Prayer Meeting 21/2/2023

The Courageous Heart Of Hosea  - Part 2

Tonight I want to look again at the work of Jeremiah Burroughs, who was born 1599, died 1649. Before that however, I want to read from the ‘Piercing Heaven’ book, a prayer by Jeremiah Burroughs called ‘Give Me Jesus’, which is on page 23. I’ve only selected this because it is another Burroughs prayer. Short but wonderful.

Lord, you have given me a portion in the world, you have given me credit and a reputation among others, but what is all this to me if I am without Christ, if I do not have the one who gives grace to my soul, and the one who is my all in all? Lord, you have taught me this day that the distance between you and me is so great, and without a mediator I would perish forever. So whatever else you deny me, give me Jesus.

- Jeremiah Burroughs

Burroughs was part of those who wrote the Westminster confession of faith, and was known as ‘the morning star of Stepney’, where he preached in London. He was part of the many puritans who studied at Emmanuel college Cambridge. He was known for his peace-making but also his preaching. He was a nonconformist and was exiled to Holland, where he preached for a few years. He was also one of the main preachers for a few years at the Cripplegate in London.

What I want to draw from in Burroughs is from his commentary of the book of Hosea. Probably my favourite book on the minor prophets in the old testament. Burroughs’ work is not just vast, it was also very unique at the time for sure. This is because the puritan writers who wrote commentaries did so purely systematically, theologically, by exegeting line by line, as most commentaries are today.

Burroughs broke ground - not deliberately but he simply could not but keep relating to the parallels of the times he lived in, and couldn’t help but bring so much of what was written in Hosea to the people he preached to. Hence it’s a commentary that was birthed and wrote purely from his sermons. Therefore it is one that speaks into the hearts of the people, and doesn’t just share the verse alone, as the scripture commentaries do. This was really ground-breaking.

What Burroughs writes at the start helps explain this:

You have in these lectures as they were from me preaching. I perused the notes but could not bring the style to the succinctness that I desired, except I had to write them all over again, for which I had no time.
 

Thomas Goodwin, William bridge and others finished his work. Well, they complied his work from his own writings. Such was there admiration of the man. No mean feat to do so in itself. They said this of Burroughs:

The worthy author was one of the most accurate spectators in his time, that with a curious and searching eye beheld what God was doing in the world. He is one of those ‘wise men who knew the times.

‘A man who knew the times.’ And that is what we get in his unique commentary. A man who preached through Hosea with a focus on the times he lived, and the people he was called to serve.

Hosea the prophet was sent by God to the people of Israel, around 800 B.C. - so around the time of Ahaz and Hezekiah - predominantly the tribes of Israel who rebelled, who turned from God, and were full of sin and wickedness. He preached and prophesised for around 80 years; a long time. Again, Burroughs draws on this by reminding us Hosea is only 14 chapters But he took eighty years to say it.

During the reign of Jeroboam the Israelites were in time of peace after a long time of oppression and turmoil. Yet it was during the seasons of peace that Jeroboam starting leading the people astray.

Burroughs writes:

It’s a sign of the special insight the soul has in the ways of God, that it can see misery under the great prosperity. The prophet did not think Israel in a better condition because of their outward prosperity: a sign his prophecy was from God.

How much can prosperity give us a false sense of wellbeing, how much harder is it to notice sin when we have much to hide behind? This was the mindset and condition of the people. Yet young Hosea must bring this tough message from God.

As Burroughs says:

Great prosperity raised up, and hardened their hearts with pride.

Yet for 80 years he never flinched.

It tells us in verse 2 that God spoke to Hosea. Burroughs says:

The more inwardly the God speaks and converses with the hearts of his ministers, the more inwardly and efficaciously are able to speak to the people. This is deep preaching, when it’s from the heart to the heart.

