A Frightening Pronouncement of Wrath
Notes
Transcript
8 “Sound the trumpet in Gibeah,
the horn in Ramah.
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven;
lead on, O Benjamin.
9 Ephraim will be laid waste
on the day of reckoning.
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
who move boundary stones.
I will pour out my wrath on them
like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment,
intent on pursuing idols.
12 I am like a moth to Ephraim,
like rot to the people of Judah.
13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,
and sent to the great king for help.
But he is not able to cure you,
not able to heal your sores.
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.
15 Then I will go back to my place
until they admit their guilt.
And they will seek my face;
in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”
Introduction
Some introductory thoughts on the structure of prophetic writings…
Recall, prophet spoke over many years. In his opening of his book, he gave the timeline - he prophesied over a period of about 50 years. So these 14 chapters of Hosea span 50 years...
Much time is covered. Much takes place, and is unfolding even during the prophetic time.
As we turn our attention to this passage today, we will find that Hosea speaks about the judgment of God coming upon both Israel and Judah.
Divine Judgment comes in the form of a battlefield picture.
This is a new section of prophetic revelation in the book of Hosea.
The focus is war. Its language is associated with the Day of Yahweh.
This section of a call to war runs for a number of chapters.
As we turn our attention to this passage, note firstly with me...
1. The Sounding of Divine Judgment (vv.8-9)
1. The Sounding of Divine Judgment (vv.8-9)
In verses 8-9, we find this sounding of an alarm which was typical of when an invading army was going to attack.
Picture in your minds a city with walls, and a guard posted on top of the walls of the city, looking out for any approaching threats, so that they can sound the alarm for the city, and have the people prepare for a defense.
This is the picture, and in verse 8, we read...
8 “Sound the trumpet in Gibeah,
the horn in Ramah.
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven;
lead on, O Benjamin.
There is a triplet in this verse in terms of sounding the alarm. There is a three-fold call for the warning to be sounded, each of which is linked to a specific place / city.
Firstly, we notice the sounding of the trumpet in Gibeah. The trumpet call was used for various purposes - either for calling people to gather together, or to alert the people to war.
2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out.
Recall, in that context, God would lead the Israelites in the wilderness from place to place. And so the trumpets were used to gather the people.
But the trumpets were also used by Israel as a warning sound for approaching armies, and this is the context in which Hosea uses it here. In Amos 3:6, the prophet asks...
6 When a trumpet sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?
Indeed, the trumpet would be sounded in the city due to the approaching judgment. Hosea is sounding a warning to Israel and to Judah, telling them that judgment is approaching. Invading armies will come as a result of their forsaking of God.
We also read of the sounding of the horn. This referred to the Ram’s horn that was blown, also an alarm bell to the people in the context of war and battles.
You will recall the account of the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan river in order to take possession of the promised land.
As the soldiers prepared for the walls of Jericho to be razed to the ground by God’s hand, and to go into the city to take it over entirely, they were called to blow the Ram’s horns as part of their battle strategy.
3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”
Hosea calls the people to hear the sound of the Ram’s horn as the battle from opposing armies descends upon them.
And then, finally, Hosea makes mention of the battle cry itself, which clearly places both the trumpet and the ram’s horn in the context of battle and war.
As Hosea begins this new prophetic section, he is clearly warning that there is a battle situation approaching them. It is a call with the intention of causing great alarm to the Israelites. They need to take heed to the words that he speaks, because danger against them is imminent.
Just as no city would sit back and relax when the trumpet is blasted, the ram’s horn is sounded, the battle cry is sounded, so the people should respond immediately to his cry. The cry ought to infuse them with a sense of urgency, and get their adrenaline going with regards to the desperate situation.
It is noteworthy that the priests and the leaders of Israel ought to have been sounding the warning of the law of God that people should have followed. But they had failed to sound these warnings from the Scriptures, and so now a prophet is sent by God to sound the warning clearly.
We must consider also the three places that Hosea mentions. There are three towns / cities that are mentioned here. Gibeah, Ramah, Beth Aven...
Beth Aven here refers to the place otherwise known as Bethel.
Bethel means housee of God, and that was the proper name for the city. But in this context, Hosea uses a derogatory term, and refers to it instead by the name “Beth Aven,” which means “House of wickedness.” A place that ought to have been marked by God’s presence, and a dwelling place for Him, was instead corrupt, and was a place of wickedness and evil.
