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In this episode of Through the Bible, we delve into the powerful teachings of the book of Hosea as Dr. J. Vernon McGee guides us through the trials of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Ignoring God's word not only led to spiritual adultery but also brought about God's judgment in a dramatic and prophetic transition. As we reflect on the message shared by the evangelist D.L. Moody and stories from Dr. McGee's own ministry, we're prompted to consider the essential role of scripture in our everyday lives. Throughout Hosea chapter 4, we witness the consequences that befell Israel when they neglected their sacred texts. Dr. McGee draws parallels to modern times, illustrating how turning our backs on divine guidance can lead to moral decay and personal dissatisfaction. Whether through personal anecdotes or deep scriptural insights, this episode calls listeners to introspection and a return to God’s word. Join us as we uncover the inhibitors to spiritual fulfillment and the inevitable consequences of idolatry and sin. Whether you are a long-time believer, a part of our World Prayer Team, or someone in search of spiritual clarity, this study provides profound insights. Prepare to embark on this enlightening journey through Scripture with renewed understanding.
SPEAKER 1 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 01 :
The evangelist D.L. Moody was right when he said, The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible. Listening to and obeying God's Word is a protection over our lives. And that's one reason that I'm so glad that you're here at Through the Bible, ready to get into God's Word with Dr. J. Verna McGee. And as you know, we're in the book of Hosea on our five-year journey through the whole word. And in this study, we're going to learn how the northern kingdom of Israel turned away from God because they forgot his word. Well, not only did they forget it, they wanted nothing to do with it. They completely turned their backs on God's ways. And you know, that's when God's man Hosea stepped up and said, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge of God's word. And then he relayed God's chilling consequence. Because you forgot the law of your God, I will also forget your children. I will change your glory into shame. Wow. I don't know about you, but that sobering pronouncement makes me sit up and listen. We're in Hosea chapter four. So as you open your Bible, let's listen to Dr. McGee's introduction on why God will judge his people.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now God says that he must judge the nation. And he says that he will change their glory into shame. Now the glory of Israel was actually the temple with the Shekinah glory upon it and his visible presence with the nation and his definite leading of them. And they're witness to the world of that day of monotheism. In a world of polytheism, they worship the living and the true God. That was their glory. It brought the Queen of Sheba from the ends of the earth. Now what is happening is this. God says, I will remove my glory from you. I'll remove my blessing from you. And I will judge you. I'll let the enemy come in upon you and take you away. And of course, the enemy is going to be able to say, look, they said they were God's chosen people. And look what's happening to them. And apparently their God's not a very strong God. Friends, we're seeing today in this land of ours something very similar to that. God is judging many churches and he's closing many doors today. You can look about you in this land of ours and see that God is still judging. And we are inclined to say, isn't it a shame to see a decline in a certain church? Well, maybe God closed the door. We need to recognize that only God today can afford to judge his own people, and he does that.
SPEAKER 01 :
Before jumping into our study, I invite you to join our World Prayer Team. Together we pray for listeners like Nora in the Philippines who writes this. I heard your message and want to know if you will really be forgiven. I have sinned in the past and I have thought that I am unforgivable. I got involved with another man and our entire village knows. I'm hurting and crying right now, but your words in my language of Locano comfort me and give me hope. For the first time, I feel as if God might accept me as I am. Please tell me what to do next. Please tell me more about Jesus and how I can be redeemed. Are you ready to join us for the journey? Well, hop aboard as we pray for millions of listeners like this one all over the world by signing up at ttb.org forward slash pray. And let's do that now. Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you for the privilege of hearing your word. Help us to turn what distracts us and do what pleases you. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of sharing your word with the world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We're off to Hosea 4 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, we got down last time through the sixth verse of the fourth chapter of Hosea. And again, I'd like to say that this sixth verse here of this fourth chapter is considered one of the most familiar verses that we have. It's one that is quoted a great deal. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And that's the way it opens. I went through it last time, and I'll not go any farther than that. But it was a lack of the knowledge of the Word of God that was the background of the sin of these people. The minute that Christian friend, you get away from the Word of God, you could not live a triumphant Christian life by any means. You could not live well-pleasing to the Lord. And I do not care how many of these method conferences you go to that have all these little gimmicks that if you do this and do that and do the other thing, that things are going to work all right for you in your home and in your place of business and in your social life, and everything will work out right. My friend, the Word of God makes it very clear that That's not by these little gimmicks, these little methods. It's by a knowledge of the Word of God. Now, that is as clear as the noonday sun in this book and certainly in other places. Now, will you notice as God continues to bring against the northern kingdom his judgment upon them, that is, he hands down a decision. He's going to judge them. And he has now proven that To them, his case, they broken the Ten Commandments. He went down the list and they had broken them. Now he says, as they were, verse 7, as they were increased, so they sinned against me. In other words, as the nation increased, God had promised to bless them by multiplying them. He told Abraham that. But all it did was just bring another sinner into the world. And after all, that's what happened when I came into the world. Just another sinner came into the world. But thank God, the grace of God reached down and somebody gave me the Word of God. And I was able to trust Christ as my Savior. But these people, they have an ignorance. They have no knowledge of the word of God. As they were increased, so they sinned against me. Therefore, will I change their glory into shame. God says, I'm going to turn your glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people. They set their heart on their iniquity. They not only sin, but they like to brag about it. As a young fellow, ran with a pretty fast crowd in the bank I worked in. And we always like, especially on Monday morning, to brag about our weekend, what we did. And you know what it was, either to get drunk or... some adultery or something like that. That's what you brag about. And they not only sinned, they bragged about it. And there, verse 9 now, chapter 4 of Hosea, and there shall be like people, like priests. The unfortunate thing is that the priesthood had sunk down to the level of the congregation. Now, I have always believed, and as you've heard me say, that I started out in the ministry. I wore a Prince Albert coat and a wing collar. I look like a mule looking over a whitewash fence. But I soon gave that up. I dress just like the man sitting out in the pew. And I'm no different than that man in the pew. But I want to say this, that I want in the pulpit to give out the word of God so that I don't sink down to the level of that which is the man of the world. And today there are many ministers. They're the good guys. one man boasted to me he says you know he says my preacher says you know he says he comes out to our golf club he plays golf and i'm for that i do that i think it's great to mix with folk like that says after the game says he goes in the bar room with us has a drink with us says you know said he's just one of the fellas says i sure do like him well I wonder what God thinks about him. Like people, like priests. And I'll punish them for their ways and reward them for their doings, for they shall eat and not have enough. In other words, famine is coming to the land. And who would ever have believed that this great land of ours, just last year, a few years ago, that there would be no scarcity. Whoever heard of it, that you couldn't buy meat at the meat market, you couldn't buy bread, that there would be a scarcity of anything. May I say to you, I'm not sure. I think God judged us in the dust bowl many years ago. That's when I entered the ministry. And nobody listened to God then. Then we had to fight World War II. God judged us. And we didn't come back to God even World War II. So we've been fighting somewhere ever since. Just can't give it up. They shall eat, not have enough. They shall commit harlotry and shall not increase. You know, there's one thing, friends, about adultery. And I know today that I'm talking to a great many people that have had this in their mind and their heart because we're living in this day. And you can take it from a fellow that one time in his life before he's saved, you can never, never enjoy in a way in which God really wants you to until you can enjoy it in marriage. And when you can put your arms around the woman that you have been loving and you can say to her, I love you. above everything else in the world. Now, I say when you can say that, my friend, then there'll be an increase. And it'll be wonderful. Oh, they were committing adultery then, and they're doing it today. But actually, there's really no satisfaction in it. It's just a sort of a temporary release. And you hate yourself after that. And I know that. And some of you know that, my friend. And God knows that because that's what he's saying here. God's spelling it out for you. They shall eat and not have enough. They shall commit harlotry, adultery, and they shall not increase because they have ceased to take heed to the Lord. Harlotry and wine and new wine take away the heart. Last time we gave you all these statistics about liquor in this country today. And nobody, and I mean nobody today, is lifting a voice against this. And I don't think I've said very much about it. But I sure have said a whole lot the past couple of days. And from time to time, we do mention