Israel in the Courtroom
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
“There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
2 There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Because of this the land mourns,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.
Introduction
Introduction
As we continue in our study in the book of Hosea, we must see this chapter that we begin today as the start of a new section. The book of Hosea is essentially divided up into two main parts.
The first part, which consists of Chapters 1-3, focuses on the picture that God portrays to Israel through the marriage of Hosea the prophet to Gomer, who is a harlot who chases after other men. The picture was developed in those chapters, and essentially conveyed the message that Israel had abandoned God, and was chasing after other gods.
We further saw in those opening chapters the children that were born to Gomer. The children represented to Israel the consequences of her deserting of the true God, and chasing after these other gods.
Jezreel - portrayed for them the punishment and destruction that would come upon them as a result of their betrayal.
Lo-Ruhamma, meaning “not loved”, portrayed for them that they would no longer be shown the compassionate love of God, even for a time as God punished them for their sin.
Lo-Ammi, meaning “not my people”, showed them that they could no longer legitimately be called the children of God, since they had forsaken God and the covenant relationship that had been instituted with them.
As we head now into the second part, that picture of Hosea and Gomer fades into the background, and the details of Israel’s betrayal of God become the focal point for the remainder of this prophetic book.
We will begin this morning simply by looking at verses 1-3 of chapter 4, which sets the scene for the remaining chapters. It takes the form of a courtroom drama.
God is the judge of the courtroom. He comes to speak judgments against Israel, who is brought before Him as the accused. And God will proceed to present His right case against the nation Israel as a result of their adulteries.
With that in mind, notice under our first main point...
1. The Case Against Israel
1. The Case Against Israel
In verse 1 of chapter 4, Hosea writes:
"Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land:"
As I’ve mentioned, the scene is a typical courtroom setting. It begins it the words “Hear Ye” - Or “hear the word of the LORD” in the NIV. This is a call for people, and indeed all of creation to cease from what they are doing and to pay attention.
The Almighty God has come in order to make a pronouncement concerning his very own covenant people Israel. Usually when the words “Hear Ye” were spoken through the prophets, what followed was not going to be pleasant. There is an ominous tone about this call!
God is about to pronounce judgment on Israel (particularly the 10 Northern tribes. c.f. Hosea 4:15).
Note further that God says here through Hosea that he has a charge to bring against “you who live in the land.”
This is an important phrase that Hosea uses to identify them. He is referring to the land that was given to them by promise from God. The promise was made to Abraham in Genesis 12, that Abraham’s descendants would be given a land to dwell in. And they indeed been led into that land. And so God had fulfilled the promise to them.
But part of that covenant relationship that God entered into with Israel at Sinai related to the land that they would inhabit in fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. They were to live in a particular manner, and live in obedience to the law of God. If they failed to do so, there would be consequences.
Particularly of note in this regard are the words of God in Deut. 29:22ff.
22 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it. 23 The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger. 24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”
25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28 In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”
And so here through the prophet Hosea, God addresses the people of Israel who are “in the land”. And what is going to follow in this courtroom scene is the conviction of the Israelites of their failure to obey God’s covenant. They will be convicted of disobedience to the covenant. And the consequence as we see in a moment are that the land will suffer.
With that in mind, notice secondly this evening...
2. The Charges Against Israel (v.1b-2)
2. The Charges Against Israel (v.1b-2)
As God begins his case against Israel, he does so through a demonstration of the charges that He is bringing against her.
We must recognise that as He brings these charges, that they all flow out of His covenant relationship with them, and how it was that they were to live and conduct themselves as the people of God.
After they had been mercifully delivered out of the land of Egypt, they were given that law by which they were to live. And it is these precise laws that they failed to obey and which thus led to them being in this situation.
As we consider the charges and the transgressions of which Israel is being found guilty, we find that there two main groups of charges.
The first is...
2.1. The Charges Relating to Sins of Omission (v.1b)
2.1. The Charges Relating to Sins of Omission (v.1b)
In terms of the sins of omission, there are three that are mentioned.
2.1.1. No Faithfulness
2.1.1. No Faithfulness
Firstly, we find that they are accused of the fact that there is no faithfulness. This refers to the fact that there is no integrity in their actions and in their lives. They serve a God who is by His very nature faithful.