Coming back to all three of these places, each of them was situated in a line to the North of Jerusalem (quite close together actually). As you left Jerusalem and traveled north, you would come to Gibeah first, only about 5km to the North of Jerusalem.
Next you would come to Ramah, which was about 8km north of Jerusalem.
And then you would come to Beth Aven (Bethel) which was about 12-13 km north of Jerusalem.
All three of the towns were situated in the territory of Judah / Benjamin. The picture suggests an invasion sweeping across them from the South.
These particular cities had initially all formed part of Northern Territory of Israel (Northern tribes). The ownership had gone back and forward between Judah and Israel in terms of who controlled them. This in itself was an indictment against them as fought among themselves.
But the reality is that Hosea’s warning is far more than just a warning to the three cities. Rather it is a call that says the entire territory is to expect invasion.
In verse 9, we read...
9 Ephraim will be laid waste
on the day of reckoning.
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.
Hosea is clear. God’s judgment upon them would be swift and complete. Ephraim refers predominantly to the Northern tribes, but could include Benjamin also, given the context of Hosea and his prophetic cry just announced in verse 8.
The fact is that the Assyrian armies, the superpower of that day, would come and invade the Northern tribes, but would not be satisfied with this part only. Rther, they would eventually attack the South as well.
It was suggested that at this very time of this prophecy of Hosea, Assyria had already begun to invade Israel, and they were thus reduced in size. But Hosea warns them that this destruction that has started will not rest there, but rather it will continue.
His proclamation - God’s word through him - is certain. It would happen. God was unleashing Assyria against Israel as a result of their sin against Him.
Hosea now turns his attention to Judah. In verse 8, he addressed Benjamin (which was one of the two Southern tribes). In verse 9, Hosea had spoken to Ephraim (the northern tribes).
Now he turns his attention again to the Southern tribes in verse 10, and then in verse 11, again he will address the northern tribes of Ephraim.
In verse 10, Hosea says...
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
who move boundary stones.
I will pour out my wrath on them
like a flood of water.
These words of judgment are spoken against Judah, the southern 2 tribes. He says that the leaders of these southern tribes are like those who move boundary stones.
This was an ancient form of theft from other people. The boundary stones were set up in a place to mark off where the property lines ran, or where the different territory allocations were. A person would move the boundary stone to his own advantage, to increase the size of his own property, and reduce the size of the neighbour’s property.
In that day, it was considered to be one of the lowest form of wickedness.
In Deut 27:17, we read
17 “Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
The man who stole from his neighbour by moving a boundary stone was to be accursed.
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender is strong;
he will take up their case against you.
What was taking place in that day was that there was great unrest as the various powers struggled against one another. It was in such a context that one party would take advantage of the upheavals, and would then take over places that were allocated to another tribe.
They were using the context to their own selfish gain, against the instituted laws of God.
In light of their contemptible practices, God says to them through Hosea that he would pour out his wrath on them like a flood of water.
The words remind us of similar words spoken through the prophet Isaiah...
5 The Lord spoke to me again:
6 “Because this people has rejected
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
the mighty floodwaters of the River—
the king of Assyria with all his pomp.
It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,
passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land,
O Immanuel!”
The floodwaters of God’s judgment would overtake them entirely. Nothing would escape its effects.
Having said this, Hosea now turns his attention back to Ephraim, the northern tribes, in verse 11...
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment,
intent on pursuing idols.
Within the context, Israel had already begun to feel the covenant-enforcing wrath of God. Hosea says that Ephraim is oppressed. This language forms part of the covenant curses that were outlined in the event that Israel failed to obey God’s covenant stipulations.
29 At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.
They were also being trampled.
33 A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days.
And so Hosea says that they are facing these things, even as he speaks. As a result of their sin, they were being oppressed and trampled underfoot by the Assyrian armies.
As a result of her adulteries, and her ways of operating, Israel would be overtaken. They are intent, as Hosea says, on following after idols.
The fact was that Israel was not trusting in God for any deliverance. They trusted in other nations around them. We’ll. see more of this in a moment.
But for now, it’s noteworthy that they are being judged by God for their faithlessness.
2. The Similes of Divine Judgment (vv.12-15)
2. The Similes of Divine Judgment (vv.12-15)
As God goes on to speak to Israel through His prophet Hosea, he brings some similes in order to descibe what He is like to them as a people as He pours out His divine judgment and wrath upon them.
In verse 12 we read...
12 I am like a moth to Ephraim,
like rot to the people of Judah.
The word that is translated as “moth” in the NIV can also be translated as “maggot.” It refers to that which eats away at something. For example, in Psalm 39:11, we read...
