Hosea 7:1-7, Ephraim’s Fatal Failure (2)

We are still wondering about Hosea 7:1, and in what sense the “wickedness of Samaria” was uncovered in the time of Hosea.  You may already have a thought on this from what we have shared so far about the “times of Hosea.”  But before I seek to answer the question, let me go a little deeper into God’s mercy shown to Ephraim.

·       2 Kings 13:17: When Jehoash visited Elisha on his deathbed, Elisha challenged the king to strike the ground with arrows, calling them “the arrow of the LORD’s deliverance.”  This Hebrew word (tesua) is a common word but most often is used of any type of salvation/deliverance.  It is first used by Samson (Jud. 15:18), then Saul (1 Sam. 11:9-13).  When King David speaks of “salvation” he uses another term, yasa, which is related to the name “Jesus.” 

·       2 Kings 13:5: The LORD gave Israel a deliverer to restore the “promised land” to Israel, the land east of the Jordan.  This word is, in fact, yasa.  This word has it’s origins with Moses who “delivered” the shepherdess-daughters of the priest of Midian (Ex. 2:17).  The second use in Ex. 14:30 refers to  salvation at the Red Sea. 

·       2 Kings 14:26: There was no helper for Israel.  God, the LORD, was to be Ephraim’s helper, as Jacob had said when he blessed his sons (Gen. 49:25).  This first use is followed by Deut. 32:38, in the Song of Moses, where a disobedient and idolatrous Israel is told to look to her own “rock” for help.  This term is a powerful reminder of the way it was supposed to be in terms of the relationship between God and Israel. 

We have mentioned these terms to emphasize that God had not ceased to desire to be in a relationship with the people of the NK.  Through prophets like Hosea and Jonah, as well as Elijah and Elisha, God made it clear that the door was still open for repentance.  During this time the terrible times of Baal worship had come to an end.  We know that in Elijah’s time there were many prophets of the LORD in the NK (1 Ki. 18:3-4; 2 Ki. 2:3,5), which continued to be the case with Elisha (2 Ki. 2:15). 

This is the significance of the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.  They stand out for their ministry to the NK.  Their days are critical for Ephraim.  Ephraim must repent or God will, shut the door.  This was what happened.  After the death of King Zechariah the NK only lasted another 41 years, with 5 kings.  We are not told of any prophets who ministered in the NK during that time.

Hosea describes Israel in his day, using several pictures.  One is that they are “like an oven” (Hos. 7:4-7), with evil passions that are hot that drive them.  They are like a “cake unturned” (7:8-10).  They have been baked on one side, perhaps in that Baal worship has been rejected.  But the cake is not being finished by turning to their true and only Rock, the LORD their God.  Instead they have resurrected the wickedness of Samaria. Perhaps there is an application for the USA as we approach the 250^th birthday of our beginnings.  More than anything, this “celebration” should be an opportunity to consider our relationship with our Creator, a relationship that He has graciously provided through Christ Jesus, and ONLY through Christ Jesus.  The door will not always be open!

Hosea 7:1; 2 Ki. 9:1-10, Ephraim’s Fatal Failure (1)

(We are coming up on the USA's 250th Birthday, so for this week we will post accordingly. We begin with two posts on Hosea 7:1.  Hosea is a prophetic book, written for Israel, but with definite application to the nations as they are addresses in Ch. 1 and what is prophesied about the Northern Kingdom of Israel often fits God's handling of the nations.) 

Over the years I have wondered about Hosea 7:1.  The LORD says, “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria.”  To what does this refer?  At some point God was available, even intending, to bring spiritual healing to the Northern Kingdom.  But they sin was uncovered.  The assumption I always have made was that the iniquity of Ephraim and wickedness of Samaria had to do with the golden calves introduced by Jeroboam at the time of the dividing of the Davidic kingdom.  That was uncovered then, and was noted in the reign of every one of the succeeding kings of Israel.  So what was uncovered in the time of Hosea’s prophecy?  What is this talking about.

To find an answer we first need to get the historical context of Hosea.  Hosea 1:1 says he prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.  Hosea speaks to both nations, but, of course, our passage and question has to do with the NK.  So it is the days of Jeroboam, often referred to as Jeroboam II.  He was the longest serving King of the NK, 41 years.  It was a time of great prosperity.  2 Ki. 14:23-29 describes this time, and we will reflect on that later. 

