Hosea 5:14-6.2

privilege to speak to you once again from the book of Hosea, the first minor prophet that we have, Josea chapter 6. I’m going to actually begin reading, though, in chapter 5 and verse 14, and then we’ll go into 6 verses 1 and 2. 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. and their affliction, they will seek me early. Come, let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn, and he will heal us. He has smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us. In the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. May God bless to us His sacred. and Holy Word this evening. In the Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown usually has a very difficult time. Whether it’s in his house at home, whether it’s at school or whether it’s on the ball field, he’s always having a hard time. And he uses this expression. He says, good grief. Now, have you thought about that emotion? moment, is there such a thing as good grief? Well, according to scripture, there is. And we should learn something about that tonight. When Jose wrote these words, he had in his mind’s mind’s prophetical eye, Israel and Judah being in exile, as chapter 5 verses 14 and 15 seems to indicate. In among those future exiles, there’s going to be a remnant that will say, come, and let us return under the Lord. And we find that’s just what the prodigal son, in a sense, in Jesus’ parable said, I will arise. I’ll go to my father. The prodigal son didn’t say that until he had to episode with the swine. And he had to try it first on his own. We find that only when he felt completely defeated is he come to a census that I got to return to my father’s house, Israel has tried to get the Assyrian king, called King Jerb here, to come and help him, but it ended up being a disaster. And so he didn’t find healing for his problem. But God’s going to bring him to the end of his rope here, both nations. God promises to tear both Israel and Judah as a lion does his prey. Both are going to go into captivity. Both are going to suffer a lot of agony. and defeat. But among the scattered remnant of both nations, there is going to be a people, small groups of people that are going to say, come, let us return to the Lord. And you find in this text really hope for the backslider. And that hope is repentance. Repent. And that hope is repentance. turn back to the Lord. You must acknowledge your troubles by the righteous blows of God when you sin. Now, your trials come from God. We read in chapter 5 that he hath torn. He has smitten. The first step in getting right with God is to realize the presence of God. in the trouble in your life. Ungodly people think the trouble is just a matter of chance or random event. Religious people might trace their problems to the devil. Frequently people lay all their problems at the feet of their neighbor, and therefore they become quarrelsome and malicious and vengeful. I reminded of King Ahab with all the drought that they had and the difficulties associated with it, he told Elijah that you’re the troubler of Israel. Well, he’s not really the troubler of Israel. Ahab’s the trouble. The troubler of Israel. but he blamed it on the prophet. But the beginning of hope for you and on is a realization that God holds the rod that struck you. God holds that rod. You can trace all the trouble ultimately back to him. You know, some who are true believers greatly err when they are under affliction. They bewail secondary causes and never see the primary one. But troubles don’t come by chance. And nor is the devil to be fully blamed for everything because we know from Scripture, he can do nothing without the permission of God. And nothing comes just. from the hand of men. We learn that everything ultimately comes from the hand of God. Amos 3.6 says, shall there be evil in this city? And I have not done it. He has smit to you and he hath torn. He has ordained the problems that come into your life for the purpose of correcting you. We shouldn’t refuse to see his hand. We shouldn’t anguish. angrily rebel against God. Aaron held his peace when his two sons were struck down by the fire of God. And he did not respond negatively. Negatively. It was the fire of the Lord himself that did this. And so he held us peace. God does not afflict willingly, or grieve. the children of men according to lamentations, chapter 3, and verse 33. So troubles are the outworking of God’s providence, God smites, God tears, God slays at times. But you’ll have to learn, you know, to trace your troubles back to their true source and realize God’s hand in it all. notice also here that God will chasing you as one of his professed people. Chapter 5, we’re talking about Ephraim, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom. They’re the ones that are being chastened. God says in the book of Revelation 319, as many as I love, I rebuke and chastened. Now, I suppose, if you were walking through the neighborhood and you notice some boys were at an abandoned house and they were throwing rocks through the windows, it would be upsetting. Obviously, you could yell at them. You could call the police with regard to them. There’s really nothing else you can do. You don’t know the children. But if it was your son that was involved, he was one of the kids, And while you would certainly tell him he’s in big trouble when he gets home and you would punish him and chasing him accordingly, you wouldn’t let him get away with that kind of behavior. Does he, would a father punish the son because he loves him less than the other boys? Or does he punish the son because he loves him more than the other boys? And so you have here a, veiled, a vested interest in the character of your child and the correction of your own