Hosea 5 – What God is doing in the Great Shaking 何西阿书5 – 大动荡中神在做什麽事情
Wednesday, 3rd May 2023
星期三2023年5月3日
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
潘锡安牧师
Section One V1-7 God’s Judgement will Come 神的审判要临到
We often cannot see God in the great shaking, we don’t know what God is doing and we cannot see what God is doing. Therefore we use our own ways, what we learnt, what we experienced, and gradually we follow this world’s ways and not following God. We must be careful and be alert, because when we follow this world, Satan will then come to us and capture us in the snares of the world. In Hosea 5, not only people sinned but also the priests of God. Why is there a great shaking? Because we are sinful and God’s judgement is going to come.
V1-7 ‘Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, because you have been a snare to Mizpah and a net spread on Tabor. The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, though I rebuke them all. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled. They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them. With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, for they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.’
V1-7 ‘众祭司啊，要听我的话！以色列家啊，要留心听！王家啊，要侧耳而听！审判要临到你们，因你们在米斯巴如网罗，在他泊山如铺张的网。这些悖逆的人肆行杀戮，罪孽极深，我却斥责他们众人。以法莲为我所知，以色列不能向我隐藏。以法莲哪，现在你行淫了，以色列被玷污了。他们所行的使他们不能归向神，因有淫心在他们里面，他们也不认识耶和华。以色列的骄傲当面见证自己，故此，以色列和以法莲必因自己的罪孽跌倒，犹大也必与他们一同跌倒。 他们必牵着牛羊去寻求耶和华却寻不见，他已经转去离开他们。他们向耶和华行事诡诈，生了私子，到了月朔他们与他们的地业必被吞灭。’
We are so easy to judge others, we judge the poor, we judge the criminals, we judge the minorities… but we do not know that when the judgement comes, God will first judge us, the people of God, because God calls us the royal priests and the holy nation, and He will first come to judge us and our household. God will first judge those, who are in authority, who hold important positions, and who rule over others. Do not think that God does not know, we thought we have hidden it well, we thought our small transgressions are not revealed, but He knows everything! He knows our hearts of harlotry, the hearts of adultery, which cause us not able to return to God.
Israel did not admit that their lives had problems, therefore God told them that they would fall. Furthermore, Israel’s failures affected Judah, who would also fall. Do not think that we are standing firm, do not think that our hearts are holy, God knows our hearts of harlotry, and everything comes from the hearts. If we don’t return, then everything comes out from us will fall together with us. We are unwilling to bring our burdens to Jesus, instead, we carry our burdens, and we refuse to let it go. Then slowly our hearts will be filled with disappointments, discouragements, bitterness, anger, and complaints.
Because of our sins, we broke the relationship with God, it’s not God, Who turns away from us, but it’s us, who refuse God and block God’s blessings to come to us. God’s judgement will come in the great shaking, when we see all the things happening around us, when we see ourselves without love, without motivation, and without hope, then we must be alert, because God has changed His mind and left us.
Section Two V8-14 Men will Face Judgement and Rebuke 人要面对审判责罚
V8-14 ‘Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven, ‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’ Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept. Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.’
V8-14 ‘你们当在基比亚吹角，在拉玛吹号，在伯亚文吹出大声，说：便雅悯哪，有仇敌在你后头！在责罚的日子，以法莲必变为荒场。我在以色列支派中指示将来必成的事。 犹大的首领如同挪移地界的人，我必将愤怒倒在他们身上，如水一般。 以法莲因乐从人的命令，就受欺压，被审判压碎。 我使以法莲如虫蛀之物，使犹大家如朽烂之木。以法莲见自己有病，犹大见自己有伤，他们就打发人往亚述去见耶雷布王，他却不能医治你们，不能治好你们的伤。 我必向以法莲如狮子，向犹大家如少壮狮子。我必撕裂而去，我要夺去，无人搭救。’
God is pouring down His anger, everyone will experience His anger, do not think that we are safe, because God’s judgement and rebuke will come to everyone. When people don’t seek God, when people seek the world, seek those who are rick, who are famous, or who are in authority, then they will never find what they want. Only God can heal and only God can save. God said He would destroy Israel and Ephraim completely, they thought they could do everything by themselves, they relied on the world, they relied on people, and they relied on themselves. God’s judgement will come and men will all be judged.
Section Three V15 God Returns to His Place Waiting for People to Repent 神回原处等人悔改
V15 ‘I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.’
V15 ‘我要回到原处，等他们自觉有罪，寻求我面。他们在急难的时候，必切切寻求我。’
God has returned to His Place, He is waiting for us to return back to Him. We must quickly repent, to again seek God, and to see our sins. What is our attitude towards our church? Do we come to church for the worship music, for the sermon speech, for the social life, or for someone to serve us and our family? Do we expect our church to do anything for us? God has returned to His church to wait for people to repent. When we come to church, are we willing to repent, to receive teaching, and to be disciplined? When we are having the second 40-day fasting prayer, what is our attitude? Do we still have the passion to pray, to come to the prayer meetings, and to invite others? We are full of fear and anxiety, but we don’t see that God is saving us through the fasting prayer.
Our prayers become just a ‘doing’, we don’t treasure the time we pray, we don’t set this time apart as holy, and we don’t worship in spirit and in truth. God will judge in the great shaking, people will be rebuked. But God is still waiting for us, He is love and He has not given up on us. It’s time to return, to repent, and to change our ways to the righteous path.