{"id":29339,"date":"2024-01-04T22:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T05:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/hosea-11_1-12-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-12-26T18:27:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T01:27:33","slug":"hosea-12_1-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/hosea-12_1-14\/","title":{"rendered":"From a Deceiver to a Receiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hosea 12:1-14 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Hosea\u00a012:1-14.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Hosea 12:1-14 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there–
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the\u00a0LORD\u00a0God Almighty, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0is his name of renown!
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The merchant uses dishonest scales; he loves to defraud.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.”
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I am the\u00a0LORD\u00a0your God, [who brought you] out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed feasts.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them.”
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Is Gilead wicked? Its people are worthless! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Their altars will be like piles of stones on a plowed field.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jacob fled to the country of Aram; Israel served to get a wife, and to pay for her he tended sheep.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet he cared for him.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But Ephraim has bitterly provoked him to anger; his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-14:\u00a0 To appreciate God’s message to the Israelites (and to us) in\u00a0Hosea\u00a012, you need to know something about Jacob, one of Israel’s forefathers and the man after whom the nation of Israel was named.\u00a0 Jacob’s life forms the backdrop to a lot of what\u00a0Hosea\u00a012\u00a0is talking about.<\/p>\n

You see, Jacob lived much of his life thinking he had to scratch, claw and fight for everything he had.\u00a0 His approach toward all of life was “transactional”.\u00a0 Like a merchant, he was constantly striking deals with people, including when it came to finding a wife (v12), and even with God: “I’ll give you this, if you give me that.” \u00a0As part of this, Jacob would often lie to get ahead, pretending to be someone that he was not.\u00a0 In this way Jacob lived up to his name, which means “deceiver”.<\/p>\n

Later on in life, after Jacob had amassed much wealth and a big family, Jacob reached a crossroads.\u00a0 The fear, shame and guilt of his past sins had caught up to him.\u00a0 In Genesis 32, Jacob finds himself in a wrestling match with God.\u00a0 In that wrestling match, God asks Jacob what his name is.\u00a0 In response, for the first time in his life, Jacob faces the fact that he is a sinner. He says, “My name is Jacob” and in so doing admits to being a deceiver (Genesis 32:27).\u00a0 He also seeks a blessing from God that he cannot earn (Genesis 32:26). \u00a0 So God blesses Jacob and renames Jacob “Israel” (meaning “struggle with God”), “because you have struggled with God and men and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28)<\/p>\n

Ironically, the time when Jacob truly overcame his struggle with God was when he finally decided to face who he really was, admit to his sin, and ask God for a blessing that he could not earn or bargain for.\u00a0 He was surrendering to God.<\/p>\n

This ends up being the most significant turning point in Jacob’s life.\u00a0 Jacob goes from being a deceiver, someone who had a transactional approach toward God, to a receiver, someone who was willing to admit his sin and receive grace from God that he could not earn.\u00a0 By letting go of his transactional approach toward God and receiving God’s grace, Jacob ended up with a real relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Hosea\u00a0speaks about Jacob’s transformation from a deceiver to a receiver in verses 3-5:<\/p>\n

Hosea\u00a012:3-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there–
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is his name of renown!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Why does\u00a0Hosea\u00a012\u00a0bring up Jacob and his transformation?\u00a0 It’s because\u00a0Hosea\u00a012\u00a0is comparing the original Israel (Jacob) with the Israelites of\u00a0Hosea’s time.\u00a0 In particular,\u00a0Hosea\u00a012\u00a0says that the Israelites of\u00a0Hosea’s time were like their forefather Jacob in the following ways:<\/p>\n

– Like Jacob, Hosea identifies his own people as having a transactional approach toward life.\u00a0 Like a “merchant” (v7), the nation of Israel was constantly striking bargains with other nations like Assyria and Egypt (v1).\u00a0 They put their hope in their ability to strike bargains with others.<\/p>\n

– Like Jacob, Hosea identifies his own people as sometimes acting dishonestly and deceitfully (“The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud” – v7).<\/p>\n

– Like Jacob, Hosea identifies his own people as putting their hope in their own wealth (v8) (“Ephraim boasts, ‘I am very rich; I have become wealthy.\u00a0 With all my wealth, they will not find in me any iniquity of sin.'” – v8).<\/p>\n

Yet unlike their forefather Jacob, Hosea says that the Israelites had not humbled themselves before God or returned to Him.\u00a0 God cared for the Israelites by sending prophets to speak to them (v10).\u00a0 He sent the prophet Moses to lead them out of slavery in Egypt and to care for them (v13).\u00a0 Yet the Israelites did not respond like Jacob did, with humility and repentance.\u00a0 Instead, they persisted in their idolatrous ways (v11) and continued their transactional approach toward God.\u00a0 By insisting on a transactional approach toward God, the Israelites were “feeding on the wind” (v1), pursuing something that was vain and futile.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from all this?\u00a0 Do you have a transactional approach toward God?\u00a0 Do you try to strike bargains with God (“If you give me this, then I will give you that”)?\u00a0 Do you secretly think you can earn God’s love?\u00a0 If so, then like Jacob you have a transactional approach toward God and you are deceiving yourself.\u00a0 God wants to move us from being deceivers (who think we can strike bargains with God and earn His love) to receivers (people who recognize that there’s nothing we can do to earn God’s love but that we can receive His love as a gift of His grace).<\/p>\n

If you have a transactional approach toward God, then as verse 6 says, it’s time to “return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait for your God always” (v6). \u00a0(By the way, when it says, “hold fast to love and justice”, remember who is love and justice?\u00a0 Jesus!\u00a0 Hold fast to\u00a0Him<\/em>!)<\/p>\n

If you insist on trying to earn God’s love rather than to receive it, if you try to deal with God on your own transactional terms, you will always fall short.\u00a0 As verse 2 says, “He will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds”. \u00a0(See also verse 14, the result of a transactional approach toward God.)<\/p>\n

So don’t try to strike bargains with God.\u00a0 Stop trying to earn God’s love.\u00a0 Instead, like Jacob, humble yourself before Him.\u00a0 Admit that you are a sinner and receive His love, blessing and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.\u00a0 When you do, He will give you a new identity, just as He did Jacob.<\/p>\n

Father, may I not be deceived into thinking that I can earn or deserve Your love and favour.\u00a0 Like Jacob, help me to go from being a deceiver to a receiver, someone who receives Your love as a gift.\u00a0 Just as you gave Jacob a new name, may Your love redefine who I am and my purpose for living.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Hosea\u00a012:1-14.\u00a0 Let’s go!
\n\u00a0
\nHosea 12:1-14 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.<\/p>\n

On verses 1-14:\u00a0 To appreciate God’s message to the Israelites (and to us) in\u00a0Hosea\u00a012, you need to know something about Jacob, one of Israel’s forefathers and the man after whom the nation of Israel was named.\u00a0 Jacob’s life forms the backdrop to a lot of what\u00a0Hosea\u00a012\u00a0is talking about.<\/p>\n

You see, Jacob lived much of his life thinking he had to scratch, claw and fight for everything he had.\u00a0 His approach toward all of life was “transactional”.\u00a0 Like a merchant, he was constantly striking deals with people, including when it came to finding a wife (v12), and even with God: “I’ll give you this, if you give me that.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29339"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29342,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29339\/revisions\/29342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}