668. Hosea - Chapter 12 (#3) - I am the Lord your God

[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.

[00:00:20] Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. I pray that you open everyone's ears to hear and heart to receive everything you have in store for them today. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

[00:00:37] This is Proverb 23 beginning in verse 1.

[00:00:43] When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

[00:00:54] Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not overwork to be rich, because of your own understanding cease.

[00:01:05] Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

[00:01:18] Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies, for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

[00:01:27] Eat and drink, he says to you, but his heart is not with you. The morsel you have eaten you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words.

[00:01:39] Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

[00:01:47] Do not remove the ancient landmark, nor enter the fields of the fatherless.

[00:01:53] For their Redeemer is mighty. He will plead their cause against you.

[00:01:59] Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.

[00:02:05] Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.

[00:02:13] You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.

[00:02:18] My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice. Indeed, I myself, yes, my inmost being, will rejoice when your lips speak right things.

[00:02:34] Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day.

[00:02:42] For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.

[00:02:49] Hear, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart in the way.

[00:02:55] Do not mix with wine-bibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat.

[00:03:01] For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

[00:03:10] Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

[00:03:16] Buy the truth, and do not sell it.

[00:03:21] Also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

[00:03:25] The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him.

[00:03:34] Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice.

[00:03:41] My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

[00:03:47] For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well.

[00:03:52] She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men.

[00:04:00] Who has woe?

[00:04:02] Who has sorrow?

[00:04:04] Who has contentions?

[00:04:07] Who has complaints?

[00:04:09] Who has wounds without cause?

[00:04:12] Who has redness of eyes?

[00:04:15] Those who linger long at the wine.

[00:04:18] Those who go in search of mixed wine.

[00:04:22] Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly.

[00:04:31] At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper.

[00:04:37] Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things.

[00:04:43] Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying,

[00:04:53] They have struck me, but I was not hurt.

[00:04:56] They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.

[00:05:00] When shall I awake that I may seek another drink?

[00:05:05] Friends, today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 12.

[00:05:09] And Proverb 23, verse 12 says this,

[00:05:14] Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.

[00:05:20] Now friends, we will come back and take a closer look at that verse prior to closing today.

[00:05:27] But what I'd like to do is to continue our study of the minor prophet Hosea.

[00:05:34] Now we are currently in chapter 12, and today we will be finishing chapter 12.

[00:05:40] But before we begin today's lesson, I would like to go back to the three points that I made on Monday's podcast.

[00:05:49] Now Monday was podcast number 666.

[00:05:54] If you did not get a chance to check that out, I invite you to do so either prior to listening to today's message,

[00:06:02] or after you finish later on.

[00:06:06] Either way, it would be okay.

[00:06:08] So let's look at the three points.

[00:06:11] Number one, observe mercy and justice.

[00:06:15] And wait on your God continually.

[00:06:19] And if you recall on Monday, I said basically,

[00:06:22] this should be everyone's desire every day.

[00:06:25] Is that we observe mercy and justice.

[00:06:30] And I had mentioned that all of us like to have mercy bestowed upon us.

[00:06:36] If we do something wrong, we are always gracious and thankful when people show us mercy.

[00:06:43] When we don't get in trouble for something maybe we should get in trouble for doing.

[00:06:48] And justice is always right.

[00:06:52] We always like to see justice prevail in our lives.

[00:06:57] Number two, a cunning Canaanite.

[00:07:00] He loves to oppress.

[00:07:03] And friends, the land of Canaan is the land that God promised his people Israel once they would be leaving Egypt for good.

[00:07:14] They were slaves in Egypt for about 420 to 430 years.

[00:07:20] And then God miraculously provided a way for them to get out.

[00:07:25] And here they are in the land of Canaan, the land known as the promised land.

[00:07:32] Number three, they shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.

[00:07:39] And friends, wouldn't it be wonderful if God could say that about us?

[00:07:45] That we don't have any iniquity in us?

