Rebellion of Israel… (3 things)

• 1^st – 5 illustrations of rebellion… vs. 1-16
  • The great wickedness of Israel… vs. 1-3
    • God wanted to heal Israel – but her wounds (sins) were far too great… 
    • The nation was filled with liars (kings) / bandits (Assyria) / and thieves (princes)…
    • They lived life is as if the they did not realize that God is watching them…
    • And the sin of the people was the pride of their leaders – Kings / Princes!
    • God gave Hosea 5 illustrations to help describe the dire state of the people of Israel!
  • 1^st – Israel is like an oven heated by a baker… vs. 4-7
    • A baker would start a fire in the oven to prepare it to bake…
      • While the fire was kindling – he would put yeast in the dough – warmed by the new fire…
      • He would then wait till the fire was roaring – and the dough filled with leaven!
      • Leaven is a micro-organism – plant – begins to decay when it touches flour…
      • The gas given off by the process causes bread to puff up and rise…
      • A little leaven is all that is needed to saturate a whole batch of bread dough!
      • Often used in the Bible as a picture of sin – imitating the ability to spread and infect others…
      • Brining moral decay – and causing men to be puffed up with pride!
      • I Corinthians 5:6 – “A little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
    • In the same way Israel had kindled a fire of rebellion against the Lord…
      • Jeroboam had created the Golden Calves – planted leaven in the people of Israel…
      • And over the years it had grown – spread – and had completely filled the Land!
      • Now on the feast days (Passover) the leaders made drunken fools of themselves!
      • They lie in wait – like the bakers oven – then unleash their evil plans…
      • They devour judges (truth) – killed their kings – Zechariah / Shallum / Pekahiah / Pekah!
      • Yet none of the people call upon the Lord – cried out to Him for help!
      • In 1917 a man named Lenin promised the poor and abused of Russia equality…
      • It seemed like a dream come true – the wealth of the rich given to the poor…
      • But the government was based on Marxism – a blend of atheism and humanism!
      • What Russia ended up with was a murdering tyrant who terrorized them for years…
      • The successor of Lenin – Joseph Stalin – starved and killed 20 million Russians!
      • Proverbs 29:2 – “When a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
      • When a nation chooses to follow a system that removes God from the equation…
      • They are doomed to suffer at the hand of that very system!
      • A lot of people like to blame the politicians – but they are just a reflection of the people…
      • When we trust in things other than the Lord to save us – it will always fail!
  • 2^nd – Israel was a ½ baked cake… vs. 8
    • Israel (Ephraim) had mixed with pagan nations – they had become a blended faith…
    • They were good for nothing because they tried to follow God – and also live for the world!
    • I have met so many believers who are miserable – there is no joy in their lives…
    • The problem is they think the world has something to offer them…
    • But they have too much love for the world – to be happy in the Lord…
    • Every time they try to ‘have fun’ the Holy Spirit is there to convict them!
    • They are also not happy in the world – because they know too much about the Lord…
    • They are miserable wherever they are – they are ½ baked – because they are divided!
    • Luke 16:13 – “No one can serve two masters. You will hate one and love the other…”
  • 3^rd – Israel was like a foolish old man… vs. 9-10
    • The influence of pagan nations had sapped all their strength – but they did not know it…
    • They were like an old grey haired man – who still thinks he still has many years left!
    • His pride testifies against him – he does not know he needs to get his life right with God!
    • So many people today are obsessed with staying young – defying age…
    • But aging is part of the plan of God – it is an act of Grace on His part!
    • If you never aged – just one day died – there would be no warning to prepare…
    • Aging is God’s way of telling saying ‘you have an expiration date’…
    • You are going to see Jesus soon – and God is telling us we need to get ready!
  • 4^th – Israel was like a silly dove… vs. 11-15
    • They called out to Egypt and Assyria for help – flying from one to the other…
      • Egypt and Assyria were the 2 great powers of the day – warring against one another…
      • Israel would flutter from one side to the other trying to gain favor…
      • Yet God would cast His net over Israel wherever they went – punish them for their sins…
      • Because although God wanted to redeem Israel – they deserted Him / lied about Him…
      • They cried out to foreign gods to provide their grain and wine…
    • God trained and made Israel strong – yet now they only plotted evil against the Lord!
