Promised Healing: Hosea 5v1-6v3

Verse 1 and on page 903 of the Church Bible.

Hear this, you priests. Pay attention, you Israelites.

Listen, O royal house. This judgment is against you.

You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor.

The rebels are deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them.

I know all about Ephraim. Israel is not hidden from me.

Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution. Israel is corrupt.

Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God.

A spirit of prostitution is in their heart. They do not acknowledge the Lord.

Israel's arrogance testifies against them. The Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin.

Judah also stumbles with them.

When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find him.

He has withdrawn himself from them.

They are unfaithful to the Lord.

They give birth to illegitimate children.

Now their new moon festivals will devour them and their fields.

Sound the trumpet in Gibeah.

The horn in Ramah.

Raise the battle cry in Beth-Avon.

Lead on, O Benjamin.

Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning.

Among the tribes of Israel, I proclaim what is certain.

Judah's leaders are like those who move boundary stones.

I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water.

Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols.

I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah.

When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his sores,

then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent the great king for help.

But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores.

For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah.

I will tear them to pieces and go away.

I will carry them off with no one to rescue them.

Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt.

And they will seek my face.

In their misery they will earnestly seek me.

Come, let us return to the Lord.

He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us.

He has injured us, but he will bind up our wounds.

After two days he will revive us.

On the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

Let us acknowledge the Lord.

Let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises he will appear.

He will come to us like the winter rains,

like the spring rains that water the earth.

Thanks, Chris.

Well, let's pray.

Let us pray.

Father, it is our desire that we would know you better,

that we would love you more.

And we realize that our hearts can grow cold to you.

We can turn away from you.

And so we ask, Father, that through your word today,

it would spark that fire,

that a flame would roar,

that we would be drawn closer to you afresh.

That your word would be a word of healing to our lives.

That you would bring us back if we need to be brought back.

That you would grow us where we need to grow.

That we would become more like you.

So, Father, do your work amongst us today, we pray.

Amen.

Well, it had been an exhausting and emotional trial.

Outside the court,

the crowds had gathered,

the press waited anxiously,

cameras at the ready.

Inside the court,

there was complete and utter silence.

The judge took his seat,

ready to give his verdict.

The court had heard how a wife who was loved,

cared for and treasured by her husband,

had left the family home and had an affair.

And central to the case was when the husband

took the stand to give evidence

against his wife.

Fighting back the tears,

he explained how his wife of many years

had left the marriage time and time again,

refusing to come home.

He took no delight in what he said.

He was heartbroken,

longing that she would return.

What would be the verdict of the judge?

Well, that's the scene as we step into chapter 5.

On trial is God's wife, Israel.

And giving evidence against his wife is God himself,

the faithful and loyal husband.

But now the husband must turn and play the role of judge.

What will be his verdict?

Well, look at verse 1.

After his deliberations,

the judge gives his verdict.

Hear this, you priests.

Pay attention, you Israelites.

Listen, O royal house.

This judgment is against you.

Now let's remember that this is also our story.

Because this story pictures how we,

the whole human race,

have rejected God's good and faithful love.

We've ignored his advances towards us.

We've gone in search of other lovers.

And now God turns

to give his verdict.

What does he have to say

to us?

Well, it comes in three parts.

First, God says,

I will withdraw my love from you.

Before announcing his judgment,

God summarizes the evidence

against his wife.

Look at verse 3.

I know all about Ephraim.

Ephraim, of course,

is another name for Israel the nation.

I know all about Ephraim.

Israel is not hidden from me.

I've seen everything you've done.

I've watched how you've walked away from me

into the arms of other lovers.

Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution.

Israel is corrupt.

Perhaps we can remember,

but we've certainly all witnessed

the vows at a wedding.

The groom lovingly

takes the hand of his bride

and makes this promise.

I take you to be my lawful wedded wife.

To have and to hold from this day forward.

For better, for worse.

For richer, for poorer.

In sickness and in health.

To love and to cherish.

Till death us do part.

And then the bride takes the hand of the groom

and she places a ring on his finger.

I give you this ring

as a sign of my love

and the promise that I have made to you today.

Well, Israel had done the same thing with God.

In love, God had pursued them.

He had rescued them from slavery in Egypt.

He had brought them to himself.

And together they stood at Mount Sinai

ready to make their marriage vows.

And God read out the vows before his bride

in what we know as the Ten Commandments.

And he says to his bride,

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not bow down to them

or worship them.

For I, the Lord your God,

am a jealous God.

I will not share your love with another.

And now those vows were in tatters.

Verse 4.

Their deeds do not permit them

to return to their God.

A spirit of adultery or prostitution

is in their heart.

They do not acknowledge the Lord.

Verse 7.

They are unfaithful to the Lord.

They give birth to illegitimate children.

They pass on their behaviour

to the next generation.

