Well, we do thank you for coming. Hope every one of you have a lesson sheet. There are some on the front here. A few books are left. And then there's some single sheet, if anyone just desires to follow the lesson. But help yourself to one or the other. We're on page number three today. And it's going to be in chapter two of the prophecy of Ozea. May I repeat, not only at the request, but I think probably... for the prophet of his all, as we have come to begin the study of these prophetic books called the Minor Prophets, and all the prophets for that matter, major as well as minor, there are four great truths that the Spirit of God brings before us of major importance. First of all, and let me say this very carefully, in these prophecies, God himself, in his character, and the qualities and attributes of its being we find revealed. It brings us face to face to realize as we shall see more vividly as we continue our study who and what God is, and that is something that all humanity needs to know. Then we also found that within the prophecies, and may I refer to the fact that more than any other place, in the Scripture even more than the New Testament. You have revealed the details of God's purposes for His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, relative to His glory and the greatness of His coming kingdom. And we have more kingdom prophecies in the Old Testament prophets and their writings than any part of the whole Bible. you will find particularly more description of the millennial kingdom of our Lord Jesus in the prophecies of the Old Testament. And then third, which is indeed relative to our study in the book of Isaiah as well as all other prophecies, we have God's purposes revealed for Israel. And thank God we find his purposes, though they have not yet been completed according to his will. They will be yet, and He will yet restore His people, Israel, and that will be one of the great things of our study in the prophets we follow. And then last of all, and may I say this, and I do hope that your mind and heart takes in the fact that the nations of the earth, which is revealed what God is going to do with those nations upon the earth, the Gentile nation, at the end of the age, He is going to reverse the order whereby the Gentile nations, instead of having been for maybe twenty-five hundred years, rulers over the earth, it is going to be reversed. They are going to be subjugated and Israel will be elevated and exalted to be the glorious nation ruling and manifesting God's reign through the Messiah with blessings. over all the earth. And let me add something very pertinent. When you listen to the news, even such as has taken place this week, may I just say, there's only one reason you're finding all these things happening. And it is because of one nation, Israel. And the manifestation of the hatred of all the nations is rising. And it will come to pass, as we know from the Scriptures. And then he quotes the words of Jesus when he said in Matthew twenty-four, concerning his people and directly to his own people, the Jews to whom he was speaking, his disciples, his Jewish disciples, when he told them concerning the end of the age of which they were asking, ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's name. And beloved, please, it's going to get worse for Israel. And the hatred of the nations is rising. Whatever you see happening, no matter where it's from, different tribes and different nations of the Arabic nations, they all hate Israel, and neither do they love each other, as we well know. But there is that one particular seed of hatred that is against God's earthly people. I know when we look at the prophecies, what a joy to know. We have the word of God telling, and this is going to be emphasized even in last week's chapter, which we'd like to conclude today with a little mention. And then in the next chapter, chapter two, we shall see, and almost in every chapter, you have the suggestion of Israel's restoration. Now, if you will, please, go really to chapter one before we pass into chapter two. I want to go to the end of chapter one where we closed last week very hastily. But I do want you to note, if I may, begin reading, if I may, from verse ten. Now let me give this statement first of all. It covers all the broad teaching of the prophets, which we mentioned last week, and we'll repeat it again. In all the prophecies, you've got two great themes relative to Israel. One is judgment, and the other is mercy. Judgment, mercy. And already in chapter one, we've noted some of the judgments that God decreed against his earthly people. But at the end of the chapter, we find the revelation of his mercy. Now let me read the last few verses. Verse ten to the end. Yes. And emphasize that it's think different. That word, yes, reveals. In spite of. