From Toleration To Death

April 10, 1998

Good Friday

1 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." 4 "What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. 5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 Like Adam, they have broken the covenant-- they were unfaithful to me there.

The life of the prophet Hosea gives us a clear picture of God’s compassion and grace. It also gives us a clear picture of the unfaithfulness of the northern kingdom, Ephraim.

The northern kingdom, formed after the death of Solomon. Because a new place of worship was established in Shiloh of Ephraim that family gained a great deal of influence among the northern tribes. Their arrogance and pride mark the beginning of toleration and false worship of the northern kingdom, Israel. It is referred to as Ephraim because of the influence and support of Ephraim’s descendents.

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph. Against Joseph’s intentions, he was preferred over Manasseh by his grandfather, Jacob. Thus, the family birthright was given to Ephraim, not Manasseh. This caused a spark of jealousy between the families which later developed into the rift between the northern and southern tribes of the united kingdom, Israel.

The history of Ephraim reveals how arrogance and sinful pride leads to false worship. It shows how this provokes God’s righteous wrath to act. You see, false worship never begins with behavior or practice. False worship always begins with a heart that no longer acknowledges the true God. Thus Hosea is God’s chosen instrument to demonstrate the kindness of God, and the idolatry of God’s own chosen people in the Northern Kingdom.

To do this, God instructs Hosea to marry an adulterous woman. Although Hosea loves her, she insists on living in the depravity of her sin, just like Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Hosea even buys her back, redeeming her from slave traders. Still, she remains adulterous and unfaithful. Even so, Hosea still loves her. Do you see how Hosea’s love for his adulterous wife is like God’s love for us? Regarding this love, it is interesting to note that God’s wrath never shows itself apart from His divine love and His call to repent. Unfortunately, idolatrous people fail to see God’s love in such rebuke. It is clear how people expect God to tolerate and approve of wickedness just because it is good in their own eyes. In effect, such toleration leads to death. Even so, God reigns supreme over all people of the world to save. But he will not force people to accept the truth.

1) For the sake of toleration, the people became prideful.

2) For the sake of toleration, the people were enticed by false religion.

3) For the sake of toleration, the people accepted any kind of ceremonial sacrifice.

4) For the sake of toleration, the people joined hands with the practices of the false worship.

5) For the sake of toleration, the people became like Hosea’s prostitute wife.

6) For the sake of toleration, the people traded the wisdom of God, for the wisdom of sinful humanity.

Because of the people’s toleration of what was false, God says, 4 "What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. 5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 Like Adam, they have broken the covenant-- they were unfaithful to me there.

Friends, like Ephraim, we too are moving From Toleration to Death. God knows that those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it. He knows what sinful humanity is like. He knows that we, the people of the new millenium, would repeat the errors of the old. He knows that in our mistaken wisdom we would turn away from God just like the prostitute turned away from Hosea. Yet, God still desires mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Alas, what could He do with His chosen people.

He would again give them warning and call them to repentance. In their misery, God expected them to admit their guilt and earnestly seek Him. It appears that some of the people did just that. Forsaking the idolatry of toleration, they would say to each other, 1 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." What a glorious refrain to God’s love and mercy.

He would come to heal us. He would come to bind up our wounds. He would come to revive us. He would come to restore us. He would come to bring us into his divine presence. And you all know who he is. For He comes to us in human flesh. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, of course.

In him God makes his love known to the whole world. In him God heals and binds up and revives and restores. This is what the cross of Jesus is all about. This is why it was necessary for him to die. On Him the fullness of God’s wrath fell. Before idolaters and sinners Jesus stands unjustly condemned to give the very same people a way out of sin and death. In our place He goes to the cross so that we may escape the outpouring of God’s wrath. The empty tomb on Easter morning verified and guaranteed victory over the power of sin and death. Thus the words of the prophet are sure, for they are the words of God who says, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.”

Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, let us contemplate our guilt that demands a cross. Let us contemplate the wisdom of God in the foolishness of the Cross. Let us contemplate the power of the resurrection. Then, let us forsake our toleration that leads to death and return to the Lord our God. Amen.

As the handbell choir plays you might want to read the words of hymn 115 in Lutheran Worship.