And like Israel,

we too, the human race,

have walked out on the marriage.

We have not trusted God's goodness

and generosity.

We have believed the lies

that he is not good.

We have exchanged him for other lovers

and gone to other things

and other people

in search of our joy

and our happiness.

Well, as we listen to the words of the judge,

let's remember that these are also

the words of a faithful husband

with tears in his eyes.

His response to his people

for persistently walking out on his love,

sadly, regrettably,

is to withdraw his love from them.

Look at verse 6.

When they go with their flocks

and their herds

to seek the Lord,

when they go to make sacrifice again

and try and get back into God's favour,

they will not find him.

He has withdrawn himself from them.

When they come running back

from their failed lovers,

when they come knocking on the door,

there will be no answer.

No one will be at home.

God has left.

He has withdrawn his love.

It's tragic.

Now, we might struggle

with the very thought of that,

but let's remember,

Israel is a serial adulteress.

This has gone on for hundreds of years,

down through the generations,

and it's progressively got worse.

So, in a sense,

God is giving them

what they've been asking for all along.

You want to live without my love?

Then a life without my love

you shall have.

You see, God is jealous for his people.

He's not about to give up on them.

He will fight for them.

He will pursue them.

He will give his life for his people.

But if we continue to reject his love,

if we continue to push against his advances,

there will come a time

when he will withdraw his love from us.

And we will come knocking,

but there will be no answer.

The tragic verdict

upon those who continue to push God away.

And second,

the verdict continues.

God says,

I will bring my judgment upon you.

Look at verse 8.

Sound the trumpet in Giver,

the horn in Ramah.

Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven,

the house of wickedness.

Attention!

Listen up!

Hear the trumpet call.

Let me show you what will happen

when I withdraw my love from you.

No one

will be able to protect you, Israel.

The Assyrians are going to come and invade.

No one will be able to rescue you.

In fact,

it will be terrifying.

And in a series of images,

God explains what it will be like.

This is how it will be

when I withdraw my love from you.

He says,

it will be like a flood.

Look at verse 10.

Of course,

this isn't just to Israel,

the northern nation,

but also to Judah,

the southern nation,

because they both

had pushed God away.

So verse 10,

Judah's leaders are like

those who move boundary stones.

I will pour out my wrath in them

like a flood of water.

Because the leaders

didn't deal with the sin,

God responded in wrath.

He says it's going to be

like a dam that bursts

and everything in its path

will be swept away.

Not only will it be a flood,

it will be like a rot.

Verse 11,

Ephraim is oppressed,

trampled in judgment,

intent on pursuing

their other lovers.

I am like a moth to Ephraim,

like rot to the people of Judah.

Just like a rot will eat away,

corroding and breaking,

so God will come and destroy them.

He goes on,

he says it will be like a sickness.

Verse 13,

when Ephraim saw his sickness

and Judah his sores,

then Ephraim turned to Assyria

and sent to the king for help,

come and help us.

But he is not able to cure you,

not able to heal your sores.

And so when God's judgment comes,

it will be like a sickness or disease

that they cannot cure.

They'll turn to the other nations

and to other people

looking for their intervention and help,

but they will not save.

It'll be like a flood.

It'll be like a rot.

It'll be like sickness.

Verse 14,

it'll be like a lion.

For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,

like a great lion to Judah.

I will tear them to pieces

and go away.

I will carry them off

with no one to rescue them.

Just like a lion hunting down

its weakened prey,

so God will come

and nothing will be able

to protect you, Israel.

You see,

when God withdraws his love,

when he withdraws his hand

that is upon his people,

it's not freedom.

It's terrifying.

But notice how all this happens.

This is deeply personal to God.

Yes, he may use the Assyrian nation

to come in upon Israel

and Babylon,

the nation that will come into Judah,

but it's God

who is behind this judgment.

Look at verse 14 again.

For I will be like a lion.

I will tear them to pieces.

I will carry them off.

You see,

God's wrath,

his anger,

is not some kind of

uncontrollable temper.

It's not a fit of rage.

No, it's God's just,

fair,

and personal response

to our persistent rejection

of him.

I remember meeting

with a young couple,

not in this church.

They hadn't been married long

and she had discovered

that her new husband

had been sleeping around.

She sat on the couch,

told her story.

The tears flowed down her face.

She was heartbroken.

But they were also tears of anger

and she had every right to be.

He had broken the marriage,

destroyed the trust,

abused her love.

And that's how it is with God.

He is the faithful,

loyal husband

with tears in his eyes.

But he's also the judge

who will not put up

with continued rebellion.

You see,

when there is no love for God,

it doesn't mean

that the world all now

loves one another.

When we don't love God,

there is no love

for others.

Remember the evidence?

Have a look back

at chapter 4, verse 2.

This was the evidence

against God's people.