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea. which cannot be measured, no numbered, and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there which shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Now will you please note one expression? I feel led to emphasize it because it's unique. At the end of verse ten, ye are the sons of the living God. This expression is found but this one time only in the Old Testament. No other part of the Old Testament reveals an expression relative to God's earthly people, ye are the sons of the living God. The New Testament is abundant with its reference to God's people of this age. You and I as Christians, we join in the knowledge we are the sons of God. I think of what John wrote in first John three when he said, Beloved, now are ye the sons of God. And it does not appear what we shall be. And then in verse one he says, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of the children of God. Now you know, and let me repeat it, the emphasis of the truth of this statement is found mainly in the New Testament. Now go with me to Romans chapter nine. We were there last week, but I want again to go with you and then bring back the context of it to the chapter in Hosea. Chapter nine of the Book of Romans, if you please. And here in chapter nine, ten, and eleven, Paul is writing regarding the nation of Israel during the Gospel Age. But let me read verse twenty-five and twenty-six. Now you find in verse twenty-five, the apostle makes reference, direct reference, to the words of Ozea. Therefore, as he goes on to say, as he said, also in Ozea, and this is the Greek form of the word, I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children or the sons of the living God. Now what we find in the context that follows, And let me just briefly state it, we did in detail last week. Paul is exonerating God in this ninth chapter that in its sovereignty, regardless as to what Israel thinks, his heart is turned to the Gentiles to call out of them a people for his name. And what we are finding in the ninth of Romans Paul is vindicating the sovereignty of God in laying aside Israel temporarily and turning to the Gentiles and out of the Gentiles. He's bringing a people whom he calls his children, sons of the living God. Now, if you will, please, go with me to Acts chapter fifteen. Acts chapter fifteen, please. And I want you to see something very special here. In that great council, that we find in Jerusalem recorded in chapter fifteen, the Book of the Acts. And I particularly want to read the words of the Apostle James, as he has just listened to the Apostle Peter. And Peter is just finished. Then he began at verse thirteen. Now note, after they had held their peace, following Peter's discussion, after they had held their peace, James, the Apostle, answered, saying, men and brethren, hearken unto me. Simeon, that is Simon Peter, hath declared unto, hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. Now here you find The beloved apostle is agreeing with what Peter is concerned in his own experience in chapter ten and eleven in the household of Cornelius the Gentiles. And Peter found, and so did those early Jewish disciples, to their amazement, God was beginning to say Gentiles. Please let me emphasize, don't forget it. There was a bitter hatred and separation. between Jew and Gentiles in the Old Testament economy. And it was strong. No Gentile was permitted to enter into the house of the Lord. And as one entered into the outer court, there was the sign no Gentiles enter here. And now you find God laying aside Israel to get out of the Gentiles of people for his name. But now follow what James says in the next verse. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written. Now what James now quotes is not Hosea, but Amos the prophet. And this is what he says. After this, I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up. Now go back to Hosea then, chapter one. And I want you to get the connection. It's a precious God. It's not only the restoration of God's earthly people that he acknowledges them as his own children. And even in Ozea, the unusual expression, why did Ozea write, Sons of the Living God? Let me repeat again. You cannot. It's not even recorded elsewhere. Except in Ozea, that God uses the expression in the Old Testament, Sons of the Living God. Why did Ozea write it? Well, not only because of what it may mean in that coming millennial day for the revived nation, but then please go to verse eleven of chapter one in Ozea. Then, when God is gathered out of the nations, his people, his children, who will be his sons, and the joy of knowing. When that has been accomplished, then shall the children of Judah, and please note, be gathered together, children of Israel, rather, shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one hand, and that will be the Messiah, Christ the Lord Jesus, they shall come up out of the land for great shall be the day of Jezreel, as we saw last week, in that great valley of Armageddon. God's earthly people will see the victory that Christ will win for them when he comes back to the earth. Now let me repeat some facts. In this last portion, beginning at verse ten and going through verse fourteen of chapter one, you've got the national, the national And thank God for it. You have the national increase of Israel. Please note the words in verse ten. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be at the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured. The national increase of the children of Israel. Now let me give you a contract. None of us can measure and compute. How many earthly people of God have been destroyed and put to death by the Gentile nation? But the promise of a national increase where there will be an unnumbered multitude of them brought to enjoy the millennial reign is promised by God. Then you know something else too. There's going to be a national reunion. Look at verse eleven. then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together. We have been mentioning that the chief ministry of Ozea the prophet was against the tribes of Israel, the ten tribes that seceded from Judah. And may I state, ever since their separation, they've never been together. And also, Ever since the Assyrian captivity that took place and took the ten tribe captives, they've never been an entity. And never has Judah and Israel been brought back again. But when the Messiah comes, when God fulfills its purposes, there's going to be a national regathering of these two tribes, a national reunion. And there's going to be also... A national conversion. Now let me please emphasize one point before going further. Note the expression I used. I didn't say individual. After the national conversion. A national restoration. A national reunion. A national increase. For Mark out very carefully. The prophets are very careful. And we'll see it in our lesson as we go on today in chapter two. The prophets were very careful to realize and make clear not all God's earthly people belonged to him spiritually. They were spiritually dead toward him. But those who were faithful to him and acknowledged him, they were his own. Let me give you the example of Elijah. You remember how he sat under the juniper tree and wished to die? And as the Lord questioned him, What doest thou here, Elijah? Even I am only left of all in Israel. Wait a minute, God says, I've got seven thousand that never bowed beneath a veil. God is always a remnant. They're in the minority. But they're the ones that he recognizes their minds. And so when you come to the end of chapter one, please let me say, you've got the restoration of Israel. And then you've got under one head And that head's going to be the Lord Jesus. We'll see that further on in our study in Ozea. He'll be their Messiah and their King. Now go with me, if you please, right into chapter two. Let me read the first five verses as we have it upon our lesson sheet. And our lesson sheet notes in chapter two, we have the appeal as well as the punishment that God manifests, promises for the unfaithfulness of his people Israel. Let me read the first five verses, chapter two. Say ye unto your brethren, am I, and to your sisters Ruhama, plead with your mother, please, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband. Let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteress from between her breasts, lest I strip her naked and set her the day that she was born. Make her as a wilderness, set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. I will not have mercy upon her children, for they be the children of whoredom, for their mother hath played the halter. She that conceived then hath done shamefully, for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water and my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink. Now let's note something very carefully in the opening verse. You know what the prophet is told. Say to your brethren, and note the name of the brethren to whom he's specially referring, am I? And then, Ruhama. Go back to chapter one for just a moment. Please note those names that were given, as God gave them, longer before, as God gave them before in chapter one. Please, if I may note with you, please. Verse six. And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and God said unto him, Call her name L-Ruhama, for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel. You note the prefix L-A-L-O before the name. That prefix indicated no mercy. Now when you go down, when you go down and see verse nine, then said, God, call his name, lo am I, for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Now the prefix lo means, not my people, no mercy. Now when you look in chapter two, please note the absence of the prefix. The name is there but without the prefix. and the prophet is told, say to your brethren, the ones whom I can call my people, the ones who have obtained my mercy. Now let me repeat again what we have already stated, I believe fully. Within the land of Israel, God knew there were a few that he could call his own. God knew that there were a few that were tasting and knew his mercy. May I point out something to you? In the prophecy of Zechariah, you've got similar conditions revealed in Zechariah's prophecy regarding God's earthly people. But you have an expression when God speaks through his servant Zechariah relative to the judgments that he comes pours on his people. Zechariah mentions and uses an expression that's unusual. And he calls certain part of them the poor of the flock. Then the poor of the flock understood. Now the poor of the flock were those that recognized the hand of God was on them. Were those that recognized the condition. Was absolutely what the prophet stated. And when Ozea was prophesying, God realized there were a few. Then understood. And you know what he says in the opening verse? Go to your brethren. Go to your brethren. Go. You know what the situation is. You know they be. And then he goes on to