We actually need a larger historical context.  Jeroboam II was the great grandson of King Jehu who was the head of a dynasty that made it briefly to great, great grandson Zechariah who reigned 6 months and whose death ended the house of Jehu.  Let’s start with a brief description of these kings.

·       Jehu, 2 Ki. 9-10.  He was anointed by Elisha, to be the king who would destroy the house of Omri, particularly Jezebel and all the descendents of Ahab and Jezebel.  He was God’s chosen servant, and he was a good servant.  He destroyed all Ahab’s sons, and also totally eradicated Baal worship from Israel.  However, during his time the LORD brought about the captivity of the tribes east of the Jordan.  God gave this promise to Jehu: Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight5, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Isreal to the fourth generation (10:30).

·       Jehoahaz, 2 Ki. 13:1-9.  In his reign the LORD became angry with Israel and allowed Syria more opportunity to oppress them.  Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him (13:4).  Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians (13:5).  That is an unusual thing in the NK, that the LORD was merciful to Israel.  But it was also unusual for a king of the NK to cry out to the LORD.

·       Jehoash, 2 Ki. 13:10-25.  It was during his reign that Elisha died.  We will come back to this later.  Also in his reign, Israel recaptured from Syria the East Jordan tribal areas.  As promised by Elisha, Israel had three victorious wars with Syria.

·       Jeroboam II, 2 Ki. 14:23-29.  He reigned 41 years and not a lot is said in 2 Kings about his reign, although what is said is significant.  He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.  For the LORD was that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, and whether bond or free there was no helper for Israel.  And the LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash (14:25-27).  We do know that these were very prosperous times, both in Israel and Judah (under King Uzziah who reigned 52 years). 

·       Zechariah, 2 Ki. 15:8-12.  He reigned 6 months, and was assassinated, fulfilling the promise to Jehu, being the fourth generation from Jehu.

Spiritually, there were some high point in this dynasty.  All but the last served lengthy reigns: 28, 17, 16 and 41 years.  We see the LORD seeking to be merciful to Israel.  The words of the LORD in the time of Jeroboam almost sound like how He spoke to Moses at the burning bush.  But in the end, every one of these kings is said to have followed in the idolatry of the golden calves, even Jehu who destroyed the Baal worship.  May I encourage you to see the love of God in this time.  I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them.  I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them (Hos. 11:3-4).

Psalm 109

This is not the first imprecatory Psalm we have studied.  This and Psalm 69 are major but there are many that emphasize David calling upon God to take vengeance on his enemies.  Psalm 109 is particularly difficult in that David calls upon God not only to afflict wicked but also the family of the wicked (cf. 109:6-13).  But before we draw the wrong conclusion let us first lay out a framework for this Psalm and then we will make some notes.

·         109:1-5: This paragraph sets the scene for David’s prayer.  If you are prone to be critical of David be sure you do not overlook the evil of his enemies.  Their works reek of deceit, injustice and a major case of returning evil for good.  As to the specific situation we cannot be sure but we can feel for David’s pain.

·         109:6-13: He prays for justice, that his enemy be found guilty.  He also prays that the life of his enemy will be short, leaving his wife and children to suffer without him.  The result would be that his family would not flourish, being homeless or hungry.  Perhaps you saw 109:8, the passage quoted by Peter concerning Judas (Acts 1:20).  The other major imprecatory Psalm also has a reference applied to Judas (Ps. 69:25, quoted in Matt. 23:38; Lk. 13:35).  If nothing else Judas helps us visualize the person who was afflicting David.

·         109:14-20: David continues, praying that this evil man will not stand before God.  He prays that he will not be blessed but cursed and that God will reward his enemy with the kind of thing he has dished out, so to speak.

·         109:21-25: David prays that God will deal with him in mercy and goodness.  But note that he prays God will do this for His glory and honor.  David has been shamed but his request is for God’s glory.

·         109:26-29: David prays that God will humble the wicked man and exalt him, David, the poor and needy man.  He asks God to bless him and not let the curse of the wicked stick; this is opposite of what he prayed for his antagonist.

·         109:30-31: David vows to praise God publicly for His goodness.