Burroughs for me is one of those men, and a real lesson and challenge to us all who teach and help and guide. And since we are all called to do the work of the evangelist and minster to people, we really must devote ourselves to study, and prayer, and spending time seeking the Lord, and letting the Word minister to us through the Holy Spirit, that we, when we speak, it’s from the heart of God to the heart of people. Such a weight is there, that we must not take it lightly. To share God’s Word, God’s nature and God’s purpose, must first and foremost start with us being totally devotional in our own prayer time and study time.

As I said, I would love to go through this whole book. But seeing as we got through one verse at the last meeting, it would be a serious study, and I feel doing so once every two weeks would not be enough. However, one day maybe.

However - I just couldn’t scrimp on verse two. Think of this which Burroughs writes:

It must be deep what God spoke to Hosea. For he spoke to him before he spoke out to people.

I don’t know how many times I can say I love what Burroughs picks up on. But I simply do. Boroughs states that three times in the opening one and a half verses God tells him:

‘and the word of the Lord came to Hosea.’

Hosea 1:1-2a

¹ The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. ² When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:

Burroughs states that the reason for the three times, was due to the severity of the message.

Burroughs says:

He had need therefore to have an express command, for what he did, and to have much evidence of the Spirit, that what he said was from God, and not saying anything of his own spirit.

If we are going to bring conviction to people, if we are going to preach and teach truth: we better make sure all we say is from the truth as if it was God Himself saying it. We need never take offence of the truth that people bawl at, when we speak only that which God instructed us. The boldest, bravest preachers and teachers are those that speak only that which the Word declares.

To know God and to know His Word is to free ourselves from man. It’s much harder to say scary things when our flesh is articulating what we say. I tell you brothers and sisters, there is nothing that will bring a lack of peace in your heart than bringing your own version of wrath and correction to someone. Because you can guarantee the flesh of those you bring instruction, correction, rebuke to, will not often simply accept it, and in that rebellion will most often bite back.

Only when you have the peace, and knowing you come only with God’s Word and truth: will you find peace even in their rage, and pride. But if any of what you bring has your flesh attached to the instruction, or correction, then you will find little solace, and often feel the need to compromise and pamper. Or worse: get into a flesh fight.

Burroughs puts it brilliantly, and one I think we all need to etch into our very hearts:

When you are called to reveal God’s wrath, conceal your own.

Burroughs highlights therefore the need to ‘convict before we correct’. Often we get that mixed up, or we actually think one is the other. We think correction will lead to conviction. However, it’s the conviction that makes the correction stick as it were. God asked first that Hosea would convict the rebellious Israelites. But then the second part of verse two becomes somewhat a whopper of an instruction, to say the least, to Hosea:

Hosea 1:2

²When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.”

Go and take a prostitute wife, and her children born during her acts. Now some think this is but metaphorical. Even Burroughs himself thinks it is not, but just a vison. For me, I see nothing that would say it’s not real. John MacArthur points out that when it’s a vison, the scripture clearly points out the words “I saw”. So like me, he believes it to be an actual event. As does Matthew Poole. Matthew Henry only highlights that most think it is a vison. Calvin argues that it would have put the prophet at a huge disadvantage to start out with such a stained life, and contemptible. He also states it’s not right that a prophet should take such a wife, never mind also the children she bore in those acts. Yet still some believe it to be an extraordinary call from God.

For me, I shift from one to the other. I believe whether true or not, we must view it so, for the sake of the teaching and lessons Hosea brings, this is the reason I most believe it to be so. So for me this is actual instruction. We know from verse three her name, and her family name. This for me is not a metaphorical scenario.

God called a man to bring a message to the people and he was first to be called to a very hard work. We may ask, how can a Godly man, being led by the almighty, be asked to participate in such an ungodly, sinful act? Well again Burroughs has this to say, who only believes it to be visionary, yet he argues for the reality very well:

That God’s command takes away all matter of offence. It would be a notorious offensive thing for a prophet, a minister of God, to marry a wicked harlot, yet so far as the offence, God’s command is enough to take it away.

