Hosea 1:3-5

The word of the Lord that came unto Josea, the son of Barry, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jerobam, the son of Joach, king of Israel. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea, and the Lord said to Hosea, go take unto thee a wife of Hortems and children of Hortems, for the land hath committed great Hortem, departing from the Lord. So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Dibliam, which conceived, and bare him a son. And the Lord said on him, call his name Jesreal, for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jesreel, upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and God said unto him, call her name Lerruhe. for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. Now when she had weaned lo, roohama, she conceivated. and bear a son. Then said God, call his name, Loami, for you are not my people, and I will not be your… Some parents give their children common names like John or David or Richard, or Mary or Linda or Susan, or something of that nature. Some parents, however, give their children names which are rather unique, exotic, or we might even say strange. I read about a man in Texas whose last name was pig, and he named his two daughters, Ima and Yura. It was sort of a bad joke on them when they had to live with it. But a more serious note, If you ran across a person with the name Iraq or Afghanistan, what would you think? Certainly, you would realize there’s a definite message being conveyed behind that name. There’s some significance to it. The first son to be born to Josea and Gomer is called. Jesreal by God. Though the name may sound normal enough, it would be like maybe someone calling one of their children Shenandoah during the Civil War period. To those of us who belonged to a different age and culture, it was somewhat of a unique name. God was going to convey a message to Israel through the name of this child. As the last part of verse four indicates, and he will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. It would be a distinct and unusual situation for someone to name a child, Iraq, or Afghanistan, but you would realize that they’re conveying something. by that name. So these are names of places, which are what designate events that say in American history, and they sort of have some dark overtones with them. Jesreal, too, was primarily a place name, and it had a particular historical significance, and it also is a rather dark name. A gloomy pitcher is provided. So let me begin tonight by talking about the significance of Josea’s first child being called Jesreal. Now, we have to realize Israel has lost the honor of its name. God has lost the honor of its name. with Israel because she’s been an unfaithful wife. Israel has played the harlot by worshiping other gods. God’s wrath now burns against Israel. Josea’s marriage to a prostitute was to remind Israel that they had been unfaithful to Jehovah. Josea’s marriage resulted in the birth of three children, each of which is given a special name. And the naming of these childrens constitute a second stage to Josea’s ministry, where the name of each child conveys a message to the people. Jesreal means scattered of the Lord. This was hardly a beautiful name. It had negative connotations to it. This boy would be a walking sermon. Whenever he walked among the people, they would be reminded of God’s promise to scatter them, to end them as a nation. So his name meant that his people would no longer stand recorded in, God’s book as Israel, they would be called Jezreel instead. Now you recall that the grandson of Abraham already had his name changed, from Jacob, which means a subplanter, to Israel, which means a prince with God. That was a promotion. Jesrael, however, means scattered of the Lord. That was a demotion. From being called the prince with God, they are going to be scattered of the Lord. The ten tribes are no longer entitled to the name Israel, but they will be called Jesrael instead. So Israel has lost the honor of her name. And we see the way God intended to bring judgment upon Israel in verse 5. It’s going to knock the bow out of their hand. You recall that when the prophet Micaiah saw the destruction of Ahab and Israel by Syria, he had this vision. In 1st Kings 2217 says this, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills as sheep that have not a shepherd, no leader, no king. And so this idea of being scattered here seems to imply the idea of military defeat of some sort. And that is explained in verse 5 is the God knocking the bow out of their hand. a bow was a very important weapon to Israel. Remember that when King Saul was killed and his son, Jonathan, that David, in his message to the nation and his lament, if you would, about it, he said one of the things they had to do is learn the bow and how to use it. And Israel did learn how to use the bow. But here we find that God is going to knock it out of their hands. He’s going to take away their defense and cause them to lose this battle so that they will be scattered. So the faithless people will be reduced to nothing. And they’ll be like scattered, like a farmer would scatter seed all over the place, all the different nations of the world. This all probably refers to the battle that was fought between Hoshia, king of Israel and Salmaneser, the king of Syria, the king of Syria, in this valley, not far from Samaria, which was the capital of the northern kingdom. We had Russell Reed. 2 Kings chapter 17 where that account is provided we don’t have all the details but we know it was a tremendous defeat for Israel now all this is going to occur he says in a little while and if we count up the years it’s about 