Let us note some things that not only explain what is happening here but also gives us encouragement to, in fact, do the same.  First, David is giving vengeance to God, the only One who is able to be perfectly right in His judgment.  We are commanded to do this ourselves (Rom. 12:19).  Further note how often David asks for the wicked what the wicked have given to others.  This is the law of the harvest, God giving us what we deserve.  Third, David leans on another Biblical principle which is that God always exalts the humble and humbles the exalted (e.g. Lk. 1:52; 1 Sam. 2:7-8; Mt. 23:12).  And lastly, David’s ultimate concern is with the honor of God.  We see David’s integrity in the fact that he humbled himself before God.

We would simply say that if our inner motivations were in line with those of David, then our dealings with those who deceive and mistreat us would be honorable.  David has done well in giving God the place of settling scores.

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Psalm 109 Revisited and Improved

I would like to revisit Psalm 109.  In yesterday’s post we talked about “imprecatory” Psalms and what David was trying to do.  While you were reading that, I was in Psalm 109 and seeing the Psalm in a completely different light.  Then I went back in the evening to read the blog that I had written several years ago, and rejoiced that the Lord had not given up on me.  What I am saying is that I think I really missed the boat.  Here is what I see in Psalm 109 now.

·         109:1-5: There is not a word in these verses that Jesus could not have spoken from His cross.  Verses 2-4 are somewhat of a summary of what comes in the rest of the Psalm.  He is not talking about the Romans.  When He arrived at Golgotha He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  These words did not apply to the religious leaders, the shepherds of Israel.  They did know.  In the final days in Jerusalem leading up to the Cross Jesus warned the people of what was coming because of their rejection of Him.

·         109:6-13: In this paragraph we have a clue.  Peter quoted v8b in Acts 1 when they were choosing a replacement for Judas.  But I know there are many who read these OT quotes and think that the Apostles just pulled these words out of context because they fit what they were doing.  If you follow our blog, you know that we don’t believe that at all.  All the NT quotes come from OT contexts that perfectly fit their point.  Verse 6 begins, “Set a wicked man over him.”  It’s singular.  You can read this stanza again and hear Jesus speaking these words about His betrayer.

·         109:14-20: Now look at v14: Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.  The Psalm now moves to those who used Judas, the shepherds of Israel, the religious leaders.  They were Jesus’ “accusers” (v20).  They brought Jesus to Pilate and demanded that he crucify Him. 

·         109:21-25: You can now hear these words from the cross of Christ.  This is an expanded version of “into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” 

·         109:26-31: And finally, we can hear Jesus pray that God would make it clear that He, God, was at work in all of this.  He concludes by speaking of future ministry beyond the cross and the grace.  This fits Psalm 22 (v22-31) and Isa. 53 (v10-12).

 

Now lest you think we are making this too much about Messiah and not enough about David, let me remind you of two things.  1) Jesus was tempted/tested in all points like we are.  From just a human point of view, David did not experience anything in the way of testing that Christ did not also experience.  We should expect to see Jesus in the testimony of David.  2) Jesus is the “fulfillment” of the Davidic Covenant.  David experienced the rage of proud men (Ps. 2:1-3) and trusted in the promise of God for victory over the nations (Ps. 2:4-9).  But we know that Psalm 2 is a most powerful Messianic Psalm.  Thus, again, we should expect to see David, when he is at his best, showing us what the Messiah would experience.  Psalm 109, like all Scripture, is best understood with a focus on Christ.

Lam. 3:37-42; Rom. 12:1-2, PTSD and the Word of God (7)

Jeremiah has a better understanding of his situation.  He saw as the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and removed the Davidic king.  For Jeremiah this was a challenge to the faithfulness of God.  Yet, he has now come to see the situation more accurately.  God can be trusted to fulfill His promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), even as He had been faithful to His promises to Moses (Deut. 11:26-28; 28:2,15).  The former promised a land and nation and salvation to the world, all of which had become doubtful to Jeremiah; the latter promised judgment on Israel if they were disobedient, all of which was evident to Jeremiah. 

Given his renewed perspective, Jeremiah called the people to two conclusions.  First, there should be no complaining against God since He had done as promised to Moses: Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishments of his sins?” (3:39).  Second, building on the first, the people should turn back to the LORD (repent).  They should acknowledge that in all that happened, God was righteous: We have transgressed and rebelled, You have not pardoned (3:42). 