child. Isn’t it odd? Then when we receive a heavy blow in life, that immediately we think God doesn’t love us. Whereas the scripture indicates that the reason the blow comes is because he does love us. He has an interest in our situation and how we’re behaving. And so we need to realize this. The Lord says to Israel, you only have I known or loved of all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. Amos three, the punishment comes because he loves. God tears and he smites. And we must realize he does it because he loves us. the psalmist says, I will, I have seen the wicked in great power spreading himself like a green bay tree. God seems to let him alone. Let him spread himself as a green bay tree. He doesn’t chop him down and cast him in the fire immediately. But let’s put it this way. You’re like an apple tree. You’re producing fruit. Therefore, God chasens you to prune you, that you may produce more fruit. The green bay tree has really no value, except for perhaps firewood. You have something of value when God is working in your life, and he wants you to be fruitful. So he cuts out the dead wood and the things aren’t growing. The God will chasten you with one of his professed people. and God’s dealing with you may appear to be severe. I mean, the fact that he talked about being torn and smitten as a lion would attack you or a leopard would watch over your situation. Listen to the moans of King Ezekiah. I reckoned till morning that as a lion, so will he break all my bones, from day even to night, thou won’t make an end of me in Isaiah 38, 13. You know, the Lord knows where the strike his blows. He knows the most sensitive aspect of our lives and how he may get our attention and change us and make things different. But he may lay your soul so low, that you count yourself as dead as first two of chapter six indicates. You may continue to be like one in the grave for the space of two days, yet on the third day he will raise you up. Now, there’s something figurative here, of course, and there’s another meaning that we’re going to touch on in a few minutes that I think is the true meaning of this verse. But the point is that there’s going to be suffering for a while before God delivers us. But he’s dealing with us in these things. The Israelites, the people of Judah, they’re going to have to wait 70 years, 70 years of exile, where God brings them back. And so that’s very severe. low. But it’s Psalm 103.10 says, but he hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. And so we have to be thankful for that. Now my second main point tonight is this. You must seek God’s mercy and healing. You must believe in the goodness of God, when you are smarting and suffering. It’s easy to believe that God’s a good God when everything is going smoothly in your life. You’re having good days. A lot harder when you’re feeling God’s chasing blows in your life, and you wonder, is he a good God? You know, Satan would certainly tempt you in this regard. He would, and like you to look at him. God is a tyrant as someone who is harsh and cruel to you. But faith refuses to do that. You know you’ve been torn by God. You’re bleeding and you’re bruised. But you say in verse 1 here, as chapter 6 indicates, come. Let us return unto the Lord for he has torn and he will heal us. us is smitten. He will bind us up. And so the point that he’s making here is we’ve got to turn back to the Lord and not look at the situation as he’s cruel and difficult, but he is a merciful God. He’s a great physician. And he doesn’t deal with you. Even though he cuts you to the bone with his scapple, he doesn’t do that to destroy you. It’s the knife of discipline that he uses. Though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies? Lamentations 3.32. You know, one of the most powerful statements about Job when he was suffering all his affliction. And there he is sitting in the dung hill, scraping his boils with a piece of pottery and listen to these brave words when all seemed dark and dreary in his life. Though he slay me, yet, well, I trust him. And that’s the attitude we have to have about our God. That he’s a good God. We have to believe that he’s a good God and try to imitate Job in this regard. We have to believe that he is able to raise us up. And so we look to him for help. You must return to God. Come. Let us return to the Lord. There’s a point in God’s dealings with you when you finally say, I’ve got to get right with the Lord. And you in your despair and your misery and your suffering. Think to yourself, it’s time to return to the Lord. It’s time the things are made right with God. And then I get delivered. The Lord says, to you, come. Let us reason to get it. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1118. He can make it right. He can forgive you. There’s hope. My friend, Christ, did not reject you when you came to him the first time and requested salvation from sin. But now is a backslider. You can come to him again. And he will help you. And he will raise you up. The very wound you receive, there are an indication he cares about you or he wouldn’t have been. brought those blows against you. And all he asked here is that you return to him in repentance and you can find forgiveness of your sin. You must return to the Lord. You must cling to God’s promises. Look at chapter 5 and verse 15. What does God say? I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face in their affliction. They will seek me or him. Now, we see that God is severe and is this one of the nations. But we have to believe also that it’s possible to be restored. What did they base their promise, what did they base they’re returning to God upon. His promise here in verse 15. That word till is a word of grace. He’s, you