A look at the deceitfulness of faithlessness. Hosea. Part 2

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A look at the deceitfulness of faithlessness. Hosea. Part 2.

We cannot leave these chapters without pointing out that spiritual adultery can be a sin of N.T. Christians as well as the O.T. Jew.

The Greek word for to hold is kraton and it means to give power to, to empower, to give authority to, to delegate authority and power. The present tense is a tense of duration. It denotes what began in the past, the beginning of the Church-age, and continues into the present. The active voice indicates our Lord Jesus Christ as the subject fulfills of the verb through empowering available pastor teachers through the Bible which is the mind of Christ.

REV 2:1, “To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: The One [Jesus Christ] who keeps on empowering the seven stars in His right hand,”

The phrase right hand is the adjective dexia, correctly translated right hand, but it refers to the hand of approval and authority with our Lord. It is Jesus Christ who approves, authorizes and empowers those pastors who teach Bible doctrine in the local church. The provision of power includes the following facts for the pastor who faithfully teaches doctrine.

1. He has power from a spiritual gift, the gift of pastor-teacher.

2. His function in the PPOG in both preparation and communication of Bible Doctrine.

Through spiritual growth and divine guidance, the pastor is to be prepared spiritually, mentally, academically and through personal character traits to teach Bible doctrine. The verb for walk is the pres-act-part of peripateo which is peripaton meaning the one who keeps walking. The progressive present tense is used for action in a state of persistence throughout the Church-age.

The active voice, Jesus Christ who controls the Church as the Head produces the action of the verb, walking among the seven golden lampstands, and by the way that is you! Not every pastor is a star because the function of a star is to give light and not every pastor is giving light to the Church. So the pastors of the Church-age are called stars because the stars in the celestial heavens were actually once the voice God used to communicate His word all over the earth. Before the scriptural record there was the Stellar record, the record or the witness of the stars. Now, it’s interesting because guess who the lampstands are? The plural noun luchnion refers to the believers in the Church where doctrine is being taught.

Therefore, there are two categories of light which are found in this context, we find stars and we find lampstands. And there’s something else that is very interesting and that is the fact that the noun for stars asteras is in the masculine in the Greek while the noun for lampstands luchnion is in the feminine. As in the doctrine of right-man and right woman. By the way this is taught very clearly in the scriptures, although some want to deny it, but it is taught very clearly in the scriptures, GEN 2:18-25, ECC 9:9,1CO 7:17, PRO 18:22; PRO 19:12, Pro 5, 31, just to name a few. Just because you don’t have yours doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. As in the doctrine of right-man and right woman, there is also the principle of right pastor-teacher and right congregation,ACT 20:28, 1PE 5:3.

I think I have to remind you of something: Your right man or your right woman has flaws. Do not think that there is a perfect mate out there in the sense of perfection. The same holds true for right pastor, right congregation

Therefore the pastor is the aggressor, the congregation is the responder.

The stars give light to the world. This is comparable to the communication of doctrine. The lampstands have to have light. PSA 119:105, Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.

Each one of these lampstands are the result of learning doctrine. Therefore, the noun is in the feminine because the reflective concept is manifested by functional virtue. Motivational virtue is within and causes the believer to go forward to occupation with Christ. But functional virtue is the light within burning without, that is the light burning in the lampstand.

Well, in MAT 5:13-16, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty {again}? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do {men} light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

So, the stars send out light from heaven. The lampstand provides light from the fuel. Therefore, the stars are pastors teaching Bible Doctrine, while the lampstands are believers of the local church learning and applying doctrine.

REV 2:1, “To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: The One [Jesus Christ] who keeps on empowering the seven stars [pastor-teachers in the Church-age] in His right hand [under His authority], the One [Jesus Christ] who walks among the seven golden lampstands [Church-age believers with PVTD], says this:”

The pres-act-ind of lego which is legei means that during the course of the Church-age, there will always be someone somewhere teaching Bible Doctrine.

So there are two reasons why God provides pastors who teach doctrine. There is interest, which we call positive volition. There is always before judgment a grace period. Grace before judgment. So we have Bible Doctrine coming from the stars. All of you have been assigned to a star, a Pastor. And you’re not to do what other believers do which is to switch churches so you can be used and have your approbation lust satisfied. So, the light which comes from the stars is the communication of Bible doctrine from pastors. The light which burns in the golden lampstands refers to positive believers living inside the PPOG and influencing historical trends upward. There is no true prosperity apart from Bible Doctrine.

In REV 2:2, our Lord says, “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;”

The correct translation of is REV 2:2, “I have known your accomplishments both the strenuous efforts and your perseverance [residence and function inside the PPOG],”

In REV 2:3, and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.

In REV 2:4, we now come to the criticism of the Ephesian church as they entered spiritual adultery: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

You have left your first love. Aphiemi means to forsake, to lay aside, to omit, to disregard, to neglect. It doesn’t mean to leave as such. It means to lightly esteem. You’re not against Him at all, you’ve just become familiar with Him which cause apathy, indifference, passiveness, complacent.

REV 2:5, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen [your personal love for TLJC], and repent [change your system of thinking] and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand.”

The removal of the lampstand is the end of the believer. Christians who love the world and live for sin are false to their Savior and break His heart. Paul warned the Corinthians against this (2CO 11:1-3).

So, back in Hos 2.

The word contend is ruwb meaning to complain, contend, debate, to quarrel. This suggests great contention because Gomer was unfaithful and went back to prostitution. Whatever her beginnings, she was to etch her name in the corruptness of the nation. All this while Hosea’s heart was broken: he loved her! The worst sin one can commit is to become unfaithful to one who loves you. The greatest sin a Christian can commit is unfaithfulness to God who has redeemed them and who loves you. This passage shows the nature of God’s love toward those who have proved unfaithful to Him.

To the Greeks, God was unfeeling. Their word for this was apatheia, from which we get apathy. To the Muslims, Allah is capricious, unknowable. The God of the Bible weeps for His people, yearns for them, works for their deliverance (Cf. JER 2:2, 13). If it were you or me, we might give up. But God works to turn sorrow into joy and tragedy of unfaithfulness into the triumph of love.

You know, if you respond in life in this manner…and no longer struggle with unfair treatment or unjust triumph and unfair consequences, you’ll become a mystery! You will have doors open to you that have never opened before! People will observe your happiness and your life and they will be wondering what it is that makes you so happy in an evil world! People will ask you why are you so happy? Why do you seem to be enjoying life so much?

Sin and evil not only hinders the Christian but many times his own conscience lashes upon him and wounds him for it. Sin not only brings hardships upon the soul but many times distress and anxiety upon the body. The Christian must also learn to endure the hardship that comes from self-denial. We are not called to asceticism but we are called to self-denial!

There are times denying yourself may mean to deny yourself of prosperity, riches, wealth success, sleep, rest, things you enjoy, whatever is necessary in your pursuit toward victory! In fact, if it is taking you away from a relationship with God, God will ask you to part with it.