Introduction

Good morning. Let us turn to Hosea, chapter 9. This chapter reflects on how our God is a jealous God. He cannot tolerate those who want to have it both ways – to erect a facade of righteousness, yet behave immorally; to seek benefits from God, while also leveraging worldly logic to prosper in this world. Woe to those whom God abandons! Many may not believe this. We often hear in church that God is love. But is that all there is to it? A defining characteristic of our God is that He keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him, but visits the iniquity of those who hate Him on their children and their children’s children to the third and fourth generation. This causes great perplexity. For example, some are eager for me to quickly sever ancestral curses for them, but they do not understand what kind of God we have. It is not as simple as cutting off ties as one pleases because the root of the problem is love for God! Even if your ancestors sinned, if you choose to love God in your generation, the ancestral curse cannot touch you.

The theme of this chapter is: Woe to those whom God abandons! You must understand that Christians being abandoned by God is a common phenomenon. Let us do some accounting. During the time of Elijah, Ahab and Jezebel reigned, and they killed many of God's people and prophets. God said: Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal. (1 Kings 19:18) Upon hearing this, I almost shed tears. Only seven thousand prophets remained who had not bowed down to Baal. It is hardly a cause for celebration or joy; it is a tragedy!

Today, try to find the tribes of Dan, Simeon, or Reuben in Israel. They are all gone, abandoned by God. Do not think that God is only love. We keep saying God is love, but have you listened to God’s words? If not, you are in trouble! Let us analyze why people do not listen to God. First, let us examine what it is like to be abandoned by God.

The State of Being Abandoned by God

Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them. They will not remain in the Lord’s land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria. (Hosea 9:2-3)

Being abandoned by God means being in a state of deficiency. Returning to Egypt means going back to slavery, eating unclean food—not genetically modified barley or wheat. We often say a single rat dropping spoils the whole pot of soup. What if you were given a pot of soup made entirely of rat droppings? In such a state, even a pot of rat dropping soup must be consumed. If God abandons people, calamities will follow one another.

What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals, on the feast days of the Lord? (Hosea 9:5)

Ordinarily, the feasts of God are worth celebrating, just like the Chinese New Year.

Even if they escape from destruction, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers, and thorns will overrun their tents. (Hosea 9:6)

The state of being abandoned by God is miserable! Some people live in this state, where everything becomes moldy, everything is ruined, and nothing works. Their dwellings are like houses filled with thorns and thistles, and their treasures of silver are taken over by briers.

Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird—no birth, no pregnancy, no conception. Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. Woe to them when I depart from them! (Hosea 9:11-12)

These people have no glory to speak of, and they cannot even bear children. In the spiritual realm, there is a basic principle: those abandoned by God attract demons. Some non-believers in this world live better lives than Christians who are abandoned by God. Therefore, I divide Christians into two categories: those exalted above all nations and those brought low beneath all nations. The latter live miserable lives, enslaved in Egypt.

I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer. (Hosea 9:13)

The Ephraimites bring out their children only to hand them over to the slayer. This is strange! How could they make such a terrible decision?

Give them, Lord—what should you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry. (Hosea 9:14)

Hosea is quite humorous, still thinking about what God should give them despite seeing the Israelites in such a state. Let the mothers who raise children have no milk, causing great trouble! Even in this generation, a mother’s milk is the cleanest and freshest, requires no sterilization, and is at the perfect temperature for the baby. Wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry is a tragedy, yet that is the punishment Ephraim will receive. Ephraim here refers to the Israelites.

“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring.” My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations. (Hosea 9:15-17)

Nothing in this world is more deadly than opposing God. Even opposing demons can cause you great trouble, let alone opposing God. There is absolutely no way out. If you do not oppose God and stand on God’s side, you can still suppress some demons. But if you oppose God and are abandoned by Him, it is a tragedy. Let me remind you, the condition of those abandoned by God is appalling.

Do not assume that the current state of Israel still consists of twelve tribes. In fact, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remain; they are the current Jews. The other tribes are gone, vanished into thin air! This is the consequence of abandoning God. The Jews are still better off compared to the Ephraimites and the other ten tribes of Israel.