it. Arlatrin wine and new wine take away the heart, my friends. And part of our problem in Washington today are these two sins, harlotry, adultery, and liquor. They're the two problems in our government today. That's the reason that men lie. That's the reason that men will do crooked things. And that is not confined to one party or just one group. The whole crowd is guilty today. One writer said that in Washington, you don't know who to trust. May I say to you, what a sad commentary on our nation today. Don't tell me the new morality is working. It didn't work for Israel. They got away from the word of God and they said, we try something new. And they went in for it. The northern kingdom, you see, they had sin galore. They put up two golden calves. And with that worship of Baal, I was connected with it, the grossest forms of idolatry and the Verse 12, my people ask counsel of their idols, and their staff declareth unto them, for the spirit of harlotry hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot departing from under their God. Now he's speaking here of the harlotry, spiritual adultery, which is turning from God. They went to inquire of idols. And today, we find people running after the gurus of India. Well, they haven't done much for India, by the way. But yet, we've had a crowd running after them. And someone has said that one of them that came over here, he said that very candidly, he came for the money. And that it was nothing in the world but a religious racket as far as he was concerned. Yet people went after him. People are going off into this type of thing today. And there's actually the worship of Satan today. I have here a clipping that comes from Daytona Beach, Florida. A group of Satan cultists tortured and beat a 17-year-old youth to death, believing he was an undercover narcotics agent, police said Wednesday. May I say to you that worship of Satan today is certainly not helping morality by any means. And these people going into idolatry, idolatry was leading them into gross immorality. Now, let me keep reading here. And They sacrifice, this is verse 13 now, chapter 4. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains and burn incense upon the hills under oaks and poplars and elms because the shadow of them is good. That's where they put their idols, was on top of a hill under a grove. And you hear a great deal in scripture. And they found out today, archaeologists, that the center of worship of idolatry was in these groves. It was cool there, nice place to go. Therefore, your daughters shall commit harlotry and your spouses shall commit adultery. You see, the worship of idols, and we today have turned to idolatry, covetousness, All of this today, the greed of this country today has caused many a family to try to get on in the world. They want to move to a better neighborhood. They want a swimming pool. They want a boat to take down. And they say we're doing this for their children. And then all of a sudden their children take off and there are thousands. Thousands of young people today that are wandering up and down this country and all over the world. I saw them in Hawaiian Islands. I talked to three young people in Constitution Square in Athens, Greece. Two young men and a young lady. And I'm sure that none of them were beyond their teens. One of them could have been 20. And there they sat, and they were then under the influence of drugs. I tried to talk with them, and I tried to find out who they were. And they said, we're nobody. We don't count. We've dropped out. What's happened today, friends? What's taking place today? Why, the problem is back there in the home. We're idolaters. We're worshiping the almighty dollar. We've forgotten God. We've turned away from the living and true God, and we no longer worship him. And we've not turned to a savior that can redeem us and help us. Now, verse 14. He says, I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your spouses when they commit adultery, for they themselves are separated with harlots, and they sacrifice with harlots. Therefore, the people that doth not understand shall fall. God says ignorance, so the law excuses no one. And because these people have gone on, I'm not going to judge them for the sin they're committing right now. I'm going to judge them because they've turned from the living and true God and from his way. My friend, as I said to a man, and I met him on a golf course, by the way, and he said, joined our foursome he soon left us when he found out we were three preachers and this man made a statement well he said that he guessed that he was a sinner he'd done this that and the other said yes I guess I'll go to hell and I said brother you know you're not going to hell because you commit these sins he says what do you mean I'm not going to hell because I thought that's what you preachers said I said this preacher never said that I said you're going to hell because you've rejected Jesus Christ These people were being judged not because they had become harlots. They were judged because they've turned from the living and true God. Now, will you notice he says here, though thou Israel play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-Avon or swear the Lord liveth. God says, I'm going to hold Judah back. I'll not judge Judah yet. And Judah, don't come up and worship these calves that they put up here. Now we come to something that's quite interesting. Verse 16. For Israel slideth back like a backsliding heifer. Now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place. Now, friends, let's look at what really backsliding is. A great many people think backsliding means that you have become a Christian, joined the church, and then you drop back into sin, and that's backsliding. Now, may I say to you, that's not backsliding the way it's used here. And God illustrates it so you can't miss it. For Israel slideth back like a backsliding heifer. Now, I'm very happy the fact that as a boy, I had the privilege of living in the country and in a little town. And I think I've mentioned this before. There's a live next door to us in southern Oklahoma in a little town. We lived in a rancher. He had a big ranch and he had two boys and they were both about my age. And we three played together. We used to ride these heifers out in the lot and they would, you know, tie a rope around. As we said in that day, a belly band we'd put on them. We'd hold on to that. And then they'd buck us off. Now, every now and then, this rancher would load up. This was in the days before the automobile. In a wagon, he would load up these heifers to take them to market or take them out to the ranch. And he had a great big board. That is, it was a thing constructed out of boards that he put up at the back end of the wagon. It was a runway that you just try to run the heifer up back. Well, what they'd do, you'd put a rope around the heifer, and then you'd push her from the back. And as you'd get the heifer up, she'd go a part of the way, then she'd stiffen those front feet. She'd just put them out stiff. And you know what would happen? You couldn't pull her. She'd start sliding backwards. That's what backsliding is. Backsliding heifer. They were stiffening their front feet. And instead of being led of God, they were slipping backward all the time. And backsliding means when you turn your back on God and you step on that little neck of yours and that little mind of yours and you say, I'll have nothing to do with God. You're backsliding when you do that. You see, when you refuse to go the way God wants to lead you. Now he calls Israel here a backsliding heifer. There are a lot of backsliding heifers today and bulls also, by the way. Now, let me read the next verse. Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Now, we come to another word here. The word backsliding is mentioned three times in this book, and you'll recall it's only Jeremiah and Hosea, and they spoke to a nation ready to go into captivity, accused them of doing this, refusing to be led of God, refusing to come to God. Now, Ephraim, that name occurs 36 times. He picks out one of the tribes of the 10 tribes in the north and applies it to all 10 of the tribes. And I frankly have never been able to figure out just how God uses that term. Is he using it in a way that is the term of endearment or is it a term of ridicule? Now, this time through Hosea, I've come to the conclusion that it's a term of endearment. It's a pet name. You see, Israel in the north had really no name as a nation. Judah in the south was really the nation. And these 10 tribes had revolted, you see. And now God gives them, I think, a pet name. And you'll find all the way through, it'll occur 36 times, Ephraim. And he says this in, I would say, a longing sort of way, but with a note of finality. He says here, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. God says there comes a day in a man's life that if he keeps on being in a backslidden condition, refusing to listen to God, there'll come a day when God no longer can speak to that man. Now he says to them, your drink is sour. You'll become an alcoholic if you keep at it, brother. And it's not a disease. It's a sin. Their drink is sour. They have committed harlotry continually. Her rulers love shame more than glory. And the sad thing today is that we have men in government in high places instead of using a language that is clean. And chase. They love to cuss. And they love to drink. They love the shame more than glory. The wind hath bound her up in its wing. They're carried away by every wind of doctrine. And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. God says, I'm going to make them ashamed before it's over with. Well, that brings us to the conclusion of chapter 4. Begin chapter 5 next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, Dr. McGee convinced me of the joy and peace found in living a quiet, righteous life before the Lord. How about you? We're midway through our study in Hosea now, so if you'd like to share these studies with a family member or friend, they're available on our app or at ttb.org. Or to purchase our Bible bus flash drive that conveniently holds all of Dr. McGee's five-year messages and also includes all of his notes and outlines for our studies and more than 100 of his booklets, you Shop our online store at ttb.org or call us at 1-865-BIBLE. And while you're at ttb.org, check out our new softcover Bible companions for the New Testament. Again, that's ttb.org or 1-865-BIBLE. And when you call us, please tell us how you listen. Is it by app or online? Is it YouTube, your local Christian radio station? There are so many different options. And you know, by sharing this little bit of information, you help us to be good stewards of the resources that God has so graciously provided through faithful listeners like you. Now, as we break for the weekend, join me for Dr. McGee's Sunday sermon. You can listen by app, online, or look at our radio station listing at ttb.org. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'll meet you right back here next time as we continue to make our way through the Bible.
