There's Only One God
Hosea • Sermon • Submitted
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· 267 viewsWe need to recognize that because of the fact that there is only one God, we need to make the right choices.
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Life is filled with all sorts of choices. When You’re younger, it’s a choice between which toy you want to play. As you get older, you make choices as to which games you wish to participate, as well as the sort of friends you wish to make. Later on, there are choices as to which college or university to attend; or whether to go immediately into the job market, or simply take a year off to better discern your direction. Somewhere in your life’s journey, you may have the choice as to whether or not to get married, and if so, then to whom. The choice circles back, or starts at to what career to pursue.
Joshua made a very definite choice when he stated to his fellow Israelites, As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
In light of the testimony of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, I would suggest that:
We need to recognize that because of the fact that there is only one God, we need to make the right choices.
Choosing Dissipation Rather Than Exaltation - 13:1-3
Choosing Dissipation Rather Than Exaltation - 13:1-3
When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, But through Baal he did wrong and died. And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver, All of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!” Therefore they will be like the morning cloud And like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney.
Israel’s history is none too pleasant in this situation. We recall that when Joseph came to his father Jacob’s death bed, he came with his two sons who were born in Egypt. Jacob blessed Ephraim and elevated him above the oldest son, Manasseh. This was not the first time this had occurred in Israel’s history.
This decision caused the power to be actually felt by the nation in 1 Kings 13, when Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, led a revolt against Rehoboam and eventually split the kingdom. Even worse, this same person, then introduced calf worship. This is what Hosea is stating at the end of verse 1.
At this time, Israel had basically cut herself off from the Lord and His righteousness. Whenever God’s people cut themselves off from God’s holiness and righteousness, then there is the effect of dissipating like the early morning dew or evaporating like smoke out of a window.
What can we gather from this? Obviously, we must be careful that we don’t turn away from God and fall for some person or some philosophy or ideology that may have some good thoughts to it, or even may have had a wrongly accepted reputation in the past. The very one whom Jacob had blessed, through his seed, came the person who chose to split the kingdom just so he could have power. And in order to make that power firm and lasting, he introduced a false worship; usurping God’s glory for his own gain.
Sadly, we have seen that the very people who had just previously been worshiping Jehovah God, they were duped and chose to fall for this thinking. We must remember that there wasn’t a denial of God at the beginning when the false idols were initiated. The people allowed a false representation of God in order to fit their way of thinking. They felt that they could worship everything, in order to make all the people happy. That is not acceptable to God.
My friends, things may just continue as if nothing is going to happen for a short time. However, God is Almighty; God is Holy; God is altogether righteous and He will not be mocked. You might remember what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2:1-13, as he wrote a scathing account of these types of people, who would rather choose dissipation rather than exaltation. There will be a day of judgment.
Choosing Destruction Rather Than Salvation - 13:4-8
Choosing Destruction Rather Than Salvation - 13:4-8
Yet I have been the Lord your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me. I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me. So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.
Hosea begins verse 4 with a reference to the first commandment. Israel was extremely forgetful about this, though it was to be an essential part of Israel’s life. This commandment had been taught extensively, yet they chose to ignore God’s commandments. They believed they could continue receiving benefits, while participating in the religious festival activities. However, they forget that only God could be their Savior.
God had forewarned Israel back in Deuteronomy 8 what would happen if they chose to ignore God’s commandments. The consequences were basically a slaughter or a war scene. Israel was going to be helplessly exposed to all who would attack her.
Again, it’s important to look at personal application to us. Most people pretty much know the Word of God, at least to some degree. Most people also know how to live. Yet if anybody thinks that they can dare to ignore God, then they need to realize that they choose destruction. Even though we understand that there was a believing remnant, everyone in Israel had to suffer earthly consequences. Today, this application is more specific to those who are religious, but do not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
As I think of the horrible scene that is pictured in Hosea, I am reminded of the awfulness, the terribleness of mocking our Lord and Savior. We know what the consequences are, according to the Bible. Even though it may not happen on this earth; but then again, it might, God will ultimately judge every individual for all that was said and done in the flesh.
Choosing a Human King Rather Than the King of Kings - 13:9-11
Choosing a Human King Rather Than the King of Kings - 13:9-11
It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help. Where now is your king That he may save you in all your cities, And your judges of whom you requested, “Give me a king and princes”? I gave you a king in My anger And took him away in My wrath.
We already know that God has been there the entirety of Israel’s history, offering His divine assistance. But it seems that Israel had done everything they possibly could to steer clear of God. Hosea illustrates this by showing how Israel was not satisfied or content to function strictly under God. Israel wanted to have power like the other nations.
Now in our own lives, we know that we don’t necessarily choose a human king. However, we sometimes place ourselves as our own king. God offers us everything we need to live godly lives in Christ Jesus. Yet, we can tend to do everything in our power to avoid His Lordship in our lives. We still want the power; we still want the control. Sometimes, we slip back into doing things we know are not what pleases God, simply because we want to be in charge.
We know that in the church, we have a head, Who is Jesus Christ our Lord. We dare not let anybody attempt to usurp our Savior as the Head of His Church.
Choosing Death Rather Than Life - 13:12-16
Choosing Death Rather Than Life - 13:12-16
The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; His sin is stored up. The pains of childbirth come upon him; He is not a wise son, For it is not the time that he should delay at the opening of the womb. Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight. Though he flourishes among the reeds, An east wind will come, The wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness; And his fountain will become dry And his spring will be dried up; It will plunder his treasury of every precious article. Samaria will be held guilty, For she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, Their little ones will be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women will be ripped open.
God, once again, through His prophet Hosea, challenged Israel to repent and to seek His compassion and truly live. If they didn’t, we can infer from these verses, that because the sin of Ephraim is stored up and because a record is being kept, due to a lack of genuine repentance, judgment would fall and it would be harsh.
In verses 13-14, we see that, as in all biblical discipline, restoration is the goal. The childbearing pains, Hosea speaks about, are like refining judgments that will hopefully lead Israel to see the need for a complete transformation; a new birth, if you will. The sad part of this picture is that one can still fight against the birthing process. The very womb that was designed to give birth and provide life then becomes an area of death. The very One, Who wants to give new birth and new life, if rejected, becomes our judge. You and I know that the only way to this new life and this victory over sin, death and the grave, is through Jesus Christ.
My friends, sometimes pain, can be quite frustrating. We don’t like pain. In fact, I’ve never heard of a woman who enjoyed the pain that goes with bearing a child. Yet, when that precious baby is born, the pain is soon overlooked. They realize that they had to go through the pain so that they could experience this new life in their arms. Likewise, when there is wrong within God’s people, He allows and often brings refining pain so that we can make the correct choice. The choice is to follow Him in total obedience. If a person is not even saved, the choice is life or death.
Our Choices
Our Choices
We need to recognize that because of the fact that there is only one God, we need to make the right choices.
Oh, these choices probably won’t make the news headlines tomorrow. They probably won’t affect the economy. Yet, they might. You see, if we make the right choices, we experience dramatic personal changes in our lives; we experience dramatic corporate changes within the church fellowship; we impact our friends; we impact our community; we impact our region; we impact our country. Believe it or not, if we make the right choices, we can impact our world for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Choose to exalt God rather than some man or philosophy.
Choose the way of salvation rather than a stubborn spirit that leads to destruction.
Choose the King of Kings rather than putting yourself or someone you know on a throne.
Choose life rather than death.
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”