Please turn with me this morning once again to Hosea, as we read together and consider Hosea chapter 8. The book of Hosea, chapter 8. We hear now the Word of God. 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. Israel cries out to me, O our God, we acknowledge you. But Israel has rejected what is good. An enemy will pursue him. They 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. Throw out your calf idol, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity? They are from Israel. This calf, a craftsman has made it. It is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria. They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head. It will produce no flower. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. Israel is swallowed up. Now she is among the nations like a worthless thing. For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey, wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers. Although 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. Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. They offer sacrifices given to me, and they eat the meat, but the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt. Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces. Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire upon their cities that will consume their fortresses. May God add his blessing to the reading, the preaching, the hearing of his word this morning. A beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the most frustrating situations, I believe, for parents with their children, especially young children, even older children, I suppose, is that when parents tell them to do something or not to do something, and they end up doing the very opposite of that which they were told to do or not to do. For example, when you're walking with your young son or daughter and there's a water puddle in front of you, and you say, there's a puddle. Don't jump in it. Don't walk through it. Don't try to jump over it. Go around it. And the very next thing you know, they're standing right in the middle of it, soaking wet, and maybe you're with them. And all you can do is really shake your head and say, I cannot believe you just did that. Well, imagine God's frustration with His people, including you and me. Here He sounds a warning. Put the trumpet to your lips. Boys and girls, that was the alarm signal. 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. He sounds a warning that danger is coming, but it should be no surprise, especially these words, because Moses said back in Deuteronomy 28, the Lord will bring a nation against you from far away from the ends of the earth like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you. And it's as if Hosea has read Moses, no doubt he knew it, and he is now saying, that's what's happening. That's what's coming upon you. But why? Well, we need to remember that Moses had also warned them in Deuteronomy chapter 4, be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that He made with you. And these striking words in Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 10 through 12, When the Lord your God brings you into the land, He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you a land with large flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant, then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. And those words are almost repeated verbatim two times in Deuteronomy chapter 8. And now we read in verse 14, Israel has forgotten his Maker. Is it any wonder the Lord can shake his head and say, I cannot believe you've done that? In chapters 6 and 7, you recall, we considered, we dealt with Israel's moral corruption. And that's no wonder, given their spiritual apostasy that we see here. And therefore, Hosea, this prosecuting attorney for the Lord in this covenant lawsuit, he now declares Israel's charge of forgetting God. He charges them with forgetting God, first of all, by turning from Him. And secondly, by turning toward herself. First, turning from Him. Turning from the very One who alone is good. In verse 3 it says, but Israel has rejected what is good and that can also mean the good one pointing to God Himself. And that's indeed His nature. His nature, one of His attributes is goodness. And God's goodness points to His kindness in dealing with His creatures which includes grace and mercy, His loving kindness and patience and love. His goodness includes that He is righteous and just and fair in all of His ways and that He keeps His promises, but not only is He the one who is good, but He is the one who provides good. And that's His desire for His people. His desire for them is good. And His goodness is His positive response to the obedience of His people. That's His promise. In Amos 5, verse 14, we read, Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you just as He said. And again, back in Deuteronomy chapter 30, we see that God's goodness for obedience affected every aspect of life. Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock, and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous just as He delighted in your fathers if you obey the Lord your God and keep His commands and decrees that are written in this book of the law. God's goodness for obedience affected every aspect of their life. And He had proven His goodness to them in history. He was their Maker. He had rescued them from Egypt. He had made them into a great nation. He had bound Himself to her using the analogy of a marriage like Hosea and Gomer. He had bound Himself to her, to Israel, in a covenant relationship. He had given to her His good law to lead her in her obedience. He sustained her in the wilderness and destroyed the enemies in her path. He was patient and forgiving over and over and over with her throughout history. And we notice here that God and His goodness was indeed claimed by Israel. Verse 2, Israel cries out to me, O our God, we acknowledge You. It's kind of interesting, even with all of the evidence that was against her, as Hosea puts forth, she was rebellious, she was stubborn. She complained against him. She sought for others. With all the evidence that was against her, she still had the nerve to say, you are our God and we are your people, you said so