      • Sin is devastating – if we refuse to repent of our sin – it will harden our hearts…
      • That does not mean God does not keep fighting for us – but there will come a point…
      • When we continually choose sin – hardening our heart towards God…
      • God will give us what we want – He will give us over to our sin!
      • Genesis 6:1 – “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever…”
  • 5^th – Israel was like a crooked bow… vs. 16
    • Israel looked for help everywhere – except to the Lord!
    • Therefore they would be like a crooked bow – that ALWAYS misses its mark…
    • All of their leaders would perish in battle – because they boasted Egypt would save them…
    • Egypt would mock Israel (not help) – as they were conquered by Assyria!
    • Satan would love nothing more than to get us looking to anyone BUT Jesus…
    • He lies and tells us sin is fun – just give it a try – gets us hooked like a drug dealer…
    • Then he lies once we have sinned – mocks us – tell us we cannot go back to God!
    • Nothing the devil says is true – everything that comes from him is a lie – John 8:44

• 2^nd – The 2 consiquences of rebellion… vs. 1-14
  • 1^st – Reap what was sown… vs. 1-7
    • Sound the shofar – the enemy (Assyria) is coming like an eagle… vs. 1-3
      • Because Israel had rebelled against the covenant  / broken the Law of God… 
      • And even if Israel finally cried out – ‘You are our God’ – it was too late…
      • They had rejected what is good – and now their enemies would chase them!
      • It is never to late to cry out to God – His Grace always stands ready to save – Romans 5:20
      • The dilemma for Israel was they cried out for help – but still rebelled against the Lord…
      • God is not looking remorse – He is looking for humility and obedience to His Word!
      • Psalm 51:17 – “A broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.”
    • Israel was a nation led by counterfeits… vs. 4-6
      • They set up kings that God had not anointed / rulers that God did not recognize…
      • They made gods out of gold and silver – they was the source of their destruction…
      • God had rejected the golden calves – how much longer would they worship them!
      • They had made the calves – not God – but God would grind them into dust!
    • They had sown to the wind – and now they were going to reap the whirlwind… vs. 7
      • A famous idiom even in secular society – denoting what you plant / you reap!
      • In a famous speech on modern permissive society Norman Tebbit (England) quoted:
      • When violence and soft pornography become accepted in the media….
      • When there was neither right nor wrong – no basis for punishment or reward…. 
      • Good becomes no better than bad – criminals deserve as much sympathy as victims!
      • Thus we have sown to the wind and now we are reaping the whirlwind!
      • A great spiritual truth – we will reap what we sow in our life – Galatians 6:7
      • We live in a nation that is on a moral free fall – because we have sown to the wind…
      • It began by denying the Creator – bringing evolution into schools – Scopes Monkey trial…
      • Then in 1962 – the Supreme Court ruled that prayers was to be removed from schools…
      • In 1963 – that same court ruled the Bible also had no right to be in public schools…
      • The result has been dramatic increase in sexual promiscuity / abortions / divorce
      • Violence in schools – because kids are taught there is no God – no consequence…
      • We live in a nation we hardly recognize – because we have sown the wind!
  • 2^nd – Israel forgot their maker… vs. 8-14
    • Israel had been swallowed up – they are living like the gentiles… vs. 8-10
      • They are like an old moldy pot – which no one wants to use (Assyria despised them)…
      • They are like a wild donkey – that stubbornly insists on getting its own way…
      • So God would gather Assyria against them – put them under the burden of their king!
    • Israel built alters to the gods to take away their sin – but instead led them into sin… vs. 11-13
      • Israel tried to find their own way to deal with the problem of sin…
      • In doing so they ignored the laws God gave them – acted as if they did not apply …
      • So when they did offer sacrifices to the Lord – God would no longer accept them…
      • Therefore God would remember their sin – and punish them for their iniquity!
      • Even today the Jews have come up with a ‘solution’ for sin apart from the Word of God…
      • God writes a mans fate for the coming year into the ‘Book of Life’ on Rosh Hashanah…
      • But He waits until Yom Kippur to ‘seal’ the verdict – good or bad… 
      • During the Days of Awe – the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur…
      • A Jew tries to do good works and seek forgiveness for wrongs has done… 
      • At the end of Yom Kippur – ‘you’ can consider ‘yourself’ absolved by God!
      • It might help to ease your conscience – but it does nothing to take away sin!