Note that the Israel spoken of in Hosea refers to the other ten tribes, wandering among the nations, lost and unidentifiable. The Jews can still be identified, but the people of the other ten tribes are unknown., Is this not a disaster? Could this happen to Christians today? Do not think that Hosea is only written for the Israelites and Ephraimites. It is written for all believers. I have shared with everyone that Christians must understand what curses are all about! Yet they are unaware and do not study God’s word diligently. Know that the curses in the Bible are written for believers and those who have received grace from God.

Looking around, we can see that some among us have experienced temporary abandonment by God. No matter how hard I try to persuade them to return and revere God, they question whether reverence for God can put food on the table, help them pass civil service exams, or gain admission to universities. They even suspect that reverence for God will make it impossible for them to live. Someone asked: Do the Levites still exist? Even the Levites are gone, assimilated into the ten tribes. Some Levites served in Judah, but most joined Israel. When Moses’ grandson was still around, a Levite made an idol and caused chaos in the tribe of Dan.

Therefore, the state of being abandoned by God is extremely sad! We must understand that the words the prophet wrote to that generation still apply today. If you were to preach similar stern words in other churches, see if they would kick you out. They only want to believe that God is love, full of grace and mercy. If anyone preaches Hosea, they will surely be thrown out. If Hosea were to run for election, he would definitely lose, and his vote count might not even be enough to recover his deposit.

The Reasons for Being Abandoned by God

The reasons for being abandoned by God are important, but discussing this makes me feel uneasy. I have witnessed these things happening plainly in my ministry. One of the reasons for being abandoned by God is resembling gentiles.

Do not rejoice, Israel; do not be ecstatic like the nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of sin at all the threshing floors. (Hosea 9:1)

The joy and ecstasy of gentiles come from eating well, drinking well, and making money. If a Christian still lives with this attitude, their joy and ecstasy are similar to those of gentiles. People accumulate many things – marrying, being given in marriage, buying, and selling. Some think that if they do not live like gentiles, they might as well become living deities in the world. That is not the case! Our God does not want you to become a living deity, as if you are just waiting for two wings to sprout out. Our God wants you to revere Him, not to live according to worldly logic but according to God’s logic. I have said this many times.

There are so many joyous things in the world. One of the reasons for being abandoned by God is having a strong worldly, carnal logic within. This is deadly! Because those people believe it is right. Their set of values causes their judgment of things to become a reason for being abandoned by God, which is resembling gentiles. Someone may argue: Didn't Paul say that he becomes all things to all men? He wants to bring those living in the state of gentiles into the Kingdom of God. The second reason for being abandoned by God is resembling the people of Gibeah.

They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins. (Hosea 9:9)

Gibeah was a very lustful place. If you do not remember the story, let me tell you. A man brought his concubine, who had left home, back. When passing through Gibeah, they stayed at an inn. The whole city of Gibeah was stirred up, and all the men, both young and old, wanted to rape the concubine. The concubine was raped all night. When she reached the doorstep of the inn, she died. Her husband cut her body into twelve pieces, one for each tribe, and the twelve tribes of Israel came to fight against the people of Gibeah. Although the Gibeahites were strong fighters, they were eventually destroyed by the twelve tribes, with only a few hundred survivors.

The Ephraimites were doing what the Gibeahites had done, which was a sin. Once people have a worldly logic, their perceived enjoyment and joy are equivalent to the joy of the Gibeahites. The joy of the Gibeahites leads to the extinction of the clan, with the entire tribe being wiped out. This is the choice of the Ephraimites. The Ephraimites of that generation, from top to bottom, were practicing survival of the fittest, filled with violence like the generation of Noah, causing widespread suffering. Could God not abandon these people? Resembling both gentiles and the people of Gibeah, God came to discipline them.

At that time, there were many disasters among the Israelites. They invited evil spirits all day long, and they were filled with lusts of the flesh, resulting in illness. After people got sick, they still complained that God didn't have eyes. However, God's eyes are bright, which is the tragedy of the Israelites. They were like gentiles and like the people of Gibeah. After doing these things, disaster came, and they still expected to pray to God. Didn't they think God would listen?