say, Tell them what to do in verse two. Plead with your mother. Now who's the mother? The mother of Israel. The mother is the nation. Though it, as we know, it symbolized in the miracle problems of Ozea. and his wife who turned to adultery and hoarding. Yet you recognize behind that parallel, there was the story of a greater lover, Jehovah himself and his people, the nation of Israel. And you've got the remnant in the brethren, spoken of as Am I, or Ruama, and then you've got the mother. They say, Adam, plead. Plead with her for what she's doing. Now let me make it an application. Let me say this very earnestly. How many others are concerned about the condition of the church today? How many others are burdened over the situation, spiritually, of what is even a greater testimony upon the earth, the church of the living God? And when you read your New Testament epistles, and especially the second epistles, Peter, Second Timothy, Jude and his epistles, John and his epistles, and even the seven letters we mentioned last week in the seven churches of Asia in Revelation two and three. We find apostasy, apostasy, apostasy, declension. Now let me ask, wait the questions. And I say this to my conscience as well as to yours and to my heart and yours. How many Christians are concerned over the condition amongst the people of God today? Beloved, very frankly, one can rest. Well, one of the sisters said, as we were discussing before, the meaning of some of these things. Where are the prophets today? Where are those? Who will stand up? Plead! It's God's people to get back to the word of God and obey his word. Beloved, very frankly, I commend to you that even if it's in prayer alone, let your and my heart be pouring out his supplications on behalf of those that are straying from the truth of God. It should be a burden. Now let me exemplify it in Elijah again. You remember his victory on Mount Carmel? And yet even after that victory, how he fell upon his face and put his face between his hands and his head between his knees and prayed that God would send the needed rain for he had closed the heavens for three and a half years of the prayer of the prophet. And the prophet had a burden. Now may I point out something? Look, likewise in Hosea, likewise in relation to the church. We're not going to see a restoration till Jesus comes. But how about having your heart right? In other words, if Jehovah, the God of Israel felt so heartbroken over his people on the earth, what do you think of the Lord Jesus and his feeling today? over the conditions of his bride, the church. Surely those who were genuinely in should have a burden regarding the state of things and share with him the heartbreak. Now, let me point out the illustration so clear in Hosea, Jeremiah, Isaiah. They were heartbroken prophets. They saw the true conditions. They pled with the people. They prayed under Jehovah. And though they were not able to see the ultimate victory, I saw Declension go to the end and apostasy come to his judgment. Let me tell you, they were in sympathy with the God of heaven. And my beloved, please let me say this. You and I, who are believers in the Lord Jesus, we need to feel what he feels. in heaven above. Let me give you an example. You remember the conversion of Saul, chapter nine. Saul, Saul, why persecute us thou me? Who art thou Lord? And Saul was brought face to face. He was not persecuting the saints on earth nearly. He was wounding the head of the church. And my beloved, I want to say this. the head of the church, feel what's taking place upon the earth in the failures and the shortcomings and the sins, even of God's dear people. And you can recognize the principle. Hosea and say, Plead with the mother! Plead with the mother! The man below, let me make a frank statement. It may not be understood. It may not want to be understood. When you complain to God's dear people that they're wrong, they don't like it. And you've got an ecumenical movement that's in the world today that's trying to tell you to love everybody no matter what they believe. Now that isn't according to the word of God. The denial of God's character and God's truth should never be. Go with me to first John chapter five, please, before we go further. The first epistle of John chapter five. I want you to note something very carefully. It's a divine principle that needs to be emphasized that John wrote at the end of this epistle in chapter five, verse one and two. And let me point out these words to you. Chapter five of first John, verse one and two. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. and everyone that loveth him that begat, love of him, also that is begotten of him. Now then you recognize every Christian should love other Christians, if they've been born again, no matter what, no matter who, with one dear friend. The fellow said to me, when I disagreed with him on a scripture he was trying to teach, he said, we can be friends. I said, friends, I've got to love you. You're my brother. But now look at verse two. By this we know that we are the children of God. We what? We love God and keep his commandment. Now may I point out, the emphasis is this. I must love God first. He comes first, my father. And if I am asked, now let me put it in this phraseology, if I am asked... to agree with one in wrong doctrine, just because I should love them, no. My father comes first. I can't deny my father's truth. Now go back to Osirian principle. What happened? God's earthly people were disobeying him. And should the prophet, should the remnant that were faithful to God go along with them in their condition? Never. No. And my beloved, frankly, let me say this carefully. And this is a principle that very little realized nor practiced. Don't sacrifice truth that you're obedient to God to keep because you're after love. You're love to the Father. You're love to the Savior concerned. For instance, Should I indeed fellowship with someone that denies that Christ is the Son of God? Should I have fellowship with anyone who would deny that the blood of Christ is the only means of salvation? Never. And those great cardinal doctrines of the gospel, his life, his death, his burial, his resurrection, and all that pertains to Christ. John says, if any man does come to your house, and doesn't bring the doctrine of Christ. Don't let him in. Don't let him in. And beloved, we can recognize it. That the danger that we have today is very similar to what happened in Israel. They declined from the truth of God's holy law. And in their wickedness as they went into idolatry, they broke his heart. And God is even telling his people that were faithful. whom he could call, am I, Ro Hammer. Plead with your mother. Now let's go to verse six, please. And recognize as we look at verse six, please. Please note. Well, let me get, let's know verse six. Let me read from verse six. And we'll read verse six. Now, here we see the judgment and the punishment had gone. meets the promises upon her. Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall that she shall not find her path, and she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them. She shall seek them, but shall not find them. Then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than before? Let's go back to our paper. Let me look with you, please. on your lesson sheet under paragraph number one, let it be first. And threaten severe punishment for Israel's unfaithfulness. And this is symbolized by the tragic marital disaster in the prophet's life. And who can imagine the depth of sorrow and the emotions in Hosea's heart? the sense of shame out in the decrease in the destruction of the desecration of his home. Likewise, this symbolizes the deep emotion in the heart of... And this feeling of shame for the unfaithfulness of Israel. Now read on. Punishment for unfaithfulness. Israel will be hedged up with thorns. A wall of separation is to be raised to keep her from her lovers. If she seeks them, she will not find them. Her lovers symbolized the idol worship of the heathen. Israel was practicing. The Jehovah had given earthly blessing, but Israel attributed them all to Baal. Now let me go on and read from verse eight. Let me read verse seven and eight together with you, please. She shall follow after her lovers. She shall not overtake them. She shall seek them, but shall not find them. Then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband. For then was it better with me than now? And this is the reason. For she did not know. I gave her corn. I gave her wine. I gave her oil. I multiplied her silver and her gold, which she used for the worship of Baal. Now when you stop to think of it, as you go back to verse five, Israel was attributing their blessing, neferial blessings, to the lovers she was following, the Assyrians, and others that she was indeed dealing with, and to the idols that she worshipped. Please let me say, let me give you how it started, how it started, way back in the second book of Kings when you read of Jehovah Boron, or even in the first book of Kings. And when you read of Jeroboam becoming the first king in Israel, that is among the ten tribes, you know what he did? Jeroboam was smart. He recognized that Judah and Jerusalem was the only place that the people of Israel should go to worship. And God has stated that. Jerusalem was the place that he had put his name. There was the temple. There was the priesthood. There were the sacrifices. There was all that pertained to the Levitical economy. But when the separation came, the ten tribes succeeded. And Jeroboam was smart enough to know if the people still went back to Jerusalem. He'd lose them. And what did he do? He built two calves. One at Bethel and the other at Dan. One at the northern part and the other at the southern part of his kingdom. And he told us, These be thy gods, O Israel! And he set up a priesthood. And it was the wicked one. A false worship. False altar. A false system. That's how they began their departure. And yet, when they had the material blessings, they honored the idols they worshipped as being the source of their blessing. And God's saying in verse eight, they did not know. They would not know. I gave her those blessings. I gave her all those things. And they went and used them and offered them in praise. and worships a male, an idle God. One can recognize how fat it is. Therefore, now note, if I begin reading, if I may, of verse nine and read through verse eleven. Therefore will I return? Will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof, my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax? given