The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 1471 Hos kc 17-3

Little Red Hen. Are you familiar with it?

Hosea 10:11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.

Treading out the corn is "a far easier and more self-indulgent work than ploughing. In treading corn, cattle were not bound together under a yoke, but either trod it singly with their feet, or drew a threshing sledge over it (Isa. 28: -28): they were free to eat some of the corn from time to time, as the law required they should be unmuzzled (Deut. 25:4), so that they grew fat in this work. An image of Israel's freedom, prosperity, and self-indulgence heretofore." (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown)
It's like this: Ephraim, representing the largest of the tribes of Israel just like the USA does today, loves to do the easy work and participate in the feast days but they are too lazy to study His Word and keep His commands! No wonder the scribes have had a "field day" with their pens! You see, all that prosperity and resulting "fatness" has made Jeshurun (Israel) lazy and self-indulgent and he no longer "dresses and keeps" the garden anymore according the Word of God. This always reminds me of the agricultural, sowing and reaping story of the Little Red Hen. Are you familiar with it?

LITTLE Red Hen found a grain of wheat."Who will plant this?" she asked.

"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.

"Then I will," said Little Red Hen. So she buried the wheat in the ground. After a while it grew up yellow and ripe. "The wheat is ripe now," said Little Red Hen. "Who will cut and thresh it?"

"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.

"Then I will," said Little Red Hen. So she cut it with her bill and threshed it with her wings. Then she asked, "Who will take this wheat to the mill?"

"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.

"Then I will," said Little Red Hen. So she took the wheat to the mill, where it was ground. Then she carried the flour home. "Who will make me some bread from this flour?" she asked.

"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.

"Then I will," said Little Red Hen. So she made and baked the bread. Then she said, "Now we shall see who will eat this bread."

"I will," said the cat.
"I will," said the goose.
"I will," said the rat.

"I am quite sure you all would," said Little Red Hen, "if you could get it." Then she called her chicks, and they ate up all the bread.There was none left at all for the cat, or the goose, or the rat.

Let's see, it was also the Baby Boomer generation that made quick-like-bunny "fast food" restaurants such as McDonald's so popular. We not only do not want to take the time to prepare a nutritious healthy meal for ourselves, we cannot even wait for someone else to do so. When we want hamburgers, we want them right NOW! You can take this as a sign as to how Jeshurun has waxen fat!

However, remember it is written and it is true, that you reap what you sow! If you want to participate in the harvest of the Firstfruits, and receive the blessings that come with the First Resurrection to eternal life (Rev. 20:6) then follow the advice in the next verse. It is a choice you can make.

Hosea 10:12
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Stay in the field and keep ploughing and seeking the LORD through His Word until He comes! Otherwise the wise virgins will be attending the great wedding feast of the Bridegroom and you will be standing without like the cat and the goose and the rat.

And if you are not "tending the garden" as per His instructions, according to His Word, then whose "farming" instructions are you following and what kind of a crop have you produced? Is it fit to eat? Learn the lessons from the history of our people.

[13] Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
She trusted in her own waysand in the covenants she made with others and in the strength of mighty armies to protect her. Well, history shows that didn't work, did it? If you trust not in the Lord then what can a king do for you, or a mighty army, or a god who is no God? And just where do you think the "fruit of lies" comes from?  Yes, the Idol-a-Tree in the midst of the garden!
[14] Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
Beth-arbel means House of God's Ambush and as it is written, there shall soon be a tumult arise among our people. In fact, as bad as the day of battle was at Beth-arbel, when even mothers were slaughtered and fell upon their children, Daniel writes that in the last days "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. (Daniel 12:1)." Only the slaughter will be spiritual, the slaying will be of the souls of men, which is much more serious than physical bloodshed.Remember Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Hosea 10:15
So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.
What goes on in your church, which should be a Beth-el, house of God?Are you going to awake one morning and find that the true King of Israel has been cut off from you because of your "great wickedness"? Do think that it won't happen to many, many Christians? Well, is Jesus Christ a liar? He said MANY would be deceived by MANY Christian ministers in these last days.

Here it is:

Matthew 24:4-5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Yes, they, our preachers, saying, Jesus is Christ; but not telling you the whole truth as written in His Word.

And like the cat and the goose and rat who did their own thing instead of "keeping and tending", those deceived Christians who have ignored His Word while worshipping in their Beth-avens will seek to enter the kingdom and eat at the celebration feast of the harvest.

The Lord addresses them thusly:

Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
His "will" is contained in both the Old Will (Testament)and the New Will (Testament).

Have you read and studied them both???????

Matthew 7:22
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Make no mistake about who these people are!

Many of them are our beloved brothers and sisters who are professing Christians but who are, just as Jesus foretold, deceived by the traditions of men into believing that their churchianity is Christianity.

They do many wonderful things except please their Father because they are not doers of His Word, and therefore they do not know the Word of God, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, He does not know them!

Matthew 7:23
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.



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