Title: Lies and War (Hos 10:1-15)
Content I. Overview
Israel glorified idols and used all the blessings God had granted them to worship them. The cause of their failure and sin was that their hearts were divided. As a result of their spiritual renunciation against God, Israel was found to be a sinner, and their altars and idols were swept away by the hand of God's judgment. It was a very clear warning.
II. composition of the sermon
Introduction 1) God's rebuke and wrath do not come upon anyone. Reproof comes when it is worth hearing.
2) Hosea, who receives reproof from God and delivers it to the people, is not shouting at the majority of people. Because he had long been recognized by his people as a mad nagging man (Hosea 9:7).
3) Therefore, those who now hear Hosea's message were very serious.
I. Whatever you sow, you reap what you sow (1-8).
A. The Israelites planted lies.
1. Israel was a lush vine. Just as food was provided from the vine, the nation of Israel itself was a good land. But the people forgot God's grace in giving this good land. They built altars to as many idols as possible.
2. But God broke the necks of the idols. It is because the people lied. Israel was too preoccupied with religious work. But this zeal brought their wrath upon them. They were zealous for the event, but neglected to explain why the event had to be held. They have forgotten God. In the end, they left God and tried to solve all their plans on their own. They formed political parties on the inside, and formed alliances with the great powers on the outside.
3. However, all their plans were unsuccessful in the first place. Instead of looking to the living Lord, they depended on the idols they had set up. God punishes those who believe they can do what God is doing. To the mountains and hills, "Cover us! Fall on us!" He said that there would be an event that had to shout.
B. We must make decisions when we hear the word of the Lord.
2. People would rather be cut into a rock and die than accept Jesus, who was ridiculed and despised, as Lord.
3. Each must make a clear decision whether to surrender himself to the mercy of Christ crucified or to save his life through his own merits and deeds.
C. Now we must hear the voice of the Lord.
1. If you think outward things are important, you are wrong. It's not the church that saves me, it's my faith. Is my heart beating normally now?
2. For whom do I serve, for the church or for people, am I glorifying the one who deserves glory?
3. Hosea spoke of the people who mourn and the priests cheering by the bull idol in Bethel. This is what it means to be a worship service. But their worship and prayers were wrong. God said that no one seeks me, and no one calls upon me. People do not offer sincere prayers until they encounter an emergency. The same goes for the people of Israel. When all the altars on which they depended are broken, they will cry out to God earnestly. God loves to hear our prayers.
II. The Fall brings war (9-15).
A. Israel itself caused the war.
1. The words of verse 9, pointed out by Hosea, refer to an event in the period of the Judges. One night in the village of Gibeah, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, several filthy men acted uncontrollably against the wife of a Levite who was staying on a trip. This incident was an act of defying God.
2. Hosea spoke of the past and warned of the dangers of war, but the people did not listen. It is because the present state hardly showed any signs of war, and also because they believed in the power of their allies. When the tribe of Benjamin sinned in the village of Gibeah in the past, all the tribes of Israel rose up and fought against that tribe, so God will start a new war. The commander-in-chief of this new war in Gibeah will be God Himself. All the peoples of the earth will become the armies of God and obey Him.
3. God compared Israel to a tamed calf (v. 11). A yoke means sin. He was faithful to his original duty of treading grain, but he also committed a sin. What God wants is a harvest based on the integrity of the covenant. God wants the fruit of righteousness. In 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Paul proposed a yearbook to help the needy brothers with the fruit of righteousness.
It is the gift of love that sprouts in fellowship with the risen Christ.
4. God gave Israel the seeds of faithfulness, but they sowed injustice and reaped corruption and betrayal. Rather than liking the knowledge of God, he grew up eating the fruit of lies. What was given here was war.
5. But the great power they believed in harmed their king. All sovereignty was withheld.
B. Doom comes when you rely on your own strength rather than God.
1. Modern educational ideology teaches students to possess self-centered values. However, it should be noted that this is the opposite concept from Christian values. When a man learns that he can do anything on his own, he will eventually become independent of God.
2. The Lord, who was obedient to the point of death, was honored above every name. The teachings of the Lord are far from modern education. But all the teachings have been proven to be real. The soldiers guarding the tomb of the Lord, who had commanded the disciples to put their swords in their sheaths, trembled and fainted and became as dead. Those who live by their own strength must depend on the Lord who has blessed the meek. He taught that the meek possess the earth.
3. The unrighteous can never inherit the kingdom of God. Enemies, strife, jealousy, and intolerance of wrath are direct evidence of idolatry. All of these actions are unrighteous.
4. Spiritual fruit is required of Christians. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, sincerity, meekness, and self-control are needed. War is only the fruit of false trust. A believer only needs the approval of God.
Conclusion The theme of Hosea 10 is the judgment of Israel's "double sin". Israel pretended to serve God, but worshiped idols more. He did not hesitate to act hostilely to God according to his greed. They made treaties with great powers that could help them. However, to those who depended on their neighbors more than God, God gave the disaster of war. Self-reliance is idolatry. An attitude of living that disobeys the Word while claiming to believe in God is idolatry. Let us trust in the Lord with all our heart and all our soul. (Wrath/Reward/War)