to cover her nakedness. And here you find it. You look at your lesson sheet, if you please. You find, under letter B, particularly, God's punishment upon them is declared in verses nine to thirteen. She is to be left alone. His gifts and his blessing will be withdrawn. Now when you look at verse ten, please, and may I point out, please, as you read these words, They could not be more descriptive of the low conditions, but will you take the word spiritually? They are describing the spiritual condition of Israel. When God said, now will I reveal or discover her lewdness and in the sight of her lovers, the nations and the idols and the gods that she's been going after, and none. shall deliver her out of mine hand. Look at your paragraph, if you please. The rest of it under letter B. Her spiritual and moral nakedness would be uncovered, and then all mirth, ceaseless, and the days of Balaam spent in licentious worship would be visited upon her in judgment. Let me finish the reading in verse eleven. I will also cause all her mirth to cease. her feast day, her new moon, her Sabbath, and all her solemn peace. Now will you please note something very carefully. All these things belong to the Levitical economy, to be kept according to the law of Moses. And oh, they were not at Jerusalem, worshipping in the house of God, and worshipping their false gods, and then attributing all their blessings to the false idols. Outwardly they were carrying out they were carrying out the required Mosaic ordinances relative to their feast day, relative to their new mood, which had relation to their feast that they kept, and to the Sabbath and other solemn things, outwardly religious, inwardly rotten at the core of his spiritual corruption. Oh, beloved, please may I say, When you look today around us at Christendom, outwardly you may see great things. But let me remind you of what God said to Samuel. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh upon the heart. And out solemnly, outwardly there can be much. That reveals the outward show of a Christian profession. But without a reality. Or an inward reality. And God declares you had all that. But I'm going to remove it away. Can I give you the thought too? You can link this truth with the Christian age. And the profession of Christianity. In our study of Revelation in chapter seventeen. We have the false church. Another harlot. Go to Revelation chapter seventeen. Mystery. Battle under grace. Mother of harlot. For at the end of the age, all the false systems of Christianity are going to be together under that mother that God says, I will destroy. Outwardly arrayed with all the religious pomp and ritual and show that can be manifested. Please let me say this. Please let me say it carefully. I'd rather be with a handful of dear saints that are real around the Lord Jesus than be gathered in a great concourse You know not how it is with the spiritual state of the people there. Beloved Lord, I want to be frank with you. We're living in similar times in principle where even at the end of the church age, it's hard to find a real believer in many, many places who is going on humbly but faithfully and obediently with the Word of God. And let me please say, you've got it in the scriptures. You can't deny it. Our study in Revelation two and three showed the decline of the church from her first love until later this year, and the Lord says, I'll steal thee out of my mouth. Yes, you say you're rich. Increase with good. If you don't realize it, you're naked. You're blind. You're spiritually blind. You're poor. And people will pray, let me say. God measures true riches, not by any outward show. Don't care what it is. Not even this nice little building we may have. God measures his people spiritually. Can I say that again? God measures his people spiritually. Not materially. Not by any outward show. And he does that with me. He does that with you individually. He knows what's in the heart. He knows of whom he can say as in our chapter. Am I? Meaning my people. Your armor is obtained by mercy. How belovedly may I... If there's one thing that's so important in these closing days is my personal spirituality in relation to God. In relation to God. As I look at the second epistle of Tennessee particularly... I recognize that in the last days that Paul described, one has to be very careful regarding sound doctrine as well as sound living and stay away from unsound doctrine and unsound living that would mar the testimony. And I say again, look, if God was so, so dealing with his people so heavily, let you and I remember But even today he looks upon us. Pick your seven letters of the seven churches. The Lord Jesus walking in the midst of them. And may I say, wherever there is a profession, the Lord Jesus is looking it over, scrutinizing, commanding where he can, accusing if he has to, condemning, as well as inviting those who will to overcome the difficulties and live for him. Now let's read on if I please. You know verse twelve. You go to verse twelve and thirteen. He goes on to say, I will destroy her vines. I'll destroy her victories. Wherefore she said, these are my rewards and my lovers are given. The idols I worship. The gods that I've been