The Fruit of the Fearless
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Disingenuous Hearts (1-2)
Disingenuous Hearts (1-2)
Notice in verse 2, Israel’s heart is described as false.
The consequences of their material prosperity
The consequences of their material prosperity
Israel had been warned about this before (see Deut. 8:11-14).
11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
A little further down, Moses warned that if prosperity turned the people’s hearts away from God, they would be judged:
19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
The word luxuriant can convey the image of abundance and fruitful, but it can also mean destructive. When combined with yields its fruit, the vine has taken on a mind of its own. Israel was living for her own purposes instead of God’s. (1)
Israel had determined for herself what success looked like.
So again, for Israel, earthly prosperity fostered spiritual decline. We can relate to this idea.
Israel’s places of worship were designed to display the affluence of the worshipper and not as a place where the people of God could make offerings of holy reverence to God. (1)
The altars and pillars were part of these ornate places of worship that were built on high places. Remember, the practice for Israel was to mingle the worship of the LORD and with the pagan practices of the false god, Baal.
This may serve as a reminder for us not to subordinate the worship of God to mere earthly goods.
The truth of God found no place in the slippery hearts of Israel. (2)
The word false in verse 2 can mean slippery. The idea of flattery is here. Again, Israel did acts of worship to the LORD, but presumed to be able to worship Baal at the same time. No truth was getting in, but they thought they could flatter God by what they did in their worship services.
The LORD will kill the false worship of Israel much like animals were killed in preparation for slaughter. (2)
The phrase break down can mean break the neck. This is probably a reference to the looming invasion and overthrown of the Assyrians.
Disdain for Authority (3-4)
Disdain for Authority (3-4)
The marginalization of godliness for leadership (3)
The marginalization of godliness for leadership (3)
Israel mocked the incompetence of their kings.
This is further emphasized by what they are recorded as saying at the end of verse 3: a king… what could he do for us?
Israel celebrated the vacuum of godly character among her leadership as a mark of independence rather than one of her dire state.
To be clear, the final line of kings of Israel consisted of illegitimate usurpers who seized power by violence. The point is however, that Israel should have desired godly leadership.
It would be like a church looking for a new pastor that prioritized charisma and the ability to draw a crowd above a string knowledge of the Scriptures and personal holiness.
The reason for Israel’s irreverent attitude and wrong priorities was her lack of fear for the LORD.
They believed that kings were ultimately useless and they were capable of ruling themselves because God and what He says was of little consequence to them.
There was no discernable life among Israel, and the only answer for such a state is repentance.
The weakness of man’s word (4)
The weakness of man’s word (4)
A society that marginalizes God prioritizes self at the expense of others.
Just like the people approached worship double-mindedly, they apparently approached their relationships with others the same way.
Israel was taking her standards from the world rather than from the clear principles of God’s word.
Hosea described a society whose end could only be destruction: judgement springs up like poisonous weeds.
Destruction of Treasure (5-6)
Destruction of Treasure (5-6)
Departing joy (5)
Departing joy (5)
The vine-turned weed is trampled and destroyed in judgement.
The corruption of Israel was not only seen in the fact that she had come to see the golden calf as her glory, but also her sorrow for the loss of this idolatrous image.
One commentator put it like this: The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Bethaven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests. - Thomas McComiskey- quoted in Richard Phillips
There is shock among the people of Israel as their golden calf is lost to Samaria. It would be like us seeing the Statue of Liberty dismantled or the Washington Monument toppled over. A shocking and sobering display of judgement, but also of the absurdity of Israel’s misplaced confidence and hope.
Ashamed (6)
Ashamed (6)
In reality, the false worship of the golden calf, together with the high places, had been a source of disgrace all along. It was only when the public humiliation was displayed in the loss of their chief symbol that they felt the shame of their idolatry.
Downfall of the Northern Kingdom (7-8)
Downfall of the Northern Kingdom (7-8)
The agency of this destruction would be the Assyrian king, it was God’s hand that worked the reality of this judgement.
In 722 BC, the city of Samaria was destroyed and it’s king was cast down. Notice the king (Hoshea) is compared to a twig on the face of the waters. A reference to the king’s impotence to do anything to stop his kingdom’s destruction.
The people had boasted of themselves as a luxuriant vine and in the golden calf as their glory, but both of these became their disgrace. Israel’s lament would be so great, Hosea’s description would later be used to describe the final judgement when Jesus returns (Rev. 6:16).
16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