This is the end to which those created in God’s image must come, that God has been righteous in our traumatic experiences.  It is why we have said that our struggles with PTSD will be missing the most fundamental source of healing if we do not, as Jeremiah did, bring our Creator into the picture.  Daniel, in dealing with the same event (Israel’s chastening by the Babylonians), said it clearly: O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face (Dan. 9:7).  Affirming God’s righteousness made it possible for Daniel to then reaffirm God’s mercy: To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him (Dan. 9:9).

But now let us see something that takes us away from Jeremiah.  Under the new covenant, established through the death and resurrection of Christ, sins have been forgiven for those who have received this good news (gospel) of Christ.  On the cross He took our punishment, paying the price for our sin by the shedding of His blood.  By the empty tomb He has defeated death and brought “life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10).  This life is bound up in the Holy Spirit who has been given to all who put their faith in Christ, having received this good news.  The Holy Spirit enables us to live the life to which we have been called, a life of submission to our Creator.

This fits perfectly with what we have seen from Jeremiah.  To believe in Christ means we submit ourselves to Him: I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12:1).  Day by day we yield ourselves to Christ.  And then, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2).  We can come to a deeper appreciation and embracing of God’s will for our lives as our minds are renewed, as we gain new perspectives through the word of God.  What Jeremiah said you will quite likely find hard to swallow.  The words are strong, especially when we are in the midst of our traumatic experience.  But in submission to Christ there is the desire and ability to be transformed into the person God has called us to be, to see that it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).

Habakkuk 1:12-17, PTSD and the Word of God (7)

·       3:34-36: Though the Lord makes use of men as His hand, or rather instruments in His hand, for the correcting of His people, yet he is far from being pleased with the injustice of their proceedings and the wrong they do them.  The immediate context of Lamentations illustrates what Jeremiah is saying.  Judah and Jerusalem were viciously attack by the Babylonian army.  There were a lot of raping and killing and torturing of people who were not part of Judah’s military or who would gladly have given themselves up to the enemy if given the chance.  As Jeremiah struggled with the situation he may have seen that there were people who tried to give up to the enemy but who were killed or treated “unfairly” anyway.  This is actually the way it was: the nations such as Assyria and Babylon and Rome who were used by God in the chastening of His people always went beyond what the Lord had intended for them to do.   

If you have ever read the prophet Habakkuk you will remember that he had this issue with God.  He cried out to God to do something about the evils of His people and God’s answer was that He would send the Babylonians.  The prophet’s response was to question God’s choice: You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.  Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he? (Hab. 1:13).  What Jeremiah is saying is that God is aware of every level and instance of justice.  In my stressful situation I might want to find relief in pointing out the sins of those who have brought about my affliction.  It is quite common to engage in comparisons, pointing out the sins of others as if they are more deserving of affliction than I am.  And maybe they are.  But the problem is that we have taken upon ourselves the role of “judge” and have indicted another person while failing to come to grips with our Creator’s work in our own lives.  Consider this issue of “perspective” when you find yourself blaming parents or other incompetent authorities such as a teacher or supervisor or coach.  Consider it as you think of the the drunk driver or the criminal who got off with a light sentence or no sentence at all.  Assigning blame does not relieve the pain. 

All that Jeremiah has found to be true, these eight perspectives, he says are keys to unlocking the door of hope.  This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope (3:21).  Let me conclude this post by a list of these perspectives.  Then, in the next post, we will seek a path whereby we can go through that door of hope.

·       Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed.  It could have been worse.  And it is because of God’s mercy.

·       His compassions fail not.  God was in the judgment and fury, but there was also evidence of His goodness and compassion.

·       The LORD is my portion.  If I make the LORD my Portion, the source of my happiness, then I can “hope in Him.”

·       The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

·       Afflictions are really good for us, and, if we bear them aright, will work very much for our good. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. 

·       God will graciously return to His people with seasonable comforts according to the time that he has afflicted them. 

·       The LORD does indeed afflict us, but He does not do so willingly or literally, “from the heart.” 

·       Though the Lord makes use of men as His hand, or rather instruments in His hand, for the correcting of His people, yet he is far from being pleased with the injustice of their proceedings and the wrong they do them.

