Verse by verse teaching - Hosea 14:6-7 "Branches, Beauty, and Smell"

Hosea chapter 14 verses 6 and 7 the tile the mesh this morning is branches beauty and smell branches beauty and smell in Hosea 14 5 last week God told us what would happen if Israel were to leave her false gods and return to him God said in Hosea 14 5 I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon let's pray father we thank you so much for your precious word I pray you'll fill me with your Holy Spirit and each person here this morning I pray all eyes will be upon you and you'll glorify your great name with your truth feed us Lord with the bread of heaven teach us father I pray in Jesus wonderful name may we be edified amen I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon and we learned last week that the dew represents the doctrines of God the truth of God the lily represents the unmerited grace of our salvation remember he'll grow as the lily and then Jesus told us how the lily grows consider the lilies of the field how they grow they toil not neither do they spin and when it comes to our salvation thank God we toil not neither do we spin and the roots casting forth the roots as Lebanon represents the unfailing security of our salvation and now in verse 6 this morning God continues to tell us what will happen when Israel returns to him and Israel will return to him one day and thus what will happen to us when we the church returns to him if Israel will return God said verse 6 his branches shall be spread his branches shall be spread underscore in your Bibles his branches his branches now this last chapter of course Hosea is a is a prophetic book in this last chapter of Hosea is a book of prophecy and it shows us what Israel is going to be in the end times when God waters Israel with the gospel truth he shall grow as the lily he'll cast forth his roots when Israel grows in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ his branches shall spread so what do we have here when you take all this together first he'll grow up as the lily and now he's going to grow out as the palm tree you see he's going to grow up not toiling or spinning and as he grows up he's going to grow out the spreading of the branches here is a picture of God's people experiencing God's promises under the gospel covenant of Jesus Christ and repeat that again the spreading of the branches here represents God's people experiencing God's promises under the covenant of the gospel of Jesus Christ now when King David was here he was a picture of Christ conquering our enemies that's what you know David as David and what Goliath right David represents a picture of Christ conquering our enemies what did Jesus conquer he conquered sin he conquered Satan he conquered death he's our David he's our shepherd that takes care of his flock and destroys the enemies that comes against us but King David passed away and the wind when King David passed away there was a transition that took place during King David's time there was a tabernacle but when his son King Solomon came we transitioned from a tabernacle to a temple and in David's time there was much war in Solomon's time there was peace so as King David represents our Savior conquering our enemies King Solomon represents Christ ruling in the peace that he's accomplished on the cross forever now I want you to listen with that in mind listen to what King Solomon said when he rose to power after his father David had won victory in Israel King Solomon is risen to power he's ruling in peace and in first Kings chapter 8 verse 56 King Solomon says this blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel isn't that good Jesus said all ye who are weary and heavy laden come unto me and rest you'll find rest unto your souls and so Solomon's a picture that rests because Jesus has won the battle as King David we can find rest in him as King Solomon so King Solomon says blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel watch this now according to all that he promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant so King Solomon represents the fulfillment of God's promise when Jesus comes back and he rules the world in peace and righteousness that will be our King Solomon time and we'll be able to say there has not failed one good promise of everything God promised us in the gospel now keeping that in mind I want you to listen to how Psalm 80 verse 8 through 11 describes how God kept his promises to Israel up into Solomon's time Psalm 80 verse 8 through 11 listen to what the psalmist says thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt now Israel was in Egypt they were in bondage need they were just a little vine just a little vine in Egypt he says you took a vine out of Egypt thou hast cast out the heathen in other words he drove out to the unbelieving heathen out of the promised land and planted it so he takes that little vine out of bondage in Egypt he brings it to the promised land he cast out all the heathen out of that promised land he makes room for that little vine and he plants that little vine Israel in the promised land verse 9 thou prepare its room before it and it's caused it to take deep root remember they'll put in their root like Lebanon remember to take deep root and it filled the land filled is very important there it filled the land the hills were covered with the shadow of it now a vine doesn't cover hills this is showing how God took something that was so small and so insignificant but by his grace grew it up into something enormous and powerful just like the mustard seed okay now watch this verse 10 the hills were covered with the shadow of it notice there's a shadow here and the bows or the branches thereof were like goodly cedars so now we go from a little vine in Egypt and God takes that and brings it and sticks it down here in this land and now we go from a little vine to the like the big cedar trees and these branches these bows branching out here verse 11 she sent out her bows under where unto the sea and her branches same thing under where onto the