By Any Means Necessary

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One. Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt. The Lord has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us— the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial name: “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress. Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.” I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on the furrows of the field. Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded. Ephraim has given bitter provocation; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.

Our family’s indoctrination into the cult of Disney began around 1994 when our oldest child, Jelani, was around two years old. That’s when Disney released the animated movie Aladdin on video. And that would by VHS, not DVDs. There were no such things available for us back then. At any rate, Jelani loved Aladdin. It was almost a daily thing that we would hear this boy say, “Laddin…” So, I almost had the movie memorized.

Our indoctrination into the cult of Disney began around 1994 when our oldest child, Jelani, was around two years old. From that day to this we have not been able to be set free from it. You all know how regularly I quote from a variety of Disney movies and shows. Today is no exception. In fact, I’m sure I’ve used this as an example in the past.

Our indoctrination all started when Disney released the animated movie Aladdin on video. And that would by VHS, not DVDs. There were no such things available for us back then. At any rate, Jelani loved Aladdin. It was almost a daily thing that we would hear this boy say, “Laddin…” So, I almost had the movie memorized.

One of the most memorable parts of the movie is the royal vizier, evil sorcerer, and all around bad guy, Jafar, is trying to weasel his way into power. The current Sultan has a problem. He’s trying to get his daughter, princess Jasmine to marry one of the princes who’s coming to ask for her hand in marriage. But she can’t stand any of them.

Well, Jafar wants to be the next Sultan of Agrabah. So he figures the way to the throne is by getting the Sultan to agree that he should be the one to marry the Sultan’s daughter, Princess Jasmine. He comes to the Sultan and says,

“Sire, I have found a solution to the problem with your daughter.”

“Oh really,” the Sultan says.

Jafar takes out a scroll and says, “It’s right here. If the princess has not chosen a husband by the appointed time, then the sultan shall choose for her… If, in the event a suitable prince cannot be found, the princess must then be wed to...hmm...interesting.”

“What? Who?”

“The royal vizier! Why, that would be...me!”

When the Sultan tries to protest and say that’s not what the law says, Jafar takes out his staff to hypnotize the Sultan and says, “Desperate times call for desperate measures, my lord.” “Yes...desperate measures…” “You will order the princess to marry me.”

If you want the rest of the story you’ve got to go watch the movie (or borrow it from us…). My point is, Aladdin is a fictional movie, but that scene of a grasp for power and control is exactly the thing that Hosea is addressing as a problem in Israel.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” seems to be their philosophy of life. They are willing, by any means necessary to do whatever they can to maintain control and order their lives the way they want it to be. They are seeking to maintain their sense of security as a nation by any means necessary. They are seeking to maintain their wealth and economic prosperity by any means necessary. They are grasping and groping for power and control so that they can have the good life as they see it.

This chapter is the beginning of the third and final section of the book. The first section is chapters 1-3. The second section is chapters 4-11. And now chapters 12-14. Each section follows the same pattern. God’s judgment and condemnation for sin and idolatry followed by a call to repentance and a promise of restoration and love.

It’s the same pattern in each section, but there’s nuance each time. And the nuance in this chapter is the concentrated description of their desperation to fix their problems. They’re willing to do everything except the very thing that they should do. That’s repent; turn away from their materialism and trust themselves to the Lord. We face the same temptation and trap that they did. That’s the temptation to desperately pursue, by any means necessary, our vision of the good life. But the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ calls us away from that and to a real dependence on him. We’re covering all of ch. 12, but our primary focus is on 11:12-12:8. We’ve got three ‘Rs’ in this message, By Any Means Necessary. Israel is Running hard by any means necessary. But they’re running after nothingness. In their desperation they are “chasing the wind.” Secondly, this attempt to gain control over that which is uncontrollable is actually a Regression to the worst part of their heritage. And lastly, the way out of their desperation is to Return to the Lord.

that they did. That’s the temptation to desperately pursue, by any means necessary, our vision of the good life. But the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ calls us away from that and to a real dependence on him. We’re covering all of ch. 12, but our primary focus is on 11:12-12:8. We’ve got three ‘Rs’ in this message, By Any Means Necessary. Israel is Running hard by any means necessary. But they’re running after nothingness. In their desperation they are “chasing the wind.” Secondly, this attempt to gain control over that which is uncontrollable is actually a Regression to the worst part of their heritage. And lastly, the way out of their desperation is to Return to the Lord.