Lamentations 3:25-36, PTSD and the Word of God (6)

·       3:31-32: Here is an important thought with respect to coming to grips with our Creator and His plan and purpose for each of us.  God will graciously return to his people with seasonable comforts according to the time that he has afflicted them.  There are two ideas to consider here.  First, because the Creator is bottom-line merciful and good to those He has created, He will blend into our trials times of comfort and encouragement.  This may come in the form of a good friend or a “chance” encounter with someone who has had similar trials or who just has an observation that we find helpful.  It may come in the form of a brief “escape” from the our burdensome thoughts or pain.  The door is wide open for the various ways God knows we can be helped along the way.  This also means that as we struggle we must not let pride or busy-ness get in the way of these encouragements.

The other idea here is that the Bible teaches that God will see us through to a good ending of our situation is we are willing to wait upon Him.  Jeremiah’s words, the LORD will not cast off forever, are familiar terms to the Old Testament people of Israel.  Over and over the prophets told them that God would chasten them for their idolatry and injustices.  But they always added that God would not cast off forever, He would not renege on the unconditional covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The chastening was never the end of the story, though it was an important part of the story.  Paul in the New Testament said something similar about God and our trials: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

·       3:33: The LORD does indeed afflict us, but He does not do so willingly or literally, “from the heart.”  This perspective is critical when it comes to our being at peace with our Creator.  Yes, the LORD allows and brings into our lives affliction.  But we must come to terms with the depth of this truth.  He does not do this to satisfy His need to “get even” with us, or to always be victorious over us.  He has our good in mind always, and we must come to grips with this.  We will never be happy in this life or content in this life unless we learn the insidiousness of our pride.  And we will never learn the insidiousness of our pride without affliction.  A life of ease, which also comes from the LORD, will only lead the proud person to exalt himself and his accomplishments that have resulted in the ease.  My riches.  My education.  My abilities. How will we ever be ready for the inevitable trials that come with old age?  Even more, how will we ever be ready to stand in the judgment of the life to come?  How will we ever bless our descendents if we have not shown them how to live through trials?  A loving father/Father chastens his/His son, and through affliction true character and especially a sense of hope are born and matured.  Knowing this opens us up to God our Savior who can sympathize with our weaknesses and grant mercy and grace in time of need (Heb. 4:14-16).  The afflictions do not deny His love but confirm His love!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, PTSD and the Word of God (5)

Continuing with Jeremiah’s stressful situation in Lamentations 3.

·       3:25-26: The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  I suspect this was an observation based in Jeremiah’s previous understanding of God.  The OT is full of both admonitions and illustrations of the necessity of waiting on the LORD.  Jeremiah spent some time in a dungeon, specifically, a muddy cistern that served as a prison.  In due time he was released and helped out of the muck by friends he may not have known that he had (Jer. 38:1-13).  Earlier, he had struggled when his own family members (priests!) had refused to heed his preaching of the word of the LORD.  In these situations he had likely learned the value of waiting on the LORD. Which leads to the next thought.

·       3:27-30: Afflictions are really good for us, and, if we bear them aright, will work very much for our good. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.  Often, those who deal with PTSD have experienced significant trauma as young men or women.  That is the nature of those involved in the military as well as first-responders.  They may not have had very many difficult experiences by which they could learn.  Further, you may not think it would ever be valuable to have these devastating situations.  But here is something to consider from the Bible: trauma, tribulation, hard times are common for everyone.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a passage many people have heard: a time for every purpose under heaven.  But what it is saying is that eventually, typically, we will all experience these things.  If we have suffered in our youth we are better prepared for the sufferings that come later.  It’s called maturity.  And even now, if you are in unimaginable stress, how you see the situation is not only important for today but also for your tomorrow. Jeremiah also said, Let him sit alone and keep silent because God has laid it on him.  In other words, God is at work in us at these times. 

Some may be offended by this thought, that God brings these hard times so as to benefit us.  But this is based on two truths about God.  God is our Creator; He made us and thus owns us and has given us purpose in living.  And second, God loves us!  God is at work in us to give us hope in the hard times.  A strong sense of “hope” must be learned in order to succeed at life.  It is best to begin the building the hope in our early years, to know that life will not always be the “fun times” associated with our youth. 

May I also say there is a lesson here for parents.  Sometimes parents consider it their responsibility to shield their children from trials and tribulations, to always come to their defense even when they have been in the wrong.  It makes so much more sense to say that a good parent will seek to guide their children through the hard times.  This is necessary preparation for a normal life.