Hosea 5

No hiding from the LORD verse 1- 4

Hear you this – O priests

Hearken – you house of Israel

and give you ear – O house of the king

FOR judgment is toward you

BECAUSE you have been a snare on Mizpah

and a net spread upon Tabor

And the revolters are profound to make slaughter

through I have been a rebuker of them all

I know Ephraim – and Israel is not hid from ME

FOR now – O Ephraim – you commit whoredom

and Israel is defiled

They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God

FOR the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them

and they have not known the LORD

No animal sacrifices accepted verse 5- 7

AND the pride of Israel does testify to his face

THEREFORE shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity

Judah also shall fall with them

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD

BUT they shall NOT FIND HIM

HE has withdrawn himself from them

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD

FOR they have begotten strange children

NOW shall a month devour them with their portions

No escape the judgment of the LORD verse 8- 9

Blow you the cornet in Gibeah – and the trumpet in Ramah

cry aloud at Beth-aven

after you – O Benjamin

Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke

among the tribes of Israel have I made known

that which shall SURELY BE

No false worship allowed verse 10- 12

The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound

THEREFORE I will pour out MY wrath

upon them like water

Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment

BECAUSE he willingly walked after the commandment

THEREFORE I will be unto Ephraim as a moth

and to the house of Judah as rottenness

No help coming until repentance verse 13- 15

WHEN Ephraim saw his sickness – and Judah saw his wound

THEN went Ephraim to the Assyrian

and sent to king Jareb

YET could he not heal you – nor cure you of your wound

FOR I will be unto Ephraim as a lion

AND as a young lion to the house of Judah

I – even I – will tear and go away

I will take away – and none shall rescue him

I will go and return to MY place

till they acknowledge their offense

and seek MY face

in their affliction they will seek ME early

COMMENTARY

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from ME: for now, O Ephraim, you commit whoredom, and Israel is defiled. (3582 “hid” [kachad] means cut off, conceal, desolate, make disappear, or unknowable to.)

DEVOTION: We have all at one time played the game hide and seek. It is done with many players hiding while one person counts to a certain number and then starts looking for those who are hiding.

Many times we find people hiding from other people because they don’t want to talk with them or meet them. There are family members that hide when there are chores to be done. When volunteers are asked to help a church move forward for the LORD they all look the other way. It is a habit that many people have when there is work involved. Everyone thinks they are working too hard already.

The children of Israel thought that they could hide their sin from God. They thought the LORD would not see what they were doing. They faked a life of worship to the LORD. They would bring sacrifices to the LORD expecting HIM to just look at their animal sacrifices and not look at their heart. They were wrong. God always looks at the hearts of those who come to worship HIM.

We can be faked out by the appearance of people. We can be faked out by the language of some people. The problem is that we are not the final judge of their motives or attitudes. The LORD is the one that they have to answer too. HE is omniscient. HE knows all. HE sees all. HE hears all.

HE asks the children of Israel to listen to HIM but they refused. They didn’t want to change. They liked their sin. This is a problem at present as well even among Church people.

The only answer is confession of sin and turning to follow the LORD. Then HE will hear their prayers or our prayers. Ask the LORD to reveal any sin before you go to church this week. Don’t have the LORD withdraw from you this week.

CHALLENGE: We can’t hide from God. HE sees and knows all. We are just fooling ourselves if we think we can hid our sin from HIM. Confession is the answer!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. (2502 “withdrawn” [chalats] means draw off or out, to depart, or take off)

DEVOTION: God knows the difference between true worship and fake worship. It all stems from the attitude of the individual who is coming into HIS presence. God knows the heart of each person who comes into a worship service in any church. HE looks at the heart.

Here the children of Israel were coming with sacrifices but their heart was far from God. They were bring their offerings to try to bribe God into giving them blessings that they knew they didn’t deserve.

The response of the LORD was to depart from them. HE didn’t want to be in their presence even though they thought they were heading in HIS direction. They were wrong.

Today we have people who come into our churches who think that if they show up they have done God a favor. Not only do they show up but they even put some money in the offering plate to show how much they really love the LORD. It is not real because once they leave the building they are going to do whatever they please whenever they please. They have paid their dues and expect God to honor them for it.

That is no how God works. HE wants our hearts to be right before HE can honor our presence. If our hearts are right HE will continue to show us where we need to improve. HE will help us grow through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Our reading of the Bible will become more real to us. We will really get to know the LORD in the way HE wants to be known.

CHALLENGE: Pray before you enter church each Sunday for the LORD to create a new heart in you. Be genuine. HE knows our heart.

