EPHRAIM [BE FRUITFUL & MULTIPLY]
HOSEA: 5:11-Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.
Dear children of God Today we are going to mediate the Ephraim’s names significant. Ephraim means be fruitful and multiply. His life was contradict to his name meaning of be fruitful and multiply. Instead of God’s blessing, he underwent oppression, affliction and sufferings because of his sins. Joseph called his second Ephraim, saying that ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of affliction. Why Ephraim oppressed and crushed? He was walked after the vain commandments and false teachings. He went astray from God who multiplied him and made fruitful. God created man in his own image,’ male and female he created them and blessed them.
God said to Adam and Eve, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over all living things that moves on the earth, sea and sky. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it. Some time we might have oppressed by our neighbors’ relatives, and enemies without any reasons. But Ephraim’s reason is different because Ephraim followed willingly vain commandments and false gods.
Dear children of God Today we are going to mediate the Ephraim’s names significant. Ephraim means be fruitful and multiply. His life was contradict to his name meaning of be fruitful and multiply. Instead of God’s blessing, he underwent oppression, affliction and sufferings because of his sins. Joseph called his second Ephraim, saying that ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of affliction. Why Ephraim oppressed and crushed? He was walked after the vain commandments and false teachings. He went astray from God who multiplied him and made fruitful. God created man in his own image,’ male and female he created them and blessed them.
Like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with God. Some time we might have oppressed by our neighbors, relatives and enemies without any reason. But with Ephraim the reason is different because he walked in his own imaginations and will and wish. God said that I know Ephraim and Israel is not hidden from me; for now O Ephraim, you have played the whore. God knows our ways and deeds. God is calling us to repent and reform our ways and return to him to be fruitful to multiply.
Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to father except through me. Jesus shows us his ways to abide in his truth to bear fruits and prosper. Yes we left him and his ways but we walked according to our own imaginations and our own ways. For that we have to reap our consequences. In difficulties and sorrows we forgot to seek God, instead of that we seek help in vain things. Ephraim is calling to Egypt, and going to Assyria for help but no one helped him.
Dear friends, in our troubles, sorrows, and sickness whom shall we seek for help? Just we think of the fact Turn back to God to reform our ways and abide in his words and ways to bear more fruits in our life. Let me bring out an example to examine ourselves. Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick so he sent messengers, telling them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness. Elijah sad to the King Ahaziah, “Thus say the Lord ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron- is it because there is no god in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surly die, “In oppression and sickness and troubles Ephraim seek help and remedy from Assyrians. But he forgot to seek God. The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.PS34:10
No comments:
Post a Comment