Hosea 1:10-11

Isaiah chapter 1 and verses 10 and 11. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured, nor numbered. It shall come to pass that in the place where it was said under them, ye are my people, there it shall be said under them, ye are the sons, you are not my people, there shall it be said unto them, ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the day of Jezrael. God bless to us His holy and sacred word. this evening. In Greek mythology, the god of doors and gateways and also beginnings is named Janus. It’s the name from which we get January. Now what’s interesting about this God is he has two faces. One of them looks forward, one of them looks backwards. One of them looks backwards. One on the front of the head, one at the back of the head. We might say he’s two-faced. In fact, the god Janus is given rise to the concept of being Janus faced or two-faced and deceitful. Now the god of the Bible is not anything like Janus. He is not double-minded, nor can he face to directions. at the same time on any issue. The Lord is not a contradictory or confusing God. He’s not like man that he should lie or change his mind. If he says something, Scripture says he’ll make it good. While the problem of God seemingly reversing himself is found in verse 10. He has stated us with regard to Israel, God has said, call her lo, ami, for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. And then verse 10, yet, the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea and so forth. As you read these verses, it may cause you to think this doesn’t make any sense. Through Isaiah, or Josea, the Lord has said to Israel, you’re not my people, and I will not be your God. And that has a ring of finality to it. It would appear that God is deserting Israel. He’s canceling them out. And yet you encounter this wonderful promise in the next verse. Is God reversing himself? what is God up to? Is he being Janus-like and being two-faced? Does this yet mean that God is going to withdraw all his threats that he made earlier? Has God repented? Has God changed his mind? Is it regretting the angry words that he has spoken? Is he tempering him now so they’re not so harsh? Surely none of these explanations is a biblical explanation and acceptable to us. All of them would be unworthy of the God of the Bible. His yes always means yes. It is no always means no. God cannot say both yes and no. His words are firm. His words are unshaping. Now some might think that God makes these threats, but after all, he’s a God of love and mercy, and this is the same in which people would think today, perhaps. God will surely forgive them. He will not be as harsh and severe as his threat seemed to be and to be and indicate. So they eagerly look. They eagerly lay aside God’s threats, claim his promises as security. The Bible doesn’t allow us the luxury to pick and to choose what part of the word of God we are going to believe. But what about that word yet? What about this? Obviously, it cannot be denied that what God seems to say here completely contradicts. what he said earlier in verse 9. But is God a hopeless schizophrenic? It seems impossible, but that both the promise and the threat will come to pass. So we have the problem of God seemingly reversing himself here. Now the answer to this seeming difficulty is to realize that God is not, speaking of national Israel here in verse 10, but of spiritual Israel in verse 10. You remember the promise that was given to Abraham, and I cannot go along with those who would play off one truth against another and take the safe route and just choose the promise alone. Some have argued that the judgment that will come, that Israel will not be God’s people. It’s only a temporarily true statement during the time of the exile, and then God will change his mind. This explanation will do. We can’t take this element of judgment seriously enough. Perhaps the path of the solution here is to look to the Abrahamic covenant, which is obviously in view. Now let me direct your attention to what God says in reference to this covenant, Genesis 22, when he reminds Abraham of what he had already promised after Abraham was about to sacrifice his only son, according to God’s command. But if you look at chapter 22 of Genesis, and beginning with verse 16, reading through verse 18. We read this. in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore. In thy seed shall be, shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in thy seed, shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice. No doubt, Oseya here is answering an objection. that could be made with regard to verses 10 and 11. Josea, how can you threaten the destruction of Israel? You say you’re only going to show mercy to Judah, but they’re just a small portion of the nation. What about Israel? It has ten tribes. Surely they’re not going to be neglected, but now comes the key to the part. puzzle. You must not assume that the people here of the promise are the same ones as those doomed by the threat. You should know that God will indeed fulfill his promise to Abraham. Abraham has not only a physical seed, but he has a spiritual seed as the last verse I read there in Genesis 22, 18 indicates that it’s not just the Jews, but in his seed Jesus Christ, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. You are mistaken, if you think that this indicates the Jews are the seed of the Jews are the seed of Abraham. all those that join in the faith of Abraham and subject themselves to