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: 7 They have dealt treacherously against the LORD; for they have begotten strange children; now shall a month (new moon) devour them with their portions.

DEVOTION: When the people of God marry those who are not believers there can be a different outcome than when two believers marry. When two believers marry they are to raise their children to love the LORD. They are to give them instructions from the Word of God as often as they can through family devotions. It should be daily but there are days when just a word of prayer together is what happens. It is not legalistic but it should be a habit of a Christian home.

Also there are the weekly trips to a local church to worship the LORD. These should be good occasions, not ones that are full of fighting and misbehavior. It only works when there is peace in the home before leaving for a time of worship. Preparation the night before is always good.

Friendship with other believers helps children to love the LORD as well. With good fellowship on a regular basis with other people who love the LORD it give hope for a future filled with children and grandchildren who love the LORD.

The children of Israel were not obeying the LORD’S commands regarding marriage. They were worshiping pagan gods who taught things like unfaithfulness between husband and wife. This caused the children to be unfaithful.

The example of the parents makes a difference in the reaction of the children to marriage. Many marriages that are not based on Biblical standards produce pagan children or children that don’t love the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Raising children to love the LORD is not easy but those who are Biblical believers have the help of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to guide them.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. (6862 “affliction” [tsar] means narrow, tight, straits, distress, adversary, foe, enemy, oppressor, pent-up or trouble.

DEVOTION: Both Israel and Judah are put in the same situation. They are in the state of rebellion against the LORD. They are in a state of pride in their own accomplishments. They were worshiping false gods. They were trying to worship the LORD and their other gods at the same time. The LORD will have none of that. HE will have to send judgment.

In HIS judgment they will see their sin. They will have to acknowledge their guilt before the LORD can restore them to fellowship with HIM. HIS eyes are still on them. HE still loves them. However, they must seek HIS face. They must rise up early in the morning and seek HIM. Only in their distress do they realize that HE is their only HOPE.

It takes us getting into a situation that is beyond our ability to make us depend on the LORD. If the situation is within our ability we think we can handle it. The problem is that sometimes the situations we think are within our ability are not within our ability and we try to do it without the LORD. The children of Israel always thought the situations were within their ability and tried to do it without the LORD. Captivity proved to be beyond their ability after a while.

We can handle captivity for a while but then it gets to us and we want out. The children of Israel took a long time to get to that point. They thought it would end and their false prophets predicted it would end but it didn’t end. Then they turned to the LORD.

It takes getting into a tight spot to get us to turn to the LORD. Once they realized their situation, the LORD said they would seek HIM. They would seek HIM early. Have we been waiting for some situation to end before we seek the LORD? How long will we wait before turning to the LORD? Has it been too long?

CHALLENGE: Affliction is one of the methods God uses to correct us. Accept the affliction and repent of the sin. Watch HIM work a miracle in your life.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Priests verse 1