SPEAKER 02 :
We're grateful for the faithful and generous support of Through the Bible's partners, whom God uses to take the whole word to the whole world.
Join us on the Bible bus as we delve into the profound messages found in the book of Hosea. This episode uncovers the deeper meanings behind the prophet Hosea's life and name, emphasizing the theme of salvation through history and biblical context. Through a poignant letter from a listener in Oregon, we explore the difficult questions of morality, justice, and faith in our modern world, linking these struggles to the book of Hosea and its timeless counsel.
SPEAKER 03 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
SPEAKER 01 :
Here's an interesting fact for you. The name Hosea, who is God's spokesperson in the book that we're studying right now on the Bible bus, is another form of the name Joshua, which is the Hebrew version of the Greek name Jesus. Hosea, Joshua, Jesus. All their names mean salvation. The Old Testament men named Hosea and before him Joshua were pictures of what Jesus Christ embodied in the flesh, God's salvation. Welcome to Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. I'm Steve Schwetz and I'm welcoming you aboard the Bible bus as we continue together our five-year journey through God's entire word. Now, Dr. McGee begins our program by sharing a letter from a concerned listener. No doubt we all will be moved by this issue we still deal with, and it all comes down to what we'll hear about in our study of Hosea 3 and 4, that people follow destructive ways because they don't know or understand God, and that individual tragedy naturally leads to despising the truth and withholding mercy. Let's listen now to this letter from Corvallis, Oregon.
SPEAKER 02 :
As the chairman of Corvallis Right of Life, I have been involved lobbying state legislators concerning several bills. One bill we are concerned with has to do with handicapped babies being denied food and water after birth to hasten their death. In talking to legislators, the feeling among them seemed to be that it is better to let the child die, whatever the methods, to spare the family the burden of a handicapped child. After talking to them, doubt began to creep into my mind. Maybe it's better for such a child to die. Maybe God would have it this way. But I still felt sure that starvation and dehydration weren't the way. As this was happening, a baby girl was born in an Oregon town severely deformed, right to life, knew she would soon die, but fought for nearly a week to legally secure food and water. It wasn't easy. The night the baby died, I was led to read in Lamentations. Before I went to sleep, this scripture made an impact. And it's from Lamentations 4, 3 and 4. Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young. But my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert. Because of thirst the infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth. The children beg for bread, but none gives it to them. And that's the end of that quotation. The next morning at 7.30 a.m., I switched on the radio and there you were, reading the very same scripture. I took it as a sign from God to me, that this was indeed a heartless thing that is happening and removed any doubt I had. I thank you for your part in reaffirming to me what I am certain God was trying to impress on me. I also thank you for the words of your own that morning, denouncing abortion as a major evil of our time, You're probably not surprised to hear that the clergy in this community do not share your strong convictions against abortion. But with the help of God, we continue our fight against it. May God bless your ministry as it opens the eyes of many like me who are seeking answers in the Bible but stumbling along through it. We need your help so much. I appreciate that letter, as you can well understand. And may I just say this one word, regardless of the condition of the baby, to take that baby's life as murder and to say that you can take that baby's life, you're taking the place of God. And God doesn't like to share his place with anyone, by the way.
SPEAKER 01 :
Let's give the Lord his proper place in our attention now. Pray with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love, for giving us what's best even though we don't always understand it. Please help your word to quicken our hearts to bring comfort and instruction and conviction. Thank you, Lord, for its truth that helps us discern truth and obey you. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, it's time. Let's open to Hosea 3 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 02 :
Now, friends, today as we come to the fourth chapter of Hosea, we're now coming to a section where we're leaving the private life of Hosea. It fades into the background, and the emphasis now is upon the Lord and Israel. But I would just like to back up for just a moment, therefore, to chapter 3 at verse 1, because this, I believe, is very important. Here we read again, "...then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love cakes of raisins." Now, four times in this little verse here, you have the word love mentioned. Great many people think you have to get to the New Testament before you find anything about love. I believe that if you'd examine it carefully, you'd probably find that there's more said about love in the Old Testament than in the New. That is because, of course, the Old Testament is much longer. And there's more of it than we have of the New Testament. But it is interesting to note that there's a great deal about love. Now, I was thinking after I made the broadcast last time that this first verse here is actually an equation, a mathematical equation. And it puts it like this. God's love equals Israel's sins. And I shouldn't say equal, but God's love times Israel's sin equals Hosea's love times Gomer's sin. So you see that we do have an equation here. And out of that home, he comes now to speak to the nation, and he knows how God feels about them. Now, everything up to this point has been in the way of generalization. God has said they've sinned, that they have played the harlot. They've been unfaithful to him. Now he's going to spell it out. And you can make a comparison actually between this particular chapter and the first chapter of Isaiah. And you ought to compare it there because Isaiah spoke to the southern kingdom and then he spelled out God's charge against the nation. Now, here again, God brings them into court. He makes certain charges and he proves them. That is the message of chapter 4. In fact, chapters 4 and 5, he's saying now to Israel, you are playing the harlot. And Israel in this chapter is guilty of lawlessness, immorality, ignorance of God's word, and idolatry. And we see here in this first verse, the Lord confronts Israel with the fact that they have no knowledge of God. And then in verse 2, he spells out their specific sins. Now, will you listen to it? Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. Now, he says these three things here. There's no truth, there's no mercy, and there's no knowledge of God in the land. In other words, these people have been brainwashed with idolatry. And as a result, there was actually no mercy. And God had instructed them to be merciful. In fact, he said, when the stranger comes into your land and the poor, they are permitted to go in and glean. And God says, I take care of them this way and you're to do this. Why? Because he says, I am the Lord your God and I'm a holy God. They'd forgotten that. They were no longer being merciful. And there was actually no knowledge of God in the land. Oh, there's a great deal of religion, but no knowledge of God in the land. Now, they were breaking the Ten Commandments. Listen to this. By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break out and blood toucheth blood. Now, each one of these things that he mentions, they were breaking the Ten Commandments. Go back to the 20th of Exodus and read it. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery." And all of this was even among their relatives, blood touching blood. They were committing all of these sins. They actually were breaking the Ten Commandments. I want to say something very carefully at this time. And will you listen very carefully? God gave the Ten Commandments which is only part of the Mosaic system, to the nation Israel. But in that, God expresses His will. The church today is not put under the Ten Commandments as a way, that is, that is not living the Christian life if all you do is keep the Ten Commandments. Now, that doesn't mean you break them. It just simply means he's called you to a higher plane, and you're called to live in the power of the Spirit of God. Now, God is not asking the unsaved world anything, but he does have a great deal to say about nations. And the nation Israel that he chose and dealt with them furnishes a pattern to the other nations of the world. Now, we have had what has been so-called a Christian civilization in Europe. It never was really Christian, but it had the semblance of it. The laws were patterned after this. And these are laws for a nation. I shall not kill. I shall not commit adultery. Among those are other things. God condemned drunkenness. God condemned homosexuality. And he has the strongest language for that. He says when a people or an individual indulges in that, and I don't care what you call it, my friend, God says he gave them up. He gave up this nation. They were guilty of that. They were guilty of indulging in these sins. We today are guilty of the same thing. There's no knowledge of God in this land. Oh, I know there's a church on every corner, and Sunday morning you can hear church bells everywhere. But of course, a very small percentage of the population go to church, and very few are actually being reached with the Word of God. There is a Gideon Bible in every hotel room and motel room in this country. As far as I know, the first thing I do when I go to a new hotel or a new motel to stay, I look around for the Gideon Bible. And I've noticed recently it's been out on the table. That is, it's been out and opened up so you can see it. Now, I do not know how much it's being read. The Gideons say they receive many letters telling of conversions. But I'm sure that a great many of those Bibles are not ever opened. I know I've been to