Running

The Lord says in

Hosea 11:12–12:1 ESV

HOS11.12-12.1

The Lord says in 11:12-12:1

Ephraim surrounds me with lies. Israel surrounds me with deceit. Judah still wanders with God, and is faithful to the holy ones. Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and violence. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and olive oil is carried to Egypt.

These verses condemn Israel, the northern kingdom, but seem to give a positive assessment of Judah, the southern kingdom. The Hebrew text is not actually all that clear as to whether Hosea is being positive towards Judah, or being negative towards both kingdoms. There’s some ambiguity in the text, and it’s probably intentional. Israel to the north is going to fall before Judah does. So, Judah still has some time to get their act together and turn their situation around. But it’s not like they’re doing well because in the very next verse Hosea says, “The Lord has a dispute with Judah.” So, they’re both in the same boat.

Look at what it says just a few verses before our text. The Lord says in 11:9,

Hosea 11:9 ESV

I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

Here in our text he says, “I’m in your midst, but you surround me with lies and deceit.” Understand something about God. We don’t have to provoke God to love, because God is love, but we do have to provoke him to wrath.” That’s precisely what we do in our sinful rebellion against him. That’s precisely the charge against Israel at the end of this chapter. In v. 14 judgment is coming because, “Ephraim has provoked bitter anger. So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.”

In the last chapter we heard the Lord say to Israel, “I am God and not man. I am the Holy One in your midst” (11:9). Here he says, “I’m in your midst, but you surround me with lies and deceit.” Remember what I said last week, “we don’t have to provoke God to love, because God is love, but we do have to provoke him to wrath.” That’s precisely what we do in our sinful rebellion against him. That’s precisely the charge against Israel at the end of this chapter. In v. 14 judgment is coming because, “Ephraim has provoked bitter anger. So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.”

The Lord says, the cultural condition of Israel is lying and deceit. The Holy One is in their midst, but all around him is not righteousness, holiness, justice, and truth. What characterizes the people who are called by his name is lying and deceit. When he says, Ephraim chases the wind it’s literally, “Ephraim shepherds the wind.” It’s a picture of stupidity. They’re pictured as trying to treat the wind like you treat cattle. They’re trying to control the uncontrollable. They look like fools trying running after they east wind. No one in the world of the Ancient Near East pursued the east wind. The east wind is the dry, hot wind that blows in from the desert and brings destruction. These people are running after the east wind. They are playing with fire. They’re trying to make themselves secure by making allegiances with Assyria and Egypt.

The point of making a treaty with Assyria is to secure Assyria’s protection. The point of the bringing oil to Egypt is to pay tribute and keep Egypt at bay. The result of their desperate attempts to run after safety and security on their own terms is ever increasing falsehood and violence in the nation. The violence and falsehood in v. 1 is not in reference to strife with Assyria and Egypt. They’re making an all out effort to keep Egypt and Assyria happy. The falsehood and violence is internal. If the king isn’t keeping our standard of living in tact by making sure that we’re playing nice with Assyria and Egypt, we’ll kill him and put someone else in office. Here is the attitude. “The most important thing for us is to maintain our high standard of living. The most important thing for us is to have a vibrant economy.”

America isn’t ancient Israel, but you cannot help see this and think of American politics. What drives us? “It’s the economy stupid.” If a politician can convince the people that he or she can fix our economic problems, and not simply on some grand scale, but so that I know personally that I’ll have a better, more prosperous life, that politician will win. Our pockets and our pocket books rule the day. We might not be killing politicians like Israel was, but we are full of deception and lying and falsehood.

My point is not that there’s something wrong with wanting to have a flourishing economy. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the unemployment rate drop. How did the nation of Israel in Hosea’s day get to be so prosperous? It was by the Lord’s hand. Part of Hosea’s message to Israel was that the Lord had blessed them but they gave the props to false gods. Remember what I said earlier, these themes repeat themselves through the book of Hosea. God said of Israel back in 2:8,

Hosea 2:8 ESV

And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

HOS

“She doesn’t acknowledge that it’s I who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil. I lavished silver and gold on her which they used for Baal” ().

