea is accusing the monarchy of Israel of politically “stacking the deck.” According to 2 Kings 14, the monarch of Israel was involved in great sin, curel ambition and violent treachery. During the establishment of these kings and princes,

5. God’s will was not sought, rather the criteria of ambition was used to establish these leaders. So the Israelites were guilty of establishing rulers for their own gain; but it doesn’t stop there, let’s look at the second part of verses 4-6.

With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction. 5​ . ​I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence (notice the language: how long will they be incapable of innocence. This is language that is reminiscent of Genesis 6 concerning the people increasing their wickedness on earth)? 6​ F​ or it is from Israel; a craftsman made it; it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

The religious structure that God had established through Aaron had now been denegrated to calf-worship. This offensive act of worship was in complete defiance of God’s command in Exodus 20:3-6 and Leviticus 19:4, “3​ ​“You shall have no other gods before me. 4​ “​ You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ​5 ​You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6​ b​ ut showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” And in Leviticus 19:4 God said, “4​ D​ o not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.” The text indicates that it was the people Israelites living in Samaria, who were responsible for constructing and worshiping a golden calf. Think about this point. These people weren’t simply following the leading of a foreign nation in their idol worship, they were blatantly crafting idols of worship for themselves. What a sad indictment on the Israelites of this age. On this point I’d like to make a quick application.

6. What was idol worship? When someone worships an idol, they aren’t simply crafting and worshiping a statue of a bull or a cow. Rather, they are using the item as a sort of portal to receive divine blessing from the supernatural entity that the idol represents. For example, the calf mentioned in this text represented the canaanite god El. The Israelites believed that worshiping the idol caused them to receive the blessing of El on their lives. So the Israelites would spend hours in the worship of this Canaanite god. These worship services would often include the worshipers working themselves into a euphoric frenzy, culminating with the sacrifice of an animal at the altar of the god. Think about it, it’s a twisted form of salvation; and this is the point of the text and the point I’d like to make today. These individuals had a need; maybe they needed grain, food, clothing or money. They think the salvation for their need is found in the power that is attached to a specific idol. So they sacrifice to this idol in order to try and find salvation from their problem.

Idol worship is still very present in the world today. Countries like India, Japan and China still have forms of idol worship, but there are also forms of spiritual idolatry that can exist in all of our hearts.

If we are note careful, we can find ourselves committing spiritual idolatry all the time. But how? How does spiritual idolatry present itself? Well it’s the same M.O. as it was for the Israelites. It’s the same twisted salvation story. A perceived need presents itself. Notice that I said perceived need. Most “needs” we have are honestly wants that do not serve us well. Maybe the need is financial, maybe the need is relational. The need begins to grow in our hearts so much that we begin to chase satisfaction of the need in hopes of providing relief from that need. How many times have you heard someone say, “If I can just… If I can just get that promotion. If I could just lose five more pounds. If I could just find the right man or woman. If I could just find the right job. If I could just… Then my problems will be complete. Then my life will be in order and I will be satisfied.” And we begin to fall into the delusion that

7. satisfaction of the need will provide completion. Seeking the satisfaction of the need has now been given supernatural importance to it. Satisfaction for the need has now been promoted to god status, and that god will end up turning into a monster that will devour. You see guys. It’s a monster! This monster in us says that Christ isn’t sufficient. This monster says we need the promotion. This monster feeds our lack of contentment in Christ. This monster is the same monster that the Israelites were surrendering to in Hosea’s time. It’s the monster of sin within our hearts. And this monster drives our world today. This monster is multifaceted. The monster that drives our delusion of joy is the same monster that drives the health and beauty industry. It’s the same monster that drives the entertainment industry. It’s the same monster that drives marketing, politics, and religion. And if we think we can feed that monster and our problems will go away; we are deceived. We will only serve that monster all the more. And the consequences are great. These Israelites were crafting and worshiping calves in the hopes of gaining some benefit. Well, their sin will find them out. Let’s read verse 7.

7 ​For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.

In verse 7, Hosea uses the agricultural language to communicate the futility of the Israelites continued sin. The Israelites were “sowing” or “planting seeds” of hope in foreign gods to supply their desires with the dreadful coming consequence of actually “reaping” or “harvesting” the whirlwind. They think they will gain much from these gods, but in reality, they will only reap chaos and destruction! Let’s see what else happens to Israel.

