Hosea 7-10; Matthew 18
Hosea 7-10
Continuing his denunciation of Israel for their apostasy from the Lord, Hosea reminds them of God's words: "Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them, but they speak lie against me." (Hosea 7:13). Their punishment is a result of their sins, as they reap what they have sown: "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up." (Hosea 8:7)
Hosea concludes this part with a proclamation of the coming exile of Israel: "My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations." (Hosea 9:17)
Matthew 18
The central theme of this chapter is how to deal with those who sin and those who are weak in faith. Jesus addresses this from several perspectives:
- A child is an example of a minor, insignificant person in God's people. The seriousness of responsibility before God for causing a stumbling block to one of these little ones: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)
- The story of the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine safe sheep to find the one that has gone astray illustrates our attitude towards those who stray around us: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Matthew 18:11)
- Describing a constructive response to the sins of those around us, expressed in three practical steps: individual confrontation, confrontation with one or two others, and confrontation before the church, leading to possible excommunication if there is no repentance.
- The parable of the unmerciful servant, who was forgiven an outstanding debt but was unwilling to forgive his debtor a small amount, was Jesus' answer to Peter's question: "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?'" (Matthew 18:21). When dealing with those who sin against us, it is crucial to remember how much Christ has forgiven and continues to forgive us.
Continuing his denunciation of Israel for their apostasy from the Lord, Hosea reminds them of God's words: "Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them, but they speak lie against me." (Hosea 7:13). Their punishment is a result of their sins, as they reap what they have sown: "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up." (Hosea 8:7)
Hosea concludes this part with a proclamation of the coming exile of Israel: "My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations." (Hosea 9:17)
Matthew 18
The central theme of this chapter is how to deal with those who sin and those who are weak in faith. Jesus addresses this from several perspectives:
- A child is an example of a minor, insignificant person in God's people. The seriousness of responsibility before God for causing a stumbling block to one of these little ones: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)
- The story of the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine safe sheep to find the one that has gone astray illustrates our attitude towards those who stray around us: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Matthew 18:11)
- Describing a constructive response to the sins of those around us, expressed in three practical steps: individual confrontation, confrontation with one or two others, and confrontation before the church, leading to possible excommunication if there is no repentance.
- The parable of the unmerciful servant, who was forgiven an outstanding debt but was unwilling to forgive his debtor a small amount, was Jesus' answer to Peter's question: "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?'" (Matthew 18:21). When dealing with those who sin against us, it is crucial to remember how much Christ has forgiven and continues to forgive us.
Posted in Reading Bible Together