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Commandments verse 11

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Judge verse 1, 11- 15

I have been a rebuke of them all verse 2

I know Ephraim and Israel is not hid from ME verse 3

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 4

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 4, 6, 7

Withdrawn HIMSELF verse 6

I made known that which shall surely be verse 9

I will pour out MY wrath verse 10

I will be unto Ephraim as a moth verse 12

I will be to Ephraim as a lion verse 14

I will be as a young lion to the house of Judah verse 14

I will tear and go away verse 14

I will take away and none shall rescue verse 14

I will go and return to MY place

till they acknowledge their offence

and seek MY face in their affliction

they will seek ME early verse 15

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Mizpah verse 1

Tabor verse 1

Gibeah verse 8

Ramah verse 8

Bethaven verse 8

Assyrian verse 13

could not heal the wound of Ephraim

King Jareb verse 13

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Snare verse 1

Revolters verse 2

Whoredom verse 3, 4

Defiled verse 3

Spirit of whoredom verse 4

No known the LORD verse 4

Pride verse 5

Iniquity verse 5

Dealt treacherously against the LORD verse 7

Begotten strange children verse 7

Walk after man’s command verse 11

Offense verse 15

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Hear verse 1

Rebuker verse 2, 9

Seek the LORD verse 6, 15

Acknowledge offense verse 15

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

House of Israel verse 1, 3, 5, 9

give you an ear

defiled

pride- testify to his face

House of the king verse 1

for judgment is toward you

because you have been a snare

of Mizpah

Net has been spread on Tabor verse 1

Ephraim verse 3, 5, 9, 11- 14

committed whoredom

will not frame their doings to turn to

their God

fall in their iniquity

shall be desolate in the day of rebuke

oppressed and broken n judgment

because he willingly walked after

the commandment

went to the Assyrian

sent to king Jareb

Judah verse 5-7, 10, 12- 14

shall fall with Ephraim

shall not find the LORD

begotten strange children

month shall devour them with their

portions

LORD will be unto them as a rottenness

Could not be healed by Assyrians

nor be cured of their wound

Blow a cornet in Gibeah verse 8

Blow a trumpet in Ramah verse 8

Cry aloud at beth-aven verse 8

Benjamin verse 8

Tribes of Israel verse 9

Princes of Judah verse 10

like them that remove the bound

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

This verse probably does not refer to a heartfelt seeking of Yahweh but the formal invocation of him in liturgy and sacrifice. Amos 5:4–5 contrasts authentic returning to Yahweh with pilgrimages to shrines. Mays is probably correct here that Israel was treating Yahweh like Baal, as another deity to be placated through sacrifice and offerings. In this context, coming to God with sheep and cattle implicitly contrasts with coming to God with a contrite heart. (Garrett, D. A. (1997). Vol. 19A: Hosea, Joel. The New American Commentary (146). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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6 To go with “flocks and herds to seek the Lord” means to search after God’s favor through sacrifice. But without the evidence of true faith, mere outward sacrifice will not do (cf. 6:6; 1 Sam 15:22–23). Thus the people find only that God “has withdrawn himself from them.” (Wood, L. J. (1986). Hosea. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (190). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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According to Edwards, all are naturally God’s enemies because of five things: God’s holiness, because we are not holy; God’s omniscience, because he knows we are not holy; God’s omnipotence, because this offends our desire for autonomy; God’s mercy, because it is a holy mercy; and God’s immutability (unchangeableness), because God will never be other than he is in these “offensive” attributes. (Boice, J. M. (2002). The Minor Prophets: An expositional commentary (49). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)

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:6 “When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord.…” This is not a true seeking after God. It corresponds to the universal religiosity of the Gentiles who, having turned from the knowledge of the true God, substitute idols in his place (Rom. 1:22). Still, it is seeking of a sort—seeking for something while they are actually running away from God—and God is pointing out that he sees it. He knows what is happening, and he is not fooled by it. (Boice, J. M. (2002). The Minor Prophets: An expositional commentary (50–51). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)

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To begin with, unconstrained negative freedom can easily degenerate into apathy and moral callousness, for what begins as freedom from interference easily slides into the freedom of indifference – “I am happy to be left to myself, so why should I care about others?” Thus emancipation from the constraints of others quickly becomes an evasion of concern for others. (p. 64, A Free People’s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future by Os Guinness)

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FROM MY READING:

The Heaven of Heavens

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” (1 Kings 8:27)
The term “heaven” is not just a general term for where the souls of the righteous go after death. The Bible actually speaks of the “third heaven,” the realm to which Paul was once temporarily “caught up into paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4). The term is also applied to the realm of the atmosphere and to the realm of the stars (e.g., Genesis 1:14, 20). In fact, the Hebrew word shamayim is actually a plural noun, often rendered “heavens” as well as “heaven.”
The concept of “first heaven,” “second heaven,” and “third heaven” may also have another meaning, depending on context. For example, Peter speaks of “the heavens [which] were of old,” “the heavens . . . which are now,” and the “new heavens” which God has promised (2 Peter 3:5, 7, 13) in the ages to come. The phrase “heaven of heavens” actually occurs at least six times in the Old Testament.

Presumably, the “heaven of heavens” is where God now has His heavenly throne and to which, after His resurrection, Christ “ascended up far above all heavens” (Ephesians 4:10) to be seated at the right hand of the Father. It is beyond all the stars and galaxies and presumably has no end. It may be synonymous with the third heaven (the extra-biblical literature speaks of a “seventh heaven,” but this idea is not in the Bible).
Someday, however, the heavenly Jerusalem will come “down from God out of heaven” (Revelation 21:2), and “the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it” (Revelation 22:3). The heaven of heavens will be on Earth (the new earth) and we also shall be there—with our Lord—forever. Therefore, sing praises “to him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens” (Psalm 68:33). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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GOD ACTING IN HISTORY

We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. Acts 2:11

God’s plan is carried out by His acting in history. This is a vital point. Christianity is not primarily teaching; it is a recorded history. Christianity is not urging men to think and to try to delve into the mystery and to discover the truth about God. It says, “Listen, this is what God has done.” Is that not what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem? Is that not what the people said about the apostles when they began to speak with other tongues? “What is this?” they said. “We do hear them speak in our tongues”–what?–“the wonderful works of God.” Not the thoughts of God but the works of God, the things that God has done.