[00:07:48] Of course, we know that can never happen.

[00:07:51] Because the God tells us that we all fall short of the glory of God.

[00:07:57] I know it's unfortunate, but yes, we all will fall short.

[00:08:03] We all still sin from time to time, even though the Bible tells us that we are the righteousness of God.

[00:08:13] Now, we don't have to stew in our sins if we sin.

[00:08:17] We can quickly ask God to forgive us and repent if we knowingly do sin.

[00:08:23] But God doesn't want us to look at ourselves as sinners.

[00:08:29] He wants us to look at ourselves as the righteousness of God.

[00:08:33] That's why Jesus came.

[00:08:35] That's why he died on the cross for each and every one of us.

[00:08:39] He wants us to think of ourselves as being righteous.

[00:08:45] Now, let's get in to today's lesson.

[00:08:48] And we are going to begin in chapter 12, beginning in verse 9.

[00:09:16] Verse 10,

[00:09:35] So friends, I'm going to go over a couple points from those two verses.

[00:09:40] Number one, I am the Lord your God.

[00:09:44] So what I'm saying here is that God is reminding his people through the minor prophet Hosea that he still is God and that we should look to him.

[00:10:01] Ever since the land of Egypt, I will again make you dwell in tents.

[00:10:06] Now friends, I just mentioned that the Israelites were in Egypt in bondage for over 400 years.

[00:10:14] Now obviously, if you're in a foreign land and if you were in bondage, you do not have your home.

[00:10:22] And that's what God is saying here is he is not going to allow you to have your own residence, but that you will have tents to dwell in.

[00:10:33] In other words, you will be nomads moving from place to place.

[00:10:39] Not exactly what God had in mind when he got the people out of Egypt in the first place.

[00:10:47] I have also spoken by the prophets.

[00:10:50] So that is my second point.

[00:10:53] I have also spoken by the prophets.

[00:10:58] And over the hundreds of years since the Israelites left the land of Egypt, God has sent prophets to speak to them.

[00:11:09] The major prophets are Isaiah and then Jeremiah and then Ezekiel.

[00:11:18] Those are the major prophets that we all know their names.

[00:11:22] But there were also 12 minor prophets of which Hosea is one.

[00:11:28] Now before I go on, I want to go back to the reference made to as in the days of the appointed feast.

[00:11:39] So when Hosea makes reference to that, he is talking about the feast of tabernacles.

[00:11:47] So we have to go all the way back to the book of Leviticus.

[00:11:52] And I'd like to read those 11 verses.

[00:11:56] So in the book of Leviticus chapter 23, let's begin in verse 33.

[00:12:29] In other words, work has been called off.

[00:12:33] For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

[00:12:40] On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation.

[00:12:45] And you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

[00:12:49] So in other words, the feast of tabernacles would we begin with this day of convocation.

[00:12:57] And it would also end with a convocation.

[00:13:02] It is a sacred assembly and you shall do no customary work on it.

[00:13:09] So we don't work the beginning day of the feast and we don't work on the ending day of the feast.

[00:13:18] These are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations.

[00:13:27] To offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

[00:13:32] A burnt offering and a grain offering.

[00:13:36] A sacrifice and drink offerings everything on its day.

[00:13:41] Besides the Sabbaths of the Lord.

[00:13:44] Besides your gifts.

[00:13:47] Besides all your vows.

[00:13:49] And besides all your free will offerings which you give to the Lord.

[00:13:55] Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

[00:13:58] When you have gathered in the fruit of the land.

[00:14:02] You shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days.

[00:14:06] On the first day there shall be a Sabbath rest.

[00:14:10] And on the eighth day a Sabbath rest.

[00:14:13] And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees.

[00:14:21] Branches of palm trees.

[00:14:23] The boughs of leafy trees.

[00:14:26] And willows of the brook.

[00:14:28] And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.

[00:14:33] You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year.

[00:14:39] It shall be a statute forever in your generations.

