Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20080217.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Hosea: God's BALANCE Of Judging And Blessing His People
Part XII: God's Need To Judge A Misplaced Trust For Blessing
(Hosea 9:10-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. We as God's people desire and also need His rich blessing in our lives.
    2. However, as 1 John 5:21 warns, we can all fall into a subtle form of idolatry where we seek blessings in our lives from sources other than God Himself. These sources can be material goods, jobs, human supporters, etc., any entity that replaces a trust in God for blessing.
    3. Hosea 9:10-17 reveals God's need to judge ancient Israel for trusting in idolatrous fertility gods like Baal Peor, etc. rather than the Lord Himself for fruitfulness in crops and human reproduction. This passage thus acts as a call for us to watch that we not substitute any entity for God as our Source of blessing:
  2. God's Need To Judge A Misplaced Trust For Blessing, Hosea 9:10-17.
    1. Fertility in crop and human reproduction was a constant desire in ancient Israel and her pagan neighboring nations, so God alluded to this desire in introducing His theme in Hosea 9:10: (1) when calling the nation out of Egypt, God claimed He delighted in Israel as a man would delight in a refreshing bunch of grapes in the desert, Hosea 9:10a! (2) Indeed, God likened the forefathers of Israel to a fig tree's first crop of first ripe figs, figs that ripen at the top of the tree early in the growing season, Hosea 9:10b!
    2. However, before even entering the Promised Land, the nation Israel in Moses' era had become involved in the lewd fertility cult worship of Baal-peor, and so had committed immorality with Moabite and Midianite women, Hosea 9:10b with Numbers 25; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1399.
    3. That early apostasy for Israel "was mentioned here because it set the pattern for Israel's subsequent history, characterized by unfaithfulness" in which she repeatedly became involved in false fertility cults, Ibid.
    4. In Hosea's era, Israel had made Baal of the Canaanites her lover similar to how her forefathers had long before worshiped the Baal-peor fertility god across the Jordan River in Moab, Ibid. (Hosea 4:13-14)
    5. Accordingly, God's judgment in terms of a withdrawal of fertility blessings in accord with the Mosaic Covenant of Deuteronomy 28 would be fulfilled (as follows):
      1. For her involvement with the Baal fertility cult, God would bring Israel infertility, Hos. 9:11, 14; Ibid.:
        1. God would withdraw reproduction blessings in accord with Deuteronomy 28:15, 18, cf. Hos. 9:11.
        2. Opposite blessings of fertility, Israel would experience miscarriages and dried breasts, the result of having no surviving infants to nurse, Hosea 9:14; Ibid.
      2. For her involvement with the Baal fertility cult, instead of the life she had sought in worshiping the false god, God would bring Israel death, Hosea 9:12-13, 16; Ibid.: some in Israel would bear children only to see them killed by invaders in accord with Deuteronomy 28:49-50; cf. Hosea 9:12-13, 16.
      3. For her involvement with the Baal fertility cult, God would destine Israel for exile, Hos. 9:15, 17; Ibid.:
        1. The reference to the wickedness of Israel at Gilgal in Hosea 9:15a refers to the fertility cult worship Israel extensively practiced there in Hosea's era, cf. Hosea 4:15a; 12:11; Ibid., p. 1400.
        2. Amazingly, Israel had practiced circumcision when she first arrived at Gilgal back in Joshua 5:1-12, and so doing, God had overcome the taunts of Israel's former oppressors, the Egyptians who had claimed Israel would fail to enter the Promised Land, Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Jos. 5:9.
        3. However, for turning to the false Baal fertility cult at Gilgal, God would punish Israel by withdrawing His blessing of countering the taunts of her foes, and all by driving Israel out of His temple and back into captivity in a foreign land in accord with Deuteronomy 28:36; cf. Hosea 9:15b.
        4. Indeed, God promised to cast Israel away for her failure to trust in Him for fertility blessings versus looking to Baal, and the people of Israel would become wanderers among the nations according to the Deuteronomy 28:37 curse; cf. Hos ea 9:17.
Lesson: For failing to view God as her SOLE Source of fertility blessings, Israel looked to the fertility god, Baal for blessing, so God fittingly judged her with barrenness, death and national captivity.

Application: May we always recall that ALL blessings flow ONLY from the hand of our Creator God, that we look to HIM ALONE for all blessings we need versus looking to any substitute "idol" instead!