And that is the message of Christianity. Here it is: “Now after that John was put in prison” (Mark 1:14); that is a fact of history, an event in time, just as Julius Caesar landed in Britain in 55 B.C. So at a given point in time John the Baptist was thrown into prison, and at that moment Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled.” “Listen to Me,” He said, “it has happened, it has come.” Now what does this mean” It means that your salvation and mine depends not upon our thoughts, nor upon our discovery of truth, but entirely and utterly upon something that has literally happened in this world almost two thousand years ago.

So we preach to this atomic age, and this is what we say–not “Come and join us on the uncharted ocean, and help us take soundings in order that we may arrive ultimately.” No; we say, “Look back, look back; go back two thousand years, to the first century. Listen: ‘When John was thrown into prison Jesus came and said….'” That is it. In other words, our salvation depends not upon our understanding but upon what God has done in Christ.

A Thought to Ponder: Our salvation depends not upon our understanding but upon what God has done in Christ. (From The Kingdom of God, p. 19, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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A huge group of demonstrators stormed Hong Kong’s legislative building in protest against a new extradition bill which would see criminals face prosecution in mainland China. Many Christians have felt in fear for their lives in light of the now-suspended bill, due to China having some of the most restrictive religious freedom laws on earth.

A couple of weeks ago, powerful images emerged showing Christians singing worship song “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” both in protest against the threat of a what is widely seen as a potential move to full Chinese rule, and also in a bid to protect themselves from prosecution.

“According to the law, any religious assemblies in public areas are not considered as illegal, so if people sing hymns together, it could actually work as a protection and guarantee that [they] stay safe,” Edwin Chow, acting president of the Hong Kong Federation of Catholic Students, told the BBC.

“Therefore people started to sing this song to protect themselves.”

Yesterday, however, there were far more chaotic scenes, with huge groups of protesters storming into the government buildings, painting graffiti on the walls and even draping the front lectern in a British Hong Kong flag used during the colonial period.

Hong Kong was previously a member of the British Colonies, before being handed back to the Chinese in 1997. The area is partially governed by China as a “Special Administrative Region,” but also has its own governing assembly, functioning in line with a quasi-constitutional document called the” Hong Kong Basic Law.” Hong Kong has a Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, who effectively leads the government.

Faith leaders advocate for peace

Amid the political turmoil, Hong Kong’s Christian leaders, of which there are many, have called for peace and progress.

“We call on the people of Hong Kong to boycott any act that undermines the law and harms peace, and any violence that harms others, and we call on all to express their views in a self-denying, rational and peaceful manner,” read an open letter signed by Pastor Su Chengyi, Chairman of the Hong Kong Christian Association and Hong Kong Catholic leader Cardinal John Tong Hon.

“We call on the government and people with different positions and opinions to lay down their attachments, carefully reflect on their views, listen to the voices of others, and establish effective communication channels as soon as possible, and communicate in a sincere manner,” the letter continued, as reported by Christian Today.

“We hope that society will be cautious and considerate, with a wise, inclusive and respectful heart, and re-start on the basis of communication and understanding, self-discipline and respect for the person, in seeking the common welfare of the people of Hong Kong. Let Hong Kong return to the path of peaceful communion.”

The United Kingdom has warned of serious consequences if the rights of Hong Kong’s citizens are not upheld.

“The UK signed an internationally binding legal agreement in 1984 that enshrines the ‘one country, two systems rule’, enshrines the basic freedoms of the people of Hong Kong and we stand four square behind that agreement, four square behind the people of Hong Kong,” said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, according to the Times.

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Ezra 4
The king orders a halt to the temple restoration.
INSIGHT

There is a common misconception in the Christian world that if you are doing the Lord’s will, you will not suffer hardships for it. The example of the Jews rebuilding the temple certainly does not support that supposition. The Lord clearly intends for them to rebuild the temple, yet they suffer opposition the entire time. It is not necessarily a sign of God’s displeasure when work begun for Him fails. There may be other reasons for the failure, which are hidden in His sovereignty. That is why it is so important to be in fellowship with Him. If something we are doing fails, we have confidence that it is not because of our sin, but His sovereignty. (Quiet Walk)

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Past Jum Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York believes that the sin of gossip was virtually eliminated from their congregation as each new member made a promise not to spread bad reports about anyone in the church, but to go to that person and clear up the matter. … There may be one exception to going alone – when the person you need to confront is a dangerous, unpredictable character.

(p. 140, When You’ve Been WRONGED by Erwin W. Lutzer)

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