several places where I'm convinced that the Bible had never been opened before. We're a nation of biblical ignoramuses. We do not know the Word of God today in this land. But the Watergate hearings in Washington certainly turned the spotlight on our government and actually not the one political party but to both political parties that there's corruption in this land of ours. And I wasn't quite sure whether all of the liars were sitting in the witness stand or were on the other side on the committee. And I think you'll find them in both parties. I think that you will find corruption today in this land in both parties. And the chairman of the committee was greatly disappointed in him, the way he not only misquoted Scripture, he misinterpreted it and said that the four Gospels contradicted each other. And that went out on television. And may I say to you, I, for one, protest that. Because I felt like demanding equal time, everybody else demands equal time to answer that, that there is no contradiction in the four Gospels. And when a man says that, he reveals a woeful ignorance of the Word of God. Now, I'm saying all of this to say this, that our land is in the same kind of a condition that these people were in in that day. I'm going to take just one particular phase. We're told that a few years ago that in Washington, there were 128 cocktail parties every day. And again, the spotlight that's been turned on these hearings reveals that there's drinking probably in Washington. Couldn't be more in Los Angeles, but there's been a great deal of it there. Now, I want to share with you today some facts and figures, and there are a few brave editors today in this country, but most of it's the liberal press. They follow one particular line, and just like Israel was brainwashed, Our nation today is being brainwashed by nothing in the world but propaganda and liberalism. But down in San Diego, the local paper down there had a headline, and this goes back to January the 11th, 1972. It was on the front page of the paper, bottom of the page, but it was a headline, Alcoholics Cost Area Businesses $10 Million." May I say to you, people cry out about the high cost of living, cry out about the high cost of war and high cost of government. All of that is true. But who's crying out against liquor today? No one's crying out against it. What do you suppose that has to do with what you buy at the store today? They say, preacher, this is none of your business. It's my business in several different ways. And I wish there were more crying out against this sort of thing. The pulpits become extremely silent in these matters. And when I go to the store, I'm paying a higher price for things because government, And the nation, we are engaged in gross immorality today, breaking these Ten Commandments. You don't get by with it as a nation. These commandments have been the basis of every so-called Christian civilization. And I'm not going to debate that point with anyone. Now, will you listen to this? Today they're saying alcoholism is a disease. And this has been answered by a doctor. He says, alcoholism a disease? If so, listen to this. It's the only disease contracted by an act of the will. It's the only disease that is habit-forming. It's the only disease that comes in a bottle. It's the only disease causing hundreds of thousands of family disruptions. It's the only disease promoting crime and brutality. It's the only disease contributing to hundreds of thousands of automobile accidents. It is the only disease playing a major part in over 50% of the more than 50,000 annual highway deaths. It is the only disease which is sold by license. It's the only disease that's bought in grocery stores, drug stores, and Wellmark retail outlets. It's the only disease that is taxed by the government and on and on. There's more to this. I'll just read that to you today. May I say to you, our eyes are shut to this because we've been brainwashed and the liquor interests have this tremendous control today. And as a result, our nation sinks lower and lower because we have what's called a new morality. It wasn't new at all. Israel was practicing it way back yonder. In about 700 B.C., and I wouldn't call it new morality back there by any means, they were breaking all these commandments and God condemned them for it. And homosexuality was practiced even back as far as Sodom and Gomorrah. It's the reason he destroyed these places. He judged them. And today, actually, some of the legislatures filled with men ignorant of the Word of God ignorant of this thing which has been basic for this nation of ours, and they pass legislation that makes it so that two homosexuals can get married. The liberal church says that we should not consider them sinners, And I know I speak to many homosexuals. I'll get letters on this. May I say to you, the Lord Jesus Christ says that you've got to be born again. And he can deliver you from it. These things are not diseases today. But when they're treated as what they really are, sin, then God can deal with us. We are doomed as a nation, as much as Israel was condemned and sent into captivity. And after all, they were God's chosen people. We are not. By any stretch of the imagination, we can't make that claim. But this is the basis on which God judges nations. I spent a little time there and I got warmed up on that. I think somebody today needs to be saying something along this line. But the pulpit is strangely silent in this connection. Well, one reason they never study Hosea. You know, here's one of the forgotten prophets. Now I'm going to keep on reading. Verse 3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish, with the beasts of the field, with the fowls of the heavens, yea, the fish of the sea also shall be taken away." The land will languish. All of a sudden we found out that we're polluting everything today. When I was a boy, I went swimming in a swimming hole in a creek in southern Oklahoma that was as clear you could see, 25 feet to the bottom. My friend, may I say to you, it smells to high heaven. We polluted the land today. The land here is mourning. And then another very interesting thing is a few years ago, it was plenty. All of the granaries were filled with grain. It was plenty of everything. And may I say today, we're hearing something about scarcity. You see, when God judges a nation, the land is involved, and even the beasts and the fowls have to suffer for the sin of man. And they are suffering also today because of man's sin. Verse 4, Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another. For thy people are as they that strive with the priest. What has happened? Why, the priest in that day was not doing his duty. Not warning the people. And God had raised up the prophet. What about that? Verse 5. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. That is the nation. Why? Because now even there were the false prophets that were rising up and telling people, well, everything's going to be all right. This thing's going to work out. We live in a new day. The Bible is an old book in the Ten Commandments. They belong to the past, to our grandfathers and grandmothers. But we today have reached a very high plane. May I say to you, we are a dirty lot. We have sunk very low today as a nation and as a people. Now, verse 6 is probably one of the most quoted verses. It's considered to be one of the most familiar verses. I'm reading now Hosea 4, verse 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. That's the reason we're teaching the Bible today. That's the reason we're going into a book like this, is because, my friend, it's the ignorance of the Word of God. They're destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I'll also reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to me. You see, God intended the whole nation. to be priests unto him. And in the millennium, they will be that. But God says, you're not even going to have priests at this particular time. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. That is, even the people of the nation, now God says, I will also forget you. Because you've forgotten me. In other words, they've come to the time of judgment because they've gone through a long sordid history of departing from the Lord. Now, I'll have to leave off there today. But you can see how important this chapter is. And we hope, though, to finish it next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 01 :
It's a sobering reality that we see the people of Israel in Hosea's time and also in our culture turn their backs on God. Augustine said it so well. Spend some time thinking about what we've studied. And as you do, why don't you confess to the Lord how, at many times, you've forgotten Him as the priority of your life. And then tell Him that, as of now, He's first place again. You know, there's more to learn from this great book of Hosea. And as always, if you'd like to listen to this study again, or any other study from our five-year journey through the whole Word of God, all of Dr. McGee's studies are available in our app or online. Just visit ttb.org to listen now. to your many options. Or you can call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE for help in finding what you're looking for. Now as we go, I'd ask that you join me in reading through the rest of Hosea 4 before tomorrow's study. It always helps with the program to have read the passage in advance. to read ahead each day and prepare your heart for what God wants to teach you through His Word. You can download our free Bible reading schedule at ttb.org or just call us at 1-865-BIBLE to receive it by mail. Again, that's ttb.org or 1-865-BIBLE. You can also write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. I'm Steve Schweitz. For all of us at Through the Bible, we're praying that you walk with God until we meet again. See you next time.
SPEAKER 03 :
Jesus came in all, all to be my own. Sin had left the prince unsaved. He washed it white as snow.
This episode brings an intriguing discussion on the Book of Hosea, exploring Israel's prophecies and their relevance in our modern world. Delve into the lives of individuals transformed by faith and understand how these ancient scriptures apply to our lives today. With heartwarming testimonies and prophetic insights, we invite you to learn and grow in faith as we anticipate the Lord’s return.
