Quote from Bennett on our purpose here:
“Why was Job born? He was born for the same reason Adam was created. He was born for the same reason the earth was created. He was born, in part, for the same reason Christ was born and suffered and was crucified. We all exist to glorify God. On the Day of Judgement, when the mangled, burned, corrupted, and crucified limbs of God’s faithful are resurrected and made new, and when voices that died crying in pain are restored singing in praise, even Satan himself will bow in submission to the Lord who deserves all praise. This life is no simple matter of little lives living private dramas. We are, since Eden’s loss, united in celestial warfare with eternal consequences. We were born to stand; we are armed to fight. The good news is just that, through faith in Christ, we were born to win.” Frances Poston Bennett
Quote from Piper:
“Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den. God has given prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ advances in the world. Prayer gives us the significance of frontline forces and gives God_ _the glory of a limitless Provider. The one who gives the power gets the glory. Thus, prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need.” John Piper
Bonnie Isbell on God’s Love:
“Sleep well tonight in the love of the God who numbers our days & hairs, blots our sins & bottles our tears, sets up & sits down all kings.” Scotty Smith
Oh people! This is our sure and only source of hope!
1. He loves me.
2. My days are His to write.
3. He is so intimately attentive to me that He numbers the hairs of my head.
4. In His unfathomable mercy, He has blotted out my sins.
5. His heart is so knit to mine that He keeps my tears in a bottle; a constant reminder before His eyes of how I need Him!
6. Every King/President that ever ruled or will ever rule is ultimately set in place to bring about the fulfillment of His Word which cannot fail.
“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Ps. 46:10
Every world event will lead to the fulfillment of this Word!
The Ancient of Days is squarely on His throne.....He will not abdicate it!
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” Ps. 4:8
Songs: Carry You and Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling (Interestingly, in the late 1890’s, Will L. Thompson – the writer of Softly and Tenderly – paid a visit to the famous evangelist D.L. Moody who was very ill and near death. Most visitors had been turned away, but when Moody heard that Thompson was downstairs, he called him. “Will,” he said, “I would rather have written ‘Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling’ than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.”)
Jodi Sullivan
Class Discussion
Chapter 12 of Hosea continues on with establishing Israel’s guilt and predicting her punishment. A serious indictment is made against both Israel and Judah for their sins. Fraud, injustice, hypocrisy, deceit and idolatry were rampant in God’s land and His holy heart had to have grieved over the sins of His people – a people who should have known better. A people who should not have been ignorant to His Truth. It makes me think of the way of our country. We, who should know better, who have Bibles in our homes and churches we are free to attend yet, like the Israelites, we are found unfaithful. We either remain ignorant of His Truth - though it is so easily accessible - or refuse to adhere to it. Israel was unfaithful to the faithful Holy One Who always demonstrated fidelity to His covenant promises. Her unruly behavior was continuously made manifest by her wandering off and roaming restlessly from God to Baal to foreign nations for help. Where do we go to seek for help? Is it in ourselves, or in our government, or in our jobs, or from others?
Ephraim is convicted of folly by both feeding on the wind and pursuing it. God calls seeking for help in anything but Him a mere chasing after the wind. Israel multiplied unfaithfulness through her lies and violence which was demonstrated in both her social injustice and her alliance with Assyria yet the potent prince of Assyria would be no slave to his word no longer than he pleased. Also, Israel was said to have even sent forth the rich present of olive oil to Egypt as a token of her allegiance to them yet when the Egyptians received the bribe, they dropped the cause. Neither Assyria nor Egypt cared about Israel only what they could get from her. All their actions proved futile and self-destructive which is referenced as chasing the wind. The Lord rightfully charged that He was about to bring punishment on their persistent wicked ways repaying them for their deeds.