8 I​ srael is swallowed up; already they are among the nations as a useless vessel (​ notice the irony of this comment. The Israelites believed themselves to have arrived. They believed themselves to be living in prosperity, to be regarded as significant before the other nations. However, their self destruction had led to them being self deceived. The reality is that these other nations that they tried so hard to emulate, viewed them

8. as insignificant) ​. 9​ ​For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone (notice that this is the second time that Hosea has equated Israel to an animal. Like Jason mentioned last week, in :11, Ephriam was like a stupid dove; this week, according to 8:9, Ephriam is compared to a foolish, wandering donkey… but why? because);​ Ephraim has hired lovers.

10 T​ hough they hire allies among the nations, I will soon gather them up. And the king and princes shall soon writhe because of the tribute.​ In verse 10, Hosea reveals that Israel was in the practice of paying tribute to the Assyrian’s for the purpose of keeping peace and providing protection between the two nations. This would have been a complete insult to God. Think about it. Who brought the plagues on Egypt when Israel was in slavery? Who fed the Israelites when they were in the wilderness? Who brought Israel over the Jordan river and into the promised land? Who has proven themselves perfectly capable of caring for the needs of Israel? Then why in the world is Israel making deals with Assyria?

Well, it appears that the deal goes south, because God will gather up, or nullify the pact between the nations, and the result is that the kings and princes will mourn over their deal with the Asserians. The proverb of sowing and reaping with which this section began will more than come true in Ephraim’s experience with the Assyrians.

In the remaining 4 verses, Hosea transitions back to Israel's heinous religious practices. 11 B​ ecause Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning, they have become to him altars for sinning. ​12 W​ ere I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing. ​13 A​ s for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt ​(or return to a place of slavery).​ ​14 F​ or

9. Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.

In verses 11-14 we see a theme of multiplication. In verse 11, the people are guilty of “multiplied altars for sinning,” while in verse 14 they have “multiplied fortified cities.” Hosea is communicating that Israel had spent much time and resources on idolatrous worship and fortifying their cities, however, God will destroy both. All of this is due to the hardness of the collective heart of Israel. Notice how hard their hearts became in verse 12; “Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing.” The hearts of the Israelites became so calloused from sin, that if Hosea were to write out ten thousand laws to them, it would appear as a peculiar thing to them. It’s a sad indictment on the spiritual state of Israel. But what can we pull from this text that applies to us today.

APPLICATION: We’ve just spent a considerable amount of time unpacking this text concerning the sins of the Israelites. We have seen the great rebellion that Israel was involved in and the great anger that God had kindled against them. As we consider the relationship between God and Israel, I’d like to ask the question, “Why was God so angry with Israel?” Was he angry for the sake of being angry? No. God was angry with Israel because he LOVED Israel. Think about the depths of the Love that God had toward Israel. Think about the investment of devotion that he had with her, and the plan of salvation that he would bring to fruition through her.

Think about how humanity was dead in their sin. But God, being full of love, mercy and grace, chose to call an elderly man Abraham and his wife Sarah out of the idolatrous land of Ur to create a people that would one day bring about the messiah. Think about what I said a moment ago in how the Israelites became enslaved in Egypt, and God caused 10 plagues to curse the captures and free his children. Think

10. about the years of faithfulness that God showed to Israel while they were in wandering. Think about how faithful God was through all of those years! He fed them! He clothed them! He kept them alive! He gave them a land to dwell in! He loved these people! And think about how offensive it must have been to God for them to turn from Him and place their faith in other gods and other nations. The Israelites ultimately didn’t find God sufficient to supply their needs. And if we are not very careful, we can often think Christ insufficient to supply all of our needs.

Prior to Christ we were a helpless people. Wallowing in our sin. Remember Ephesians 2? We were dead to the things of God. ​4 B​ ut God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5​ ​even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved -

Christ has given us life. Christ has fed us. Christ has clothed us. Christ has supplied all of our needs. Why then would we turn from Christ to pursue ideas and ideologies and lifestyles that are not of him? If Christ has supplied all we need for life and godliness, why do we feel like we need more? You know what… that’s too easy a question. I’m going to make it personal.

Why do I (Lee Davis) feel like I need more? What is it about my spiritual condition that has blinded me to the fact that Christ has supplied all of my needs? Why is it that I often don't find Christ sufficient? Why do I think I need a bigger paycheck, or a bigger house? What about you? What if you were to put your name in that question? Why do you feel like you need more? What is it about your spiritual condition that has blinded you to the fact that Christ has supplied all of your needs? Why is it that you often don’t find Christ sufficient?

11. Well… I know what I’m going to be about this week. This week I am going to be searching my heart for the answer to these questions. Guys, I want to encourage you to do the same.

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