praising. They bless me with these things. Ah, wait a minute. The Lord says, I'm going to destroy them. And I'll make them a forest and the beasts of the field shall leave them. And I will visit upon her the days of Bailyn. wherein she burned incense to them. She decked herself with earrings and her jewels and went after her lovers and forgot me, said the Lord. Take it in. She went after their idols. She went after all these things that the heathens were worshipping as well as the heathen nations around. And God said, she forgot me, said the Lord. Oh, does it pay to forget God? Does it pay to forget God? My brother, my sister, please let me plead with you as well as my own heart. My responsibility in yours, first of all, as believers, is toward God. God! God! I think of Joseph, as he was ascended by the part of his wife, How can I sin against God? Fighting at Daniel. Fighting of his three companions in the fire. Refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's image. As well as Daniel. Refusing. Not to pray to the living God for thirty days. A beloved one can realize the visitation that God comes upon such a way. We forget him. Forget me. They forgot me. You think of the words of Jeremiah. You read them in chapter two of his prophecy in verse thirteen. I believe that they had forsaken the fountain of living waters. They had forgotten me. The fountain of living waters, said the Lord. And my beloved, let me please say, if there's any person that needs to be remembered, it's God himself and the Lord Jesus our Savior. And now we can recognize God's judgment. Let me go to verse, as we read to verse fourteen now. Now if you look at verse fourteen and go to the end of the chapter, my, here you come again, where God will resume the relationship with his earthly people with great blessing. Let me read it quickly. Verse fourteen. Will you please know something? I think it's helpful. You know, your verse numbers your chapter divisions, they're not found in the original writings. They were not written by chapters or verses. The translators have arranged our Bible for our convenience in that manner. But when you know verse fourteen, there's a paragraph mark. That paragraph is in the original. And wherever you see a paragraph mark, you've got something new coming out. You've got something new coming now. And as we read on, even to the end of the chapter, we've got the future blessing that God's going to bring. Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her. And I will give her vineyard from fence and the valley of Acre for a door of hope. And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth. And as in the day when she came up out of the land of Israel. Now once again, please let me say, in the very midst of all the failure of faithfulness and shameful conditions, God brings in mercy. And God declares, I'll allure her, I'll bring her into a barren place, and I'll speak to her. May I give you the thought, where's the wilderness going to be? I believe the Great Tribulation. And a godly remnant is going to listen to the voice of the Lord as he speaks. Oh, beloved, he's going to bring the remnant back. And in that coming day, oh, how they will. Please know verse three, please, if you please. I want you to note something special. I will give her her vineyard, trumpet, and the valley of anchor for a door of hope. Now go to your reference on your sheet, if you please. I want you to note something. Israel's restoration is promised in verses fourteen through seventeen, for immediately following the announcement of Israel's punishment, the assurance of future mercy is given. God will allure her and speak to her heart And that will be when the Lord will remember the remnant of his people during the time of the Great Regulation. For the Lord of love will not forever abandon his people. Now, may I point out something that's very obvious. How is Israel going to be restored? Who's going to be the restorer of Israel? God himself. God himself. Look. Israel is fighting today for its existence. The nation at large there. is standing and daring the whole world to obliterate them and they are determined when they went when they first went back in nineteen forty eight they are determined to pace the whole world if they have to and fight it I remember being in there we talked to a cab driver one of my friends who was sitting in the back seat said to the driver he said what are you going to do when the Russians come he said he said what's going to happen Let them come. There'll be blood. There was a determination to fight. They've got that yet. But they'll not win. The Lord Jesus must come. And will come. To be their deliverer. Their deliverer. He alone can deliver them. Then let me read. Please note something in verse fifteen. Let me read that verse again. I will give her vineyards from France and the valley of Acre for a door of hope. Now look at your lesson sheet, if you please. Let it be under the last division. The valley of Acre will be a door of hope. And in Joshua chapter seven, let me just recite the circumstances of that seventh chapter. Why does the prophet, why does the Holy Spirit put the valley of Acre right here in mention. Read Joshua's servant at your convenience, and this is the story. You remember after the fall of