Until He Comes

We’ve just been through the Advent Season.

Advent means what?

We celebrate His First Coming and look ahead to His Second Coming.

And often the life we live right now is referred to as the already, but not yet.

We already have Christ, but we do not yet have Christ.

We are already saved, but we are not yet saved.

We are already experiencing Heaven, but we are not yet experiencing Heaven.

We live in what’s called the in-between times.

But what does it mean to live in the in-between times?

Theologically, we would call this time the time of sanctification.

We are already holy, but we are not yet holy.

We are being made more and more holy.

We are looking more and more like Jesus.

We are holding on to less and less of the world and clinging more and more to Jesus.

This phrase: Until He Comes, from Hosea 10:12, is what we will ponder today to help us better understand this in-between time.

This phrase includes two things.

Something that we do - Seeking the Lord.

Something that we wait for - God’s righteousness.

The prevailing main thought is that we seek the Lord while we wait for His righteousness to come.

In Hosea 10: we’ll see these two elements as well as the results.

This section is full of metaphors and word pictures all ripe with meaning then, but also for today.

First, we will examine the historical setting in which God gives this exhortation.

Secondly, we’ll look at God’s covenant call to return and seek Him.

Finally, we’ll look at the result of seeking the Lord.

Read Hosea 10:11-15

Ephraim - A Trained Heifer Who Threshes.

vs. 11 - First metaphor: Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh.

Ephraim

A title for the northern kingdom of Israel

One of the prominent tribes of the Northern Kingdom.

Trained heifer (NASB)

a healthy draft animal that should be eager to plow the ground.

But...

Loves to thresh

Easy luxurious work as a result of easy times and blessing.

The creature was un-muzzled and free to eat.

it’s like Ephraim’s luxury had gotten them fat and lazy.

Gives the sense of an undisciplined life of pleasure.

And this life of pleasure led them to idolatry.

in fact this was written during the reign of Jeroboam II, which was a time of great prosperity for the northern tribes, but also a time of great spiritual adultery.

We see this clearly in vs 1-3

The more Israel produced for themselves, the more altars they made (to foreign gods)

The richer the land, the better they made the sacred pillars.

Their heart became false (faithless - NASB) and they forgot their God.

The word literally means divided.

Their heart had a divided loyalty.

They were trying to serve God and the world.

Faithless is the opposite of faithfulness, trustworthiness and loyalty, which not ironically are some of the main aspects of HESED - lovingkindness.

This revealed itself in that they would call on God in time of need, and yet otherwise ignore Him.

Their heart was “false” (ESV)

They were not oriented toward Him, for they did not seek the will of Yahweh but rather they sought the pleasures of cultic celebrations.

Israel misused her gifts in a pagan cult.

In fact they thought all the abundance was a result of their hard work!!!!!!

Hosea 2:8 NASB95

“For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal.

God blesses and what did they do with those blessings? Worship other gods.

We see this play out negatively in Hosea 10:13

plowed wickedness

reaped injustice

eaten the fruit of lies (Garden of Eden?)

Instead of taking pleasure in the fruit of a godly life of wholeness, they reap the fruit of lies (deceit)

this does not refer to one’s relationship with one’s neighbor, lying to one’s neighbor, but rather in context, the lies they were listening to were from the devil about God.

This played out as a rejection of the knowledge gained from seeking God. And in Israel’s case, the teachings from the prophets.

What do they do instead of seeking the teachings of God (greater context)? They devotedly sought answers from the world and the culture around them.

They were sacrificing in the sanctuaries of society.

Application:

Like Ephraim, where might our hearts be divided? How might our hearts be false towards God?

What lies might we be listening to from the culture?

What sacrifices are we making in the sanctuary of the society?

God’s Covenant Call To Return

Yoke - discipline, diligence, and determination

We see three terms line up in verses 11-13.

I will harness Ephraim - (to) sow with a view to righteousness - (rather than) plow wickedness.

Harness - to mount and ride and animal.

Break the animal and bring it under subjection.

Discipline.

Reminder of the covenantal reward - Righteousness

Judah will plow - (so as to) reap in accordance with kindness - (instead of) reaping injustice

Plow - tilling the soil.

Hard Work.

Diligence and Purpose

Reminder of the covenantal relationship - Hesed.

Jacob will harrow for himself - (in order to) break up your fallow ground - (so that you will not) eat the fruit of lies.

Harrow - breaking up and leveling plowed ground. Thus covering seeds and/or clearing the ground of weeds, small debris, etc.