know, God says, I’ll wait until you know, they had enough. And then they’ll come back. But the till means that there’s something to be had. There’s grace to be had. There’s forgiveness still to be had. There’s forgiveness still to be. be had. And so we should keep that in mind. God says in Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 39, I wound and I heal. He does wound us, but he also promises to heal us as his people if we return to him. Faith can never expect too much, but faith shouldn’t expect too little either. So we see, that in this case. The scriptures are overflowing with all kinds of different statements that make the same point. God is exceedingly merciful if we but turn back to him. Notice here, you can enjoy communion with God again. We shall live in his sight. We shall live. We shall live. Living in God’s presence means living a life of some type of contact and fellowship with him. The Lord once said to Moses that he would send an angel to go with them with Israel to the land of promise because the people had sined greatly against the Lord. And he was angry with them. And he said, I’m not going to go up with you. And what did Moses say? Oh, You’re not going up. We don’t, you know, don’t send us up here. We’ve got to have you go with us. And he pleads with God. And finally the Lord says that he will go with them. Shell fellowship with God is, important of the true believer. We want to live in God’s presence. We ought to crave that. And it’s a joy and a pleasure to live in his holy presence. Because without him, you realize life really is worth living. Notice something else here. Your hope must be placed in a redeemer. The Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I direct your attention here to verse 2 very carefully. After two days, he will revive us. In the third day, he will raise us up. And we shall live in his life. This, passage takes on great significance, for it speaks of Jesus Christ. Christ was torn and struck by God. But after three days, he rose again after being crucified on the cross. Luther says that this text is referred to by Paul in 1. In 1 Corinthians 154th. You remember when Paul speaks about Christ, that he rose the third day according to the scriptures? And the question is, what scripture? What Old Testament scripture tells us he’s going to be risen again on the third day? I suggest to you, this is it. This is the one that Paul is referring to. But we might look at this and say, well, I don’t understand it. How is it speaking about Christ when it seems to be speaking about Judah and the remnant, at least, of Judah and Israel? Well, let’s put it this way. The revival of the people of God as the body is only possible by the resurrection of Christ the head. I like what Kelvin said on this, and I’m going to quote him. him. This place is usually referred to Christ as declaring that God would after two days and on the third raise up his church. For Christ, we know, did not rise privately for himself, but for his members, inasmuch as he is the first fruits of them who shall rise. This is the first fruits of them sense then does not seem unsuitable. I do not deny, but that God has exhibited remarkable and memorable instance of what is here said and his only begotten son. As often then as delay begets weariness in us, and when God seems to have thrown aside every care of us, Let us flee to Christ. Now look with me in Hosea. Joseus chapter 11, verse one, when Israel was a child, I loved him. I loved him and called my son. He recalled that this is quoted in the book of Matthew as referring to Jesus, who with his parents, who remember his parents took him in. into Egypt because of inherits from film. So this is the reference that is given, and you might say, well, it seems very clearly he’s talking here about Israel. How is it speaking of pride? Again, it’s the same thing. The head and the body are so closely connected with what’s said of one instead of the other. And so I think that’s the best way to understand. and this passage of scripture here in 11 and also in 6. I remind you that the story about John spending three days and three nights in the Fish and Belly was representative of the resurrection. And as C.J. Williams has written a book on this about Job, that Job is an upright man. didn’t do evil, Judith. Yet he receives the blows of God. And throughout that book, he too, seems to be, portraying to save it. That’s the one who is not a sinful man, and yet God’s blows to fall against him. Through your faith in Christ, you gain the power to live in God’s presence. That doesn’t mean you will no longer stomach. With your joy will be complete. Only when you see Christ face to face glory. Is there anything such as to be grief? Yes. There is good grief for you. So we should keep this in mind. And when we see God telling us of Israel and Judah who can’t and I will receive you, that’s a poem. that we should follow up. There’s and the Lord will be merciful to them and help them. But this is all possible because of Christ who has died on behalf of his people. And his suffering as a threat of the truth makes a possible for his he forgereing the acceptance of close with the word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we knew to give you thank because you are a very merciful God to us. We count an iniquity who would stand before you and were guilty every who lived in and the past we we thank you Lord for the of your word that you will receive a fact if we return we thank you that Christ has purchased for us not on I have faced but our repentance as well that the he has given us us a heart to the sin by his grace. may we take the promises of God and follow up on him and be thankful for him. for the name of Christ Jesus is God.