But here is the good news. Almighty God has not given up on us.
Like most of the Old Testament prophets Hosea brought an uncomfortable
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message. Around 8 centuries BC Israel was a divided nation and there was enmity and war between north and south. Religious and conservative Judah to the south resented the secularism and idolatry of Israel (also called Ephraim) to the north, while Israel's political expansionism was an ongoing threat to Judah.
Though only the prophets seemed to know it, the end was nigh. The cruel might of the Assyrians was about to crush Ephraim and would make the antagonism of these tiny nations seem like a petty squabble.
When Hosea spoke out Israel was having a good time. Under king Jereboam II they had prospered and expanded their territory to the east and to the north. Wealth and success made worse their complacency and conceit, and chaos followed. Jereboam's death prompted a time of unparalleled political upheaval and instability. Within 30 years, a period of violence and intrigue, there were no less than six successive kings, leading a rapidly declining political system. Resistance to the Assyrians became futile and the northern nation was quickly defeated and deported in 722BC.
God's message through Hosea was that the impending disaster was due to Israel's unfaithfulness to Him. He depicts the nation mainly as a promiscuous wife, but also refers to it as an indifferent mother, an illegitimate child, an ungrateful son, a stubborn heifer, a silly dove, a spreading vine, and because of their rebellion against God they will fall by the sword.
Yet in the midst of these warnings and predictions there is the promise of hope. God disciplines and punishes but He also restores.
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. (Hosea 2:14-15)
These verses spoke then and they still speak to us today. God draws his disobedient children into a wilderness, far from the comfort and distractions of consumerism. The word 'allure' is an attempt to interpret the idea of God powerfully making an opening into a spacious place. God opens a door and points us to the next verse, typical of Hebrew parallelism, a concept too easily lost in translation.
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Achor means disturbance or trouble and is a reference to Achan, the 'troubler of Israel', who defied God's orders and took booty devoted to destruction from Jericho. (Joshua 7).
So what are we to learn from this history lesson? God has not changed. The chaos we are experiencing today is brought about by the very same factors - apostasy, idolatry and immorality - a decadent society that seeks to live without God's guidelines.
But here is the good news. Almighty God has not given up on us. Through trouble He opens up a spacious place, leading us into a wilderness where we may respond to His comfort, offering us hope through the suffering of his son Jesus.
Our prayer today is not that the Lord would get us out of trouble, rather that the valley of trouble becomes itself the door of hope. Troubles are common to all of us; it's what we do with them that determines our destiny.
May the troubles of our nation open a gateway for many to repent and return to God's ways, finding blessing and hope in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Author: John Plumb
May God bless and enrich your life
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