the God of Abraham are the seed of Abraham. Josea is referring here to the church fulfilling the role of spiritual Israel and being the heirs of the covenant promise. Most people forget the important word. in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. But there is a hint here that the Gentiles will be blessed through the Abrahamic covenant because they are part of the spiritual Israel of which verses 10 and 11 refer. Now you might say to me, you might be thinking, Pastor, you are really stretching this one. Israel must mean physical Israel, not the church. I remind you in the New Testament, you’ll recall that Jesus ran into the same problem with the Jews who were always thinking in a physical and material sense. And because of this, they misinterpreted the things which Jesus said. For example, when Jesus drove out the money changers and the murderers, and the murderers. from the temple, the Jews said, why are you doing this? Give us a sign to prove your right and authority to do this. Jesus answered, destroyed this temple in three days. I will raise it up again. And the Jews merely thought in a physical manner, they thought Jesus was referring to the temple building at Jerusalem. They said, hey, it took 46 years to build this temple. What kind of carpenter are you that you think you can build it back up in three days? But Jesus was not talking about material things. He had a spiritual application in mind, the temple of his body, his resurrection from the dead. In the same manner, you may come to verses 10 and 11. and to think, well, this has to refer to physical Israel, while all the time God is referring to spiritual Israel. In fact, unless God is referring to spiritual Israel, we have a contradiction, and God would be two-faced. You might say, but pastor, I think you’re wrong about this. If I go to the New Testament and the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter agree with me on this kind of interpretation, then you’d have to admit this must be the correct interpretation of the passage before us. I want you to turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 9. It would be good if we could study the whole chapter, but time will not allow us to do that, but I would commend it to you for your own personal study. Let me begin with verse 1. and read through 16 to begin with, I say the truth in Christ I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brother and my kinsman according to the flesh. He’s talking here about the national Jew. who are Israelites to whom pertain the adoption and the glory, the covenants, including the Abrahamic covenant, and the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is overall God blessed it forever? Not as though the word of God hath taken uneffect, For they are not all Israel which are of Israel. Now let me stop for a minute. You ponder that verse carefully. He’s saying that the Israel, the promise, is not made up of the national Jews per se. Just because you’re a physical Jew does not mean the promise pertains unto you. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, verse 7, are they all children? But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Abraham had two children, Ishmael and Isaac. But the promise here was not the Ishmael. It was to Isaac alone, who was called. That is, they, which are of the children of the flesh, these that are national Israelites, these are not the children. children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise at this time, I will come and say, or shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father, Isaac, for the children not yet being not yet born, either having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. We find here that Isaac had two children. Only one, however, was the child of the promise, and that was Jacob, and not even. saw. He saw, we read in Malachi, his land would be made desolate, and he would be destroyed. Verse 14, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Reset to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion, on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. when Moses tried to intercede for all of Israel, God still reminded him, I’m going to have mercy on whom I will have mercy among the physical nation. Again, it’s only those who are the called that are the children of the promise. Verse 21, let’s skip down to verse 21. It talks about reprobation here with Pharaoh and the judgment, but verse 21. hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor another under dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and they might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he afore prepared on the glory? Now who are these vessels of mercy? even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. If you are called by God’s grace, then you are part of the Israel of God that he’s been talking about, the spiritual Israel. And how does he prove this? Verse 25. And he saith also in Osi, or Hosea, I will call them my people which were not my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved, and it shall come the past in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people. There they shall be called the children of the living God. Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be. saved. He tells us here that the Jews, the physical nation, will only have a remnant saved. But to fulfill the passage in Hosea, we find that the Gentiles who did not know God and were people who were excluded are now called the children of God. They’ve been called in to the kingdom. And he says, this is a fulfillment of the fact that, ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God. So, this being the church, the case, seems very clear to us from Paul’s understanding that the New Testament indicates that the church is the fulfillment of this passage. and not national Israel. Now if you would, let’s look at Peter. 1. Peter 2, 9 and 10. I’ll make this brief, not to drag this all out. 1. Peter chapter 2, verses 9 and 10. He writes here, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priest or a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show for, forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous life, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which have not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Peter uses exactly the same response, I think, that Paul does. who are those who are called out of darkness into his marvelous light? Are they Jews? Are they Gentiles? What does the Bible say? The land of Zabulan, the land of Naftolum, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light. To them, which sat in the region in shadow of death, light is sprung up. And I suggest to you that he too is including the Gentiles in this argumentation as a fulfillment of this promise here in Hosea. And so it is the Gentiles who are included as well as the remnant of the Remnant of the Gentiles. the Jews who are converted. This being the case, we have to say then there’s no contradiction. The New Testament provides light so that we don’t have to ask whether the threat or the promise are true. They both are true. The threat is certainly true with regard to national Israel and the Northern Kingdom, which never did return. as a whole. But the promise is also true, that the children of the king, though they are cast out, God issues a call to go out to the east and the west, the highways, the byways, and to compel people to come in, that he may have people at his feast and at his table, and they are included. as Gentiles. Now that Abraham’s children according to the flesh have become not my people, God seeks new children among the Gentiles. If you read Galatians 3, verses 6 through 9, and verses 28 and 29, which, by the way, I actually wanted Russell to read but somehow rather I must have given him the wrong information. But let’s look at this a minute. Galatians 3, verses 6 through 9. We read here, even as Abraham believed God and was accounted to Him for righteousness, know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Now notice what he’s saying here. Those who have faith are the only ones who are the true children of Abraham. And the scripture, for seeing that God would justify the heathen, the Gentiles, through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, and thee, thy seed as we read, all the nations shall be blessed. So they that be, which be of faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham. Now jump to verses 28 and 29. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you’re all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ, then are you Abraham’s seed. And what? Ayers, according to the promise. A spiritual seed of Abraham, which are so numerous that there are more than the sand on the sand on the earth. the seashore. And so we find God here fulfilling this promise, but he fulfilled it in spiritual Israel. Now, let me mention a couple particulars of this promise back in Hosea chapter 1. In verse 10, we see that the covenant blessing to Abraham is fulfilled. The Jews after the flesh only have a remnant saved. God says here that spiritual Israel will be numerous. In the vast multitude that have been brought to Christ through the preaching of the gospel, this promise is fulfilled and is still being fulfilled. The Gentiles being a great multitude, which no man can number, according to Revelation 7, 9, are called to salvation in Christ. known us the union of the people of God in verse 11. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the day of Jesrael. The Bible says there will be a reunification of the people of God of Judah and Israel. said that the Israelites that did come back to the land were joined to Judah. In Jose’s day, there was a lot of conflict between these two nations. They fought against one another. But in the setting up of Christ’s kingdom, the enmity will come to an end. There will be peace among the people of God. And I suggest that this also referring to the enemy. to the Gentiles, being united with the Jewish believers in the true worship of God, and therefore the enmity shall be gone, and peace shall dominate, as Ephesians Chapter 2, verses 14 to 22, indicate to us. There’s peace, as we are now as Gentiles fellow citizens of the Commonwealth. of Israel. Verse 11 also indicates that Jesus Christ shall be the head of this people. Look with me at Ezekiel, if you would. Chapter 37, verse 15 to 24. 