Regardless of where you stand, what a tough first instruction for Hosea, something the whole world frowned upon, he was asked to do. Just like Christ who sat with, and dined with sinners, even allowed a notorious sinful woman to wash his feet.

Interesting few points: The word ‘Gomer’ means ‘complete’ in Hebrew. But that means two fold as Burroughs points out:

That some say she was perfect and complete in both her beauty and her fornication.

Of course this relationship, this marriage, totally signifies the level of rebellious behaviour of the Israelites who are so far gone in their idolatry. It tells us in verse three she is the daughter of Diblaim, again the name tells us much about the condition of the Israelites and Jeroboam’s kingship.

Diblaim, as Burroughs explains:

Diblaim signifies bunches of dried figs which were the delicacies of the time.

These dried figs were both sweet and tasty, but also old, dried up and rotten. A bit like when we allow our flesh to take over, it feels good, it brings pleasure, but in truth its rotten and dead.

Boroughs says:

Though the pleasures of the flesh are very contentful to you, yet destruction is the fruit of them.

He adds:

The people of Israel were now near destruction, and were daughters of sensual delights. It is the usual way with those idolators, who forsake the true worship of God to give themselves up to the pleasures of the flesh.

Sounds very much like Corinth doesn’t it? Paul being that bringer of God’s Word to bring conviction, and making such sacrifice, and facing such hostility as he brought it. Like Corinth, or should maybe be the other way round, like Israel - they started creating and changing what they worshipped. The moment the flesh runs the show, you can guarantee your worship will be directed towards that. What is worship but to idolise and seek that which you truly desire, and gives you all your needs?

Hosea 2:13

¹³ I will punish her for the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewellery, and went after her lovers; but me she forgot,” says the Lord.

This jewellery, I did not know is face jewellery, nose jewellery, it’s like those jewelled mouth coverings like you see in those old movies, where the women dance in front of the kings and emperors to make them look more attractive and seductive; in order to please their idol. How much too, do we spend pleasing our flesh, our idols? How many think if I dress the part, if I act the part, if I look the part, I will pass as one who is worshipping? Yet it has mostly no humility.

Burroughs says:

If you come to God clothed in humility, you will be beautiful in the very eyes of God.

Pride is like that seductive dancer, that tries to act more beautiful than it is, it tries to dance around the lack of surrender. It’s nothing more than seducing an idol. And in the midst of that pursuit of the flesh, God is forgotten, pushed aside, ignored, even not even a thought.

Burroughs says:

How am I slighted by my people, the idols can be followed, they can be remembered, but I am neglected, I am forgotten, they have activity for their idols, but none for me; memory for them but none for me!

Burroughs adds these very, very sobering and challenging words:

God takes it very ill when men can find memory, strength and activity enough for their sinful ways, but none for Him. Many complain of weakness, but who was ever so weak, but had strength enough to sin.

How many of us say we have no time, I’m tired, I know I need to find the time to study more and pray more, and relate to God more? Yet you never seem to not have the energy for your sin. You always find time to seek idols. You can find, even in your sleeping moments, time to read nonsense, think of things that are ungodly, talk about things that matter only to your flesh.

We can’t remember a scripture or a psalm, or how good God is, but we can remember how to stir up our sin. Oh yes, we can stir them up well. Like a harlot, dancing in front of her king. Thank goodness tonight we can once again stir our conscience towards seeking Him. Thank goodness for God; and His heart that pours out from verse 14, where we will be in the next time we meet, to conclude this time in Jeremiah Burroughs’ Hosea. Hosea is known as the John of the prophets, such is the love and compassion shown by God to his people.

Hosea 2:14-17

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. 15 I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ 17 For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.

From this verse to the end of Hosea we see not just God’s truth, but it is mixed with His heart for mercy for His people.

We will conclude with it next week. Let’s pray.

Amen.