Chapter 4, verse...

Sorry,

the end of verse 1

of chapter 4.

God says,

there's no faithfulness,

no love,

no acknowledgement

of God in the land.

And in its place,

there is only cursing,

lying,

and murder,

and stealing,

and adultery.

They break all bounds,

and bloodshed

follows bloodshed.

It's the picture

of the world

we live in today.

Now,

as God views

all of this

over the centuries,

He doesn't sit there

and say,

you know what,

it doesn't matter.

Just continue

to do what you like.

Don't worry

about all the abuse

and the trafficking

and the slavery.

Don't bother

about all the stealing

and the lies

and the harsh words.

All the wars

and all the violence,

it doesn't matter.

It does matter.

This is personal

to God

because He is

our Creator.

He owns us.

He rules us.

He loves us.

God is so patient,

longing for us

to return to Him,

but He will not

put up with it

forever.

To face

an invading nation

like Israel did

is one thing.

For us

to stand

face to face

with our personal

God as judge

is another thing

altogether.

Jesus described

that day

like this.

Speaking of Himself,

when the Son of Man,

the Son of Man

is a title

for the one

with all power

and supreme authority.

When the Son of Man

comes

in His glory

and all His angels

with Him,

He will sit

on His throne

in heavenly glory,

all the nations,

all the nations

will be gathered

before Him.

And He will

separate the people

one from another

as a shepherd

separates the sheep

from the goats.

He will put the sheep

to His right,

the goats

to His left.

And He will say

to those on His left,

depart from Me,

you are cursed,

into the eternal fire

prepared for the devil

and His angels.

Then they will go away

to eternal punishment,

but the righteous

to eternal life.

When God withdraws

His love,

it is not freedom.

we face

the terrifying

prospect

of an eternity

in hell.

But that's not

the final verdict.

There is a surprising

statement

of hope

because God says,

I will come

and heal you.

look at verse 15.

Chapter 5,

verse 15.

God is saying,

I will go back

to my place

until they admit

their guilt

and they will

seek my faith.

In their misery

they will earnestly

seek me.

God's desire

is that the judgment

that He will bring

upon His people

is a form of discipline.

He will withdraw

His love

only

to cause His people

to return

in repentance

to Him.

For God

longs

to see the marriage

restored.

God

will

heal

His people.

There is

a promised

healing.

Look at verse 1.

Come,

let us return

to the Lord.

He has torn

us to pieces

but He

will heal us.

He

has injured

us

but He

will bind

up our wounds.

It's a very

strange tension.

Did you read it?

God is the one

who tears

to pieces.

God is the one

who injures

only for God

to heal

and to bind

up our wounds.

Let me show you

two ways

God does this.

First,

and I want you

to engage

with this.

Maybe you are

going through

a hard time

right now.

Life is

difficult.

Circumstances

are painful.

You might

even describe

it as being

dark.

It's like

God has

withdrawn

His love

from you.

It can

feel like

God is

even tearing

you to pieces.

You can

feel crushed

and broken.

Have you

ever felt

like that?

God has

to

God

has

allowed it

not to

get back

at you

but because

He loves

you.

His wounds

are not

harsh

and vindictive

but to

cause our

hearts

to turn

to Him.

the

circumstances

and the

events

that we

go through

may be

painful

but by

trusting

God

they become

loving wounds

so that we

in turn

run

to our

healer.

He has

torn us

to pieces

but He

will yet

heal us.

sometimes

God

has to

draw us

back to

Himself

because we're

walking away

and it's

like a

finger

on our

lives

just a

wound

to say

come back

come back

to me.

Sometimes

it can

be simply

that

it's a

way of

God

to draw

us

closer

to Him

in

dependence

upon

Him

not

that

we've

done

anything

wrong

but to

grow our

love

our

dependence

upon

Him.

He

injures

us

but He

will bind

up our

wounds.

Now I

understand

that that

can be

very hard

for us

to take

in

and you're

thinking

does He

really

injure

us?

does He

really

wound

us?

Well let

me show

you the

second way

God tears

to heal.

Remember

the verdict

we've just

looked at?

We all

stand under

the just

judgment

of God

and when

God's

judgment

comes

it will

be like

being torn

to pieces

but here

He's telling

us that

He will

tear us

to pieces

us but

at the

same time

heal us.

How can

He do

that?

Torn

but healed

injured

but made

well.

The

tension

is resolved

at the

cross.

You see

at the

cross we

see God

torn to

pieces for

us so

that we

can be

healed.

Peter

explains it

like this

1 Peter

1 Peter 2:24

chapter 2

verse 24

says this

He

himself

speaking of

Jesus

bore our

sins in

his body

on the

tree

that we

might die

to sin

and live

for righteousness

by his

wounds

you have

been healed.

