Good afternoon. Today's scriptural reading is from Hosea 5, 13-15, and 6, 1-6. Hosea 5, 13-15. When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and said to the great king, but he is not able to cure you or heal your wound, for I will be like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away. I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress, earnestly seek me. Come, let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us, that he may heal us. He has struck us down, and he will bind us up. And after two days, he will revive us. And on the third day, he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. He is going out as sure as the dawn. He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets. I have slain them. by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as a light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we stand before your word. Please pour out your grace and mercy in our hearts and pour out your wisdom without limit so that it can be a precious and blessed time to get to know you more. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Before we go deep into today's text, I would like to make an introduction a little longer. It is to understand today's text better. Today's introduction connects the following questions. Why do we read the Book of Prophets? Or why do we have to read them? The Old Testament is largely consisting of the Pentateuch, first five books, and a history, and the writings, known as a wisdom literature, and the prophets. And the book of Hosea, to which today text belong, is one of the 17 books of the prophets. A prophet was a person who speaks for God and were by divine inspiration. They were chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel. The prophets of the Old Testament received the word of God and then took on a role of confronting idolatry and social problems that were dominant in society at the time. Injustice, corruptions, and absurdity, and this goes on and on and on. For this reason, most of the prophets recorded in our Old Testament were rejected, ridiculed, turned away, and threatened with their lives. and even martyred by the people. So if I were to choose the color of the book of the prophets, I would choose either dark gray or black. It is like a picture where you can see the faint light of the cross in the big picture. It is just all dark, but small faint of the cross you can see in the picture, but when you enter, the tunnel of the dark, then you cannot see the end. When you read these long and dark words of the judgment without hope for the end, you wonder if there is any hope for this nation Israel. Please try to open your Bible and one available in the pew in front of you. Do I give you the opportunity to touch the Bible for the first time or for a long time? And can you open, try to find the book of Isaiah. It is a church Bible. In the church Bible it is 566, 566. And then try to find the last book, Malachi, it is 803. I will not read this all, but just try to figure this thickness of the book and try to compare with the thickness of the book of the New Testament. New Testament is very next to a whole book of here. I will just write this. When I compare with this New Testament and Old Testament, just prophets, this Old Testament prophets is little, just two or three pages more than New Testament. So it is this wave portion in the book of the Bible. In terms of mount, the prophets occupied a larger section compared to Pentateuch, and then history, and writings, and the entire New Testament. This is quite just mount. The tone of the books of the prophets are dark, and some of them are quite lengthy. In Isaiah 66 chapter, and then Jeremiah 52. Even Jeremiah is 52, but it is more than just Isaiah. So then why should we read them? Why we just simply focus on, should we just simply focus on reading prophecy about the Messiah, and then just forget about the other stuff? Why do we read the prophets? Why should we read the prophets? I would like to point two places in the Bible that can help us to get an answer for these questions. First is Malachi 1, 1-2. This is a phrase that I often quote when I introduce the prophets. The prophet Malachi was ministering about 400 years before Jesus began his ministry. This is the word of God. The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, says the Lord. But you say, how have you loved us? God, who has made a covenant with the people of Israel from the time of the prophet Moses, and has loved them for a thousand years, and tells the people of Israel that I have loved you. since I first met you in the wilderness. But the first response from the Israelites saying that, no, how have you loved us? This response from the Israelites broke the heavenly father's heart so much to the point that he didn't send a prophet. For 400 years after that, of course, it is my interpretation of the Bible, but I support this interpretation. This is my personal experience and reflection. This story happened when my second child learned the sentence, I don't like you. from her brother. Can you already imagine what kinds of story this would be? One morning, while kids were just getting ready to go to school, I gave several, just few, just warnings that my daughter for her bad attitudes. Then, all of a sudden, she whispered to her brothers in ears and saying, I don't like that. I want him to disappear. And before she got in the car to go to school, she continued talking negatively about me to her brother. I'm laughing now, but at that moment, I was so heartbroken, I just cried in my heart. And my heart was so discouraged, which caused me not to be able to have a normal conversation with my daughter until few next days. She just didn't know what she did, but I got so much discouraged, and then I was not able to have a conversation, regular conversation with her for days. I still remember the shock of how sad and heartbreaking that day was, but at that moment, simultaneously, Holy Spirit knocked my heart and softened my heart. I came to understand a little bit of God's heart who was so broken because of his children. It was painful enough to say that it was just not broken, but saying that you lost your joy of life. I lost my joy. I don't want to just leave. I couldn't speak for just a few days due to this discouragement, but wooden God, who loved the people of Israel fervently, continuously, faithfully, and keep his mouth shut for 400 years, I was able to, I could understand his perspective. But how did God answer the Israelite's question about how have you loved us? This is a second passage. It is from Romans five and eight. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. after Apostle Paul became a new creature by the grace of the Lord and he was able to look back the event of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and he was astonished by God's love. From Paul's point of view, God has loved his people consistently and fervently all this long history, but the surest proof of how God loved his people is that he forgave the sins of people by letting his son Jesus die at the cross. God proves firmly his love for his people by the cross of Jesus Christ. A reason we need to read the book of the prophets is because when we read them, we can see and understand how much God loved and continues to love his people. Please read the book of Hosea this week as an assignment. At the beginning of the book, God gave the prophet Hosea a shocking ministry. Go, take yourself a wife of whoredom, is adultery, and have children of the whoredom, for the land commits a great whoredom by forsaking the Lord. This is why there, God gave them children's name very unique. First children is Charis of Jezreel. I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu in a little while. Second child, Lo, Luhama, no mercy. Lo, Luhama, no mercy. Third child, Lo, Ammi, not my people. What's your name? My name is Lo, Luhama, no mercy. What's your name? Ro Ammi. Not my people? What kinds of parents give these kinds of names to their children? In addition, the wife of prophet Hosea cheated on him and went to another man, but God told him, pay money to redeem her. So Hosea obeyed and brought her back. You can see there are similarities in gospel and in the book of Hosea. It was evident that Hosea was called for this irrational ministry in our perspectives. Through this embarrassing ministry, the prophet Hosea could have felt deeply, could have understood that God has such the same broken heart for his people as he had. Because his faithful ministry back in the days, people after this generation read the words of the Prophet Hosea and Apostle Paul, and then generation by generation were deeply touched by this story. And even to me. who prepared the words of God lest we, God's broken heart towards his people was shown to me through the Holy Spirit so that I could understand even a little bit of the sorrowful heart that God had for his people. If you begin to read the prophets, read the heart of God who truly loved his people, then your question would be changed from hey, How can God do this to his prophet Hosea? Changing to, why did he have to do this? As a Christian, we grow up before God by understanding God's heart, little by little, and becoming more mature. Christian maturity begins with getting to know God's heart more deeply for this reason. we should read the Word of God, especially the Book of Prophets. In the time of Hosea, the king of northern Israel was Jeroboam II. During the reign of Jeroboam, there was a military confliction, Assyria and Assyria. This Assyria, who was enemy of the border in Israel, so Israel, because there is a tension between Assyria and Syria, just relatively, just Israel, northern Israel, was able to enjoy peace without war, relatively. Therefore, it was most prosperous period in the history of the northern Israel. It was a period of prosperity in military, economy, culture, and social, and all in education, all this area. 2 Kings 14, 23, 27. In the 15 years of the Amaziah, the son of the Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam, the son of the Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria. And he reigned 41 years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from the Nebo Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arba, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah, the son of Amatai, the prophet, who was a firm God helper. For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, For there was none left bound or free. And there was none to help Israel. But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven. So he saved them by the hand of the Jeroboam, the son of Joash. In fact, in God's perspective, this Jeroboam, What he did was evil in the sight of the Lord. But in fact, just God took pity on Ephraim. So he gave them grace for a short time, around 41 years of the Jeroboam, just reigning time. So God was giving Ephraim a chance to return to him. He desired, he desire, God desired to just let them question