SPEAKER 02 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 03 :
The story is told about a wonderful problem a Christian home for children with special needs was having. A chapel speaker told the children about how one day soon Jesus was coming in the clouds and he would gather up his children to meet him in the air. Ever since then, said the schoolmaster, we've had a terrible time keeping the windows clean. The children are glued to the glass, watching the sky. Well, welcome to Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. I'm your host, Steve Schwetz. And, you know, I love that story. We can learn a lot from those kids. So full of faith and ready for the Lord to call us to be with him in the clouds. Well, in this study, we're also fixing our hope on the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're about halfway through the Old Testament book of Hosea in chapter 3. Beginning in verse 4, you know, the last words that Jesus gave us just as he was ascending into heaven were words of instruction about what we should be doing while we wait for his return. Acts 1 8 records them. He says, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me. And you know, we're doing that now as we take the whole Word of God out to the whole world, and you're helping us. Followers of Jesus are being built up in their faith, and those who don't yet know Him as their Savior, well, they hear of the hope and assurance of everlasting life with God. So before we jump into our study, I want you to hear from a few of those whose lives are being changed by the whole Word of God here on Through the Bible. First, we got a note from Jim in Illinois. I've really enjoyed going through the Bible for several years, Jim says. And then he goes on. I'm recently divorced, living in Illinois, and unable to attend church due to the fact that I gave up my only vehicle to my ex-wife, and there is no public transportation to my house on Sundays. I would like to eventually be a chaplain somewhere. I know I am called to some sort of ministry. I'm 63 years old, but still planning my future with God. I'll keep riding the Bible bus as long as I have ears to hear." Well, it's great to have you with us, Jim, and I'll be sure to save your seat on the Bible bus. Now, here's a note. This one's from Stephanie. She's in Maryland. I came to Christ in November 2014 while listening to Dr. McGee in my car on my way to work. I was so lost and searching for the truth, but through you, God showed me the truth. God changed my life and, as a result, changed my two daughters' lives as I raised them in Christ. My husband told me that he could not take me being a Christian any longer because He said I was very different, didn't drink, and didn't even listen to the same music since I'd started listening to Christian music. Over time, he became very abusive and was cheating on me with multiple women. Sadly, I received a protective order against him and a divorce. But not to feel sad for me, but praise God because he held my hand the whole 18-month process. Without Jesus, I would have been just as wicked throughout the process as my husband was. Instead, I await the return of Jesus. Thank you for sharing your story and your journey, Stephanie. We're glad to have you as part of our Through the Bible family. Now, our final note comes from a listener in Kenya who joins us on the Bible bus in his language of Swahili. He says, My family and I heard your programs and chose to follow Jesus Christ. I'm an old man now and cannot read, but listening, I am growing in faith and teaching my family. We fellowship in the house after dinner and pray together. You are in our thoughts and hearts. Isn't that great? If you want to learn more about how you can pray for listeners like these worldwide, visit ttb.org forward slash pray. And to share the story of what God's doing in your life, contact us in our app, also by email at BibleBus at ttb.org or write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. in Canada Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1, or call and leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. We really do love hearing from you, and we're not the only ones. When we share a story of how God is moving in the lives of His children and those seeking Him, everyone listening is blessed. So please consider reaching out. Let's pray together now and get to our study. Heavenly Father, we're grateful for your grace and how you extend your blessing across the earth, drawing people from every tribe and every nation to yourself. Please deepen our understanding of your word as we listen. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Open to Hosea 3 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, friends, we're back in this third chapter of Hosea. Now, this is a very brief chapter, has only five verses here, yet this is actually one of the great prophetic passages in the Word of God. And you will find that you have here the past dealings of God with Israel, His present dealings with Israel, and His future dealings. Many of you were with us when we went through Romans. You will recall that I consider chapter 9, 10, and 11, being the dispensational section, deals with the nation Israel. And you have in the ninth chapter the past of Israel, and in the tent, the present of Israel, and in chapter 11, the future for the nation Israel. Now, these two verses right here, you've got this all compacted into one, and they say what? Precious things come in little packages? Well, may I say that powerful things do too. Take the atom bomb and take these two verses here. They're tremendous verses. Now, I got to the fourth verse and got into it, and I want to deal with this now. manner in which I did last time because I didn't have time to even finish it. He says, for the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king. Now, we mentioned the fact here of this problem of many days, and we were going to talk about it today. If you'll notice, it doesn't give the number of days. And this is unusual because the children of Israel were told that they were to be put out of that land three times, and they would be returned three times. And each time God put them out of that land, he told them how long they would be out except the last time. Now, he said, first Abraham, I'm going to put your children out of the land. I'm going to give you this land. It's yours. But I'll put you out of the land for 430 years down in the land of Egypt. Then you're going to come back. They did. That was fulfilled, literally. Jeremiah said to them, because of your sin, you're going to be sent into captivity to Babylon. You'll be down there 70 years. Now, Hosea is speaking to the northern kingdom because they actually never return. And there's many days. They'll abide many days. Well, how long is many days? Well, right now we have some that are saying that the Lord's going to come by 2000 A.D., And I don't know where they get that. I always feel like these fellows must have a private line in the heaven that I don't have. And I guess maybe I'm a little jealous because I'd like to have that private line also, or at least know what the number is. But they got the number. Some say now 2,000. And there are others saying, I know one, I have a tape of a message he gave. And he says that This generation living today is the one that's going to see the coming of Christ. I'd like to know where you get that. May I say to you, that sounds good today to a lot of untaught Christians and those that are sensational mongers today. And we have those. We have a lot of prophecy mongers about today. But the children of Israel shall abide many days. How many days? And why didn't the Lord give the number here? Because in this interval, while they're out of the land, and they went out in 70 AD. And they actually have never returned to the land according to the word of God. Now, hear me very carefully, because this is very important to see. They have returned to the land today, and it's remarkable what has happened over there. But it's not the fulfillment of prophecy, because the prophecy says when they return, they'll return to God. And it's the belief now of several outstanding prophetic students, that is two men I know, that believe they may be put out of that land again before you have really the fulfillment of prophecy of their return to the land as a nation. And when they return, they'll return to God. Now, will you notice here, they have no king. The children of Israel shall abide many days without a king. We mentioned that last time, without a prince. We mentioned that. And without a sacrifice. And that's where I left off. And that's where, really, I want to put in today. Now, a great many people are saying to me, they said, well, Dr. McGee, you have quoted the scripture in Luke 21. that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. We must be at the end because now Israel has Jerusalem. Now, guess where I want you to hear me very carefully. So easy today to jump to conclusions, you see. Now, I want to say, first of all, I believe we're living in the last days. And somebody says, well, you mean then the Lord will be coming soon? I don't know how soon, because we've been in the last days for 1900 years. And the Lord Jesus said, behold, I come quickly. And that is 1900 years ago. So I'm not prepared to say it'll be tomorrow or next week or next year or in this century. I just don't happen to know. But I do believe we see the setting of a stage today. when action will begin when the church is removed from this earth. Now, the reason the date's not given here is that the church is dateless, nameless, timeless. You see, we're a heavenly people, have no name, but some of you folk thought it was Baptist, and some others of you thought the name of the church was Presbyterian, and even some of you thought it was Methodist, and some of you thought it was independent. But I have news for you. Church has no name. Never was given a name. Ecclesia just means a called out body. And he's calling out a body that's going to be his bride. I could make a suggestion to you. The church in the parable of the pearl of great price, the church is, I think, the pearl that this merchant man, Jesus, came and he bought it. And he paid a big price for the church. And I'm not going to go into that today other than to say this, that the word for pearl is margaritas. And if the church has any name at all, it's Margaret. That may astound you. I bet you never heard of a church that was named Margaret, the Margaret Church. Somebody says, what church you go to? I told a fellow one time, I said, I go to the Margaret Church. He thought I was kidding him. I really was serious about it. I think that's the name of it. And it was down here, Daedalus. If you had met Simon Peter an hour before the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, Why? And you'd said, do you know what's going to happen here in a little while? He'd said, no, what's going to happen? He didn't know. Church came in existence, dateless. The birth was announced, but