37 of Ezekiel, beginning with verse 15. The word of the Lord came again unto me saying, moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick. and right upon it for Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions, then take one another stick and write upon it for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel and his companions. And join them one to another in the one stick, they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, what wilt thou not show us, wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, thus saith the Lord, God, behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is the land of Ephraim. It’s in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel, his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand. And the sticks whereon thou rightest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whether they are gone, and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king to them all. They shall no longer be two nations. Neither shall they be divided into the two kingdoms anymore. Neither shall they defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with detestable things, nor with their transgressions, but I will say, save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned and will cleanse them so that they shall be my people, and I will be their God. And David, my servant, shall be king over them. And they all shall have one shepherd, and they shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes. Now, here, of course, the problem. promise is made of one king being over them. And the king that he’s referring to here under the title of David is the Lord Jesus Christ and the oneness of the people of God in him, who is the head of the church. He’s the one and only head. And because Israel and Judah are joined together under one head, the promise points to the New Testament church. and the gathering in of the church is mentioned in Osaya 1111 also indicating to us that people will be gathered to Jesus Christ. They will come up out of the various countries or lands where they have been dispersed and be gathered to the Lord in true worship. Now Isaiah 34, verses 11 to 15 Isaiah 56 verses 1 to 8 indicate that Gentiles are included in this promise. Jesus Christ is the true shepherd. There’s one fold. He has different flocks, but they’re going to be gathered into one fold. There are those among the Jews. There are those among the Gentiles, but he’ll be one shepherd and one fold ultimately. over which he will preside. So the New Testament indicates the gathering of true Israel to be the sons of the living God referring to the church made up of Jews and Gentiles alike. I don’t have the time to look up a ton of verses tonight that could prove this, but I hope that you will understand that this is clearly the case. Let me conclude. tonight with a few thoughts. And the first is this. You should know that God will fill his church. The yet of our text is sort of a rebuke to national Israel. You’re not going to get a reprieve. They have no hope whatsoever if you live according to the flesh. Jose’s statement concerning Israel being as numerous as the grains of the sand of the sea comes as a rebuke in this sense that he’s saying that God will see to it that he always has children, many children, there may not be you, that he’s going to bring people in to be his children. He takes sinful people, he saves them, he makes them different, but he will gather his people from the east and from the west and from all nations and tongues and races. it’s awful to be passed over. And if you’re living under the illusion that you’re one of God’s chosen people, you may be cast aside if you are in unbelief here in unfaithfulness. They’re not going to be any empty seats, however, in the kingdom of God. God will have a people. And sometimes we’re deeply concerned when we see the church or many church members falling by the wayside. God will have replacements. Sometimes you, as a church, have to excommunicate people, and that’s a very difficult thing. But I’ll tell you this, God will always provide someone to replace them. God is going to have a people. So you should know that God will fill his church. Secondly, God takes you as a sinner and he makes you into a different person. There are many professing Christians whose soul slumber under a false sense of security about their eternal state because they are living sinfully and they’re thinking, well, the Lord will yet grant me a reprieve. There’s going to be a yet for me. Yes, I’m a Christian, but I’m just a carnal Christian. But I’m a Christian unless. You believe in the end that all is going to work out well for you. You think you have fire insurance against being cast into the lake of fire. It’s all an illusion. The Bible does not teach that you’re safe. The Bible teaches you’re in danger. There is a love of God which takes the vilest defender and changes them. makes them into new creatures so that they are obedient to the commands of Christ. Is this the love you’ve experienced? Is this what God has done for you? If not, you’re simply deluding yourself, just like the Israelites of old. Lastly, let me say this. You should always use Scripture to interpret Scripture. You’ll notice He is that if we only had Osaya verses 10 and 11, we might get confused and think that God is two-faced. He says one thing, and then he contradicts himself. With the Apostle’s explanation in the New Testament, we have a very clear and decisive interpretation of this passage of Scripture. And there can be no doubt about it. It is the inspired word of God that tells us that this is so. So those that say that special Israel will again be restored to a special status with God are denying the New Testament interpretation. Don’t be confused. Always compare Scripture with Scripture. See if the New Testament ever explains these verses that you are confused about. because the New Testament often provides a lot of clarification and it would help us and keep us out of air if we just compare scripture with scripture. Let us close with the word of prayer tonight.