Jesus taught us pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” That’s a daily request that we make of God that we would not be lacking in the necessities of life. The apostle Paul says to the Philippians in

Philippians 4:10–11 ESV

PHIL4.10-

Philippians 4:10–13 ESV

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 2:10–11 ESV

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Paul didn’t say, I want to be super spiritual, so I’m only content when I don’t have anything. You see, here in Hosea, God is not condemning Israel because they have a lot. He’s condemning them because having a lot has become all that matters. And it has caused the society to become so degenerate that the things that matter to the Lord are not even on their radar screen.

He didn’t say, I want to be super spiritual, so I’m only content when I don’t have anything. God is not condemning Israel because they have much. He’s condemning them because having much has become all that matters. And it has caused the society to become so degenerate that the things that matter to the Lord are not even on their radar screen.

Regression

What are we running hard after? Are we caught up in the same delusion as Israel, that having much is all that matters? Are we desperately trying to pursue the things we think equate to the good life at all costs? That’s what Israel was doing, and the Lord is showing them that their lifestyle is indicative of a regression to the worst part of their heritage. He does this by taking them back to their patriarch Jacob. He says in vv. 2-5,

Hosea 12:2–5 ESV

The Lord has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us— the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial name:

HOS12

The LORD also has a dispute with Judah. He is about to punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him based on his actions. In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God. Jacob struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He found him at Bethel, and there He spoke with him. Yahweh is the God of Hosts; Yahweh is His memorial name.

Hosea 4:1 ESV

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;

Just like the second section of Hosea began with the Lord declaring that he had a dispute with the people, 4:1,

Hear the word of the LORD children of Israel! For the LORD has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land. Because there is no truth, and there is no lovingkindness, and there is no knowledge of God in the land.

So this final section also begins with the Lord saying he has a dispute with the people. Here it’s because they have regressed to the deceiving and conniving schemes of their forefather Jacob. Do you the story of Jacob and Esau, the twin brothers? Jacob’s story begins in . And you could tell right from the beginning of his life he was going to be a deceiver and a trickster. Esau came out first, then Jacob came out of the womb grabbing Esau by the heel. He was trying to trip him up from day one. Jacob is slick, and Esau is rash and gullible. So when they grow up, Jacob manages to swindle Esau out of his birthright. Then he adds to his list of dirty deeds by teaming up with mom to deceive his father, Isaac, so that Isaac would give him the blessing of the firstborn son. So he stole his brother’s birthright, then he stole his brother’s blessing and got out of town because Esau was coming to kill him.

Jacob was a man who lived by the motto, “get what you want to get by any means necessary. Do what you got to do.” Hosea’s charge to Israel and Judah is that they have regressed to their heritage of deception, trickery, and lying. One commentator puts it well when he says,

“The nation of Israel continues to live like Jacob the conniver, the man without grace. Like the old Jacob, they struggle for success and seek security not in God, but in wealth.”

In vv. 7-8, Hosea describes their regression this way,

“A merchant, in whose hands are deceitful scales, he loves to oppress. Ephraim has said, “How rich I have become; I made it all myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”

I did it my way. I’m living in the lap of luxury, lifestyles of the rich and famous. I should be on MTV Cribs. Look at my lavish lifestyle. I did it all myself. All the credit goes to me. And I did it in such a way that I covered my tracks. They might suspect me of doing wrong, but they can’t prove it.

Hosea’s charge is that, “y’all might be successful, but you have no scruples. You love to oppress the poor by cheating them out of their money. You use false balances, deceitful scales, so that things always go in your favor, and you line your pockets with cash.” What they are doing is detestable to God.

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight. ()

Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good. ()

They have the audacity to think that just because nobody can catch them in their dishonesty that God doesn’t see it. You can’t live by the motto, “by any means necessary,” and think that the Lord isn’t paying attention. I might look good on the outside, but be covering up deception on the inside. And as the Pastor says in ,

no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees of his day for that very thing.

Matthew 23:23–25 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

MATT23.

in our Scripture reading from .

