Again we find the Lord referring to the northern kingdom of Israel by the name of its largest tribe, Ephraim. "Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless---now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria. When they go, I will throw My net over them; I will pull them down like the birds in the sky. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them." (Hosea 7:11-12)
A dove is not considered an especially shrewd bird; it can easily be lured into a trap because of its thoughtless nature. The people of the northern kingdom thoughtlessly dabbled in idolatry, despite the Lord's warnings against it, and were soon ensnared by it. Making alliances with heathen nations was also a snare the Lord warned them about. He commanded them not to mix with heathens militarily, politically, or in marriage because soon they would be bowing to the gods of the heathens, which is exactly what they did.
Assyria and Egypt were rival nations; allying with one was bound to catch the attention of the other and foster fears that two of the nations were about to combine forces to attack the third. Some in Israel evidently wanted to submit to the rising world power of the Assyrian Empire while others wanted to appeal to Egypt for help, since Assyria was a threat to Egypt also. But turning to either of these heathen nations was a mistake. Turning to the Lord was the proper response and the people would not be finding themselves in danger of falling to other nations if they had not already turned away from the Lord.
"Woe to them, because they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against Me! I long to redeem them but they speak about Me falsely." (Hosea 7:13) The Lord doesn't want to let the kingdom fall, but it's better for the kingdom to fall than for the people to be utterly spiritually destroyed by idolatry. After they've been conquered and taken captive, many of them will realize what led to their downfall and will give their hearts back to the Lord. They will yearn for Him in foreign lands. They will repent of rejecting Him. The Lord's goal for everyone is that they would be in relationship with Him. If prosperity doesn't foster a spirit of thanksgiving and praise and faithfulness, adversity often does. He brought the people into a prosperous land but the people have allowed their prosperity to make them spiritually lazy. They've indulged in every pleasure. They've intermarried with pagan people. They've mixed pagan practices with their worship of the Lord and, in many cases, have forsaken Him entirely in favor of other gods. They've rejected the warnings of the prophets over and over, even killing some of them. Adversity is what is necessary now to get their attention.
Even as they call out to the Lord for help, they are not calling out to Him in spirit and in truth. They are still hedging their bets by calling on heathen gods at the same time. They haven't destroyed their idols and repented. "They do not cry out to Me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from Me." (Hosea 7:14) This "slashing" is a reference to ritual cutting that was practiced by some of the heathen cultures. (Leviticus 19:28) Heathens would cut themselves, possibly for the purpose of applying tattoo ink, in remembrance for the dead. Heathens would also cut themselves as a way of making living blood offerings as an appeal to their gods as they did on Mount Carmel in the days of Elijah in 1 Kings 18:28)
The people have forsaken the Lord, who is their strength, and have given their allegiance to other gods and other nations, which will be their downfall. "I trained them and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against Me. They do not turn to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent words. For this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt." (Hosea 7:15-16) A faulty bow will not shoot straight. It is ineffective. The army of Israel will be ineffective against the armies of their enemies because they have turned away from the Lord, their true strength. For this they will become a laughingstock among their enemies. Their enemies will gloat over the fact that they have fallen.
This is a calamity that can fall upon any nation in any era. The United States could fall. Great Britain could fall. Any first-world country in existence today could fall if enough of its people forsake the Lord and descend into lawlessness and inhumanity. We need to take the lessons of the Bible to heart in our own day. The Lord could allow the same things to happen to us as He allowed to happen to ancient Israel. It's vital that we pray for our own spiritual health and the spiritual health of every member of our nation----to pray that those who already belong to the Lord will stand firm in their faith and to pray that more and more people would turn to the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment