646. Hosea - Chapter 8 (#2) - I will send Fire upon his Cities - September 23, 2024

[00:00:06] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:21] I'm prior. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them.

[00:00:34] In addition, I pray that everyone listening would have favor with both God and man. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

[00:00:43] This is Proverbs 23, beginning in verse 1. When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you

[00:00:54] and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food. Do not overwork to be rich because of your own understanding, cease.

[00:01:12] Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

[00:01:23] Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies for as he thinks in his heart. So is he. Eat and drink he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

[00:01:39] The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up and waste your pleasant words. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

[00:01:49] or he will despise the wisdom of your words. Do not remove the ancient landmark, nor enter the fields of the fatherless,

[00:01:58] for their redeemer is mighty. He will plead their cause against you, apply your heart to instruction,

[00:02:08] and your ears towards a knowledge. Do not withhold correction from a child. For if you beat him with a rod,

[00:02:17] he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell.

[00:02:24] My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice. Indeed, I myself.

[00:02:32] Yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things. Do not let your heart

[00:02:41] and be sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day. For surely there is a

[00:02:49] hereafter and your hope will not be cut off. Here my son and be wise, and guide your heart in the way.

[00:03:00] Do not mix with wine bivers or with gluttonous eaters of meat. For the drunken and the glutton

[00:03:07] will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. Listen to your father who

[00:03:15] got you and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it. Also wisdom

[00:03:25] and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,

[00:03:33] and he who begots a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad

[00:03:41] and let her who bore you rejoice. My son give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.

[00:03:51] For a heart that is a deep hit, and a seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in weight as

[00:03:59] for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men. Who has woe, who has sorrow,

[00:04:09] who has contentions, who has complaints, who has wounds without cause,

[00:04:17] who has redness of eyes, those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search

[00:04:25] of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup,

[00:04:33] when it swirls around smoothly at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.

[00:04:42] Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like

[00:04:51] one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying,

[00:04:59] they have struck me, but I was not hurt. They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall

[00:05:06] I awake that I may seek another drink? Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at

[00:05:14] verses 1 through 3, and proper 23 verses 1 through 3 tell us this. When you sit down to eat with a

[00:05:24] ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are a man

[00:05:33] given the appetite. Do not desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food. Now friends we will

[00:05:41] circle back and take a look at those verses prior to closing today, but what I'd like to do is to

[00:05:48] continue our study on the minor prophet, Joseah. On Thursday's podcast we began chapter 8,

[00:05:58] and I will quickly go over the three points from that lesson. And the first point we brought up

[00:06:05] is he shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord. The second point they set up kings,

[00:06:15] but not by name. And third, but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces. And friends I'm just

[00:06:25] going to quickly comment on that third point because the people of Israel, God's chosen people,

[00:06:33] had made a calf of a molded image. They had made a calf and this first tells us that the calf

[00:06:46] is going to be broken in pieces, and we're going to find out in today's lesson we will continue

[00:06:52] in chapter 8, and we're going to begin in verse 7. So today we will be completing chapter 8,

[00:07:00] but we're going to find out in chapter 9, the Israelite people are actually going to be taken

[00:07:07] captive into the country of Assyria. Let's begin in verse 7. They sow the wind and reap the world wind.

[00:07:20] The stock has no bud, it shall never produce meal if it should produce aliens would swallow it up.

[00:07:30] So, friends, I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and what I'd like to do is go over the commentary

[00:07:37] for verse 7. In its original context, this well-known proverb emphasizes the futility of Israel's

[00:07:49] alliances with false gods and foreign nations. Morally speaking, Israel has planted wind,

[00:08:00] symbolizing its moral bankruptcy, and would reap a whirlwind symbolizing the coming judgment.

[00:08:11] So friends, this verse reminds me also of Galatians chapter 6, verse 7. And I'd just like to

[00:08:21] go over that many of you are familiar with this verse, but I'd just still like to read it. Do not

[00:08:28] be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever, a man soes that he will also reap.