70 years later when Israel was scattered so we see the significant of Jose is first child being called Jesrael. Now why must Israel become Jesreal? Well verse 4 tells us this. And the Lord said unto him, call his name Jesrael for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of of Jesrael upon the house of Jehu. Of Jehriel will have to be avenged by God. Now if we go all the way back to the days of Ahap, you’ll recall, before Jehu even ascended to the throne, that that wicked king wanted a certain vineyard that was nearby his palace, and the vineyard belonged to Naboth, who lived in the valley of Jesrael south of Mount Carmel just outside the gates of Samaria. Ahab first offered to buy it, offered to trade for it, but Naboth would not agree to that. It was his family heritage and so he wouldn’t do it. Eventually the wife of Ahab, Jezab, Jezabel, acting in her husband’s stead, had the godly Naboth killed, and so Ahab was able to seize the vineyard for himself. God pronounced doom upon Ahab because of this, saying that judgment would come to them in the valley of Jesrael where Naboth was slain. Later, you recall that Ahab, was mortally wounded in the battle at Ramath Gilead, and the dogs licked his blood from his chariot, where? In the valley of Jesria. Not long afterwards, Jehu, one of Ahab’s cherry commanders, was secretly anointed king over the northern kingdom by a servant of Elisha. Queen Jezebel, you recall, was thrown down from the window in Samaria and was run over by Jayhu’s chariot. The wild dogs came and hauled away her body to the valley of Jesrael, where it was devired. Jehu, you recall, demanded the heads of the 70 sons of Ahab. And the rulers of Jesrael put them all on a basket and brought the basket to him. And thus you find a very terrible massacre of Ahab’s family, his friends, and even his associates, by Jehu, in around the valley of Jesrael. Now, the guilt with Jehu incurred in seizing the throne at the cost of the blood of Ahab’s entire family would be avenged by God. Now what you need to understand is Jerobon II in verse 1 is the fourth son of the dynasty set up by Jiu. And God said he would give him four generations upon the throne of Israel. After the death of Jerobol and the second, the kingdom of Israel will only last about 20 years and go through six kings and then be completely destroyed. Go into final captivity. So the blood of Jesrael will be avenged by God. Now, why will Jehu be punished? Why is his house? Why is it going to be punished? Was he really guilty? The blood should. shed by him was certainly far from innocent. I mean, after all, Ahab was the most wicked king of the northern kingdom. Jezebel was a terrible woman. And isn’t it true what makes this thing really strange? Is, didn’t God command him to do this? Didn’t he order him to do it in Second King’s Chapter 9? And so Jehu undertook this bloodbath, not on his own initiative, but because God commanded him to do so. So what a puzzling matter, you might say. God declares the blood of his prophets and Naboth need to be avenged upon Ahab’s house, and Jehu obediently fulfills the command of the Lord. His children now, however, are informed that the bloodshed that was spread. spilled will be held against them. This is difficult for us to understand in some ways. Had Jahu refused to carry out God’s command, he would have God’s judgment upon him. But here he does fulfill God’s command, and he still has God’s judgment fall upon him. He seems like he’s going to get into trouble. Either way, we’ll add one more thing to this mystery. God commended Jehu for slaughtering the house of Ahab in 2nd King’s chapter 10 in verse 30. He did as God commanded. So he’s praised and rewarded by God, but now his descendants are threatened with punishment for his misdeeds long ago. You might think, boy, this doesn’t seem very fair. Doesn’t see that like God is being, treating him properly. Why is God? doing this. Well, whenever we study the scriptures, we should always realize that God looks upon the heart, not just the outward actions of an individual. It’s when we look at it in this manner that we begin to see and understand why he’s being punished. Yes, Jehu did what God commanded him, but not in the spirit in which he should have. He was not seeking to please the Lord. Externally, he carried out the Lord’s command, but he did so in order to advance his own interests and not God’s interests. In 2 Kings 1031 we read, But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of God of of Israel with all his heart. Yeah, he did one thing that God commanded him to do because it benefited him. He got to be king. He got to do as he pleased. But he didn’t obey God’s commandments. In other words, everything was all about selfishness on his part. While Jehu was made Ahab’s execution, because Ahab worshipped idols, particularly the Bales, we find that Jehu here proved to be Ahab’s successor when it came to idolatry. He wiped out Ahab’s bail worship at the time, killing all the prophets of Bail that he could find. But then he promoted the worship of the golden calves at Beersheba and Dan. God therefore, at times, punishes the very instruments he uses to do his work because they don’t do it with right principles. There’s an interesting account in Isaiah chapter 10, where Assyria punishes the nation of Israel. And they were said to be God’s acts, if you would, to chop down the Israelites, to bring judgment against them. But then God says, I’m going to judge them also, because they’re not doing it to honor me. They’re doing it for their own purposes, and they’re taking the glory under themselves that they have done all this by their own power and abilities. Thus God will