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
It was the faithful God that had worked on behalf of the people, rescuing them and setting his great love upon them.
He had thus called His people to live in humble obedience to Him. They were called to be a people that were faithful to Him as their loving God.
But not only were they to be faithful to God, they were called also to be a people who were faithful to one another.
16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;
Our God is a God of justice and faithfulness. He required of Israel that they would be faithful to Him. And He required of Israel that they would be faithful to one another.
But they failed to do this. They were a people who were marked by unfaithfulness.
2.1.2. No Love
2.1.2. No Love
Secondly, we see that there is no love in the land.
They were commanded to love God...
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
They did not have a love for God. Indeed, they had forsaken him and were chasing after other gods. They were worshiping idols. They did not love God.
Furthermore The people of Israel were failing in their obligation to love one another and live in a state of care and concern for each other.
18 “ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
But in this context, as they lived out their lives, they failed to love and care for one another.
The word “love” that is used speaks of familial affection. God expressed His own compassionate love to Israel by taking her, a poor and helpless people, without any hope or power, and loving them with great compassion and care, and turning her into a treasured possession. This is the kind of love that there ought to have been by the people towards God, and also by the people towards one another.
Instead, they had abandoned this love, and were focused only on themselves and their own advancement and benefit. There was a lack of welfare and love for the nation. People had become selfish.
2.1.3. No Acknowledgement of God
2.1.3. No Acknowledgement of God
Thirdly, in terms of the sins of omission, the Israelites had no acknowledgement of God. The phrase speaks of them having no knowledge of God. They had so drifted away from God that they had no understanding of who God was.
Although God had revealed his nature and character through delivering them with great power and a mighty hand, they had all but forgotten His works on their behalf.
Let us be sure, the Israelites were called to know God.
They were called to know God through his created order...
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
They were also called to know God through history, as they reflected on his great works of deliverance for them. He put measures in place, practices and festivals in place, for them to remember Him by. For example..
15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
They were called to know God through their own experiences. But they failed. They essentially forgot about God. He slowly slipped out of their minds, and they paid no heed to Him.
They would have claimed to know Him. If you had asked an Israelite if they knew God, they would have said yes, of course. But they never truly knew Him. They had forgotten about Him.
Eli’s sons were an example of such people that do not give regard to the LORD and His ways.
12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord.
Essentially, the sins of Israel flowed out of a lack of knowledge of God.
Having considered the sins of Omission, let us go on to consider the sins of commission...
2.2. The Charges Relating to Sins of Commission (v.2)
2.2. The Charges Relating to Sins of Commission (v.2)
There are five key transgressions that the Israelites were engaging in.
Firstly, we see that they were cursing. This refers to them calling out or pronouncing a curse upon other people, but then attaching the name of God to that curse. It was an unworthy use of God’s name.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Secondly, we read that they were lying to one another. This lying to one another violated the personal and legal rights of others. They had been called to be faithful, but were instead being untruthful, which went directly contrary to the ways of God.
God had commanded them in Leviticus 19:11...
11 “ ‘Do not steal.
“ ‘Do not lie.
“ ‘Do not deceive one another.
The ninth commandment was...
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Furthermore, they were murdering, taking the life of another person without due process or due regard to the laws of God. Capital punishment by an avenger was acceptable under certain conditions within the Israelite law, but premeditated murder, the taking of another’s life with undue process was sin. The fifth commandment was...
13 “You shall not murder.
We read further that they were stealing from each other. The eighth commandment given to Israel was...
15 “You shall not steal.
Here was a people that for most part, lived only slightly above subsistence level. They didn’t have significant disposable income, and thus theft was a threat to the livelihood of the person stolen from.
But even so, God is opposed to all forms of theft...
23 The Lord detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.
Finally in terms of the charges against Israel, we find that they were committing adultery. The covenant bonds of marriage were being disregarded. Marriage was a covenant relationship that ought to have demonstrated to a world the special covenant union of God with HIs people.
But not only had Israel forsaken their God, they had forsaken each other out of these covenant marriage relationships.
Here was the breaking of the seventh commandment...