[00:08:37] So friends, that is such a spiritual reality. Call it a spiritual law, but whatever you so is what

[00:08:49] you will end up reaping. So if you sow kindness to people, it will come back to you. If you sow

[00:09:07] how we treat each and every person that comes along our path, let's go to verse 8. Israel is swallowed up

[00:09:17] now they are among the Gentiles like a vessel in which is no pleasure. Let's take a quick peek at

[00:09:27] commentary for that verse. Swallowed up, this image vividly depicts the effects of Israel's foreign

[00:09:38] alliances which drained the nation economically and friends whenever you pledge allegiance to a foreign

[00:09:49] country. Many times you're going to be taxed or have to pay some type of tribute to that country.

[00:09:59] This obviously is what happened with the country of Israel. Let's go to verse 9. For they have gone up

[00:10:07] to a Syria like a wild donkey alone by itself. Ephraim has hired lovers. Yes, though they have

[00:10:21] hired among the nations now I will gather them and they shall sorrow a little because of the burden

[00:10:31] of the King of princes. Now listen to the commentary for verses 9 and 10 like a wild donkey.

[00:10:43] This comparison draws attention to Israel's free spirited attitude and desire to live

[00:10:53] un-restrained by God's standards. The King of princes here refers to the conquering a Syrian King.

[00:11:05] Now friends, let me remind you that the country of Israel and in essence Judah was right in the middle

[00:11:16] of Syria which is today present day Iran and Iraq and Egypt. So what these people were doing

[00:11:26] is they basically bought into the lies that both of these countries served gods of all types

[00:11:37] and they bought into that so instead of worshiping the only one true God, God, the God of the

[00:11:46] Israelites, they actually bought in to the gods from these countries. Let's look at verse 11

[00:11:55] because Ephraim has made many alters for sin. They have become for him alters for sinning. And

[00:12:06] friends, that is my second point. They have become for him alters for sinning. In other words,

[00:12:18] Israel has gotten away totally from God. They are not thinking about pleasing God anymore. They're

[00:12:28] now thinking about pleasing men from either Egypt or a Syria and they are bowing down to their

[00:12:38] gods as well. So it's only a matter of time before God is going to give up on these people

[00:12:46] and he's going to allow them to be taken in to captivity. We'll find that out on Wednesday's podcast

[00:12:56] when we are looking at chapter 9. Let's go to verse 12. I have written for him the great things

[00:13:04] of my law, but they were considered a strange thing. So this is actually once again God

[00:13:15] speaking through the prophet Hosea because when it says, my law here my is capitalized. So this is

[00:13:24] actually God talking. I have written for him the great things of my law that they were considered a strange

[00:13:32] thing. In other words, they have gotten so far away from God that when they actually heard or read

[00:13:40] the word of God, it now actually seemed foreign to them. I think that is very telling. Let's go to

[00:13:49] verse 13 for the sacrifices of my offerings. They sacrifice flesh and eat it, but the Lord does not

[00:14:00] accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to

[00:14:10] Egypt. I want you to think about that. That means they're going to be taken back in to captivity.

[00:14:19] Listen to the commentary for verses 11 through 13. Alters for sin. The Lord regarded Israel's

[00:14:28] religious rituals as sinful because they were not supported by an obedient lifestyle. In fact,

[00:14:38] Israel treated God's law as if it were something strange or alien to them. Return to Egypt,

[00:14:48] Egypt symbolizes exile and slavery. The people would actually be taken to a Syria and we're going

[00:14:58] to find that out on Wednesday's podcast when we begin chapter 9. Let's go to verse 14 for Israel,

[00:15:08] has forgotten his Maker and has built temples. Judah also has multiplied four to five cities,

[00:15:17] but I will send fire upon his cities and it shall devour his palaces. So friends by third point today,

[00:15:28] is I will send fire upon his cities. Let's look at the commentary for verse 14.