Jericho, and the next city to be conquered was the city of Ai. And immediately, Joshua sent spies to the city of Ai, and the spies went, came back with a report, oh, we don't need but a few thousand soldiers. It's a small city. Joshua didn't consult the Lord. Joshua didn't go back to Gilgal where they were supposed to go before they went out to battle again. And he sent out a detachment of plungeons. And they came back defeated. But Joshua fell on his face and he started to blame God for it. And God said, get up. There's sin in the camp. And you know what had happened? The Jericho. God had told that no one should take any of the plunge of Jericho for himself. They will belong to the treasury of the Lord. And Achan, Achan, one of the sons of Judah, the tribe of Judah, had stole a Babylonian wretched gold, Babylonian garment, and hid them in the ground under his tent. He had disobeyed the word of the Lord. God said that sin in the camp, got to be punished. And so they investigated and found that Aitken had done this and he confessed to him. What was the result? God's judgment. Aitken and all of his family and possessions were stoned. And they built a heap of stones over him, at his burial, over him. And then God lifted his hands and blessed them as they went on to capture Ai and other cities. in brexit. Look, the valley of Asia was the valley of judgment upon the sin of someone in Israel. And in the great tribulation, in the valley of that great tribulation, God's judgments are going to fall. But that valley is going to be a valley of hope. Hard to believe that the great tribulation is going to be the best way out for them, isn't it? So that's what it is. The great tribulation the valley of hope. And then they're going to sing. Read on very quickly, please. And as you read it, please note, she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be in that day pressed the Lord that thou shalt call me. Now note, Ishi. And shalt call me no more, Belai, or master. I want you to note that word, Ishii. What does it mean? Go back in the chapter please. Verse seven. When she doesn't find her lovers, she says at the end of verse seven, I will go and return to my first husband. You know what ish I mean? My husband. Can I give you the thought? I hope I can convey it. The word is really very precious. When Israel says this word, She's going to say it with deep affection. Jehovah. My husband. My husband. The one I forsook. Not my Lord. But better still and deeper still. My husband. Let me give you the thought. It's very simple but it's very blessed. The restoration, when it comes, is going to be a heart restoration. From her heart, the remnant of Israel will acknowledge Jehovah, my husband. And may I suggest, all the full meaning of what a husband is, she will realize is found in him, her Jehovah. Whom she was unfaithful to me. Not calling me, Lord, as in Baalai, or Master, but my husband. Paul, you know, I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth. They shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day I'll make a covenant with them. And there'll be one of restoration, which follows very quickly down the chapter. And in that day I'll make a covenant for them with the beasts of the deer, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground. I'll break the bone, and the thorn, and the battle out of the earth, and I'll make them down, slide, I'll say. You know, we haven't time to go further, which we had, but we'll complete the chapter next week at the end. But please let me point out to you, oh, the promised restoration to that godly remnant, that we'll be in that day we'll be singing songs of praise to their Jehovah but more than anything calling him my husband my husband not a New Testament we think of the Lord Jesus his precious name to us is the Lamb for it's going to be the marriage of the Lamb and thank God we'll sing our praises and worship and love the one whom we call the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. So what a joy to realize the earthly side of Israel and their restoration. Please may I say, I believe that day is near. And before that day comes, my beloved fellow believer, will you please look up and say, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, coming for his bride, the church, before he comes to deliver Israel. My, the joyous... Please let me... The most precious thing about anything in relation to God and Christ is the relationship that God, by his grace, brings us into. Whether it's Israel, whether it's the believer in the Lord Jesus, to himself. Shall we pray? Father, we want to find you for thy word. There's so much in it. And we praise thee for the riches that we find within it. And we cannot indeed exhaust it, neither can we magnify sufficiently what the words reveal concerning thy matchless love and boundless grace. We thank thee for the restoration that's coming for thine earthly people. Blessed we pray the truth to our heart. But apply it, Lord, to our own hearts and consciences, that we thy people may be true to thyself. Oh, blessed Lord Jesus, help us to love thee, and love thee faithfully, and obey thy precious word, and enjoy fellowship, till you take us home the glory. In Jesus' name we ask you. Amen. I wish we had another hour, don't you?