664. Hosea - Chapter 12 (#1) - He Struggled with the Angel and Prevailed - October 17, 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] In prayer, Father God I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord I pray that you give everyone ears to hear and a heart to receive everything you have in store for them in this particular podcast. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

[00:00:38] This is Proverbs 17 beginning in verse 1.

[00:00:44] Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.

[00:00:51] A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame and will share an inheritance among the brothers.

[00:01:00] The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.

[00:01:08] An evildoer gives heed to false lips. A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.

[00:01:16] He who mocks the poor reproaches his maker. He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

[00:01:26] Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.

[00:01:33] Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, much less lying lips to a prince.

[00:01:41] A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor.

[00:01:46] Wherever he turns, he prospers.

[00:01:49] He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.

[00:01:57] Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.

[00:02:05] An evil man seeks only rebellion. Therefore, a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

[00:02:13] Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.

[00:02:22] Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.

[00:02:28] The beginning of strife is like releasing water.

[00:02:32] Therefore, stop contention before a quarrel starts.

[00:02:38] He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just, both of them alike, are an abomination to the Lord.

[00:02:48] Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it?

[00:02:57] A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

[00:03:04] A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, and becomes surety for his friend.

[00:03:12] He who loves transgression loves strife, and he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

[00:03:21] He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, and he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

[00:03:30] He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.

[00:03:38] A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

[00:03:47] A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice.

[00:03:55] Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

[00:04:04] A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.

[00:04:12] Also to punish the righteous is not good, nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

[00:04:20] He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

[00:04:28] Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace.

[00:04:33] When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

[00:04:39] Friends, today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 17.

[00:04:44] And Proverbs 17, verse 17 says this,

[00:04:56] Friends, we will come back and take a closer look at that verse prior to closing today.

[00:05:03] But what I'd like to do is go back to our lesson of yesterday.

[00:05:08] And yesterday we completed chapter 11 of the book of the minor prophet Hosea.

[00:05:15] And that was episode number 663.

[00:05:19] And friends, if you did not get a chance to listen to yesterday's episode,

[00:05:24] I invite you to do that either now, before listening to this lesson,

[00:05:29] or if you prefer, listen to it later tonight.

[00:05:34] This lesson certainly stands on its own.

[00:05:38] But point number one yesterday is my heart churns within me.

[00:05:45] My sympathy is stirred.

[00:05:48] And yesterday I announced that God is showing his mercy toward his people Israel in that verse.

[00:05:58] He is.

[00:06:00] He is.

[00:06:01] And they have been turning away from God.

[00:06:04] They have been serving the god Baal.

[00:06:08] They've been worshiping him.

[00:06:10] And yet God is opening the door for the Israelites to come back into his good graces.

[00:06:16] Point number two yesterday,

[00:06:18] They shall walk after the Lord.

[00:06:21] He will roar like a lion.

[00:06:24] And I kind of made reference here is that God is like a lion.

[00:06:30] And he can get angry from time to time.

[00:06:33] Believe me, if God were to literally roar, I want you to think about that,

[00:06:40] but the whole earth would shake if God actually got upset and actually roared.

[00:06:47] So anyway, I kind of made reference yesterday that if God were to roar like a lion,

[00:06:55] then the people of Israel would become in line.

[00:06:59] It kind of reminds me of when I was a teacher in school.

[00:07:03] If I put a certain edge in my tone of voice, the kids would snap to it and snap to attention.

[00:07:12] And you get their attention if you are a little bit, let me say, displeased with what's going on.

[00:07:21] And the third point yesterday,

[00:07:24] I will let them dwell in their houses.

[00:07:29] So he is going to allow the Israelites to go back from the captivity that they have been taken to Assyria.

[00:07:42] And we found that out in chapter nine of Hosea is the people no longer are living in the land of Israel,

[00:07:50] but have actually been taken captive into the country of Assyria.

[00:07:55] So we are going to begin chapter 12 of the book of Hosea today.

[00:08:00] Let's begin with verse one.

[00:08:04] Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind.

[00:08:10] He daily increases lies and desolation.

[00:08:14] Also, they make a covenant with the Assyrians and oil is carried to Egypt.

[00:08:22] So friends, my first point that I would like to make today is they make a covenant with the Assyrians.