Hosea reminded the nation of her need to repent drawing a lesson from the life of Jacob hoping to encourage them to return to God. Jacob’s birth gave a hint of the kind of person he would be. His grasping of Esau’s heel foreshadowed Jacob’s deception in stealing his brother’s birthright and blessing. Which, btw, was huge in Biblical times. The word translated “grasped” in Hebrew is “Aqab” meaning “to deceive”. However, Jacob eventually did come to a turning point. When he faced the prospect of death at Esau’s hand on his return to the land of Canaan, Scripture tells us he wrestled with God, refusing to let go until he received a blessing – weeping and begging for favor. We see in Genesis:
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon. Genesis 32:22-32 (NIV)
Before Jacob entered the land of promise, he was met by God (unbeknownst by him at the onset) in a wrestling match, Who both crippled and blessed him. This event was an important turning point in the patriarch's life who up until that point went forth in his own strength and manipulative, deceitful ways. Jacob, which means “one who supplants” or “deceiver”, had lived most of his life living up to his name. The fact that the match lasted till daybreak is significant. For the darkness symbolized Jacob's situation. The fear and uncertainty of meeting Esau again had seized him.
We see in Scripture the Assailant touched Jacob so that his hip went out of joint. The point is clear: the Assailant gave Himself the advantage. Jacob, the deceitful fighter, was crippled by a supernatural blow. In a word, like so many of his rivals, Jacob now encountered Someone he could not defeat.
Then both the identity of the Assailant and the significance of the fight dawned on Jacob. Once he realized who his Assailant was Jacob held on resolutely, pleading for a blessing. It is significant that in response to Jacob's request for a blessing the Man asked... What is your name? When one remembers that in the Old Testament one's name is linked to his nature, the point becomes clear: Jacob's pattern of life had to be radically changed! In saying his name, Jacob had to reveal his whole nature. Here the “heel-catcher” (literally “one who supplants”) was caught, and had to confess his true nature before he could be blessed.
The blessing took the form of a new name—Israel. This name most probably means “God fights,” as the popular etymology signifies. The explanation was then given that Jacob had fought with God and with men. It is easy to comprehend his having fought with men but that he fought “with God” is more difficult to understand. Throughout Jacob's entire life he had been dragging God's blessing out under all circumstances for his own use, under “his own steam.” He was too self-willed and too proud to let the blessing be given to him. Don’t we see that to be oh so true in our day and age? God’s grace is free, it is His unmerited favor offered to all yet many refuse. God’s grace leaves no room for human strength and pride. Paul states in Ephesians:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
So “God fights” was now his name. This meant, first, that God chose, because of the patriarch's stubbornness and pride, to fight against him. Second, it meant that God would fight for Israel. Just as He had always done. I am reminded of how much God desires for us to trust Him in our circumstances. To go forth in His achieving power and not our own useless strength. The story of Jehoshaphat demonstrates this beautifully:
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” 18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very loud voice. 20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value--more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets. 29 The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. 2 Chronicles 20:15-30 (NIV)
The tenacity of Jacob for God’s blessing is impressive. In the little book The 21 Most Effective Prayers of the Bible, author Dave Earley writes: (pages 18-22). (1)
Max Lucado (2) – An Encouraging Word
Like Jacob, the deceitful nation needed to return to her covenant Ruler in genuine repentance. The Lord God Almighty – Who has all the armies of heaven and earth at His command, the self-existent Jehovah, the great I AM, Who was and is and is to come, infinite, eternal and unchangeable God ever delights in the prayers of His children. He remembers that we are dust – He knows our frailty and weaknesses – it is we who do not! We are to come before Him in genuine repentance with prayers and tears. This would involve a commitment to love and justice, as well as a dependence upon the Lord rather than on herself.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalms 51:17 (NIV)
2 “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)
We are to be fervent in prayer and wait on the Lord – seeking His will and way:
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalms 27:14 (NIV)
Hosea’s cry was that Israel must return to their God, from Him you have evolved; therefore turn to Him by repentance and faith, turn to Him as yours, to love Him, obey Him, and depend on Him. Maintain love and justice and be kind to all. Verse six of Hosea is key for us as well:
