Hosea 7 – God Saves But Men Still Lives in Depravation 何西阿书7 – 神要实行救赎，人却活在堕落里
Friday, 5th May 2023
星期五2023年5月5日
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
潘锡安牧师
Section One V1-7 Men Chose to Stay in Lustful Desires 人选择要活在情欲的生活里
V1-3 ‘When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria. For they have committed fraud; a thief comes in; a band of robbers takes spoil outside. They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness; now their own deeds have surrounded them; they are before My face. They make a king glad with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.’
V1-3 ‘我想医治以色列的时候，以法莲的罪孽和撒马利亚的罪恶就显露出来。他们行事虚谎，内有贼人入室偷窃，外有强盗成群骚扰。他们心里并不思想我记念他们的一切恶，他们所行的现在缠绕他们，都在我面前。 他们行恶使君王欢喜，说谎使首领喜乐。’
God knows everything, He knows what we are doing and what we are thinking. It’s just like how He knew well the hearts of the people of Israel, they thought God did not know, they continued to live in a life of confusion and a life of sin. They thought as long as they continued to carry out all the religious rituals, God would not know what was inside their hearts. During this time of fasting and praying, what is our attitude? Do we really long to meet God face to face? Do we really appreciate the time we can pray day and night in the House of God? We have so many things on our schedules, we have made lots of plans, and none of them is related to God. We thought the prayer meetings and fasting are disturbing our schedules and plans, but God actually wants us to let go and to put down the things we are holding onto.
V4-7 ‘They are all adulterers. Like an oven heated by a baker— He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough, until it is leavened. In the day of our king princes have made him sick, inflamed with wine; he stretched out his hand with scoffers. They prepare their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait; their baker sleeps all night; in the morning it burns like a flaming fire. They are all hot, like an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings have fallen. None among them calls upon Me.’
V4-7 ‘他们都是行淫的，像火炉被烤饼的烧热，从抟面到发面的时候，暂不使火着旺。在我们王宴乐的日子，首领因酒的烈性成病，王与亵慢人拉手。首领埋伏的时候，心中热如火炉，就如烤饼的整夜睡卧，到了早晨火气炎炎。众民也热如火炉，烧灭他们的官长，他们的君王都仆倒而死。他们中间无一人求告我。’
God always wants to save us, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God already had the salvation plan. God loves us, He treasures and values His relationship with us. But people chose to live in the depravation of this fallen world. We are chasing after the things we think are important, we are busy solving the problems in our lives, but this is not what God wants. He wants us to come to Him, to seek Him, to wait upon Him, and to let Him help us. What happened in the time of Hosea is happening today. The thieves are stealing from us on the inside and the robbers are taking things away from us on the outside. The Israelites continued to sin and to follow this world, but what about us? Everything will be revealed and made clear, we must repent now. The world is failing, the wars are still going, relationships between the countries continue to be worsened, but people still chose not to seek God and not to pray.
Section Two V8-12 Men Chose to Rely on Worldly Power人选择要活在依靠势力的生活
V8-12 ‘Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned. Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it; yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, but they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek Him for all this. Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense— They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them according to what their congregation has heard.’
V8-12 ‘以法莲与列邦人掺杂，以法莲是没有翻过的饼。 外邦人吞吃他劳力得来的，他却不知道；头发斑白，他也不觉得。 以色列的骄傲当面见证自己，虽遭遇这一切，他们仍不归向耶和华他们的神，也不寻求他。以法莲好像鸽子愚蠢无知，他们求告埃及，投奔亚述。他们去的时候，我必将我的网撒在他们身上，我要打下他们，如同空中的鸟。我必按他们会众所听见的惩罚他们。’
When we chose to rely on this world, then God will strike us down, His judgement will come, because the His Truth cannot stand together with the worldly values. The world will fade away, and when we don’t listen to the Truth and the teaching of God, we will then be revealed in this world, the world will devour us, and swallow us up. The world will see how real God is and how righteous God is, and those, who follow the world will fall with the world. God wants to save us and to teach us, but we chose to leave God.
Section Three V13-16 Men Chose Live in Rebellious Rejection 人选择要活在叛逆抗拒神的生活
V13-16 ‘Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against Me. They did not cry out to Me with their heart when they wailed upon their beds. They assemble together for grain and new wine, They rebel against Me; though I disciplined and strengthened their arms, yet they devise evil against Me; they return, but not to the Most High; they are like a treacherous bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword for the cursings of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.’
V13-16 ‘他们因离弃我，必定有祸；因违背我，必被毁灭。我虽要救赎他们，他们却向我说谎。 他们并不诚心哀求我，乃在床上呼号。他们为求五谷、新酒聚集，仍然悖逆我。 我虽教导他们，坚固他们的膀臂，他们竟图谋抗拒我。 他们归向，却不归向至上者，他们如同翻背的弓。他们的首领必因舌头的狂傲倒在刀下，这在埃及地必做人的讥笑。’
We chose to turn away from God, we chose not to seek God, and we chose to rebel against God. We thought when we fast and pray, we only need to not be eating, but continue to do what we think are more important. We thought we are safe doing everything the church asks us to do, but our hearts are not really turning to God. How are we worshiping and praying to God? Do we lie down on the bed when we pray? Do we fall asleep when we worship God? We are being rebellious and not humble, God wants to teach us, God wants to help us, but we fight against Him.