Now, there are many churches that God does not listen to their prayers. This is a contemporary tragedy. Through practice, we have found that God listens to our prayers more because we know to be careful not to be forsaken by God, and we must love our God well! But these people do not know how to repent; instead, they hate God and complain about why God does not listen to their prayers. There are quite a few people like this. I once saw a pastor who was very miserable; he never understood the reason until he died.

One of the reasons why people are forsaken by God is that they are like gentiles, the second is that they are like the people of Gibeah, and the third is that they hate God. When the Israelites encountered disasters and wanted to pray, but God did not listen, they began to hate God and did not know how to repent. The pastor I mentioned earlier had a brain tumor. He said in the church that God is love, but what was in his bones? I once invented a sentence that everyone must deeply imprint in their minds – God does not listen to their prayers because the logical system inside them is wrong. As I often say: I didn't do it right, I must repent. But these people do not think so.

This pastor had a brain tumor, but he was still confused. What he said, ordinary people could not hear any hidden meaning, but those among us could definitely hear it. When I served him, he said, Pastors like us can only rest one day a week, so we get sick. He responded this way because I asked him how he got the brain tumor. He felt that he was serving God too hard. As a result, God did not heal him because he resented God in his bones.

Another pastor had cancer. The doctor suggested he use a cheap medicine with a 60% effectiveness rate. After using it, it didn't work much, so he asked God why he fell into the 40%. In fact, the person he should have asked was himself. When the doctor saw that the previous medicine was ineffective, he suggested he use another more expensive medicine, which was 90% effective. However, he belonged to the 10%. So he shouted again, God! Why? There are also people like this among us, complaining that God has no eyes and resenting God in their hearts. Will God not punish your sins?

The days of punishment are coming; the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. The prophet is a fool, the inspired person is demented, because of your great iniquity and great hatred. The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, associated with my God, yet a hunter’s trap is on all his ways, and hostility is in the house of his God. (Hosea 9:7-8)

This passage is not translated so smoothly. Don't be misled by this sentence. In fact, this sentence speaks of some prophets in the house of Israel who are watching over the Israelites. They began to declare that the days of punishment and judgment were near. However, after the Israelites heard it, they did not repent; instead, they said the prophets were fools and thought those inspired by the Holy Spirit were mad. What kind of brain is this!

The Israelites just didn't think they had done too much evil and only knew to resent God for treating them this way. As for the sentence in the scripture: The prophet is a hunter’s trap on all his ways, and hostility is in the house of his God, it would be better if everyone looked at the English translation. It is good for us to know that they resent God. The fourth reason God forsakes is worshiping Baal.

When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. (Hosea 9:10)

There are four reasons why people are forsaken by God. Let me review with you again. First, like gentiles; second, like the people of Gibeah; third, hate God; and fourth, worship Baal. It is a very strange thing for the Israelites to worship Baal. Why do people worship Baal? Because if you worship God, God requires you to obey His word. But if you worship idols, idols do not require you to listen.

Those who worship idols do not say that they want to choose to keep and obey God's word, because this path is too difficult. They feel that if they keep and obey God's word, they will not be able to live because they have a worldly logical system inside. Now I also have to warn you that if you have gone through a period of discipline and minor disasters, then you must begin to wake up and can no longer go this way.

Worshiping Baal does not require paying a price, but worshiping our God has requirements, and God's requirements are quite high! Some people think that the requirements of the Old Testament are high, but in fact, the requirements of the New Testament are even higher. People often ask us whether we should keep the Sabbath. They feel that keeping the Sabbath is a great thing. In fact, we should keep the Sabbath every day and love our God every day.

If what we have inside is still a worldly logical system and we live for these things in the world, we will be forsaken by God sooner or later, without even thinking about it. If you really want to change, you have to change from the root, starting with what we base our judgment of what is right. Judging from the perspective of gentiles, that is a gentile value system; judging from God's perspective, that is God's value system, so everyone must begin to form a set of godly value systems.

