The End of Compassion (ch. 13)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
As we wrap this great OT book of Hosea between this week and next, I want to remind us once again where we are and where we’ve come from. Our over all theme of the book of Hosea has been The Unfathomable Love of God. A love that is called steadfast and is defined by the Hebrew word hesed, meaning covenantal, loyal love. A love that we saw demonstrated by the living parable in chapters 1-3, of Hosea and his unfaithful prostitute wife, Gomer, as Hosea buys her back from the slave market, thus typifying Yahweh wooing his unfaithful bride Israel, in which, instead of destroying her, will ultimately buy her back by the blood of his son Jesus. A love that throughout the book has called his people to repentance, no matter how evil their rebellion against him, he is ready to forgive them. A love that reminded his bride Israel, that it was he who took care of them all those many years, and not their false god, Baal. A love that in the end, must severely punish them for continual, unrelenting sins and transgressions against him, in order to bring to them the reality that only in their husband Yahweh is there true fulfilment, joy, and peace.
So that’s where we’ve come from, now this morning, we shall look once again at Israel’s unrelenting sin, and Yahweh’s promised punishment. As Yahweh once again reminds them of his faithfulness to them, but the necessity of his punishment because of the blasphemous lives they are living. This time, we will notice an added twist on how their sin had actually dissolved their credibility before the world as God’s chosen people, who were chosen to display God’s glory, but in the end, this display was torn down and destroyed.
As we look a this morning’s passage from Hosea 13:1-16, let us put ourselves in the place of Israel and do some self assessment as to whether we also have failed to display God’s glory in our day, knowing that there will come a day when this life will be over and we shall experience The End of Compassion, as we presently know it.
Text: Hosea 13
Text: Hosea 13
1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel, but he incurred guilt through Baal and died. 2 And now they sin more and more, and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them, “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!” 3 Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window. 4 But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior. 5 It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; 6 but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me. 7 So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way. 8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open. 9 He destroys you, O Israel, for you are against me, against your helper. 10 Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are all your rulers— those of whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”? 11 I gave you a king in my anger, and I took him away in my wrath. 12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is kept in store. 13 The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb. 14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes. 15 Though he may flourish among his brothers, the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come, rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up; his spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury of every precious thing. 16 Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword; their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
Main Idea: Even though God is compassionate, slow to anger, and plenteous in steadfast love, there will be a day that his compassion will end and his judgment will fall.
Main Idea: Even though God is compassionate, slow to anger, and plenteous in steadfast love, there will be a day that his compassion will end and his judgment will fall.
I. Israel’s Witness Destroyed (1-3)
I. Israel’s Witness Destroyed (1-3)
A. Word Respected (1)
A. Word Respected (1)
(1) When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel, but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
there was trembling - The idea seems to be that at one time Ephraim’s word commanded respect. A respect that showed both his brothers and the rest of the world that there was a God in heaven.
But - that has all changed as he incurred guilt through Baal, and subsequently...
died - Because of idolatry, the northern kingdom (Ephraim) could be regarded as dead in trespasses and sins (cf. Eph. 2:1).
B. Word Ruined (2-3)
B. Word Ruined (2-3)
(2) And now they sin more and more, and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them, “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”
And now they sin more and more - instead of being one who is feared and respected among his peers and the world, he is being degraded by sin.
metal images … idols … calves - The collective picture is of small statues of calves molded of bronze and overlaid with silver (Ex. 32:4, 8; 34:17; Lev. 19:4; Deut. 19:16). The calf idol was Canaanite and linked with Baal worship, but the idolaters probably also associated it in their own minds with the Lord (8:5, 6; 10:5 and notes).
who offer human sacrifice - Child sacrifice was a part of Baal worship (Isa. 57:5).
kiss calves - Kissing is a way of paying homage (1 Kings 19:18).
(3) Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window.
The result is the they will disappear like mist, dew, chaff, and smoke, likening Israel’s end to vapors that quickly dissipate.
I am reminded that God has saved us so that, as Jesus tells us in the sermon on the mount, in Matt 5:16 “16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Sin degrades our witness of God’s glory before the world.
II. God’s Provision Remembered (4-6)
II. God’s Provision Remembered (4-6)
God’s provision in these verses reminds Israel that he is both knowable, and he knows them personally.
