This morning I want to encourage you that the troubles you face become the very doors of hope in your lives.

We can become so discouraged when we face troubles on every side.

There are three sources of trouble that we may have.

First, trouble because we live in a fallen world. Greed in China can have repercussions in the United States. Scandal in the US Senate can tip the balance of power and affect government decisions. Bad decisions by an owner can put hundreds of people out of work. Television and music videos can encourage rebellion in your teen.

Second, we can face trouble because we are facing persecution. In some countries it is blatant. A home is bulldozed over because Christians live in it. A tribe is captured, the men killed, the women and children abused and sent into slavery, all because they are Christian. A man can lose his job, have his family disinherit him all because he knows Christ.

For us it may be more subtle. People might view you in a negative way because you are a Christian. You might miss a promotion, supposedly for other reasons, but your faith might be an unspoken factor. People may just leave you alone, where once they were friends.

Third, we can face trouble because we have made unholy, ungodly, bad decisions. I am not speaking about making a mistake. A person might honor God in their lives and buy a lemon of a vehicle. A person might be following God and neglect good advice in some area of their life.

But in Hosea’s day, it was different. They were in trouble because they failed to obey God. The result was that God brought trouble into their lives.

2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.” (Ho 1:2).

Notice the sin. Israel departed from the Lord. “When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way. While we do his good will, he abides with us still. And with all who will trust and obey.” But when we do not walk with the Lord, when we disregard the teaching if his word, there will be no glory, there will be no blessing.

As we look on to chapter 2 and verse 8.

8 She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold--which they used for Baal. 9 “Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness. (Ho 2:8 -9).

Here is a blatant disrespect for God. He gave her grain and silver and gold. What did she do with it? She gave it to Baal. Baal was a local god. What should have been given to God was given to a false god.

Some of you young people will go to college and take a class on religion. In that class a professor will tell you that all religions are basically the same. They all teach love, the need for forgiveness, and taking care of one another. These facts are true. While the religion has similarities, god is vastly different. The God of the Bible is a jealous God. He does not believe in respect for all religions. The most famous verse in the Jewish Bible, the Old Testament is this: 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (De 6:4 -5). The Lord is literally “Jehovah.” We are to love Jehovah with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength.

Israel loved Baal. The God who embraced Israel, brought her out of Egypt into the promised land, who protected and fought for her, who helped her in times of need, who sent prophets to warn her and priests to intercede for her, the God who appeared on Mt. Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments, who appeared to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, the God who spoke through David and gave Solomon wisdom to lead the nation, loved the people of Israel.

If Jehovah God wanted Israel to love him with all their hearts, but Israel worshipped Baal, then this same God is a jealous God. Did you notice what he said about Israel? Their pursuit of Baal, their following another God, was an act of spiritual adultery.

So God said, “If you are going to take my wine, my grain, my oil, my silver and my gold and use it with another person, then I will take back what I have given to you.”

Why should God bless people financially who are going to use that money to build and maintain their lifestyle and not use it for the purposes for which God gave it? Why should God bless people who buy more they can afford when God so clearly says, “Owe no man anything!” What do you and I have that did not come from God? Why are we so reluctant to use what God has given us to advance his kingdom?

Why should God bless people in their relationships when the relationships are in direct violation of his word? You are sleeping with someone or living with them outside of marriage? You are pursuing a relationship with someone who is not a believer. Your friends encourage you to drink, smoke, drive at excessive speeds, and disrespect proper authority. Yet you want God to bless your life and you are unwilling to live a life that God can bless?

Verse 13 of chapter 2 says, 13 I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewellery, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,” declares the LORD. (Ho 2:13).

When we live outside the will of God, we can expect trouble in our lives. Take a look at the problems you face. Is your marriage in trouble? Is it because of your ungodly actions? Are you having trouble keeping a job? Is it because of certain attitudes you carry into your job that make employers say, ‘I don’t want you?’ If we don’t follow the Lord, we can expect that there will be trouble in our lives.

That is what strikes me so much about the message of the book of Hosea. You may not understand it, but your troubles are a good thing. For it is through your troubles that you will have hope. Let me explain.

First, Hosea clearly shows us that all the time we are in trouble, God is trying to bring us back. 14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. (Ho 2:14).

Do you know what most people think? They think because they have ruined their lives that God wants nothing to do with them. But that is so far from the truth. Look at this verse. God says, “I am going to allure her.” I know that some of you might not know what “allure” means, but you know what “a lure” is. You put it on a fishing line and run it through the water. As it goes through the water it darts back and forth. The sun shines off the sides. It is your hope that a five pound bass will be attracted to that lure and come and snatch it out of the water.

That is what allure means. It means that God is going to speak tenderly to you. When you see the trouble you are in and turn to God, he is going to be there to help you turn around. Even though you have committed spiritual adultery, he wants you back in a relationship with him. So he allures you and speaks tenderly to you.

He is doing that this morning. He wants you to come home.

Now for the key verse. 15 There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. (Ho 2:15).

Do you remember the story of Jericho? Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumblin’ down. He went around seven times. The walls came down and Jericho was defeated. God commanded Israel to make sure that they did not keep any of the spoils of war. All the gold and silver were to be given to the Lord. But Achan quietly took some silver and hid it in his tent in direct disobedience to God. In the next battle at Ai, Israel was soundly defeated and thirty-six people died. Joshua could not understand why? But it was revealed that Achan had disobeyed God and caused great harm to Israel.

It is not the purpose of this message to explain the rational, but Achan and his family were taken to a valley and killed. Rock were piled up. The Bible tells us, 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. (Jos 7:25 -26).

Other than one other passage in Isaiah, this is the only other place that the Valley of Achor is mentioned. Achor means trouble. Achan brought trouble into Israel because of disobedience. Now we have a different message. “God will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.”

Why would your trouble be a door of hope? Because if your trouble is caused by disobedience to God, changing your behavior will change your relationship with God. If your trouble is caused by the world, there is little hope. The world has to change. The air has to clean up, the markets have to open, the greed has to go away. You have no control over problems that come because you live in this world.

Or if your troubles are caused because you are persecuted for living for Jesus, you have little hope in this life. Don’t get me wrong! You are blessed when you are persecuted for the name of Jesus. But there is nothing you can do. If you change your behavior, you will displease God. If you keep your behavior, you may still face persecution.

But if your trouble is caused because you are breaking God’s laws, are not walking with him, your very valley becomes a door of hope.

Two things I notice about Israel in Hosea 2:15. The first is that God blessed the one who was in trouble. Things came back. It might not have been all at once. Vineyards needed to be replanted. This would take time. But things came back.

They will for you as well. It might take time. But when you come back to God, God will work to restore for you all he can.

Second, I notice a new attitude. Israel is singing as she did in the days of her youth. This was the time before the problems started. This was before the sinful behavior. This was before Israel walked with God. This was a time of singing and joy. And now that old attitude shows up in a new way. The Psalmist said, “He put a new song in my heart, even praises to my God.”

Troubles get us down. Depression, anxiety, worry, fear, remorse, all of these rob our joy. When we turn from our trouble to follow the Lord, he lifts us up. He puts the new song in our hearts.

This is the message of the cross. Jesus died for sinners. He died for people who sinned against him. The cross has no meaning for people who think they are good. But for those who sinned, your valley of sin is what gave you the door of hope. The door of hope is that through Christ your sins are forgiven and you are given a new life in Him.