[00:08:33] Now, they had tried to make covenants before with both Egypt and Assyrians.

[00:08:41] And basically, these are, you know, they're on different sides of the country.

[00:08:47] But I think what they wanted to do is kind of remain neutral.

[00:08:52] I think they kind of wanted to make friends with both the Assyrians and Egyptians.

[00:08:59] But actually, it ended up backfiring on them.

[00:09:02] And they ended up basically being enemies with both of them.

[00:09:08] So this is saying that they're going to make a covenant with the Assyrians.

[00:09:13] Now, friends, I am reading out of the Nelson Study Bible.

[00:09:17] And what I'd like to do is go over the commentary of my Bible for verse one.

[00:09:22] It says the prophet.

[00:09:24] And here we're talking about the prophet Hosea, the writer of this book.

[00:09:30] The prophet focuses in the verse on the nation's social injustice and foreign alliances.

[00:09:40] Israel's wicked behavior would lead nowhere.

[00:09:44] Oil may have been used in a ritual ratifying a treaty or given as a sign of loyalty.

[00:09:54] Let's go to verse two.

[00:09:56] The Lord also brings a charge against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways.

[00:10:06] According to his deeds, he will recompense him.

[00:10:12] And friends, my second point of today is according to his deeds, he will recompense him.

[00:10:20] And friends, this is an underlying theme of the Bible is according to what you do in life, whether it's good or whether it's bad.

[00:10:33] That is what you're going to get.

[00:10:35] And this goes back to Galatians six, seven, which I had referred to probably four or five times in this brief study.

[00:10:44] Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

[00:10:49] Friends, our actions are going to have repercussions, whether they're good or whether they're bad.

[00:10:58] So it's important what we do.

[00:11:01] Basically, with every single opportunity, with every person we meet, what we do and what we sow is what we eventually are going to reap.

[00:11:14] Now, the commentary for verse two, it says God judges people and nations according to their deeds.

[00:11:22] And friends, it's like a spiritual law.

[00:11:24] Whatever you sow, that is what you're going to reap.

[00:11:29] Now, let's go to verse three.

[00:11:30] He took his brother by the heel in the womb and in his strength, he struggled with God.

[00:11:39] So friends, what I'd like to do here, since Hosea is making a reference to Jacob, is I decided to go back to where he made this reference.

[00:11:50] And this is found in Genesis chapter 25, beginning in verse 19.

[00:11:57] So I am going to read this story.

[00:12:01] This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son.

[00:12:07] Abraham begot Isaac.

[00:12:10] Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

[00:12:22] Now, Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was barren.

[00:12:29] And the Lord granted his plea and Rebekah, his wife conceived.

[00:12:36] But the children struggled together within her.

[00:12:40] And she said, if all is well, why am I like this?

[00:12:45] So she went to inquire of the Lord and the Lord said to her.

[00:12:52] Now, listen to what God says to Rebekah.

[00:12:56] Two nations are in your womb.

[00:13:00] Two peoples shall be separated from your body.

[00:13:05] One people will be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger.

[00:13:13] So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed, there were twins in her womb.

[00:13:22] And the first came out red.

[00:13:24] He was like a hairy garment all over.

[00:13:27] So they called his name Esau.

[00:13:31] And Esau literally means hairy.

[00:13:35] Afterward, his brother came out and his hand took hold of Esau's heel.

[00:13:42] And that is what they were referring to in the previous verse in Hosea.

[00:13:48] So his name was called Jacob.

[00:13:52] Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them.

[00:13:57] So if you do the math, it took 20 years from the time Isaac married Rebekah for her to have these two twins.

[00:14:08] So the boys grew.

[00:14:10] And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field.

[00:14:15] But Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

[00:14:19] And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game.

[00:14:25] But Rebekah loved Jacob.

[00:14:28] And friends, that is such a powerful comment because Isaac and Rebekah basically were at odds for a lot of the portion of their marriage after this event.

[00:14:44] Now let's go back to the book of Hosea.

[00:14:49] Let's go back to verse 3.

[00:14:52] He took his brother by the heel in the womb and in his strength, he struggled with God.

[00:15:01] Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed.

[00:15:05] He wept and sought favor from him.

[00:15:09] He found him in Bethel and there he spoke to us.

[00:15:14] That is the Lord God of hosts.