Determination and intentionality.

Reminder of the covenantal responsibility

God in His mercy and grace is always calling us back to Himself.

No matter how far we may have strayed, He pursues us and calls us to come back.

We see this in the very beginning of Hosea as God uses Hosea’s relationship to his wife as a stark object lesson about His covenant love (HESED) for them.

God told Hosea to go and marry a prostitute and have children by her.

As an example of how bad Isreal had become.

Idolatrous and adulterous.

3 kids - punishment, no compassion, not my people.

Then, Hosea’s wife goes back to her adulterous ways and God says to go get her back.

He pays 15 shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley for her.

As a symbol of God’s desire to be faithful to His covenant with them and still desire to be Israel’s husband in spite of her actions.

Application:

Where might we have become undisciplined in our reward (goal), relationship, or responsibility towards God this past year?

Which one is God is calling you back, again?

Thank God for His unending pursuit of us and willingness to “take us back” over and over again.

As we head into the the new year, ponder these questions and we’ll come back to them next week.

It Is Time: To Seek The Lord!

To Seek: inquire, examine

connected with studying or inquiring into the word of the Lord or inquiring of God Himself.

Also includes studying and examining the works of the Lord.

Application:

Become a student of the word of the Lord and of the works of the Lord.

Psalm 34:10 NASB95

The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

Three Ways God Says To Seek Him

We will tackle these in depth next week. But for today, in brief:

Sow With A View To Righteousness

We have to have the proper seed to sow.

We have to adjust our focus and priority.

Reap In Accordance With Kindness

We reap what we sow.

Are we sowing kindness?

HESED

faithfulness

truth

loyalty

mercy

goodness

Break Up Your Fallow Ground.

Where has your heart gotten hard?

What weeds have we allowed to grow in our field?

Confess, repent, and harrow the soil of your soul until it is soft and ready to receive the good seed.

Until He Comes: To Rain Righteousness On You.

In their context, it was to remember and return to the covenant call of God on their life.

Deuteronomy 11:13 NASB95

“It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,

Deuteronomy 11:14–15 NASB95

that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. “He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.

The righteousness rained down on them was the goodness and blessings of God for sustenance and enjoyment of life.

in context, God was doing that, but they were taking it for granted, thinking that they had generated that wealth and prosperity on their own, and were then prostituting themselves to the world around them with it.

God is calling them back to remember Him, who they had forgotten

It is also subtle prophecy pointing to Christ who is our ultimate righteousness.

In our context, what are we waiting for?

In one sense, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Especially in regards to recommitting to seeking the Lord and His righteousness.

Matthew 6:33 NASB95

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Secondly, though, what are we waiting for? The raining of what kind of righteousness on us?

The ultimate righteousness has already come - Jesus first coming.

The final phase of righteousness is what we are waiting for in His Second Coming.

His final earthly reign and kingdom.

Isaiah 9:7 NASB95

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

The New Heaven and New Earth.

And our glorified bodies.

Philippians 3:20–21 NASB95

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Is there some kind of righteousness that we are waiting for that we can obtain now in this in-between time?

In our context: To send the Holy Spirit afresh so we can live the covenant life including the blessings of grace He provides.

Water/Rain is often an allusion to the Holy Spirit and blessing

Isaiah 44:3 NASB95

‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;

Ezekiel 34:26 NASB95

“I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.

We seek the Lord until He comes and rains the Holy Spirit upon our lives.

Now He has already sent the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells within every true believer, but...

In our context, it’s a call to return to God and seek Him for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit on our lives.

The Holy Spirit is to guide us to the truth. John 16:13

The Holy Spirit is to empower is for righteous living

fruit and gifts.

Galatians 5:22–23 NASB95

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and brings us closer to God.

The Holy Spirit is the conduit for God’s blessings.

Look at this specific connection between the Holy Spirit and righteousness.

Isaiah 32:15–17 NASB95

Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness And righteousness will abide in the fertile field. And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

Righteousness will abide in the fertile field

The work of righteousness will be peace.

The service (result) of righteousness is quietness and confidence.

Final Questions

Where have we compromised in our walk with God?

Where have we sought the world, society, and culture instead of God?

Where have we given the resources that God has given us in an ungodly way to the world?

What areas of our life are unfettered and roaming free that should be brought back into submission and service to God?

Where do we need to seek the Lord again?

Do you desire a fresh work of the Holy Spirit for righteousness in your life?

Closing Song: Holy Spirit Rain Down