11 You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth—
each man is but a breath. Selah
And in...
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;
the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,
my salvation through all generations.”
A similar picture is conveyed as God speaks of Himself as that which is like rot to Judah. The judgment that he is bringing upon them is eating them away and devouring them.
God uses graphic language here to describe what is happening to this nation. And it is language that is consistent again with what God said would come about if they broke covenant with God.
Sickness, for example, formed a part of this judgment of God...
27 The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured.
35 The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
24 I will send wasting famine against them,
consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,
the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
This kind of language then is what God is using through Hosea to make it clear what He is doing to Israel / Judah.
Hosea goes on in verse 13...
13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,
and sent to the great king for help.
But he is not able to cure you,
not able to heal your sores.
Israel and Judah began to see that they were being affected in various ways. Their land was not producing. Their wealth was not growing and increasing. These sicknesses and sores, the result of covenant breaking, were being noticed by these nations.
But what did they do when they saw it? What did they do when they noticed their physical situation deteriorating? They turned to form alliances with other nations. They ignored the possibility that their miseries were the result of Yahweh’s disfavor. They went in search of relief from symptoms, rather than finding the real cure, and that is relationship and worship of God.
The fact is that both Israel and Judah failed to trust in God. When things were getting worse in life, they turned to mere people. Other nations. They made alliances with these nations, hoping that this would strengthen their position. It didn’t.
As a result, notice verse 14...
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.
Through these words, Hosea calls to the minds of the Israelites the various covenant curses which related to wild animals bringing destruction. God would be the lion that would tear them apart. You see, the danger for them wasn’t the powerful nations surrounding them, that they thought they must enter into some agreement with these nations in order to protect themselves. Rather, the real danger for them was God.
Again, we find a triplet in terms of what will happen.
God would tear them to pieces. In other words, they would be destroyed by Him and a most decisive manner.
Secondly, He would withdraw from them. His powerful hand that had done so much good for them in establishing them in the promised land, would be withdrawn so that they were not protected by Him.
And He would carry them off, with no one to rescue. They would be taken by these surrounding nations into captivity. They would be carried off into exile, with no one to rescue them. And although it would be these nations that carried them off, notice that it is God Himself who is doing this.
And then verse 15...
15 Then I will go back to my place
until they admit their guilt.
And they will seek my face;
in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”
God will go away from His people, leaving them in a state of destruction.
But we must see the gracious intent of God in all of this. They were a people who had walked away from God, and who were following in their own destructive paths apart from God.
The intent of God is to draw them back to Himself. Yes, difficult times for them. Very trying times, seeing that they are afflicted by God through these surrounding nations. But necessary times for them as a people, so that they would be compelled, even through their miseries, to earnestly seek the Lord.
Application and Conclusion
Application and Conclusion
Just two points of application before we close.
A.1. Christ is our Only Hope
A.1. Christ is our Only Hope
In the context, Israel and Judah had placed their hope in surrounding nations.
They had placed their hope in deliverance and support through engagements and agreements with nations, rather than trust in God.
39 “See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.
Dear friends, it is folly and foolishness to trust in anything else, in anyone else in this life.
God is the Almighty.
As people, we may always be tempted to place our trust in things and in people.
We may be tempted to place our trust in governments; in the right leaders;
We may be tempted to place our trust in the economy; a well-structured economy;
We may be tempted to place our trust in education.
We may be tempted to place our trust in our own gifts, abilities, wisdom etc in life.
Any hope and trust placed outside of Christ is foolishness.
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this
Knowing You, Jesus
Knowing You
There is no greater thing
You're my all, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love You, Lord
Oh, to know the power of Your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like You in Your death, my Lord
So with You to live and never die
A.2. Our Father who Disciplines
A.2. Our Father who Disciplines
Let us recall that our Father is a Father who disciplines us for our good.
Many Scriptures speak of this. Particularly Hebrews 12...
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
Let us be encouraged that Christ is our Lord. He is our covenant keeper. He has paid the penalty for our waywardness.
And as we live in Him, He lives within us. But we still have our struggles with sin.
Let us learn through whatever trials and struggles we face to trust in Him, and to endure all trials as the loving, gracious discipline from our Father.
Dear Friends, what a joy to know the Lord. What a joy to know God Almighty. He is the one that raises up, and brings low; gives life, takes life. And He is our loving Father, if we are in Christ.
Let us trust in Him. Let us live for his praise and honour and glory!