Sermon Tone Analysis

Fruitcakes

We start chapter ten saying the opposite from a few verses back.

Just moments ago they were dried up would bear no fruit and now they’re a luxuriant vine?

I think this takes a back a little bit to pointing out how things progressed wildly out of control.

They prospered in the land, the more they prospered the more they built up their idols and altars.

They rejected God and got a King, they reject the Kings and get scattered.

They tremble in the reverent way… The way they should be before God not this idol calf.

Part of their judgment is that this thing is going away and they’ll be shamed over this idol.

Their king dies like driftwood carried off by a wave…

The high places are the places you put up an altar.

Aven which means wickedness so this could be saying the high places of wickedness and not necessarily a location like Beth-Aven which was mentioned previously as a location.

This calling out for the mountains and the hills to come down on them might ring a bell though we hear that phrase some other places.

Hosea is our first chronological event happening with this phrase but Isaiah repeats it, Jesus repeats it on the way to be crucified, and it’s reported again in Revelation All of them are pointing to the same event ultimately in Revelation and at an event in their own time.

We have 3 parts to make up the rest of the chapter.

These three make a up an ABA structure to point us to God’s desire the point in the middle of this.

First is pointing to Israel’s reliance on military power and it’s “by the sword” so to say that they are defeated.

If we remember back many chapters it was in Gibeah the horn of war sounded.

Hos 5.8 “Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah.

Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; we follow you, O Benjamin!”

And it’s Gibeah where Saul had a massive military fortress.

Archeologists don’t think it was used much after the time of David.

But this place signifies their militaristic reliance.

That’s one of the two iniquities here.

Could we possibly guess what that other iniquity could be?

Yeah, it’s the apostacy, or idolatry, the rejection of Yahweh.

Then Israel is pictured as the heifer and encouraged to stick to righteousness.

So we get, like the beginning of the chapter, this picture of something good; the trained calf like a good vine that grows.

Instead of the good work they could be doing they were sowing evil.

So now we see an exhortation, a strong encouragement to instead plant righteousness, reap love, prepare for fertile soil, seek the Lord.

This should remind us of doing the opposite of what they’re doing wrong Hos 4.1 “Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.

There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;” God is calling on them to repent and come back and promises His righteousness to pour on them in return.

And third which again points to their violent history and trust in military power which is also their defeat.

So how do we take these things?

I think we need to see the call to remain faithful but also the warning to not rely on our privilege.

I know that’s a loaded term in our current political climate but we have always need to be weary of taking the advantages we inherit or earn for granted.

They should be accepted as a blessing from God.

We don’t boast in those things and shouldn’t use them to get our way just because we can.

Those things will be things that destroy us when we think we have a right to them.

I earned all this money, I attained all this power, I have amassed this influence.

Those things will cut us off, and do it very early.

This last verse “At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.”

indicates the battle ends quickly.

Israel did not put up a long fight here.

The reality is the battle is over before it begins.

Either you’re on Gods side or your on the other side.