Jesus

stood in

for us

He took

the judgment

we deserve

He is

torn to

pieces

for us

He suffers

hell

for us

so that

we might

be forgiven

that we

might be

bound up

forgiven

restored.

Now let's

put that

all together.

If God

can be

torn apart

for you

and for

me

if God

is willing

to put

himself

in that

place

where he

is inflicted

with the

greatest

wound

possible

hell

itself

if God

will do

that for

you

and for

me

then I

can trust

him

with every

other painful

wound and

trial that

he allows

into my

life

to draw

me back

to him

to draw

me closer

to him.

promised

healing.

But there

is something

even greater.

Look at

verse 2.

After two

days he

will

revive us.

On the

third day

he will

restore us

that we

may live

in his

presence.

Hosea is

hearing what

God is saying.

God had

promised

judgment

upon his

people but

Hosea knew

that God

promised that

he is going

to revive

them.

Yes they

would be

cut down

but only

to be

restored.

Yes they

would be

crushed

but only

to be

revived.

It's like

a promised

resurrection.

Look at

verse 2.

After two

days he

will revive

us.

On the

third day

he will

restore us.

Now I'm

not suggesting

Hosea had

in mind

the

resurrection

but Hosea

knew full

well that

God had

promised

somehow

that what

he would

tear down

he could

heal.

What he

could crush

he could

revive.

Life that

he could

take

he could

restore.

And that

is what

God has

done for

us.

Jesus

was torn

to pieces

on the

cross for

us.

Three days

later

he rose

again to

life and

walked out

of that

tomb.

Look at

the end

of verse

2.

That we

may live

in his

presence.

Jesus

is the

fulfilment

of what

Hosea

longed

for the

people.

Raised

to life

that people

like you

and me

might enjoy

his presence

now and

forever so

that we

would never

ever ever

be separated

from his

love.

And know

his love

not just

today but

for an

eternity.

You see

this is our

story.

This is

my story.

This is

what God

can do

for us.

But how

do we

experience

this healing?

How can

I experience

it?

Well look

at verse

1 of

chapter 6.

Come

let us

return to

the Lord.

Verse 3

let us

acknowledge

the Lord.

Let us

press on

and acknowledge

him.

Press on

pursue

God.

Chase

after

him.

Seek

him.

Long

for him.

Maybe

you've done

that with

a lover.

You've

known what

it is to

pursue

someone.

To chase

them.

To seek

for them.

Not to

give up.

To long

for them.

This is

what God

is calling

us to

do.

To get

real with

God.

To do

business

with God.

to wrestle

with him

in your

struggles.

To hear

his voice

speak to

you as

you read

the word.

To talk

to him

as you

cry out

in prayer.

To come

to him

in repentance.

To turn

back to

God and

say you

are the

source of

all my

joy and

all my

goodness.

To come

in faith

afresh

and trust

that nothing

else and

no one

else will

satisfy you

but God

alone.

And as

we turn

back to

Christ

and as

we press

on towards

Christ

look at the

rest of

verse 3

as surely

as the

sun rises

he will

appear.

Just as

we wait

for the

sunrise each

morning to

banish the

darkness so

God is

saying your

healing will

come.

The joy of

forgiveness will

be restored.

Our hearts

will sing as

we enjoy his

presence afresh.

The parched

barren wilderness

that we have

walked through

in this season

of life will

flourish and

bloom again.

Look at the

rest of verse

3.

He will come

to us like

the winter

rains and

the spring

rains that

water

the earth.

I don't

know where

you are

today in

your

relationship

with the

Lord.

Whether

you've

wandered

away from

him as

the source

of all

joy and

goodness.

Or whether

you're

struggling to

trust him

that nothing

else and no

one else

will satisfy

but him

alone.

Well he

says come

back.

Come back

and experience

my healing.

Let the

rain of

my grace

fall upon

you and

where the

desert has

been barren

let it

bloom once

again.

But you

know what

the healing

that we can

experience right

now is

also only

partial.

It's not

complete.

the dark

clouds can

still weigh

heavy upon

us.

In a sense

there's always

going to be

those grey

clouds.

But one

day we

will experience

our full

and complete

healing just

as the sun

rises in the

morning as

sure as the

early morning

sun comes.

So Jesus

says one

day I

will come

and the

Lord Jesus

will appear

in the

heavens not

just to

bring

judgment

but for

his people

to bring

healing.

His light

will banish

the darkness

of all evil

and sin.

His rains

will fall

on the dry

broken and

cursed land

and it will

burst into

life.

And God's

people will

rejoice in

his presence

forever and

forever and

forever.

All suffering

will end.

Death will be

no more.

We will be

healed

at last.

The day

is coming.

His invitation

is for us

now.

Let the

grace of

God

reign upon

us and

experience

that reviving,

that healing

that he

alone can

bring.

Let's do

that right

now as

we pray.