about who gave this prosperous life? Who gave us food, and gold, and peace, and this prosperous life among our societies? Then let us try to find this guy, this God, so that let us worship this God. Did the Israelites, did Israel seek God to worship? This is today's text. 13, 14, when Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and said to the great king, but he is not able to cure you or heal your wound, for I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and I like a young lion to house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away. I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. Sorry that I had to cut a few verses due to message. But even after they're receiving grace, Israel did not come back. So now God gave them pain. When God gave them peace and then prosperous life, they did not come back. So God gave them pain, but they did not come back. When Israel saw the Hebrew verb ra'a, he just recognized it. You correctly recognize it. It's not just quickly, and then you just stop by and sing, but ra'a, you saw that he was ill. Israel, the king of Judah and king of Israel, saw that the pain, that he has a pain, oh. Not just ill, but holy and matzor in Hebrew, a serious disease that did not respond to any medication. Yet foolishly, they went to Assyria. where he cannot get healing. They thought that, the Germans thought that, if I bring a bribe to Assyria and make them to attack Aram, the Syria, then they will fight each other so that I will be okay. Well, Assyria now thought that, oh, Israel have money. Okay, I want to see your strategy too. That's why Assyria are taking all this northern area of Israel and then Shuddam, all this area. Because of this ungrateful and foolish act, God becomes a lion himself and he will become a judge, declaring that I, even I, ani, ani etrof velek, I and I will tear and go away. Usually Hebrew verbs, as you know, the author can tell the subject, but here, God emphasizing that ani, ani, I am the one who will tear you down and go away. God is emphasizing that the only one who only can rescue you is only me. Verse 15, I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress, earnestly seek me. Now it is said that God goes to his dwelling place and stays there until Israel truly repents. Like any parents, what God the Father sincerely wants from the Israel is not their children will perish. but that they truly realize their sins and then truly seek their father. Father, I'm sorry, forgive my sins. What does this honestly seek? The phrase honestly seek means here. This is the same verbs used in Psalm 63, verse one. It is written by David. Oh God, you are my God. earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you. As in a dry and weary land where there is no water. A man without water try hard to find water in the wilderness. Just as your ancestor, your father David, could thirst for his soul, earnestly sought me and seek me like him. Seek me like your David, your father David. You also should cry out earnestly and seek me diligently in that way. The same verb, shaar, is used. The prophet Hosea, who understand this father's heart, broken heart, and he proclaims, come, let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us that he may heal us. He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days, He will revive us. On the third day, He will raise us up, that we may live before Him. Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going out is as short as dawn. He will come to us as a shower, as a spring rains that water the earth. The verb reku, Halak in verse one are used in the second person imperative, which literally mean that you walk. In Banah Shuvah, Prophet Hosea urging people to return to the Lord, return to the Lord. It means that people should return to the original father, the original place, which means to their Lord. On the one hand, regarding verse two, two days and then three days, one commentator commented that if the primary context means that God will restore Israel quickly, the meaning behind it can be interpreted in relations to rejection of Jesus Christ. Whether it was Hosea's intention or not, saying that it is interpreted, interpret and accept this expression, two or three days will be rejected, It will be raised, expression in which this phrase gradually become a regular phrase in Israeli community. Later in the first century, it was used among the people as being resurrected after three days. So back in the days, Hosea using this phrase, and then after he using it, and then in Israeli community, using it, and then commonly, and then now it became a So the commenter said that we can consider it as, consider it as a possible interpretation. And when we, if we consider that is God is the one who saved the life. Verse three, parallel to verse one, and then verse three was a slogan of the ministry of the prophet Hosea. Let us return to the Lord. Let us press on to the Lord. Know the Lord. I have a talk about this verb yada several times. And the Hebrew verb yada does not refer to a superficial knowledge of the fact of the thing or a superficial degree of the knowledge of this other person. just not knowing that, yes, I know your name, I know your preference, not just that superficial level, but in marital relationship, it means that sleeping with each other. In war, the verb yada can only be used if you have personally participated in war. So if you question to me that, do you know army? Then I can say that yes, I know army. Why? Because I served in Korean army for two years. So when you ask someone question, do you really know? In Hebrew terms, in Hebrew perspectives, then you have to have experience with it. In this respect, the biblical commentator emphasized that we do not truly know God when we just acknowledge God as creator, lawgiver, redeemer, and the national God of Israel. The knowing God denotes a close spiritual relationship with him, obedience to his commandments, and fear of him. Have you ever saw seeds while weeping? Have you ever stood up as a Christian and did what you had to do in the face of injustice in society? Have you ever cried and prayed over a soul? Only those who have lived and seen the word of God in this way can say that I know God. What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like a dew that goes early away. Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as a light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than bunt offerings. God knows his people in detail. But what about the people of Israel? The people's love just vanished like a morning cloud, like a morning dew. Hesed, stefes, love in Hebrew, related with the action. Covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, kindness, loyalty, loving kindness that goes beyond because of duty. This is a boundary, although you are just covenant, but you go beyond. That is a steadfast love. If you just follow God's Wait, that is not enough. You have to go beyond. That is steadfast love. And it is action. In the end, the people of Israel who had obligation to love their neighbor unconditionally and love God were not faithful like a morning cloud which disappears quickly. In the end, all that was left of this community was God's faith warning. They eventually perished according to the words of the prophet who prophesied the word of God. Therefore, we learn from the book of Hosea that destruction is not caused by by the absence of God's presence but it is caused by human ignorance, misunderstanding, persistence and prejudice and arrogance who completely refuse to know God. Do you know what my kids do if they are scared when we do hide and seek play? And just, okay, this is father's turn. Okay, you hide, so I hide myself. And then I hide usually in the closet, same closet, all the time same closet. Let them just find easily. But when they're afraid, they usually just close their eyes and then put like fingers, and then they try to using their foot, open the door like this. Conversely, even when they hide, they cover their eyes like this, and then they sit in front of the living room. And then, so am I really not seeing anything? Just pretending to them that I'm not seeing them. I thought of this as a way God sees us, our community, and our society today. Society increasingly refuses to know God. Isn't it like a society where if I cover my eyes and then cover my ears and saying that, I cannot see you, I cannot hear you, then the other person does not exist. Rather, isn't it right to honestly seek him, honestly seek the existence of God, to know him with a humble mind? Brothers and sisters whom God loves, if there is anything God wants from us through today's words, what would it be? I pray that we will become mature children who understand the heart of God. In particular, I hope that it will be a precious opportunity to understand our Heavenly Father's earnest desire for us through the words of the prophets. After graduating from seminary, I was too lazy to study, so I read the Bible sporadically. But God gave me a prescription, so I had to read the Bible to my children every day. Every day before going to bed and before going to school, I read a wisdom literature, a chapter per day, and a short story of Jesus. And there are times when I'm moved to tears while reading it, because it is a children's Bible, an English version. that is easy to understand even in English. Of course, it must be because the Holy Spirit touches my heart who lays on to read the Bible. If the Old Testament ESV version is difficult for you, I recommend NIRV. New International, reader's version, is also recommended. As I was preparing Hosea, I read it all the way from the beginning to end, Hosea, with easy translation, within just an hour. So it is so much readable that you can read the entire book with easy translations. And then later, you can go back to ESV, and then if you really want to, you can go to Hebrews too. I pray that we will become a people who diligently seek God, seeking and knowing God's heart and fulfilling our Father's desire. Let us pray. God the Father, today through the words of the prophet Hosea, we learned about your desire for us. We pray that this week, as you give us a precious opportunity to seek you more, get to know you more, and understand your word, lead us to spend time in your word. At this moment, we pray for our brothers and sisters who are in Ukraine and refugees in Poland. We know you, Father, that you do not abandon your people there, but you are with them to suffer with them. Father, won't you mercy and grace be upon your people? We know your will, you will help them to hold their faith, grant them the grace and peace and comfort to all those who dwell in the land. As God faithfully loves us with the love of chesed, so let us love you until the day we meet you. Also help us to embrace our neighbors unconditionally with the love of chesed. Help us not to forget the love of a father who proved his love through the cross of Christ. We pray in the name of our savior, Jesus, amen.