yourself. Beloved, when an alarm sounds, whether it's a smoke or fire alarm or a tornado siren, which means that a tornado has been sighted. When an alarm sounds, we take the wise, take cover. They heed it. For Israel, the eagle was overhead. But Israel was ignorant. She was blinded by her sin, thinking that doesn't apply to us. They claimed God and his goodness. But in reality, God and his goodness was rejected by Israel. The text says they rejected what is good. Why? Because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law. That covenantal relationship with God was as binding and intimate as a marriage. It was to be unbroken. And the law that God had given to his people spelled out how to live in harmony with him in that relationship. How to live in agreement with God. but Israel had severed that relationship with God by her rebellion. She rejected that good life that God had set before her, but she didn't even know it. And like Israel, there are so many who have a false sense of security today, whatever it might be in. And there are even many who claim some sort of a higher power. And even many who claim Jesus Christ as Savior, oh, He saved me, but they do not look to Him as Lord and ruler of their life. Oh, my life and my lifestyle, that doesn't really matter, does it? Just that I'm saved. That's all that matters. But Jesus said in Matthew 7, Then I will tell them plainly, those who would say, We cast out demons in your name. Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you away from me, you evildoers. And he gives more explanation of why in the parallel passage in Luke chapter 6, when he asks, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? You cannot have one without the other. It goes together. Israel wanted God's blessing. They wanted to claim Him without giving allegiance to Him alone. And she was then charged with forgetting God by turning from Him. and instead, in the second place, by turning toward herself. And when I say by turning toward herself, I mean by turning toward anything but God. You cannot face both God and yourself. You cannot serve two masters when you turn to anything but God. You turn your back on God. And Israel did as a stubborn animal. Verse 9, For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey, wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers. Now, there's no compliment being called a wild donkey. That pointed to stupidity. Empty-headedness. Not knowing, not recognizing what was good for them. They thought they knew what was best. Isaiah says in chapter 1, The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know. My people do not understand. But it also points to forgetfulness. They had forgotten the very God to whom they owed their existence. They had forgotten the very One who had proven Himself to them over and over and over again in such powerful and wonderful ways when they did not deserve it. And therefore, this also points to danger. They're wandering alone. Did they hear that? That meant even though they claimed Him, they were without Him. They were without His protecting hand. They were easy prey for the enemy. And beloved, that is the danger of godlessness. That describes anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ and trust in Him alone to be made right with God. And her stubbornness is seen then in turning toward herself in self-reliance. Really, that is what this chapter 8 is all about, is, as Hosea points out, no less than five areas of Israel's life as a nation. For example, politics and religion and defense, to mention a few. Five areas of her life as a nation in which she relied on herself. And the psalmist in Psalm 127 points out how dangerous and useless that is when he says, unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Their labor is meaningless. It's good for nothing if God does not approve. And the first way in which they show their self-reliance is in their choice of kings and leaders. Verse 4, they set up kings without my consent. They choose princes without my approval. That's God speaking. I don't approve. And we know it's true, especially as we've talked about with the last number of kings who were more concerned about themselves and their own power and getting rid of the guy in front of them and taking the throne. But they set up leaders according to their own standards, not according to God's guideline of godliness. They set up leaders who were answerable to herself and not to God. They set up leaders who treated the law of God as something that was subject to majority vote, if that. And we know from our own day that you get what you're paying for. you get one who does what is right in his own eyes and for his own benefit and not truly for the benefit of those over whom he is ruling. The second way in which they demonstrated their self-reliance was in their choice of gods. Their calf idols, the text says, silver and gold. No doubt a reminder of the golden calf at Mount Sinai, but also when the kingdoms split, Jeroboam set up the worship centers in Bethel and Dan with the golden calves so the people wouldn't have to cross the border and go back to Jerusalem. Oh, and indeed we know that initially they treated these as if they were worshiping Yahweh through these animals, but again it was a violation of the second commandment and it just went downhill from there. It led to idolatry and paganism and Baal worship entered in. But they chose to worship God not in spirit and in truth as he commanded, but in gold and silver as they saw fit. And God's answer to their idolatry or to their idols is that's not God. I don't care what you think of it, I don't care what you say about it, I don't care what you do with it, it's not God. And proof that it was not God is that it was made, he says, by the hands of men. And that it would be broken in pieces, literally shredded to bits. That's impossible with God. He's not created. He will not be destroyed. But idols are a waste of time. They are useless. They provide no benefit. The third way in which they demonstrate their self-reliance was in their choice of allies. Assyria. They would go to Assyria for aid and assistance. Maybe they thought it was politically expedient. It was good for their national welfare. But this helper, you see, would only destroy them. Verse 8 says, Israel is swallowed up. Now she is among the nations like a worthless thing. Assyria would suck Israel dry of her resources because of heavy tribute and taxation and would suck her dry spiritually too. And as we read from Deuteronomy 28, just completely take everything out of her. They thought that Assyria might serve their reinvestment and recovery program. But the only thing Assyria would do would make her dependent. Assyria didn't care about what was good for Israel like Yahweh truly did. The fourth way she showed her self-reliance was in her choice of worship style. Beginning at verse 11. Pardon me. Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, These have become altars for sinning. I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. They offer sacrifices given to me, and they eat the meat, but the Lord is not pleased with them. They're going through the motions, but their heart is not in it. It says they've built many altars for sin offerings. It's also translated that they've made many altars for sin. And some have taken that word sin there because of the next phrase, which also includes sin, that this one they say is talking about sin offerings. But they made many altars for sin. You see, the sacrifices were to be brought only to where God was pleased to have placed His name. And that was the central sanctuary, the temple in Jerusalem, so that even when Bethel and Dan were set up, those were violations, and all the other altars that were set up were violations. And again, it went downhill. They incorporated Baal worship and pagan fertility rites. And the more that they increased their pagan altars, the more that they compounded their sin. But they didn't care. They were more concerned about their outward show, about their duty being fulfilled. Ah, we're sacrificing. Than their obedience to God. But their whole worship style and practice was wrapped in pagan rituals. And the reason is because they rebelled against the law. They didn't know it. I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regard them as something alien. Oh, that's out there. They didn't get it. They knew that God had written His law on the tablets of stone, which meant it was unchangeable. It was unerasable. That God meant what He said. They said, it's not for us. It's irrelevant. god could have written his law a thousand times for them but they were ignorant of it and paul explains why in second corinthians 2 or first corinthians 2 the man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the spirit of god for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned and today beloved we know too that there are so many, even in the church, that treat God's law as simply suggestion. Something optional. It's relative. Maybe it fits me, maybe it doesn't. And the same is true for worship, just like with Israel. So many treat worship as if it's about me. It's about my tastes and desires. It's about what keeps my attention. It's not. It's about God. And worship that is me-focused, beloved, is the kind of worship that God is not pleased with. It's about God and God's people coming together with one voice as one family of God and offering to Him our sacrifices of praise because of who He is and what He has done. And indeed, then He pours out so much more than we can give. The fifth way in which Israel demonstrated her self-reliance was in her choice of trust. And what I mean is her choice of where to place her trust. Verse 14, Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces. Judah has fortified many towers. Notice Judah, again, is not far behind. And Israel and Judah both stood admiring, putting their confidence in the magnificent work of their hands, their palaces, their strongholds, their cities. Indeed, God must be pleased with us because look how we are succeeding. We are doing so great. And we are strong. And they put their confidence there. But they failed to see just how insignificant and how temporary the things of this life are apart from God. Like Nebuchadnezzar boys and girls, he said, Ah, look at this empire that I have built. And the very next thing he knew, he was looking at it from the outside as he was reduced to being like a wild animal out in the field. Beloved, indeed, this is the way of man, apart from God, away from a true knowledge of God by faith. Man turns toward himself as a stubborn animal in self-reliance. Man, apart from God, is the measure of all things. Man can do all things. Man can be all that he can be. He can determine what's best for him. He doesn't need God. And again, we see this in the church today somewhat. By so many who are doing whatever it takes to get people in the door. Whatever we have to do to compromise with the world to get people in. After all, look at us. We're a mega church, they say. And look at our huge buildings and our building programs. Certainly, we must be doing something right. It means that God is blessing us, right? Does it? Yet Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 is the trumpet blast that our only hope is in God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. You see, without Him, Israel turned toward herself with a destructive outcome. as a stubborn animal in self-reliance and the only result would be a destructive outcome and from the outset it's clear that self-reliance would not protect her it would not save her from judgment it would only hasten its coming and this word of destruction is this word throughout this chapter as we read about the eagle overhead and about the enemy will pursue and about her own destruction and she will be swallowed up and god would gather them together not for a nice little family reunion but that they might waste away and the Lord says that he will remember their wickedness and punish their sin and they would return to Egypt which is a clear statement of captivity of destruction and then with regard to where they chose to place their trust in verse 14 but I will send fire upon their cities that will consume their fortresses and we see that carried out in 2 Kings 18-13 during Hezekiah's reign Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them as if in a day. We don't know how long it took. But as if in the snap of a finger, it was gone. And we have a striking analogy of this judgment in verse 7 when we read, They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head. It will produce no flower. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. That last part points to the fact that If it looks like there's prosperity for a while among those who turn away from God, it's only temporary. It's not real. It will not last. But there is destruction. They sow the wind. They reap the whirlwind. Paul gives a bit of a definition in Galatians 6.8 when he says, The one who sows to please his sinful nature from that nature will reap destruction. Sowing wind simply means sowing vanity, sowing illusion and nothingness and nonsense. Boys and girls, you can't grab the wind. Go out there, you can feel it, but you can't grab it. You can't get a handful of it. It's nothing. Sowing the wind is nothingness. It's following wickedness and sin. And sowing that nothingness then means reaping the whirlwind, But not getting merely emptiness and disappointment then, but irreversible destruction. If you gamble away your whole life's savings, it's not simply that that money is now gone. It is. But it affects every part of your life. Your family, your home, everything. Assyria was nothing yet. they would be downright destructive. Sin is destructive. Sin breeds more sin. Think of David and Bathsheba. Oh, it's just a one-night stand, David probably thought. It resulted in pregnancy, deceit, lying, murder, heartache, through and through. And we know, too, each one of us, no doubt, knows by experience, in our own lives, that one sin not dealt with properly multiplies quickly, and it hurts many. I heard a minister once give an illustration that I think fits with sowing the wind and reaping the world. But when it comes to worship, I remember very clearly he said, for those who are oncers, their children will be nuncers. That's probably not a hard and fast rule, but maybe some of you here are struggling with that in your own family lives. But your grown children want nothing to do. You can't get them to darken the door of a church. So, beloved, where is the hope here? It seems hard to find this time. Possibly we can find it in the lament of verse 5. How long will they be incapable of purity? Indeed, it's a lament of anger. But yet it does still show us the heart of God. He desires the purity of His people. He desires that they turn to Him and live. And for that reason, God will punish Israel here for the purpose of bringing her to her senses, for the purpose of showing and proving to her that she needs Him. And beloved, He punished Christ. And in Him, we are to see our need for God and His saving grace. In Him we are to see that self-reliance destroys. We are to see that Jesus Christ suffered the whirlwind for our sins' consequences, so that in Him by faith God's lament is satisfied that believers are pure in Him. Yet we must also see ourselves here and again see a charge against us. You see, we too have seen God's goodness. We cannot deny it. We have seen God's goodness in His Word. We've seen His goodness in His creation and in His preservation. We've seen His goodness in His Word and His dealing with Israel and preserving a remnant to bring forth a Messiah. We've seen His goodness and His promises fulfilled in Christ Jesus. We see all that by faith. And we see His goodness in our own lives too by the grace of God through blessings enjoyed both spiritually, the gift of faith, And physically, all that we enjoy, we see His goodness even in the midst of trials and difficulties and hardships of life. We always see, maybe not until the end, but we see that it was for our good. That God uses it to mold us and shape us after His will to draw us closer to Himself. By faith, we see that He works all things together for my good and for my salvation. We have seen His goodness, yet we too have forgotten Him. so often we forget Him daily, don't we? How often haven't we forgotten God by being anxious about what we will eat or drink or wear or about our retirement fund or about our job situation or the health difficulties that we are experiencing? Indeed, these things are important. But we forget God in being anxious about them and dealing with them apart from Him. How often haven't we forgotten God by coming to church with any motive or attitude other than the joy of worshiping our God? How often haven't we forgotten Him by refusing to forgive someone else? Or by carrying a grudge? Or by dishonoring our parents? Or we can go down the list by gossiping, lying, envying, hatred. How often haven't we forgotten God by exercising a lack of contentment with what he has given us or what he has kept from us? Or by failing to stand up for the honor of his name or by putting our trust in something else or by not casting our burden upon him? And so much more, beloved, how often have we forgotten him? But our God says, I have not forgotten you. Oh, your sins, yes, I remember them no more. But I have not forgotten you. You I have remembered in and through my Son. I have redeemed you. You are mine. God's greatest good is shown in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And that is the message of the Lord's table. the goodness of God in Jesus Christ for those who believe in him. That's the message of the Lord's table, a glorious message. And therefore, with that horrible charge of forgetting, comes a glorious reminder, a glorious declaration that Jesus Christ was sentenced for us, that God has remembered our wickedness and punished our sin against his own Son, who reaped the whirlwind of God's wrath and the torment of hell that was ours, as God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. And at the same time, he remembers us. He remembers us with his promise to save all who believe eternally. Our dear people of God, the Lord's Supper has been given to help us to not forget God. and all of His benefits. But instead, to remember Him. To remember all that He has done for us. To remember His love and His goodness. It's been given to us as believers to nourish and strengthen our faith, to draw us ever closer to Himself, and to renew our trust in Him. Oh, praise be to God for His indescribable gift in Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you.