avenge the blood of Jesrael upon the house of Jehu because of his heart not being right with God. Let me conclude by mentioning a couple practical thoughts. And the first is this. You may indeed be punished for past sins. It appears that the children here are made to pay for the sins of the father. Back four generations. J. Hu had died long before Josea wrote these words. And yet the royal dynasty in power, Jerobo and the Second, would have to pay for Jehu’s sins. God goes sometimes far into the past to find a grievance. He might say, is that fair? Of course it is. He’s the Lord God. Jahou’s descendants were not innocent young princes. They were full of evil and worshipped idols. as well as he did. And in a way, we might say that the sins of the father are visited on the children because they just walked in the ways of their forefather, followed in his footsteps. Children do not escape punishment. This is quite disturbing when we think about it. No one really sins all by himself. When you sin, you sin, against God, you sin against yourself, and you sin against your children. All you have to do is ask Adam whether his sin affected his posterity or not, and we know what happened in that case. Sort of like knocking over a neatly stacked row of dominoes. The first one gets toppled, and the next thing you know, all the rest of them get toppled. And so we see something like that here. Your sins get magnified in your children many times like father, like son. Each time you sin, then you have to remember that there’s going to be an accounting. Think about this. If you sin in your youth, take heed, because the sins are of the youth could very well be held against you when you get the older age, as we see here. God demands repentance for sin. We need to make peace with God now, lest his curse come upon you in later years for your transgression. You need to get forgiveness of that sin taken care of. So you may indeed be punished for past sins. Secondly, you may be punished for past sins. be punished even though you appear to be obeying God’s commands. You may be zealous on behalf of the Lord of Hulse to do what he has commanded in one instance, but what if you are in reality only seeking your own glory and fame and praise in the zeal that you have, to make yourself a name among Christians. that turns all your zeal into sin for whatsoever is not a faith is sin. If you attend church, now that is, we might look at that and say, well, that’s good and that’s right behavior. But if you did so for another purpose rather than really worshiping God, then your church attendance would be sinful, wouldn’t it? Suppose you went there just to see your friends. Maybe you went there because your real purpose was to seek a wife, or maybe to further promote your business or something of this sort. Even though you’re doing what God commands you to do, you’re not doing it for a right purpose. And thus it’s not hard to become guilty in God’s eyes because he sees what you and I are doing. So it’s not a question of what you do necessarily, but how and why. why you do it. You can be like Jehu. Externally, you’re obeying God’s command, but inwardly, you do it with a selfish motive. And note this, God may reward you for faithfully carrying out his commands, even with just outward, formal obedience, because Jehu’s sons did rule for four generations as God commanded. And yet, when the fourth generation, came, God avenged the blood shed by Jehu. There may be some benefits to externally doing what God commands. But the most important thing is not always what you do externally, but what is taking place within your heart. And this is the problem, if where heart isn’t right, then even when we’re doing what seems to be right externally, it can lead us to a very difficult situation. So you may be punished even though you appear to be obey in God’s commands. The third and the last thing I’ll mention here is God may take away the honor of your name. How easily God changed Israel’s name to Jesrael. Scattered of the Lord. The people. of God went from a name of distinction and honor to one of shame and guilt. There are many churches who use the name reformed. They consider it an honor to be associated with Calvin and Luther in the Great Reformation of the past. And it is an honor to be associated with the Giants of the Faith. and bear the same title as they do. But suppose, however, the Lord would come and say to reform churches, you are now called, will be called deformed churches. With all that’s going on in some reform circles today, God could easily say you are deformed, not reformed. How could a church? be classified is still reformed when it carefully avoids the preaching of the doctrines of grace, when there is no clear teaching or message about justification by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Where is the purity of worship that once, I think, was a crowning honor of the churches of our faithful fathers? Why is some type of holy entertainment substituted for it? Where is the commitment to Christ among the membership, which is seen so vital in the Reformed churches of the past? How dare a Reformed church teach theistic evolution and not the simplistic creation story that the Bible records for us? What does it mean when reformed teachers speak of God having a double will desiring to elect and reprobate, save and reprobate the same individual? As if God is confused. It’s only a matter of time then before disaster strikes. God will break the bow. Then everyone who fears the Lord will realize just how far things have gone. in the wrong direction. Disaster is impending and they will be deformed churches, not reform churches, any longer. Well, let’s close.