A.In the previous lesson, we noticed that when Hosea gave his prophecy, the nation of Israel was at the end of a process that would lead them to destruction.
1.That process is explained by God through His prophet in Hosea 13:6 - “As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot Me.”
2.Israel began this process, but God would finish it by punishing the nation, sending them away into the captivity of Assyria.
B.Every person in our nation who is accountable would be wise to take notice of the fate of Israel as a nation that resulted from the conduct of its citizens.
1.While the whole nation of Israel was corrupted with sin, it was the conduct each individual that ruined the nation.
a.Hosea declared, “For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land” (Hos. 4:1).This was a message for the people rather than just a rebuke of a king or government.
b.There is likewise a case against the inhabitants of our land, and the people must consider it personally.
c.It is easy to bewail the sad moral state of our nation, but who is willing to take responsibility for our present condition?Shall we wait for our government to implement a solution to our moral problems?
2.The answer to the nation’s problems is also the answer to each individual’s problems, and that is for each person to turn his heart to God.“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov. 14:34).
C.Specifically in our present study, let us consider the materialism that corrupts individuals and leads to the corruption of the nation.
II.THE LOVE OF MONEY
A.Hosea exposed many of the sins of the nation of Israel that had their root cause in the materialism of individuals.
1.The people were convicted of stealing (Hos. 8:2), which was not only common robbery, but it also took on the forms of extortion, unjust legal proceedings, and others means of dishonest gain.
2.The people failed to honor God in worship, but instead they assembled “for the sake of grain and new wine” (Hos. 7:14).They were so consumed with their worldly desires that even their prayers were insincere and self-serving.The worship that they did offer was displeasing to God, for it was only a patronizing gesture of worthless sacrifices offered by disloyal and ignorant people (5:6; 6:6; 8:13).
3.Rather than making the will of God their first priority, the people forgot God and built palaces (Hos. 8:14).Their desire to please themselves had replaced their desire to please God.
4.With the silver and gold they acquired, they made idols for themselves (Hos. 8:4).When their wealth increased, their idolatry also increased (Hos. 10:1-2).
B.The people of Israel exemplified the truth revealed by the apostle Paul, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1Tim. 6:10).
1.It was not the possession of wealth that corrupted Israel, for the bounty provided by God was good (Deut. 8:7-9).
2.Rather it was the love of that wealth that led them to sin.
a.The phrase “love of money” in 1Timothy 6:10 comes from a single Greek word, philarguria.This word comes from phileo, “to love affectionately,” and arguros, “silver.”Other forms of this same word are found in following passages:
i.Luke 16:14 – The Pharisees are called “lovers of money.”They scoffed at Jesus when He said, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).
ii.2Timothy 3:2 – Paul described an apostasy that was coming, and the apostates are described as “lovers of money” as well as other terms that reveal their corruption and godlessness.
iii.1Timothy 3:3 – One of the qualifications of an elder is that he must be free from the love of money.Otherwise, he is unfit to hold the office.
iv.Hebrews 13:5 – Each Christian is admonished to “let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have.”
b.When man directs his love upon his wealth rather than upon God, who provided the wealth, then he has become worldly minded and incapable of spirituality.
i.Natural affection is extended toward living things, not inanimate objects.When a man loves his wealth, it becomes to him as a living thing to be cherished, nourished, and protected.His affections are misplaced and consumed with his physical possessions.
ii.This affection toward wealth is really just an extension of man’s love for himself.He loves the wealth because it gives him the things that please his flesh.Paul described such persons in Philippians 3:19, saying that their “god is their appetite,” and that they “set their minds on earthly things.”
iii.This is why Paul wrote that greed, or covetousness, is idolatry in Colossians 3:5.Idolatry is the practice of serving false gods, and covetousness is the practice of serving one’s own appetite, which is his god.
iv.In serving his appetite, man’s only objective is to satisfy himself, and he has no regard for others.Therefore, any means of gaining wealth is employed, whether it is moral or not.
v.In all of this, any thought of the true living God is forgotten.The covetous man’s eyes stop at his (and others’) possessions and are never cast upward toward the God who provided it all.
III.PUNISHMENT FOR A SPOILED CHILD
A.A man who loves money is much like a child who is spoiled with possessions or attention and has forgotten respect for his provider and sustainer.
B.The way to correct a spoiled child is also the way to correct a lover of money.
1.The spoiled child must be reminded to respect his parents.If he cannot look beyond the things he possesses to the persons who provided them, then those things must be taken from him.
2.The same is true for a man who loves money, and this is exactly what God did to correct His children in Israel.Their land, their nation, and their possessions were taken from them so that they would remember their Creator and Sustainer.See Hosea 2:6-13; 5:8-15; 9:1-10:15.
C.A loving provider will give discipline along with blessings.If he sees that the blessings are becoming the objects of sin, he will take the blessings away because he loves his child.
1.God punished Israel because He loved them.Chapter 11 of Hosea expresses the fatherly love of God for His children and the grief He suffered when He punished them.He said, “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos. 11:1).
2.If a child of God today becomes enamored with his blessings and forgets God, shouldn’t he expect the same discipline from His Father as the children of Israel received?“For those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6).
IV.CONCLUSION
A.The practical application for each individual is to learn how to have possessions without loving them.
1.This is the lesson of contentment, and every person would do well to learn it.
2.Paul wrote: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-13).
3.Notice that the key to Paul’s contentment was a mind focused upon Jesus Christ.See also Colossians 3:1-4.
B.Certainly, the more possessions a person has, the harder this lesson is to learn (see Luke 18:18-27).However, even a poor person can love the money that he has and be covetous for more.Let no one think that he is exempt from the temptation of materialism just because he doesn’t own much.
C.If individuals do not learn this lesson, then our nation is bound for the same fate as Israel.
***The Proverbs have a wealth of wisdom on the topic of wealth.These are suggested: Proverbs 3:9-10; 10:15; 11:4,28; 13:8; 14:20; 15:16; 17:16; 18:11,23; 19:4,6-7; 22:2,7; 23:4-5; 27:7; 28:6,8, 11,20-22.***