[00:15:38] True security comes from the creator, but God's people trusted instead in their own efforts

[00:15:51] symbolized by their temples and fortified cities. Friends, the Israelites are not in a good place

[00:16:00] and it's only going to continue to get worse. When we get to Wednesday and chapter 9 will find out

[00:16:10] that literally the people are taken away captive to a foreign country. Before we close, let's go back

[00:16:18] to our three verses that I picked out, verses 1, 2 and 3 of Proverbs 23. And it says,

[00:16:26] when you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you and put a knife

[00:16:36] to your throat if you are a man given to appetite, do not desire his delicacies for they are

[00:16:45] accepted food. Now friends real quick I'd like to go over the commentary for those three verses

[00:16:52] and it says a big part of the training of the courteor would be in proper manners at state

[00:16:59] dinners and formal occasions, the comment on a knife to the throat is prompted by two concerns.

[00:17:09] Road, behavior was to be avoided at all costs and too many royal dainty's would likely make

[00:17:18] one ill. But friends the reason I picked these verses is that the Israelites had actually

[00:17:26] come under the auspices of the king of Assyria and they were actually at the point where they

[00:17:35] were doing what the king of Assyria told them to do. And that's when you need to be careful,

[00:17:44] that's what these verses are talking about because if you sit down with a ruler in other words

[00:17:52] the king of Assyria you better be mindful of how you are acting and how you are before him.

[00:18:05] You got to sit there and think the king has the power to end your life at any time

[00:18:12] and we're going to find out that on Wednesday's podcast and I invite anyone to rejoin me

[00:18:20] for Wednesday's podcast as we get into chapter nine because the Israelites are going to get

[00:18:27] deeper and deeper into this and we're going to find out like I said by the end of chapter 14

[00:18:35] the people are actually going to repent and God is going to forgive them and have mercy on them

[00:18:43] and they will eventually be brought back to the country of Assyria. So friends my call to action today

[00:18:50] is simply this. Are you aware of what you say and what you do of people who could

[00:19:04] make your life difficult? You know say for example at work with your boss. Do you pay attention

[00:19:12] to the way that you are and the words that you speak making sure that you don't use curse words

[00:19:19] or make sure that your effort at work, that you're doing all of your assigned tasks,

[00:19:28] you know just keep in mind that when you are an employee you're basically under the authority

[00:19:36] of the employer and he has the ability to get you in trouble or even maybe fire you. So we need

[00:19:43] to be careful when we are in the presence of someone who has power or influence over us.

[00:19:53] Friends I will never end the podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive

[00:19:59] Jesus as their Lord and Savior if there's anyone listening today and you've never taken that step

[00:20:05] I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today. Father God thank you for sending

[00:20:11] your son Jesus to earth. Jesus thank you that you were willing to come to earth and die on a cross

[00:20:18] for everyone listening to this podcast today. Jesus I confess that I am a sinner and in need of

[00:20:25] a Savior and by dying on that cross I believe that all of my sins have been forgiven.

[00:20:31] Jesus I'd like to thank you for that. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and yet Jesus

[00:20:37] I confess I still need your help. I ask you come into my heart. I ask that you lead me and guide

[00:20:45] me from this point forward in my life. I make you my Lord and Savior thank you Jesus.

[00:20:53] Friends this is only the first step. If you said that prior today,

[00:20:59] you need to find a local church. Look up the internet, find out churches in your local area

[00:21:06] and check them out. Go and try one or two churches find something that pleases you and

[00:21:13] and you seem to get along with the people but I would go to a Bible teaching church that

[00:21:20] basically teaches directly out of the Bible but most importantly we need to surround ourselves with

[00:21:28] like-minded individuals people that can hold you accountable in this new walk you're going to have

[00:21:35] with God. Just try to surround yourself with at least one or two solid Christians that can help you

[00:21:42] on this new walk of yours. Now, make the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make us face shine

[00:21:49] upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord liftoff is countenance upon you and give you peace. Friends

[00:21:57] tomorrow is testimony day. Please join me and a special guest as we further explore

[00:22:05] peace.