river so notice here now when Solomon says you've kept every promise you've given us concerning bringing us into the promised land another way of saying that is Lord you took us out of Egypt like a vine you planted us here in this promised land we have now filled the promised land we now have grown up tall at like a cedar and our branches have gone from the sea to the river now notice again how God causes Israel's branches to reach to the sea and to the river and this is speaking about the fulfillment of God's promises to the his people for God promised him in Deuteronomy chapter 11 verse 24 Deuteronomy 11 verse 24 this is before they came to the promised land God said every place where on the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours from the wilderness in Lebanon from the river the river Euphrates even unto the uttermost sea shall be your coast so you see now their branches going from the river to the sea is showing the Dominion that God has caused him to spread out God promised him from the river to the sea and where their branches go when they got there they went from the river to the sea and so God is saying to Israel that he has fulfilled his promises this these bows reaching out is the fulfillment of God's gospel promises to us and remember what God says to Israel he says to us Israel's branches reaching the river and the sea is a metaphor of God fulfilling everything he's promised us in the gospel for Israel to have his branches reach the sea and the river and the truest sense Israel is going to have to turn to God once again and receive the Savior he sent them whom their scriptures testify of and when Israel does this and once again Israel will do this in the future then the true kingdom of God will grow and extend its branches to reach the fullness of God's promise to promises to us in Christ Jesus oh what a wonderful day that will be we are going to be able to live here in rain not with King Solomon but with King Jesus and be able to look at the scriptures and say look look brother Doug he did everything he said he did everything he said he would the lion is laying down with the lamb there's no more tears in our eyes he did everything he said he would do the kingdom will grow and extend its Dominion like branches spreading across the earth which casts a soothing shade to those who take refuge in its shadow the branches will offer everyone the opportunity to take refuge in the grace of Christ and those who do will be reunited to God through him we're studying verses 6 & 7 and I want to go back and forth with 6 & 7 because they really harmonize with each other instead of taking it verse by verse or rather a section by section I want to go back and lay one over the other okay and so if you'll look here in Hosea 7 the first part of Hosea 14 7 we're in Hosea 14 6 look now at the next verse Hosea 14 7 a they that dwell under his shadow shall return they shall revive this is telling us the people who belong to the government of Israel to the Dominion of Israel they will return to God they shall revive Israel is going to grow Israel is going to spread her his branches look back in your text now in verse 6 and his beauty shall be as the olive tree his beauty shall be as the olive tree underscore his beauty his beauty so there's three attributes that we're being called to pay attention to here in verse 6 that is his branches his beauty and his smell underscore his smell his branches his beauty and his smell now the beauty of Israel God said is going to be as the olive tree now someone who's the one that draws the pictures Rebecca Rebecca drew a picture of an olive tree for us this morning on our notes on our notes those y'all who like getting the notes the little sermon notes and when you look at an olive tree I don't think anyone's gonna look at all the tree and just think oh man that's beautiful they're all knotty twisty looking mangled looking trees and when I see a big towering oak or maybe a Magnolia I think that's very pretty when I see an olive tree I think well that's very nice but it's not something I'd want a painting of on my wall you know but God says his beauty shall be as the olive tree in the Hebrew word translated beauty here in the Bible is most often translated glory glory his glory shall be as the olive tree that makes a lot more sense when we look at it that way see his glory shall be as the olive tree you see Israel's glory is going to be as the olive tree one day in the sense of the olive tree is known for producing olives the oil of which was used to provide light to God's people back in and when this was written that's what they use for light to fuel the the the lamps was beaten olive oil Exodus chapter 27 verse 20 access chapter 27 verse 20 God said to Moses and thou shalt command the children of Israel that they bring the pure oil olive beaten why say it with me for the light for the light to cause the lamp to burn always one day the nation of Israel the nation of Israel is not known for putting out the light of God the nation of Israel is known for struggling for wars for rejecting Christ as their Savior they're known for a bunch of rituals but they're not known for putting out I don't know what oh we got a hearing aid that's it that's okay I thought it was brakes on the truck at first here it's fine all right remember that Kool-Aid hey Kool-Aid and the Kool-Aid guy came in the wall busted down don't worry that's not going to happen all right but Israel is not known for that but you know who is known for making the light shine the church is the church is making the light shine right now the church is preaching the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ who is the light of the world but one day the nation of Israel those that dwell under his shadows will return and when they return then Israel's beauty is going to be her glory is going to be as the olive tree it's going to be known for putting out the light of God God's kingdom shall be glorious like the olive tree because it will shine the light of God to the world speaking to his