A. Provision in Egypt (4)
A. Provision in Egypt (4)
We see in this verse that in Egypt was were God began to reveal himself to Israel that they might know him.
(4) But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.
But I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) from the land of Egypt. - In contrast to fleeting vapors, this is a solemn statement that rehearses Ex. 20:2.
you know no God but me - This stands in contrast with the idolatry of v. 2. The statement, reminding Israel that the covenant relationship is exclusive, is cast in the language of the first commandment in Ex. 20:2-3
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
and then repeated in Deut. 5:6-7
6 “ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 7 “ ‘You shall have no other gods before me.
The added idea of “knowing” God, which is in contrast to the other so-called gods who could only be worshiped, but only the one true God could be “known.” Further linkage to the covenant requirements of the Decalogue is evident in the description of Israel’s idolatry (vv. 1, 2), a clear violation of the second commandment (Ex. 20:4–6; Deut. 5:8–10).
B. Provision in the Wilderness (5-6)
B. Provision in the Wilderness (5-6)
As God led Israel in the wilderness, he showed them that he knew them and their needs.
(5) It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought;
I who knew you - Not only is God knowable, but he personally knows them! This form of the pronoun (you) emphasizes the personal nature of God’s covenant relationship with His people. This is the language that God gave to Abraham in Gen. 17:7
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
in the wilderness - It was only in the difficult wilderness wanderings that God demonstrated that he knew his people and was preparing them. So it will that God will use the “wilderness” of exile to reclaim Israel (2:14–16). But as a result...
(6) but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.
The verse describes a step-by-step process of descent in morals and worship (Deut. 32:10–18; Jer. 2).
but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up - Their devotion in the wilderness diminished with prosperity (which we saw in 10:1–2).
1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. 2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.
they forgot me - This pitiful climax stands in sharp contrast to the former days of knowledge, as Moses warned in Deut. 8:11–14
11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
III. God’s Judgment Personified (7-13)
III. God’s Judgment Personified (7-13)
A. Judges as a wild beast (7-8)
A. Judges as a wild beast (7-8)
(7) So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
(8) I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.
a lion (7) … a leopard (7) … a bear (8) - Hosea’s contemporary (and fellow prophet to the northern kingdom) Amos also depicts Israel as the prey of wild beasts, an image of God’s judgment (Amos 3:12; cf. Hos. 5:14).
This startling comparison of God to ferocious wild beasts that devour the flock echoes the covenant curses for disobedience like in Lev. 26:21-22
21 “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. 22 And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.
These images depict the severity of divine judgment as is explained in other scriptures, such as, Jer. 5:6
6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.
B. Judges their Kings (9-11)
B. Judges their Kings (9-11)
(9) He destroys you, O Israel, for you are against me, against your helper.
your helper - Israel’s destruction is explained here in terms of the nation’s rebellion against its Helper. There is no help like God, a common theme in the Psalms, Ps. 115:9–11
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
Therefore, to oppose Him is to invite destruction.
(10) Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are all your rulers— those of whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”?
Give me a king - On Israel’s request for a monarchy, see 1 Sam. 8. Asking for a king meant that they had rejected God as King (1 Sam. 13:9, 10). Their sense of security in having a king was a delusion.
(11) I gave you a king in my anger, and I took him away in my wrath.
gave … took - Though describing past action, the Hebrew verb tense suggests an ongoing process of giving and taking. The king is not specified. Perhaps this is a reference to the royal assassinations of Hosea’s time (2 Kin. 15:8–31; 17:1–6), or to an early king such as Saul (who was alive when kingship was first requested), or even to all of the kings of the north (all twenty of whom “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”).
C. Judges their Unwilling Birth (12-13)
C. Judges their Unwilling Birth (12-13)
(12) The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is kept in store.
Lest they be diminished or forgotten, transgressions are figuratively tied up and then stored in a safe place for future retribution, James in warning the rich man says it like this:
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
This also probably suggests that Ephraim holds on to its sins and will not let the Lord take them away.
(13) The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb.