    • The people of God had forgotten the Lord… vs. 14
      • Israel built temples to false gods – trusting in religion to save them…
      • Judah built fortified cities – trusting in military power of to save them…
      • But God would send down fire on their temples and cities – devouring them!
      • Sennacherib burned all the fenced cities of Judah except Jerusalem – II Kings 18:13

• 3^rd – The 3 punishments for rebellion… vs. 1-17
  • 1^st – The promise of defeat … vs. 1-6
    • God told Israel not to rejoice like other people at harvest time… vs. 1
      • At harvest time it was commonplace to rejoice and give thanks for what God provided…
      • But although Israel gave thanks – they did so to every other god BUT the Lord!
      • They were like a prostitute who would ‘hire’ herself to anyone who gave her grain!
    • Therefore God would stop blessing the harvest of Israel – they would not have enough to eat!
      • So they would be unable to stay in the Land – taken in bondage (Egypt) to Assyria…
      • All of their drink offerings would stop – God would no longer accept their sacrifices…
      • They would be forced to eat unclean food – all who eat it will be defiled…
      • It will be able to keep them alive – but it will also keep them from coming before the Lord!
      • People who only think about their physical needs – what to eat / what to wear…
      • End up in bondage to the things of this world – unable to please God – Romans 8:8
    • Even if they escaped Assyria by running to Egypt – they would die there…
      • All their treasured houses – silver and gold – would be overrun by weeds and thorns!
      • Luke 8:14 – “The seeds that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life…”
      • IF – this life was all there was – IF we did not have to think about eternity…
      • Who would not choose to have fabulous wealth if given the choice…
      • But life is not about how much money we have – or how much stuff we can buy…
      • Life is a gift – with only one purpose – it gives us the opportunity to make a choice…
      • Where will we go when our time here on earth is up – where will we spend eternity!
      • Sadly many choose to ‘enjoy’ the couple years of riches this life offers to us…
      • Rather than invest in the eternity of riches God has prepared for us in heaven…
      • But nothing this world can offer is worth an eternity separated from God!
      • Matthew 16:26 – “What profit is it if a man gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
  • 2^nd – The rejection of Godly counsel… vs. 7-10
    • The time of Israel’s punishment had come – the day of payment was almost here… vs. 7-8
      • Israel mocked the prophets God sent – like Hosea – calling them fools…
      • The man who had the Spirit (ruwach) of God in him – would be called insane…
      • Because the nation was burdened with sin – and showed only hatred for God!
      • Yet the prophets were called to be watchmen for Israel – but the people despised them!
      • We know the time of punishment is coming – the day of payment is almost here…
      • And if we stand up and warn people they will call us foods / insane…
      • But if we are not willing to stand up and warn people – who will…
      • God holds us accountable if we do not tell them about the danger of sin – Ezekiel 33:8
    • Israel had not changed…
      • They are still deeply corrupted – as they were in the days of Gibeah – Judges 19
      • When the men of the city demanded to rape a Levite man passing through town… 
      • Only to end up molesting his concubine do death – cut into 12 pieces sent to the 12 tribes!
      • Like the were when they separated themselves to Baal-Peor…
      • Where Balaam encouraged Balak king of Moab to seduce the men of Israel – Numbers 25
      • Part of the pagan worship of Baal-Peor (Chemosh) – the god of Moab – was sensual…
      • The women enticed the men of Israel to worship their god through seduction!
      • Now For all the work the prophets had done – Israel had not changed one bit!
      • Sharing the Gospel message is no guarantee of change – people still have a choice to make…
      • But if we do not share then for certain people will not change!
  • 3^rd – Homeless among the nations… vs. 11-17
    • Therefore the glory of Israel (Ephraim) would fly away…
      • They would no longer bear any children – those that are born would be taken away…
      • God would give them miscarriages – he would give them dry breasts…
      • Because their wickedness began at Gilgal – where they demanded a king – I Samuel 11:14
      • They did not want God to rule over them – so God would drive them from His house…
    • God would cast them away – and let them wander among the nations!
      • Romans 6:16 – “Whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?”
      • In life we are going to be a servant to someone – the question is who…
      • We can choose to trust in this world – and we become a slave to this world…
      • If we run to the world for answers to problems – we are limited to their solutions…
      • But if we choose to trust in Jesus – He can set us free to be all God intends us to be!
      • John 8:36  – “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”