Though Prophets Warned Them, They Despised the Prophets

The days of punishment are coming; the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. The prophet is a fool, the inspired person is demented, because of your great iniquity and great hatred. The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, associated with my God, yet a hunter’s trap is on all his ways, and hostility is in the house of his God. (Hosea 9:7-8)

Though prophets warned them, they despised the prophets and hated God. There are many people who are extremely self-righteous, firmly believing that they are not wrong, and complaining about why God treats them this way. They are clearly wrong, but they are still arguing with God. Where can you argue? Don't think that God cares about you arguing with Him, and don't think that you can argue with God. That is hating God.

Often think that I didn't do it right! This sentence is really good because it is the wisdom God gave me. So do not despise the warnings of the prophets, do not hate God, and do not lose your temper. There is no meaning to your emotions rising. If your evil energy rises, you must know that following that evil energy is fatal because that evil energy comes from evil spirits.

In the two hundred years of Israel's history, there were prophets Elijah and Elisha, as well as those unnamed men of God. There were too many people who warned them before and after, and Hosea was just one of them. But after people heard it, they not only despised these prophets but also questioned, Are you the only ones who are right? And they also provoked the prophets, making it clear that the prophet himself married a prostitute as his wife, and said that God told him to marry her. The prophet suffered too much grievance when he met these people.

If someone wants to warn us, we must know that it is fortunate that someone warns us. Don't wait until the day of God's punishment comes and you are completely unable to turn things around. The curse bears fruit, and you have to eat it. When you sow, there will be prophets to warn you. Don't despise others just because their views are different from yours. Your views and opinions are not the world's standards, and even if they may be the world's standards, they are definitely not God's standards. Even if it is different from your cognition, it is not a problem. It is better to listen to it and do not wait until people are corrupted and the days of suffering come. Don't be willful; be a little softer! The devil deceives people, deceives them into evil ways, and then tries to kill you. Don't think that God wants you to die. God wants you to live. But if you insist on walking the path of death, then God will definitely open up a path of death for you and give you more strength.

God Will Reject Them; They Will Be Drifters Among the Nations

My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations. (Hosea 9:17)

The Israelites were rejected by God, and the ending was as tragic as it could be. In the history of the Israelites, not to mention these Israelites, even the Jews who were several levels stronger than them in the past were tossed around among the nations. God had warned them since the time of Moses, and later there were Joshua and Samuel, and there were many judges in between, and then there were many prophets who warned them.

These people heard it, but they did not understand it because they had their own ideas and were willing to drift among the nations. This makes people feel a lot of emotion! Why do I say this? I really don't want our brothers and sisters to be too hard-hearted. Start to soften down and know how stern the prophet's warning is. God doesn't really want to destroy you. It's that we are too willful, each going his own way and acting arbitrarily.

God gave the Israelites chance after chance for more than two hundred years and sent prophet after prophet, but they still did not listen. Again and again, they fell into the path of Jeroboam worshiping golden calves for the sake of this worldly logic. If people live and see real money as spirit money, it will be easy to handle! Not to mention you, even I sometimes get confused when I think about it, but God's word is like light shining on our path. This is not just empty talk, it is really the case. God has given us chance after chance, but if you repeatedly rebel against God, there will be a time when you will be rejected by God.

If we have repeatedly experienced God and then repeatedly rebel against God, when will we lose all the opportunities God has given you? We must begin to turn back to God so that God can have mercy on us and not forsake us. We must listen to God's words because God's words are spirit and life. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not one jot or tittle of God's words will pass away. So we must walk on the road to God's kingdom. You don't need to rack your brains. That place is not too crowded, and there are no traffic jams. Because there are few people walking, I am very glad that we are that small group of people.

I encourage everyone to completely abandon the worldly logical system. The road God has opened up for us seems to require paying a price, but it is the road to obtaining abundant grace; it seems like it is dying, but it is living in eternity; it seems like it is giving, but it is living extremely abundantly!

May God bless everyone!