not the date of it. And the time of the rapture, you are not given any date concerning it. And because of that, the children of Israel are going to abide many days without a king, without a prince, without a sacrifice. Now, let's come back to this. Do they have Jerusalem today? Well, may I say this to you? All of the holy places in Jerusalem, old Jerusalem, are in the hands of either the Muslims, either the Russian Catholic, the Greek Catholic, the Armenian Church, or the Roman Catholic. And they've all built cathedrals or churches over all these spots. And Israel doesn't have them. Israel doesn't dare touch those sacred spots. I said to a guy that I got acquainted with, and he's become a Jewish friend of mine. I said to him, why don't you go up there? You've got Jerusalem now. And tear down that mosque of Omar and put up a temple. He says, what do you want us to do? To start World War III? It'll sure start it, friends. Be no question about that. May I say to you, they don't have the temple area. They don't have a sacrifice today. The only place they've gotten to is the weeping wall. They're still at the weeping wall, friends. That's where they are today. And they do not have a sacrifice except the one that we have today. And that's when Jesus died. 1900 years ago outside the city. But he has been raised from the dead and he's at God's right hand. They do not have a sacrifice and without an image. Now, the idea here of an image is the fact that God didn't give them, very frankly, God never gave them any images, if you'll notice, no likeness at all. But he did give them many things, for instance, without an ephod or without teraphim. And teraphim are these little things that they carried around, little objects. And actually, they were little idols that they were carrying around, and they began to worship those things. Now, God says they're going to get away from idolatry. They won't have an image. And there's one thing you can say about Israel over there. They're not in idolatry. They've not turned to God, but they certainly have turned away from idolatry. Now he says here, afterward. Now, afterward doesn't mean 2000 A.D., I don't know when it is. "'Afterward shall the children of Israel return.'" Now, they are going to return. And when they return, this is the way they'll return to the land. "'And seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.'" Now, the latter days are yet in the future, because I think the latter days here refers to the nation Israel. And it refers, beginning with the great tribulation, goes through the second coming of Christ into the millennium. So that they have returned, but they have not turned to the Lord. Now, I'm going to say something to you that's very startling. Because my last trip over there, I learned more than any trip I ever took before. And this is one of the things that we can not only show you, but we can demonstrate it. Over there, there's no turning to God at all. Well, when they celebrated, for instance, some time ago, their anniversary, they had a big motto. I have a picture of it. It says that science will bring peace to this land. Well, I thought the Messiah was going to, but they're not turning to the Messiah. It's to science. Now they've added something to that, and that is prosperity. That is economics. And while we were over there, while they were having a great economic conference, one of the Rockefellers was there. One of the Fords was there. And a hundred outstanding men put up a million dollars each to invest in that land. And they said they just wanted a hundred. They could have had 500. And they're building over there like mad. You've never seen anything like it. Now, may I say this to you? Economics today is that. And there are two missionaries that I know over there that I consider very reputable. And these two missionaries have made this very clear. One of them, and he was asked the specific question, how many really Christians are there in this land today? Now, this man is an intelligent man. He speaks several languages. He's been a professor over there. And he's become a Christian and he's doing missionary work. And he made this statement. There are less than 300 Israelites that are real believers in Israel today. Now, that I know is going to cause a great deal of discussion and disagreement. For the very simple reason that there are some that are giving out propaganda today that hundreds are turning to Christ in that land. That just does not happen to be true. Now, there are actually more Arab Christians in Israel than there are Jewish Christians. That may also amaze you. And there are fine works among Arabs that are being carried on over there today. But missionary work in Israel is really a tough job. And there are very few missionaries over there to tell the truth. So that they have not returned to God today. And this prophecy... Right here, this verse 5 is an evidence of the fact that this present return to the land is not the fulfillment of the Word of God. Now, I know this is different than what you're hearing today. Have you ever heard any of these folk take the prophecy of Hosea or any of the prophets? And we take the whole book, friends, so we have to face up to it. They don't. They can always edge around these verses like this. And you can pull out a few verses that say, well, we've got this ridiculous thing going. And I mentioned it too. We heard some time ago that they were shipping Indiana stone over to Israel to build a temple. to that land, you know one thing that they don't need is stone. Jerusalem is on a rocky place, and every hill around it, including the Mount of Olives, are just loaded with rocks. Now, if Indiana wants to buy some stone, I can tell them where they can get it. Israel would be glad to export stone. Now, there's another prophecy that they talk about. They say, now, oranges are growing in that land, and that means that these are the strange slips that Isaiah said would grow in that land. Well, may I say to you, the orange tree in that land is not a strange slip. Actually, in the Song of Solomon, where it speaks of apples, the apple tree, it's the orange tree. Oranges grow in that land, and it's the belief now of some that oranges were taken from there to Spain and from Spain to Florida and to California. And today, that's the land that grows oranges and they're not a strange slip, my beloved. How ridiculous these things are becoming today. Friends, let's stay close to the Word of God. And if we do, we will not become one of these prophetic fanatics that are abroad in the land today. Now, I've spent a long time on this passage of Scripture. Five verses, and somebody says, my, but do you see how important it is? These last two verses are very important. Now we're not going to be talking anymore, or not very much at least, about Hosea's private personal life. We're moving now into the beginning here with verse 4 of chapter 3. We move into the prophetic section. And when we get here to chapter 4, where we're coming to right now, We are finding we're in the prophetic section, and he's going to talk a great deal about the faithless nation now that has been playing the harlot. Just as the church today, there are a lot of wonderful churches. Don't misunderstand me. Oh, they're wonderful, fundamental churches across this land. Thank God for them. But liberalism has taken over in so many places today, outstanding places, and the gospel is not given. And I say again, God says this nation has become a brothel and you're a bunch of prostitutes. What do you think Jesus would say today to his church? He'd walk in some of the churches today. I think he'd call them brothels. My friend, may I say to you that this is very strong language. And it's going to be too strong for some folk. They've already tuned me out. Now, chapter 4 and chapter 4 and 5, we have Israel plays the harlot. And here in chapter 4, we have Israel guilty. of lawlessness, immorality, ignorance of God's Word, and idolatry. Now, I believe that you could put that down today on this nation in which we live. These are the sins of the nation. Now, it's true that the nation Israel was God's chosen people, and he gave the law to them. But let's understand one thing, that his pattern for any nation that wants to be blessed by is along this same line. And therefore, we find here this nation guilty of the same things, or our nation, that the nation Israel was when God judged them and sent them into captivity. Now, somebody will disagree with me and say, well, we're not idolatrous. Well, covetousness is idolatry. And I do not know of a nation that is more greedy, more worshipping the almighty dollar, and believe me, it's not worth worshipping today, than this nation of ours. May I say to you, the judgment of God was upon this nation. But we might read this and point a finger at them and say it is a shame about how they turn from God. Look around you today and see if the same thing may not be true of us. Now, I can only read one verse. Just get a foot in the door, chapter 4. Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel. For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth. nor mercy, nor knowledge of God. By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break out and blood toucheth blood. And my friend, God judges these things. We're going to look at these things next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks so much for joining us. And we've got some more great teaching by Dr. McGee ahead in Hosea. But in the meantime, if we can help you find a Bible study resource by Dr. McGee to deepen your own personal study of God's Word, just call us. The number is 1-865-BIBLE. You can always visit our website, ttb.org, where you'll find an entire library of materials, including our most recent newsletter that contains additional content from Dr. McGee, as well as tips that will help you apply what you're learning. And that's always good to do. Again, the newsletter is available anytime at ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you sign up. This is Steve Schwetz, and I'm looking forward to beginning with you again as the Bible bus comes around your corner for another great study in God's Word. Until then, may God bless you as you walk with Him.
SPEAKER 02 :
All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, ride the Bible bus for five years and you'll be amazed at what God teaches you from his word about what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It's a blessing that keeps on going. That's what we believe at Through the Bible.
In this episode, we explore the intriguing story of Hosea, a prophet commanded to marry a harlot, and the enduring lessons his life teaches us about God's unwavering pursuit of His people. With commentary from Dr. McGee, we delve into the personal trials and divine promise within Hosea's narrative, relating it to the ancient Israelis' struggles and victories. We also touch on listener experiences and prayers, highlighting the universal theme of turning back to faith and finding solace in spiritual practices.
