The Vine Becomes a Thorn | Hosea
By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
From Hosea Chapter 10:1-8
10:1 Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones. 2Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?” 4They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field. 5The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile. 6It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances. 7Samaria’s king will be destroyed, swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters. 8The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
Hosea 10:1 tells us that Israel began as a lush vine that brought much fruit. By verse 8, however, we learn that “The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars.” A fruitful vine turned into thorns and thistles. What happened in between?
This passage reminds us of three things:
1. The result of irreverence
Hosea 10:3 says, “Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?” Because they did not fear God, they built more altars as their fruit increased and as the land prospered, they adorned their sacred stones. To fear God means to acknowledge God as God. Israel did not regard the Lord as their king, they reigned as their own king. Every one of them went their own ways. As a result, their abundant life turned into terrible thorns and thistles.
2. The result of untruthfulness
Hosea 10:4 says, “They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.” With lies they made agreements and took false oaths. These are acts that God hates because God is a God of faithfulness. In Proverbs, the Bible repeatedly reminds us that the Lord detests differing weights and measures. In fact, the Book of Revelation says that the deceitful and liars cannot enter New Jerusalem. We regard lying as trivial, we don’t make much of it, because everyone is false; only God is true. But when a nation loses its moral integrity, everyone enters into agreements with lies and takes false oaths, and disaster will surely come upon that nation. The result will be thorns and thistles instead of fruitful vines.
3. The result of having deceitful hearts
Hosea 10:2 says, “Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt.” What were they thinking? Verse 5 tells us that they replaced the only true God with a golden calf. They served God on the one hand and served the golden calf on the other. Verse 6 tells us that they regarded the king of Assyria as their king. In their minds, the Israelites knew that the Lord is God, that He is their King, but in their hearts, they did not fear God. They did not regard Him as God nor did they regard Him as King. They depended instead on an earthly king — a king who turned on them and destroyed them, thus turning the vine turned into thorns and thistles.
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葡萄樹成為荊棘 | 何西亞書
張國強牧師
何西亞書 10:1-8
10:1 以色列是茂盛的葡萄樹, 結果繁多, 果子越多, 就越增添祭壇; 地土越肥美, 就越造美麗的柱像。2 他們心懷二意, 現今要定為有罪;耶和華必拆毀他們的祭壇, 毀壞他們的柱像。3 他們必說: 我們沒有王, 因為我們不敬畏耶和華。王能為我們作甚麼呢。4 他們為立約說謊言, 起假誓, 因此, 災罰如苦菜滋生在田間的犁溝中。5 撒瑪利亞的居民必因伯亞文的牛犢驚恐, 崇拜牛犢的民和喜愛牛犢的祭司, 都必因榮耀離開他, 為他悲哀。6 人必將牛犢帶到亞述, 當作禮物, 獻給耶雷布王, 以法蓮必蒙羞, 以色列必因自己的計謀慚愧; 7 至於撒瑪利亞, 他的王必滅沒, 如水面的沫子一樣。8 伯亞文的丘壇, 就是以色列取罪的地方, 必被毀滅, 荊棘和蒺藜必長在他們的祭壇上, 他們必對大山說: 遮蓋我們。對小山說: 倒在我們身上。
10:1開始的時候告訴我們, 以色列是茂盛的葡萄樹, 結果繁多; 但在結束的時候; 10:8 以色列取罪的地方, 必被毀滅, 荊棘和蒺藜必長在他們的祭壇上。葡萄樹最後竟成為了荊棘和蒺藜, 中間發生了什麼事呢? 這段經文提醒我們三件事：
1. 不敬畏的結果。
10:3 他們必說: 我們沒有王, 因為我們不敬畏耶和華。王能為我們作甚麼呢。當他們越發興旺的時候, 他們就越發犯罪要, 地土越肥美, 就越造美麗的柱像。因為在他們心底裡沒有一顆敬畏神的心。敬畏神就是以神為神, 他們不以神作他們的王, 他們自己作自己的王, 人人偏行己路, 結果豐盛的生命成為了可怕的荊棘。
2. 不誠實的結果。
10:4 他們為立約說謊言, 起假誓, 因此, 災罰如苦菜滋生在田間的犁溝中。他們以謊言立約, 他們起假誓。這些都是神所憎惡的事, 因為神是信實的神, 在箴言書裡, 聖經一次又一次提醒我們二樣的法碼是神所憎惡的; 啟示錄甚至說, 說謊的不能進新耶路撒冷。我們對謊言看得很簡單, 很隨便, 因為人都是虛假, 只有神是信實的, 當一個國家失去了信實, 人人以謊言立約, 起假誓, 災難一定會降臨在全國裡, 結果葡萄樹成為了荊棘。
3. 心懷二意的結果。
10:2 他們心懷二意, 現今要定為有罪。他們心裡在想什麼呢？第五節告訴我們, 他們以金牛犢代替了獨一的真神, 他們一方面事奉神又事奉金牛犢; 第六節告訴我們, 他們以亞述王作他們的王。在以色列人的頭腦裡, 他們都知道耶和華是神, 是他們的王, 但在他們的心裡, 他們不敬畏神, 不以神為神, 也不以神為王, 他們在尋求世界的王來幫助他們, 結果他們所倚靠的亞述王, 最後卻毀滅了他們, 葡萄樹成為了荊棘。