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. ( ESV)

Return

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ( ESV)

Jesus lays the same accusation as Hosea. The commitment to greed and self-indulgence is a love of oppression. It’s a neglect of the weighty matters of justice and mercy and faithfulness. It is an embracing of the heritage of deceit represented by Jacob in his trickery. Listen, any material blessing from God in the here and now, whether that is money, whether that is power and authority, whether that is influence, whether it is creativity, intellect, athletic prowess, none of those blessings are solely for our self-indulgence. Every blessing of God comes with the question, “How would God have me steward, utilize this gift in a way that blesses others?” How do we live in such a way that takes the focus off of me, me, me all the time and our gaze turns towards blessing others through the blessings we’ve received.

Here’s how. Hosea’s call is to reject their regression into their heritage of deception and return to their heritage of being transformed by grace. Jacob was a deceiver, but he didn’t stay a deceiver. Hosea reminds us in v. 4 of Jacob’s wrestling with the Angel of the Lord at Jabbok. The angel could’ve prevailed at any point in the wrestling match. We know this because when he was ready for the fight to be over, he dislocated Jacob’s hip. But Hosea says Jacob prevailed in his wrestling with the angel. How did he prevail? He prevailed in his being broken down. Jacob was confronted with his former ways and realized that all his deception had gotten for him was the fear of retribution. He had been on the run from Esau, and at Jabbok was confronted by God over his life of self-sufficiency as a heel-grabber. Jacob had to be changed from a self-seeking, self-indulgent, self-sufficient, by any means necessary kind of guy, to someone who depends on God. That’s the heritage Hosea wants to see Israel return to.

I love vv. 5-6 of our text,

Yahweh is the God of Hosts; Yahweh is his memorial name. And you, by the help of your God, return. Maintain lovingkindness and justice, and wait continually for your God.

Hosea reminded Israel that not only had God confronted Jacob at the end of the journey, on his way back to his homeland. But the Lord met him at the beginning when he ran. The Lord found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. That’s important because Jacob gave Bethel it’s name. When God met him there in the dream and Jacob woke up saying, “Surly the Lord is in this place and I didn’t know it. This is none other than Bethel (the house of God).” If you read through the book of Hosea, you’ll find out that he has been calling Bethel, Beth-aven, throughout this book. Instead of the house of God, they have become a house of iniquity. Hosea is reminding them of their transformed heritage and calling them to return to it.

Hosea reminded Israel that not only had God confronted Jacob at the end of the journey, on his way back to his homeland. But the Lord met him at the beginning when he ran. The Lord found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. That’s important because Jacob gave Bethel it’s name. When God met him there in the dream and Jacob woke up saying, “Surly the Lord is in this place and I didn’t know it. This is none other than Bethel (the house of God).” Hosea has been calling Bethel, Beth-aven, throughout this book. Instead of the house of God, they have become a house of iniquity. Hosea is reminding them of their transformed heritage and calling them to return to it.

You have a heritage of being transformed by grace. You must return to your God. You must repent. You must reject this “by any means necessary” lifestyle. There is no other viable option except to abandon the futile attempts to control the wind. Abandon the futile attempts to control life so that I have whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want. To return to God means to seek his mercy and his grace. It means to live by faith in the Lord and his provision. It means rejecting the type of life that seeks security in wealth or position or circumstances.

Instead of doing everything you can to maintain your lifestyle, Hosea says, “maintain love and justice.” Just like the lifestyle of self-indulgence results in a culture of deception and lying and falsehood and violence, the lifestyle of repentance and faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, results in a culture of love and justice. Why? Because the lifestyle of repentance and faith is the lifestyle of an ongoing hope in God. It’s the exact opposite of trying to use manipulation and scheming to get things the way we want them to be.

We’ve been calling this series through Hosea The Perils of Prosperity. We could’ve also called it The Destructive Effects of a Lifestyle of Unrepentant Self-indulgence.

The land mourns in ch. 4. Why? Because there is no faithfulness or love. There is no knowledge of God. There is only swearing, lying, murder, stealing and adultery. The Lord says in ch. 6, what I desire is love, not sacrifice. The knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. He says in ch. 10, “sow for yourselves righteousness. Reap love. You plowed wickedness and you have reaped injustice.” Here it is again, “maintain love and justice.”

A lifestyle of self-indulgence is incompatible with a lifestyle of faith and repentance in Jesus Christ… May God make us people who refuse to run harder after anyone or anything than we run after Jesus Christ. May God make us people who refuse to regress back into self-indulgence. May God bless us to be people who are always turning to him through a lifestyle of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

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