The predicament of Israel facing certain judgment is vividly compared to that of a mother and child during an unsuccessful birth (cf. 2 Kin. 19:3). This complex word picture compares Israel both to the mother (who faces sorrow and certain death) and to the child (who stubbornly refuses to be safely delivered).
an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb - Ephraim, in its refusal to repent and be healed, is depicted as a fetus that fails to position itself properly in the womb for delivery—which would be most unwise, since it would be fatal . This surprising figure relates to the theme of failure to acknowledge God.
The folly expressed over and over again both here and in much of scripture is the denial and rejection of the almighty God and his benevolent sufficiency for the perceived self-sufficiency of human beings. As the fetus cannot live without the nurturing care of the mother outside the womb, so we cannot survive apart from the nurturing care of our God.
IV. God’s Rescue Promised (14-16)
IV. God’s Rescue Promised (14-16)
In the midst of this ominous message of judgment, there seems to be a thread of hope if we carefully seek it...
A. Eternal Rescue (14)
A. Eternal Rescue (14)
(14) I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
I shall (or Shall I [NASB]) ransom them from the power of Sheol? - In the OT, “Sheol” is a proper name and can be a poetic personification of the grave (e.g., 1 Kings 2:6; Ps. 141:7). But it can also designate the grim destination of the wicked after death (e.g., Ps. 49:14–15). The parallel wording with Ps. 49:15 suggests that Hosea sees Ephraim’s “death” as leading to Sheol as damnation. Thus God states or asks himself whether he should rescue Ephraim from such consequences. O Death, where are your plagues? If the Lord is their strong deliverer, then not even death will be able to terrify them or harm them. In 1 Cor. 15:55 Paul cites part of Hos. 13:14. In that context, he is viewing the general resurrection as God’s triumph over not only bodily death but also eternal judgment, for the faithful. Sadly, in Hosea’s time Israel is rejecting the only power that can save her.
Compassion is hidden from my eyes - The Hebrew for “pity” can have the sense of “repentance” or “regret.” God will not “repent” (i.e., change His mind) of His intention to vanquish death for His people.
The threat of death as punishment for sin (Rom. 6:23) is finally answered through the resurrection of Christ as Jesus tells us in John 11:25–26, at the tomb of Lazarus:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
B. Punishing Rescue (15-16)
B. Punishing Rescue (15-16)
In the end, when God’s loving compassion and provisions are ignored and rejected, the necessity of severe punishment must take place. This punishment is a means of rescue rather then destruction. This is what makes the difference between the world under God’s eternal judgment, and God’s covenant people who experience God’s punishing judgment.
(15) Though he may flourish among his brothers, the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come, rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up; his spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury of every precious thing.
Though he may flourish - This is Ephraim, whose name is from the same Hebrew root as “fruitful” (9:16 note).
east … wind of the Lord - Here this destructive force is a symbol for Assyria as God’s weapon of judgment against Israel.
(16) Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword; their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
Samaria - The capital city and driving force behind the northern kingdom’s rebellion.
To summarize this chapter, we see that Israel began as a nation in which other nations around her feared and respected, but in due time, their pride and idolatry brought death to their witness. Even as God reminds them of his commitment to them, revealing himself to his covenant people like no one else, yet his people rejected him and went after lifeless, impersonal, unknowable idols. In response, God compassion for Israel is ending, tearing at them as a ferocious beast and allowing the Assyrians to capture and decimate them. However, in the end, God’s eternal covenant and steadfast love will save his true covenant people them from eternal punishment, through the sacrificial death of Israel’s messiah, Jesus Christ, although, presently he must punished them severely.
So What?
So What?
Do we understand that our present reality is given to us by our compassionate God who calls us to trust him, obey him, and find healing for our sin and rebellion?
As eternal beings. this time on earth is the only part of our existence where it will be possible to experience God’s compassion.
As a believer, we have experienced God compassion in our salvation, and our sanctification., and someday, we will experience our glorification. But while here on earth, we are given the only opportunity to declare his glory in an evil world as we submit to his compassionate, good work in our lives.
As an unbeliever, now is the day of salvation, repent of your sins, and call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, because, there will be a day when God’s compassion will end.
Do we understand that the eternal, sovereign God has made himself knowable to us, and as a consequence, he desires and deserves exclusive worship?
All the other things of this world that occupy our fancy, cannot make themselves known to us, nor can they know us or fulfill our deepest needs, and therefore, they must be excluded from our worship.