church in Matthew 5 14 a Jesus said ye are the light of the world where the olive tree the light of the world you say now now if Jesus is speaking to his church why is Israel going to be the lie of the world because Israel and the church are going to be one of the same the Bible says he's taken both and and tore down the division and made in twain one new body so everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ are added to the body of Christ they become the church of Christ therefore they are the light of Christ and Israel is coming back to God through Jesus and what makes this kingdom of God beautiful is not that we shine but who we shine to the world for we shine the glorious lie of the gospel to people who are in darkness speaking of those in darkness the Bible says in second Corinthians 4 4 that the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light what light the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them that's how we're glorious as the olive tree when we shine the light of the glorious gospel of Christ and one day Israel won't be known for its continual conflict but for its eternal faith in Jesus the glorious gospel of Christ will shine from those people they will be filled with God's Spirit as a lamp is filled with olive oil God will shine the glorious light of Christ through them as he now does through us because we will be the same God said Israel's beauty will be as the olive tree look back in your text in his smell as Lebanon his smell as Lebanon smells a remarkable gift absolutely remarkable gift I'll be in my study working I may not hear my wife cook not see her cook not know she's cooking but I can be in there studying and then suddenly I smell something and it smells good I can't see the food but the thing about the smell is this the properties of that food travel a distance now if if I were to walk up to Brother Shepherd and shake his hand that's my sense of touch I have to be in direct contact with Brother Shepherd to experience that sense of touch but smell is different smell is remote like hearing it's remote and so the properties of that food begin going into the air and they travel a distance and then they reach me in my study and report to me that something is on the stove they're even so accurate that if something's burned I would know that too which my wife doesn't do thank God but when we smell something we're taking in the qualities of what we're smelling that smells good that smells bad right you smell the skunk that smells one way you smell the rose that smells another way and so we say well that you know there was a man in at the courthouse the other day that man had body odor so bad you couldn't stand around him it was terrible never been around someone like that terrible it smelled bad and it traveled and so that's what odor does it it gives us the qualities of what we're smelling and when the Israelites offered burnt offerings to God the smell of those offerings they traveled remotely that's why they were burnt offerings they would they would reduce that offering to smoke and then the the the the properties of that offering would ascend in that smoke remotely up to God and then God said it would be a sweet savor to him in other words ha that smells good to me that's acceptable to me that's pleasing to me just like when God saw Jesus when he was baptized in the River Jordan he said this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased and those sacrifices that were reduced to smoke represented Jesus who's well pleasing to God they went remotely to God and so when they offered the burnt offerings the smell of those offerings represented Jesus they traveled upwards to God and they were acceptable to him now here's what we want to see if you look back in verse 5 they'll shoot out their roots as Lebanon you see that in verse 5 you don't have to go there on the screen but just for you here they'll shoot out their roots as Lebanon okay and we talked about how that's representing the tree that like that cedar tree putting its roots down in that mountain of Lebanon and as the lily represented the grace of our salvation the roots in Mount Lebanon represented the security of our salvation now here's the nice thing about it they shoot the roots out like Lebanon they're secured like Lebanon but notice now what do they smell like they smell like Lebanon well Doug that's good stuff you see they put their roots down in the mountain of Lebanon and now having established their roots there they now take on the smell of Lebanon the quality of Lebanon do you see what we're getting at here all this is a picture of Christ all of it is when we go to Mount Calvary we go to that cross and we build our faith we put our faith in Jesus and what he's done we grow as the lily we toll not we don't spend God closes in the righteousness of Christ just like he closed the lily by his grace but then he makes us secure in Christ just as God shut Noah and his family into the ark with that door they were secure in that arc and so when we believe in Christ we're secure in him and when we choose to put our faith in God's Son for our salvation our roots go down there remember the parable of the sower the seed that fell upon good ground it took root down in the earth and we put root down in our faith in the gospel into Lebanon and now we take on the quality of what our root is in we now have Lebanon smell when we put our faith in Jesus we take on the smell of Jesus you see we take on Jesus smell those who put their roots in Lebanon have the smell of Lebanon and what is the smell of Lebanon it is the smell of the sweet grapes that grow there look with me in verse 7 again they that dwell under his shadow shall return praise God Israel is going to return they shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon the grapevine growing in the middle of that mountain their scent is going to be as the wine of Lebanon now not too long ago we studied the Song of Solomon verse by verse an incredible love story between Christ and his church and the scent of the wine