SPEAKER 03 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Through the Bible. Early in this study, Dr. J. Vernon McGee shares with us about how to get victory in the spiritual life. He mentions how Joshua's army got the victory at Jericho because God led the charge. But the next battle was over the small city of Ai, and the army thought they could handle that one on their own without trusting God. But of course they were wrong. Dr. McGee says a great many people think they can live the Christian life in their own strength, which always means defeat. We're in Hosea 2, where God says, I'll take the name of Baal out of your vocabulary. And you know, he did. In fact, after 70 years as prisoners of war, the Jews finally broke their addiction to worshiping foreign gods. Where the word of God is not honored, worshiping other gods is a common thread. But spiritual victory is possible. And you know, the book of Hosea has some surprising lessons for us. But as we learn, the most painful lessons are in our relationships, aren't they? Specifically in our homes. And you know, many of our listeners have recently reached out asking for prayer in their heartbreak, and others are praising him at the same time for bringing them through. So as you find your seat on the Bible bus, I want to share a couple of letters. First, we're going to hear from a wife in Algeria who writes... My husband is an alcoholic, and most of the time I have no idea where he is. We go long periods of time without seeing him. He does not have a job and pushes us into more debt. I have a daughter to support, and there is no one I can talk to about this situation. Thank you for the program, which is my only friend. Next we hear from Mike. He's in the U.S. Like so many, I found TTB by accident on the radio, where I first heard a program that seemed to be spending time on a book not often covered in detail, 2 John. Then I heard Steve mention this was a five-year study of each book of the Bible, and I was hooked. I listened for many years until I fell away. A few years later, after about a depression and divorce, I began listening again. Praise God, the Bible bus was still there. Jesus, incredibly patient, yet powerful and loving. He stood by me, and I realized he's permanently in me and I in him. If he is for me, who can be effective against me? I love you, Jesus, and I praise you for using the many men and women who bring your word throughout the world for your glory. And thank you, Steve, Greg, and all my brothers and sisters all over the world. Well, Mike, thanks for that encouraging letter. Thanks for sharing your story too. Now, our last letter comes from Berenice in Brazil. I wanted to share with you what God has been talking to me about these past few days. I've been divorced for two years now. About a year ago, I started listening to your programs. I already knew you since my grandmother listened when I was a child. Through your teaching, God has been transforming my life, my way of thinking, and my character. I returned to the ways of the Lord and put my life in his hands. For a few weeks, I have been talking to my ex-husband again. I ask you to pray for us. I wrote this while crying and asking God to restore my marriage. Well, would you join us as we pray for the families of our fellow Bible bus passengers? And then also that we would praise God for the work that he's already doing in their lives. You can do that by signing up for our world prayer team in our app or online over at ttb.org. Let's pray together now. Father, thank you for the gift of studying your word together. We lift up those whose families are hurting and broken. You know the pain, Lord. You know the division. You know the struggles that they face. We would ask that you would bring healing, that you would mend what has been torn apart. Bring comfort to those who are hurting and reconciliation where there is strife and hope where there is despair. May your peace be with all those who need it today, Lord. In Jesus' name. Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Hosea 2 on Through the Bible.
SPEAKER 01 :
We are in this section of Hosea. That is the personal section. This is that section. That deals with the personal life, the home life of this man who was told to do a rather unusual thing, to say the least. And that is he was to marry a harlot. Apparently a girl, he'd fallen in love with her and she had gone bad. And so we find now that God asked him to go and marry her. And we'll see she'll become unfaithful again. And God again insists that he go and take her. Now, we have here, and I'm going to backtrack here to verse 15 of chapter 2. He says to this nation of Israel there to be restored. And as I said last time, and I probably will say it several times, you cannot read this prophecy. That is, take the whole prophecy and come to any other position than God is not through with the nation Israel. I don't care what your theology is, friends. The Word of God is the important thing. And you might be able to spiritualize this, but I don't think you can do that. Because when God speaks here, he's using a great deal of geography. And I think that when God says Israel and Ephraim, He's talking about a definite people, and He's not talking about you and me. But there are tremendous lessons here for us, not only as individuals, but I think for the nation, for that matter. And there was a time when this nation would hear the Word of God, but they've long since passed that stage. I'm reading verse 15 again, and God says, "...I will give her her vineyards there." and the valley of Achor were a door of hope. Now, you will recall when the children of Israel came into the land, there were actually three major enemies in the center of that land that had to be eliminated so Joshua could divide the enemy and then concentrate on one section at a time. The first was Jericho. Jericho represents the world. And then he made an attack upon Ai. That represents the flesh. He thought that was easy. And a great many people today think they can live the Christian life in their own strength by means of the flesh. And that always means defeat, by the way. And Joshua was defeated at Ai. But a great lesson was learned there. And God brought them down to the valley of Achor. And Achan was found there to be the one who had sinned at the destruction of Jericho. God told him not to touch any of the unclean things there. And those people were eaten up with venereal disease. And God had a reason for it. But this man disobeyed. And old Joshua, you remember, went down on his face and cried out to God. And he was as pious as I've been at times complaining to the Lord. Lord says, get up off your face. Israel hath sinned. You have to deal with sin before you can have a victory. And God says, now you deal with the sin. And they dealt with it in the valley of Achor. And from then on, it was victory for this man, Joshua. When you deal with the sins of the flesh, it'll mean victory. And therefore, he says here, and the valley of Achor, a door of hope. God says again, I'll judge your sin. And after I've judged your sin, there'll be a glorious, wonderful hope for you in the future. And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth and in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. So he's definitely referring to that period. And we'll read on now. It shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shall call me Ishii, and shall call me no more Baali. And you have in that the word Baal, but it means Lord. You see, they were running around calling God Lord, Lord. And they were worshiping God at the same time, at least they thought they were. And they were worshiping Baal. You can't do both, by the way. And God says, though the day is coming that thou shall call me Ishi. And that is intimate. Oh, how intimate that is. That speaks of a husband. You will call me my husband. And that speaks of intimacy, speaks of love. Oh, it speaks of that which is on the highest plane that's imaginable. And even the name of Baal will be forgotten, you see. Now he says, verse 17, "...I'll take away the names of Balaam out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name." In other words, they'll turn from idolatry. Now, he says in verse 18, "...and in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the fowls of the heaven, with the creeping things of the ground, and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely." Now, even the animals in that land, as in our land today, There's a danger of many a species becoming extinct. Some already have. God says that the animals have a right to this world. He created them and put them here. And he says in that day, he's going to make a covenant with the beasts. And that's when the lion and the lamb are going to lie down together. Now, today they lie down together, but the lamb's always inside the lion. But in that day, they'll lie down together. That is something we think very little of today. And all of a sudden in this country, we've taken an interest in what is known as ecology. That is the land and the animals that are in the land. And have you ever noticed that all the way through the Word of God, that God is considering the animals and also he's considering the land itself, blessing to the land? Man, you know, is a polluter. He's a sinner on the inside and he's a sinner on the outside. And everything that man touches is nothing in the world but sin. And today they're trying to get us not to throw things along the highway around, not be a litter bug. And it's now a fine if you do that. And it's a good thing it is. I remember driving out from a hunt that a couple of friends of mine had several years ago out on the Mojave Desert. We were coming down the highway and the sun was going down and it was hitting the side of the road, and on both sides there was just a beam, a flash of light. I've never seen anything like it. You know what it was? Broken beer bottles and whiskey bottles and I guess a few bottles of soda pop. But man, he's a polluter everywhere he goes. God says, I'm going to also take care of this earth here. And thank God for that. I don't think men are going to be able to do it. Now, in verse 19, he goes on to say here, and I will betroth thee unto me forever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in justice and in loving kindness and in mercies. And I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord. Now, we're coming to something that is very wonderful here. Actually, the word betroth here means to woo a virgin. It means to court a girl. Many of you men can remember your wife when she was a girl, how pretty she was and how you courted her. And by the way, you ought to remember it more often. He said a lot of sweet things then. The other evening, my wife and I were sitting out on the patio. I made this when I was recuperating from my physical trouble. And we were just talking about the fact that we are getting old. And I took a look at her and I have to say she is getting old like I am. But I can remember that girl