The Pathology of a Sinful Nation

Hosea 13

Hosea 13:1–14:1 NET

When Ephraim spoke, there was terror; he was exalted in Israel, but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died. Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen! There is a saying about them: “Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!” Therefore they will disappear like the morning mist, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff that is blown away from a threshing floor, like smoke that disappears through an open window. But I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me; except me there is no Savior. I cared for you in the wilderness, in the dry desert where no water was. When they were fed, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; as a result, they forgot me! So I will pounce on them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk by the path. I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs— I will rip open their chests. I will devour them there like a lion— like a wild animal would tear them apart. I will destroy you, O Israel! Who is there to help you? Where then is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? Where are your rulers for whom you asked, saying, “Give me a king and princes”? I granted you a king in my anger, and I will take him away in my wrath! The punishment of Ephraim has been decreed; his punishment is being stored up for the future. The labor pains of a woman will overtake him, but the baby will lack wisdom; when the time arrives, he will not come out of the womb! Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion! Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse. Samaria will be held guilty, because she rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, their infants will be dashed to the ground— their pregnant women will be ripped open. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sin has been your downfall!

Rhetoric

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Rhetoric

[Middle English rethorik, from Anglo-French rethorique, from Latin rhetorica, from Greek rhētorikē, literally, article of oratory, from feminine of rhētorikos of an orator, from rhētōr orator, rhetorician, from eirein to say, speak—more at WORD] 14th century

1: the art of speaking or writing effectively: as

a: the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times

b: the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion

2 a: skill in the effective use of speech

b: a type or mode of language or speech also: insincere or grandiloquent language

3: verbal communication: DISCOURSE

Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28

Rehashing

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Rehash

1re•hash \(ˌ)rē-ˈhash\ verb transitive

circa 1822

1: to talk over or discuss again

2: to present or use again in another form without substantial change or improvement

Numbers 23-25; Judges 17, 19; Isaiah 44;

Relapse

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Relapse

1re•lapse \ri-ˈlaps, ˈrē-ˌ\ noun

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin relapsus, from Latin relabi to slide back, from re- + labi to slide—more at SLEEP] 15th century

1: the act or an instance of backsliding, worsening, or subsiding

2: a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement

1 Samuel 8

Rejection

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Rejection

re•jec•tion \ri-ˈjek-shən\ noun

circa 1552

1 a: the action of rejecting: the state of being rejected

b: an immune response in which foreign tissue (as of a skin graft or transplanted organ) is attacked by immune system components of the recipient organism

2: something rejected

Exodus 32; 1 Samuel 13; 2 Chronicles 10

Repercussions

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Repercussion

re•per•cus•sion \ˌrē-pər-ˈkə-shən, ˌre-\ noun

[Latin repercussion-, repercussio, from repercutere to drive back, from re- + percutere to beat—more at PERCUSSION] 1536

1: REFLECTION, REVERBERATION

2 a: an action or effect given or exerted in return: a reciprocal action or effect

b: a widespread, indirect, or unforeseen effect of an act, action, or event—usually used in plural.—re•per•cus•sive \-ˈkə-siv\ adjective

John 18; Acts 5; Revelation 2-3

Retrospection

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Retrospection

ret•ro•spec•tion \ˌre-trə-ˈspek-shən\ noun

1674: the act or process or an instance of surveying the past

If the Bible is true, and there is nothing new under the Sun, then through retrospection we have a limited ability to predict the future. The limitations are usually in the “whens” of prophecy. However, the idea of faith is always being prepared and ready for the when the prophecy occurs. The pattern that Israel takes leads to her destruction, and it seems that we as a nation are walking along that same path.

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