Why Do Disasters Come? | Hosea
By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
From Hosea Chapter 8:1-6
8:1 “Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law. 2Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’ 3But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. 4They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. 5Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity? 6They are from Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.
Hosea 8:1 says, “Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord…” This describes the impending arrival of disaster The enemy will attack the Israelites like an eagle. Why? The prophet gave the Israelites three reasons:
First, they broke the covenant with God.
8:1 “because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.” The Lord is a covenant-keeping God. Starting from Adam, God has been making covenants with his own people. When the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt, he made a covenant with them on Mount Sinai. This covenant was not a covenant with any individual but a covenant with the whole nation. The Lord spoke from heaven and gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. They heard the voice of God, and became afraid to speak to the Lord again, so Moses accepted God’s covenant on the nation’s behalf on Mount Sinai. When Moses came down the mountain, he held two stone tablets in his hand. These were the Ten Commandments. These are God’s laws and his covenant.
The Israelites have broken these laws again and again, 8:5-6 “Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity? They are from Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.” They replaced God with man-made idols. The second commandment says you shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything to take the place of God. Yet they replaced the Lord God with a calf. They broke God’s covenant.
Second, they thought they knew God.
8:2 “Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’” They had the law, they knew the law, but they never knew God. They knew of God in their minds, but they never knew Him in their lives. Samuel said to King Saul: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” Obedience is better than sacrifice, and obedience is better than the fat of rams. The Israelites only knew that sacrifices were necessary, but they didn’t understand why they offered sacrifices, because all their knowledge was just in their mind, their relationship with God was very superficial.
Third, they rejected what is good.
8:3 “But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.” What is goodness? Goodness can also mean blessings. This means they rejected their blessings. Psalm 16:2 “I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:4 “Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.” Psalm 16:5 “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.” David tells us that the Lord is our portion and apart from the Lord we have no good thing. God is our goodness. To reject goodness is to reject God because there is no one who is good except God. Isn’t this what the Lord Jesus told the young official?
Church, when we face difficulties, let us not blame God or others too quickly. Let us each examine ourselves carefully and ask, “Have I made these three mistakes?”
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為何有災難? | 何西亞書
張國強牧師
何西亞書 8:1-6
8:1 你用口吹角罷, 敵人如鷹來攻打耶和華的家, 因為這民違背我的約, 干犯我的律法。2他們必呼叫我說: 我的神阿, 我們以色列認識你了。3以色列丟棄良善〔或作福分〕仇敵必追逼他。4他們立君王, 卻不由我; 他們立首領, 我卻不認; 他們用金銀為自己製造偶像,以致被剪除。5撒瑪利亞阿, 耶和華已經丟棄你的牛犢, 我的怒氣向拜牛犢的人發作, 他們到幾時方能無罪呢? 6這牛犢出於以色列,是匠人所造的, 並不是神; 撒瑪利亞的牛犢, 必被打碎。
8:1 你用口吹角罷, 敵人如鷹來攻打耶和華的家! 這是災難要來臨的情況, 敵人要如鷹一樣來攻擊以色列人, 為什麼呢? 先知告訴以色列人三個原因:
第一.他們背約。
8:1因為這民違背我的約, 干犯我的律法。神是立約的神, 從亞當開始, 神就與屬祂的人立約。當神將猶太人領出埃及後, 在西乃山與選民立約, 這約不是個人的, 是全國性的; 神從天上發出聲音, 將十條誡命告訴以色列人, 他們聽見神的聲音, 他們心裡非常害怕, 不敢再與神說話, 摩西就代表全國上西乃山接受神的約; 摩西下山的時候, 手裡拿著二塊石版, 這是十誡的石版, 這是神的律法也是神的立約的石版。以色列人一次又一次違背神的律法, 8:5-6 撒瑪利亞阿, 耶和華已經丟棄你的牛犢, 我的怒氣向拜牛犢的人發作, 他們到幾時方能無罪呢? 這牛犢出於以色列,是匠人所造的, 並不是神; 撒瑪利亞的牛犢, 必被打碎。他們造偶像代替神, 十誡第二條: 不要作任何的形像代替神, 他們竟以牛犢來代替耶和華上帝。他們背了神的約。
第二. 自以為認識神。
8:2 他們必呼叫我說: 我的神阿, 我們以色列認識你了。他們有律法, 他們熟識律法, 但他們從來不認識神; 他們在頭腦上知道神, 但在生命中從來不認識神。撒母耳對掃羅王說: 耶和華喜悅燔祭和平安祭, 豈如喜悅人聽從他的話呢? 聽命勝於獻祭,順從勝於公羊的脂油。以色列人只知道要獻祭, 卻完全不明白為何要獻祭, 因為他們所有的知識都是在頭腦上, 他們與神的關係是非常的膚淺。
第三. 他們丟棄良善。
8:3 以色列丟棄良善〔或作福分〕仇敵必追逼他。良善是什麼? 良善可以作福分, 他們將他們的福都丟棄了, 這是指什麼呢? 詩篇16:2 我的心哪, 你曾對耶和華說: 你是我的主, 我的好處不在你以外。16:4 以別神代替耶和華的, 他們的愁苦必加增。16:5 耶和華是我的產業, 是我杯中的分。大衛告訴我們, 神就是我們的分, 我們一切的好處不在神以外。神說是我們的良善, 丟棄了良善就是丟棄了神, 因為除了神以外, 也沒有良善了。這不是主耶穌對那位少年的官所說的話嗎?
教會, 當我們面對困難時, 不要馬上埋怨神, 抱怨人, 好好省察一下, 我有沒有犯了這三個錯誤呢?