[00:15:18] The Lord is his memorable name.

[00:15:21] So you, by the help of your God, return.

[00:15:25] Observe mercy and justice and wait on your God continually.

[00:15:32] So friends, my third point of today's lesson.

[00:15:37] He struggled with the angel and prevailed.

[00:15:43] Now let's go to the commentary found for verses 3 and 4.

[00:15:48] Hosea draws a lesson from the life of Jacob, the father of the nation.

[00:15:55] Jacob's greedy, self-reliant, and deceitful character was evident from birth when he grabbed the heel of his brother Esau.

[00:16:08] The climactic event in Jacob's spiritual growth was his wrestling match with God the night before he was reunited with his brother.

[00:16:21] Jacob acknowledged his dependence on God, begged for divine favor, and received a blessing.

[00:16:31] The angel, making no mention of an angel.

[00:16:35] The Genesis account refers to Jacob's foe as a man, but then indicates that Jacob wrestled with God himself.

[00:16:46] So what I'd like to do to clear this up is to actually go back to that account found in Genesis chapter 32.

[00:16:57] Let's begin with verse 22.

[00:17:01] And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.

[00:17:14] He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.

[00:17:20] Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.

[00:17:28] Now when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip.

[00:17:36] And the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as he wrestled with him.

[00:17:43] And he said, let me go, for the day breaks.

[00:17:47] But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

[00:17:54] So he said to him, what is your name?

[00:17:57] He said, Jacob.

[00:17:59] He said, Jacob.

[00:17:59] And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.

[00:18:05] For you have struggled with God and with man and have prevailed.

[00:18:12] Then Jacob asked, saying, tell me your name, I pray.

[00:18:17] And he said, why is it that you ask about my name?

[00:18:21] And he blessed him there.

[00:18:23] So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel.

[00:18:28] For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

[00:18:34] Just as he crossed over Penuel, the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.

[00:18:42] Therefore, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank,

[00:18:48] which is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.

[00:18:58] Awesome, awesome story.

[00:19:00] Friends, before we close, let's go back to our verse of the day.

[00:19:04] And of course, today is the 17th of October.

[00:19:08] So in Proverbs 17, verse 17 says this, a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

[00:19:21] Now, friends, I picked this verse because it's one of my very favorite verses in the entire Bible.

[00:19:28] A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

[00:19:37] And friends, this verse reminds me of the importance of having good Christian fellowship with people of your same sex.

[00:19:49] Somebody that you can be accountable for.

[00:19:54] Somebody that you can go to in your time of need other than your spouse.

[00:20:01] It's important that we have men in our lives if we are men.

[00:20:09] If you're a woman, obviously it would be with a woman.

[00:20:13] It needs to be the same sex and somebody that is the same sex as you.

[00:20:20] So my call to action today, do you have one or two good, solid Christian friends

[00:20:32] that you know if you go to them for advice and tell them a particular issue that you're currently having

[00:20:40] and maybe having some animosity or worry or anxiety about,

[00:20:46] that you have someone who can give you good counsel.

[00:20:51] Someone who's going to steer you in the right direction.

[00:20:55] That isn't going to try to take advantage of you.

[00:20:58] It's very important that we have one or two and maybe even three or four people that are like that in your life.

[00:21:11] Friends, I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

[00:21:20] If there is anyone listening today and you've never taken that step,

[00:21:23] I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.

[00:21:27] Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and in need of a Savior.

[00:21:32] I believe that you are the Son of God.

[00:21:35] I believe you came to earth and died on a cross for me.

[00:21:39] By doing that, all of my sins have been forgiven.

[00:21:43] Jesus, thank you for forgiving me of my sins.

[00:21:47] And yet, I still need your help.

[00:21:49] I ask that you come into my heart.

[00:21:52] I make you my Lord and Savior.

[00:21:55] Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

[00:21:59] The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

[00:22:04] The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

[00:22:09] Friends, please join me again tomorrow as I will be going over the fourth commandment tomorrow.

[00:22:16] And I'll give a bit of detail about how we can learn from the fourth commandment and better our lives.

[00:22:24] Until then, God bless you.

[00:22:27] Until then.

[00:22:28] Until then, God bless you and keep you up Lord anddal invited Him through there.

[00:22:28] And yourvelmente beautiful is 39 part of your faith.