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
With those 5 acts, they were breaking five separate commandments that were given to them by God, and by which they as the people of God were commanded to live. They were covenant breakers indeed.
But Hosea doesn’t stop there. He goes on instead to portray the extent of that breaking of the commands of God. He writes, “they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” The original language speaks of an eruption of evil, such as the violent outbreak of a plague.
One commentator writes:
Hosea, Amos 4:2 A Litany of Evil: Violations of the Law
The indictments leveled against the people of the land consist of charges representing a rapid escalation of evil. The glue that holds society together is dissolving. Violence of one kind produces violence of another kind until the nation teeters at the brink of anarchy (cf. Amos 3:9–10).
Friends, this is the sad reality when people lose sight of God. When a people loses understanding of who God is, when they do not know God, then there a rapid descension into all kinds of evil.
Let us be sure, that even a church that slides away from the true knowledge of God will fall prey to these sins, and one thing will lead to the next, and eventually evil will be multiplied.
Thirdly and finally from these verses, note with me...
3. The Cry Because of Israel (v.3)
3. The Cry Because of Israel (v.3)
Verse 3 reads...
3 Because of this the land mourns,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.
The curses that God had promised would come about if Israel failed to obey Him were coming to pass.
You will recall that in the Garden of Eden, and before the fall of man, everything existed in perfection. Everything operated in perfect harmony. But as Adam and Even rebelled against God, curses were brought against not only Adam and Eve, but against the entire created order. And from that moment, everything descended into a travail.
The same was now taking place in the land of Israel. As a result of their own covenant disobedience and rebellion against God, the consequences that God had spoken of were coming to pass.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
More will be said on these matters as we proceed in our study in coming weeks. But for now, I want to close by drawing some important points of application for us today.
A.1. God’s Judgments are Right and True
Firstly, let us consider the righteous judgments of God.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.
Our God is righteous, and all His judgments and right and true. God had shown mercy and compassion to Israel, but they had turned away from Him. And thus, as the righteous and true judge, His judgments were coming upon them.
We must learn, dear brothers and sisters, that God has a righteous and holy hatred of sin. How often people trifle with and downplay the seriousness of sin. How often we try to rationalise and justify our own sin. How often we attempt to place blame on others because of our sin.
May we as the people of God continually recognise the seriousness of sin before a holy God, and may we strive to live lives that please our heavenly Father.
A.2. Sin Escalates Quickly
A.2. Sin Escalates Quickly
But notice further from this, the fast degeneration into gross evil when sin is not dealt with and repented of quickly. Israel had every reason to worship and praise God, and to live lives that were holy and pleasing before Him. He had done great good to them and for them. He’s exceeding grace had abounded to them. His will and His nature and His power had been demonstrated to them.
But they wandered away. They drifted away. They compromised, not initially in the big things, but in the little things. And before long, the nation had been plunged into rebellion and outright disobedience.
1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Let us not be those who drift away from our God. Liberal theology has grown exponentially. Even the church has lost sight of who God truly is. Sin has started to be embraced and celebrated even within the context of the church. This should not be.
Friends, let us despise our sin within our lives personally. We must not accept a continual pattern of sin without that sin being confronted, without us declaring war, by the grace of God, on that sin.
And as a church, let us remain vigilant, that we would not allow sin to go unchecked among us as a body, but that we would graciously and tender-heartedly draw those back, who are wandering away.
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
A.3. Rejoice in God’s Grace in Christ
A.3. Rejoice in God’s Grace in Christ
Finally, let us rejoice always in the grace of God in Christ. His grace towards us is magnificent. It is beyond our comprehension. It is entirely undeserved, unmerited kindness. Let us consider how great is the love that God has for us.
Let us consider and rejoice in the riches of His mercy towards us who are sinful people. Let us rejoice in what it means that because Christ stood in the courtroom before the Almighty and Righteous judge, that we don’t have to. Or at least when we do, we will be declared righteous...
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us go into this week rejoicing in the love of God for us, sinners undeserving. Let us rejoice in His grace and His mercy. Let us take hold of the eternal power that He grants us in Christ in order to live holy and pleasing lives before Him.
May His name be exalted, even as we seek to serve Him in this week.