6 But you must return (a movement back to the point of departure) to your God; maintain (careful attention paid to the obligations of a covenant, to laws, or to statutes, to keep the way of the Lord) love (love, kindness, mercy) and justice (attribute of God, rooted in His character and is to be emulated by His children), and wait (patiently wait) for your God always (at all times, without interruption, regularly). Hosea 12:6 (NIV)
Obviously, Israel’s repentance would necessitate a complete reversal in her dealings and attitudes – turning from her ways to His. In her reproof for her sin she is charged with turning from God through religious hypocrisy, idolatry, and breaking the laws of justice. The nation was permeated by economic dishonesty, oppression (defraud), pride (Ephraim boasts), and insensitivity to her sin. The Old Testament frequently spoke against using scales that were rigged to weigh out less merchandise than the buyer thought he was getting and in verse 7 she is charged with deceit in trade. Ephraim was just a common cheat. He does not deny the charge but insists on his own justification. Suppose he had used dishonest scales yet he had become wealthy. He could not be convinced that there was any harm in it no matter what the Prophet said. This deception angers God:
1 The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. Proverbs 11:1 (NIV)
11 Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making. Proverbs16:11 (NIV)
Carnal hearts are often confirmed in their evil ways by their worldly prosperity and success in those ways. But it is a great mistake. Every word in what Ephraim says here proclaims his folly. It is folly to call the riches of this world wealth, for they are things that are not. Proverbs tells us:
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. Proverbs 23:5 (NIV)
It is folly to think that what we have is for ourselves alone. Ephraim believed his wealth was for his use only, whereas God desires for us to be found faithful stewards of the wealth we have received. It is also folly to think that growing rich in a sinful way makes us innocent or will make us safe. Isaiah tells us:
10 You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ Isaiah 47:10 (NIV)
Where do we put our trust? Read Chris Tiegreen’s November 3
Carnal hearts are apt to build a good opinion of themselves excusing their evil as acceptable practices – fashionable wickedness, so to speak; it’s common practice, the usual, and everybody does it. Nobody will think the worse of them for it. Much akin in our day where we make light of sin – even glamorize it -keeping us from being red flagged by it. Make no mistake about it – God never winks at sin. Yet, we even soften the names of sin to make them more palatable. No longer is it called adultery it is now an affair – making sin sound glamorous and adventurous rather than the stench of death that it really is yet in all this it does not make it right. God sees not as man sees, He judges not as man judges. And no amount of pretty verbiage or convincing ourselves of the rightness of wrong is going to make it right. What makes it right in God’s sight is turning from it to Him. Agreeing with Him that it is harmful and wrong. The Israelites were to repent and reform.
Though God had given His people a land flowing with milk and honey and had not forbid them to enrich themselves by merchandise if they had been fair as merchants in their practices, yet the reproach came from their cheating everyone they dealt with. They deceived and oppressed with a great deal of skill and cunning and God was not pleased. We see this in our time as well. Indeed, my family has experienced this personally and all under the guise of Christianity.
Foolishly, Israel trusted that her wealth would hide her sin and keep her safe yet God would find her lacking. Sounds a bit like America does it not? On what or whom do we trust? Judgment was looming for the Israelites. God had led her from Egypt to the Promised Land and now He would bring her back into the wilderness again, making her live in tents.
Though God had communicated His will to Israel through the Prophets, the people had repudiated those messages and wickedness and religious hypocrisy flourished. Their high places would be destroyed like piles of stone. God reminded them that they had been raised in humility. He recalls their ancestors humble beginnings. Their father Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents – a refugee - a poor servant who had to pay for his wife by tending sheep. Moses was raised up to bring their forefathers out of Egypt – the land of slavery. There was no room for pride. Yet in all this Ephraim maintained a base ingratitude by not remembering, repenting and reforming. Therefore, God would take away the life he himself willingly forfeited. He would not extend forgiveness. Ephraim would be repaid for his evil.
These are Beth’s personal notes, due to this fact sources are not often stated.