[00:14:43] You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

[00:14:46] You shall dwell in booths for seven days.

[00:14:51] All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths.

[00:14:56] That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths.

[00:15:04] When I brought them out of the land of Egypt.

[00:15:07] I am the Lord your God.

[00:15:10] So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

[00:15:16] So friends this is the institution of the feast of tabernacles.

[00:15:23] Which is a celebration of the Jewish people.

[00:15:27] That still continues to this day commemorating the Israelites being taken out of the land of Israel.

[00:15:39] After over 400 years of bondage.

[00:15:42] Before we close today let's go back to our proverb of the day.

[00:15:47] Proverb 23.

[00:15:48] And let's take a closer look at verse 12.

[00:15:51] Apply your heart to instruction.

[00:15:55] And your ears to words of knowledge.

[00:15:59] Now friends let me read the commentary found in my Bible for this verse.

[00:16:05] The Hebrew word for instruction can also mean discipline.

[00:16:12] Now let me reread that verse using the word discipline.

[00:16:17] Apply your heart to discipline.

[00:16:21] And your ears to words of knowledge.

[00:16:25] Now friends I am going to take a little bit of liberty here.

[00:16:30] But what this verse means to me is the importance of setting aside a time each day.

[00:16:39] To read scripture.

[00:16:42] To gain knowledge of God.

[00:16:44] Friends the word of God is that important.

[00:16:48] I believe we need to be reading it every single day.

[00:16:53] Just like you eat food every single day.

[00:16:58] A matter of fact most of the time we eat food three times a day.

[00:17:03] So doesn't it make sense that we should at least read the Bible one time a day.

[00:17:10] Even if it's only for 10 or 15 minutes.

[00:17:13] But we need to get into the word of God.

[00:17:16] And I'll go back to the book of Romans chapter 10 verse 17.

[00:17:20] Because that verse tells us that faith comes by hearing.

[00:17:27] And hearing by the word of God.

[00:17:29] So friends if we read the word of God every day.

[00:17:35] Our faith is going to increase.

[00:17:38] And the more we read the word of God.

[00:17:42] The more our faith is going to manifest itself.

[00:17:47] And to grow in our lives.

[00:17:50] So friends my call to action today is very simple.

[00:17:54] Ask yourself this question.

[00:17:56] Are you reading the Bible every single day?

[00:18:01] If you're not may I suggest that you begin to do that.

[00:18:06] And as I said you don't need to read it for 45 minutes or an hour.

[00:18:10] If you do that it would be great.

[00:18:12] I believe your faith would increase more if you were to read that.

[00:18:17] But I don't want it to be like something that you feel pressure to do.

[00:18:25] I would like for you to read the Bible.

[00:18:28] Because it's something that your heart is stirring you to do.

[00:18:33] And something that you know that if you read the word of God.

[00:18:38] That you're going to increase your relationship and draw closer to him as well.

[00:18:45] Friends I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

[00:18:54] If you have never taken that step.

[00:18:56] I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.

[00:19:00] Father God thank you for sending your son Jesus to earth.

[00:19:05] Jesus thank you that you were willing to come to earth and die on a cross for everyone listening to this podcast today.

[00:19:14] Jesus I believe that you are the son of God.

[00:19:18] I believe that you came to earth and died on that cross for me.

[00:19:22] By doing that I believe that you have put me back in right standing with God.

[00:19:29] And I can go directly to him in prayer.

[00:19:31] But Jesus I still need your help.

[00:19:35] I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward in my life.

[00:19:39] I make you my Lord and Savior.

[00:19:43] Now may the Lord bless you and keep you.

[00:19:47] The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

[00:19:51] The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

[00:19:57] Friends please join me again tomorrow as we further explore wisdom today.

[00:20:03] I don't know why I lead the Lord's relationship so much.

[00:20:03] Once again I wish myself to win long I say дости family.

[00:20:03] I by speaking to you who is the lift…