of Lebanon is a picture of the sweet love that Christ has for his church that he died for in giving his life for her in Song of Solomon 2 13 Jesus tells his church the fig tree putteth forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell arise my love my pharaoh and come away so Israel is going to put its roots in Lebanon and then bear the smell of Lebanon and when we put our our roots of faith in Christ we bear the smell of Christ it's like the sweet wine of Lebanon a picture of his love for us and another place that says thy love is better than wine why is Jesus love better than sweet wine do you remember oh man the smell of the the grapes of Lebanon Wow do you remember how Jesus took the wine at the Last Supper and he says take drink this it's my blood of the New Testament which is shed for you now when they drank it that blood shed for them represented the incredible love for the great love wherewith he loved us and when even when we were dead and sins he's quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved he gives him that wine they drink of it it tastes good it represents the blood of Christ but Christ's love is better than that wine the true wine of Lebanon is the blood Jesus shed on the cross and when we put in our roots in Lebanon we take on the smell of the wine of Lebanon whoo God said though the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul the blood is the wine the wine is the blood and when I build my faith of hope on Jesus I rake of the blood of Jesus I take on the attributes of the burnt sacrifice I smell a pleasing smell to my God all man as God was pleased with Jesus sweet smell so he's pleased with us now there's one part of this verse as we begin to close that we haven't expounded yet have you noticed that we kind of skipped a little piece in verse 7 and that's the corn God said Israel would revive as the corn how does when you think of corn you think of reviving how does the corn revive well now last week we asked that question about the lily how does the lily grow he said you'll grow up as a lily how does the lily grow well we let Jesus teach us he said consider the lilies how they grow so how does the corn revive how would you like Jesus to teach you how the corn revives let's just let him teach us again God said Israel would revive as the corn those who are dead will revive as the corn revives John chapter 12 John chapter 12 verse 23 and 24 John chapter 12 verse 23 and 24 it was getting close to the time when Jesus was about to die on the cross some people wanted to see Jesus perhaps they had a problem they needed Jesus to help them with just perhaps they were sick like many other people that come to Jesus perhaps they had a loved one who had a devil and they wanted to come to Jesus to get help as so many people had but Jesus turns them down and says no I'm not going to see those people because Jesus came for a greater purpose than that when they want to see Jesus look now in John 12 23 and Jesus answered them saying the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified now he's talking about the cross watch this now verily verily I say unto you except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and what die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit they're going to revive as the corn that corn or a kernel however you want to put it a grain is what this word corn means here they're going to revive as the grain as the corn of wheat as Jesus said unless you if you've got a kernel of wheat as long as you have that kernel of wheat that's all you have is that kernel of wheat as long as you have Jesus among his disciples that's all you have is Jesus among his disciples but if that corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies what happens yesterday I was out in my backyard and I've got wheat and other grains that I like pitching out for my chickens and you know what happens if they miss a grain they miss one of those corns of wheat well then the rain comes and that wheat falls into the ground and dies but it doesn't stay dead it revives and comes up it's raised from the dead and when it's raised from the dead it doesn't come up as one it comes up as many and Jesus is saying no I've got to die I can't just stay here with you until then I'm the only Son of God but if I die and I'm raised again I'll make you all the sons of God they will revive how as the corn how does the corn revive it must die and having died alone it then brings many back with it up from the dead so he says if e'erly I say unto you except a corn of wheat fall in the ground and died by the loan but if it died bringeth forth much fruit Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 Jesus is going to revive us as the corn because Jesus first died and then he sprung up out of the grave and he's going to bring many more sons of God just like him Hebrews 2 verse 9 and 10 says but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor remember he said now's the hour come the Son of Man must be glorified this this death crowns him with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things watch this now in bringing how many sons many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings he is the seed of corn he is that corn that fell into the ground and died that he might rise again and bring many more sons to glory with him I don't know about you but that smells awful good to me father we thank you so much for your precious word we thank you for the powerful verses father you give us in the Old Testament that shine light upon the verses you give us in the New Testament and vice versa thank you father God for having the sacrifice and the resurrection and the return of Israel and the salvation and the resurrection all planned out from the very beginning and all laid out for us beautifully in your word we thank you and I pray if there's anyone here father who does not know Christ as their Savior father they'll know him who died on their behalf so that they father through his death might live again in Jesus precious name we pray