that I first saw down in Texas with hair as black as a raven's wing, those flashing brown eyes. She had a sultry look, let me tell you, because she's dark complexion. And I remembered back there how wonderful those days were. And we got just a little sentimental, by the way, as we thought back over those days, how we used to drive up to Fort Worth and we went to a restaurant up there and We got a stake and you know what you paid for it in that day? 50 cents apiece. And she was a school teacher and I was a poor preacher. And I made her pay for her own, even 50 cents. I tell you, she's made up for that, those cents. And I can assure you, to woo a virgin. What a beautiful, lovely picture this in. God says that I intend to win you, but how is he going to do this? I'm going to woo you in righteousness and in justice. And in loving kindness and in mercies, you see there was mercy under the Mosaic system too. You will find that there was love in law and there's law in love also. You just can't absolutely segregate one from the other. This is lovely. And this again is one of the reasons. that I do not think the present return of Israel to that land is a fulfillment of prophecy. Certainly not this one. God says, when I woo you and bring you back into that land, why, it'll be in righteousness and in justice and in loving kindness and in mercies. Israel is just like any other nation. Some think they are a little more brutal, but my friend, they're on the defense over there, you can be sure of that. And they have to exercise a strong defense system. They are not backing that land. in fulfillment of prophecy. They have returned to the land, but they have not yet returned to the Lord. When they return to the Lord, there'll be blessing. They have not yet done that. I'm going to talk about that just in a few minutes, at least if I get there today. Verse 20 now, chapter 2, I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness. Now, they never were faithful in the past. They're very much like the church in apostasy today. And thou shall know the Lord, and they sure don't know him today. Verse 21, it shall come to pass in that day. Now, that expression, in that day, is an expression that I think is a technical expression, and it refers forward to the time of the last days as it pertains to the nation Israel. It refers to the great tribulation period and the coming of Christ to set up his kingdom down here. It shall come to pass in that day. I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth. In other words, heaven and earth will be in tune, and Browning will be right in that day, and he's sure not right today that heaven and earth are in tune. Verse 22, And the earth shall hear the grain, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel. Now, Jezreel meant God will scatter them. But in that day, God will regather them. Listen to him, verse 23. And I will sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy. Not only will he regather them, but they will no longer be lo, Ruhamah, the unpitted daughter of Hosea and Gomer the harlot. But God will now have mercy upon them, and they will obtain mercy. And I will say unto them who were not my people, thou art my people, and they shall say, thou art my God. They are not saying that today, and today it's lo ami, not my people, but in that day it will be my people. God will say, you are my people, and they will say, You are my God. Now, that is not true today, friends. They are not turning to God, but they will turn to God in that day. All right, now we come down to chapter 3 here. In chapter 3, Hosea found out that his wife had proved unfaithful, but he's commanded to go and take Gomer again. Notice what he says. Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet. Love a woman, that is your wife, she's your woman, love a woman, beloved of her friend, you love her, though she's been unfaithful, yet she's an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love cakes of raisins. That is, they loved that which was part of the heathen worship of idols, the cakes of raisins. Actually, they were used in the sacrificial feast of the Canaanites of that day. And the children of Israel have adopted that. You can see God's making the application. He says to this man, Hosea, now you know how I feel. I want you to go and take Gomer again. She's been unfaithful to you, but you love her and you take her back. And God says, that's what I'm going to do with my people. Israel's been unfaithful to me, but I haven't cast her overboard. I'm going to punish her, but I have not gotten rid of them by any means. Now, will you notice what he says, verse 2? So I bought her for myself. Now, apparently she had sold herself. to some group of racketeers that were running brothels in that land, and he had to go buy her back. And I bought it for myself. And do you know that you and I have been redeemed? The picture's not very pretty. That's the reason it's not being preached more today. You can hear more today, even in fundamental circles, our conservative circles, about dedication, about commitment, and about the fact that you're to turn your life over to the Lord and you're to do this. My friend, the first thing you have to do is to come as a sinner to God He has to redeem you just as this man went and bought this harlot. That's the way God redeemed you and he redeemed me. And until you and I see that, we haven't seen anything at all. We haven't even gotten to first base until we see this. And he says, so I bought it for myself for 15 pieces of silver. and for a homer of barley and a half homer of barley. And she wasn't worth it. And you and I are not worth the redemption price because we were not redeemed with gold or silver or precious stones, but with a precious blood of Christ. He had to shed his blood. He had to suffer and die that you and I might be redeemed today. Why? Because we were lost sinners, sold under sin, if you please. We better learn to start there, friends. I heard a man, and he's a friend of mine. I heard him bring a message. I think he's a great preacher, but he's got soul. He doesn't mention the gospel. He didn't mention the fact that you have to come as a sinner. Oh, he told them, well, they ought to love Jesus. You ought to serve God. You ought to obey him and all that sort of thing. But friends, that's not where you begin. We are dead in trespasses and sins. And you just well go out the graveyard and say, listen, fellas and girls, Let's all of us start doing better. Let's all of us start committing our life to the Lord. We have no life to commit. Everybody out there is dead. They can't do anything. And you and I are dead in trespasses and sins until that matter is settled. And we are born again. We receive a new nature. We haven't got anywhere at all. Now, he says, "...and I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days." Thou shall not play the harlot. Thou shall not be for another man. So will I also be for thee. And a man told me a sad story not too long ago of how he found out that his wife was unfaithful to him and how he actually followed her. And he apparently had a detective. Imagine the feeling of that man. Oh, what a heartbreak it was to him to find out that she was unfaithful to him. Well, my friend, I can't think of anything worse than that. It broke up a home. It'll break up a home. But God says to his people, that's what you've been doing. You've been playing the harlot. You have gone after other gods and you've turned from me and you no longer serve me. Oh, you call me Lord. And the Lord Jesus said, many are going to say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, I'll say I didn't know you. Now, I'm going to say now probably the strongest thing that you've ever heard. And there's not one of these rock-ribbed fundamentalists even that criticizes me today. He's never said anything this strong. Did you know that in a church that has a building that has a steeple on it and a bell in it and a pulpit and a man stands up there who denies the Word of God denies the deity of Christ and denies that he died for sinners. And the people attend there and support that sort of thing. Do you know what you have? You don't have a church. You have a brothel, a spiritual brothel, my friend. And that's all in the world it is. And I didn't say that. God says that right here. This is the strongest language you can imagine. And you can understand why Hosea was not elected the man of the year. in Israel at that particular time. He didn't win the popularity contest in his hometown. You can be sure of that. Why? Because that's exactly what he's telling his people. You have become a brothel as a nation as you've turned to idolatry and turned from the living and true God. Now he said as a result, And I sure am going to have to save this until next time. I do want to talk about this. Verse 4 and 5. And I consider we've come to probably the most important verses right now for these students of prophecy today that are beginning to set dates. Listen to this. "'For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king,' without a prince, without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Now, will you notice, I'm going to talk about the many days next time, but they're going to abide many days without a king. Some claim in that land today they can tell you the tribe they belong to. I have my serious doubts about that, but at least they make the claims. But there is not an Israelite living today that can say, I'm in the line of David and I have a right to the throne of David. The only one that can claim that is right this moment, sitting at God's right hand. That's the Lord Jesus Christ, who's King of kings and Lord of lords. They're going to abide many days without a king. And they don't have one down here today. They've rejected their king and without a prince. That is, one to follow and without a sacrifice. Now, I'm going to have to say this until next time. Did you know that those there back in that land, had it ever struck you as being very strange that they actually do not have a temple and they do not have a sacrifice? Has that ever struck you as being unusual? Well, if it hasn't, then tune us in next time because we're going to talk about that, for that's very important. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, Dr. McGee pursues that question in our next study. So until then, if you want to dive deeper into your study of God's Word yourself or to be in touch, you can download our app. And I know that I say it all the time, but it really is an excellent way to stay on the Bible bus. I use it every day. Or visit us at ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'm looking forward to meeting you back here for another great adventure in God's Word next time.
SPEAKER 03 :
All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
SPEAKER 02 :
Through the Bible is a five-year study of God's entire word, and together we discover God's purposes in history and our lives, found only when we believe in Jesus Christ. Do you know him yet?
