In Vain | Hosea

By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung

From Hosea Chapter 8:7-14

^8:7 “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. ⁸Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants. ⁹For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers. ¹⁰Although they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king. ¹¹“Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. ¹²I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something foreign. ¹³Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt. ¹⁴Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces;  Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will consume their fortresses.”

Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Twice,  this verse tells us that unless something is of the Lord, we are simply attempting things in vain. The prophet Hosea also warned the Israelites that if they do not regard the Lord as God, everything they do would only be in vain.

First, they will sow in vain. 

Hosea 8:7 “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.” Of course, people sow in order to harvest. But now, they are harvesting a whirlwind. The stalk has no head and produces no flour. Even if they yield grain, foreigners simply swallow them up. It was a total waste of time and effort. 

Second, they seek allies in vain. 

When the Israelites faced enemies, they immediately thought of surrendering to the pagans; with gold and silver they sought these allies. But this act only turned Israel into “something no one wanted”.  Hosea 8:8  “Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants.” From history, we can  see that Israel was finally destroyed by her ally Assyria.

Third, they offered sacrifices in vain. 

Hosea 8:11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning.” The altars have become altars for sinning, this is heart-rending.  Why was the Lord not pleased with their sacrifices? Hosea 8:13 “Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt.”  They offered sacrifices to partake of it themselves. They did not sacrifice because they were repentant, therefore their sins remained before the Lord.

Everything was in vain, how heartbreaking! The prophet Haggai once said the same thing, Haggai 1:6-7 “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.” 

Church, let us give careful thought to all that we do!

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徒然 | 何西亞書 

張國強牧師

何西亞書 8:7-14

^8:7 他們所種的是風, 所收的是暴風, 所種的不成禾稼, 就是發苗也不結實, 即便結實, 外邦人必吞喫。⁸以色列被吞喫, 現今在列國中, 好像人不喜悅的器皿。⁹他們投奔亞述, 如同獨行的野驢; 以法蓮賄買朋黨。¹⁰他們雖在列邦中賄買人, 現在我卻要聚集懲罰他們; 他們因君王和首領所加的重擔, 日漸衰微。¹¹以法蓮增添祭壇取罪,因此, 祭壇使他犯罪。¹²我為他寫了律法萬條, 他卻以為與他毫無關涉。¹³至於獻給我的祭物, 他們自食其肉, 耶和華卻不悅納他們．現在必記念他們的罪孽, 追討他們的罪惡, 他們必歸回埃及。¹⁴以色列忘記造他的主, 建造宮殿, 猶大多造堅固城, 我卻要降火焚燒他的城邑, 燒滅其中的宮殿。

詩篇127:1「若不是耶和華建造房屋, 建造的人就枉然勞力; 若不是耶和華看守城池, 看守的人就枉然儆醒。」二次告訴我們若不是耶和華, 我們所作的一切都是徒然的。先知何西亞也同樣警告以色列人如果不以神為神, 我們所作的一切也必是徒然的。

第一.徒然耕種。

8:7 他們所種的是風, 所收的是暴風, 所種的不成禾稼, 就是發苗也不結實, 即便結實, 外邦人必吞喫。耕種當然是為收成, 但現在所收的是暴風, 苗也不能結實, 結實的也被外邦人吞吃, 這真是浪費人力物力與時間。

第二. 徒然結交盟友。

以色列人面對敵人的時候, 他們馬上想到要投靠外邦人, 用金用銀去結交他們的盟友, 但結果卻是被成為不被喜悅的器皿。8:8 以色列被吞喫, 現今在列國中, 好像人不喜悅的器皿。從歷史上我們也可以看見, 以色列最後竟被她的盟友亞述所滅。

第三. 徒然獻祭。

8:11 以法蓮增添祭壇取罪,因此, 祭壇使他犯罪。祭壇使他犯罪, 這是何等悲哀的聲音, 為什麼神不喜悅呢? 8:13 至於獻給我的祭物, 他們自食其肉, 耶和華卻不悅納他們; 現在必記念他們的罪孽, 追討他們的罪惡, 他們必歸回埃及。他們獻祭是自食其肉, 他們根本不是為認罪而獻祭, 他們的罪孽仍在神的面前。

徒然, 這是何得可悲的聲音; 先知哈該也曾說同樣的話, 哈該書 1:6-7「你們撒的種多, 收的卻少; 你們喫, 卻不得飽、喝、卻不得足,穿衣服, 卻不得暖; 得工錢的, 將工錢裝在破漏的囊中。萬軍之耶和華如此說: 你們要省察自己的行為。」

我們要好好省察自己所作的一切啊!