Hosea 14

Hosea 14

Turn Around

I.                    There’s no distance traveled sinfully away from God, that His forgiveness can’t overcome; but we must return to God in true repentance (Vv. 1-3)

a.       God has been warning His wayward and rebellious people of their sin and its inevitable consequences. But now He gives them hope as He calls them to return to Him and then describes the process by which that must occur. The path back to God must begin with their acknowledgment it is their own choices and the resulting which has led them away from Him. Israel had spoken flippantly in the past about returning to God, but all the while they were bent on turning away from Him in their pride, and their deeds and choices betrayed their words and prevented their return. But even after all their sinful choices, rebellion, and deliberate wrong turns, God assures them that there is still a path back to Him. He’s still their God, and even as they’ve traveled steadily and rapidly away from Him, He’s standing right behind them urging them to turn around and embrace Him. However, the path back to God, although instantaneous in Him, must retrace their steps with exactness. He calls them to repentance through real and exact words which reflect a broken and contrite heart. They must describe the sinful rebellion which led them away from God, the iniquity which resulted, and confess that the only hope for life is the gift of God’s gracious, unearned, and undeserved forgiveness. The fruit of lips which bear the words of a truly broken heart, are praise for God and His glorious mercy, grace, and love, and actions which evidence a turning away from the exact sins which separated them God in the first place. God calls Israel to acknowledge the reality that trust in any political power, military power, religious power, or personal strength for life, sustenance, security, hope, and peace, will result in death, and that only God’s mercy and grace can save them. What about us? In what objects and places do we seek the security, assurance, guidance, sustenance, and strength which only God can provide? Have we placed our hope in false gods and attempted find our security, rest, and peace in our own strength, institutions of humanity, and the philosophies of the world? Have we tried to blame others or our circumstances for our own wrong turns? We must put pride aside, sincerely search our hearts, and return to God! (Vv. 1-3; Gen. 3:1-14; Ps. 51:1-5, 10-12, 16-17; 116:3-14; Isa. 6:1-5; Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 18:9-14, 18-23; 21:1-6; Rom. 3:19-26; 10:8-13; Eph. 1:7-8; Heb. 13:15; 1 John 1:8-10)

II.                 There’s no distance traveled sinfully away from God, that His forgiveness can’t overcome; but we must cling fully to God’s promise to restore us in His mercy, grace, and love (Vv. 4-9)

a.       Now God reveals the results of His work in the lives of those who submit in faithful repentance to Him. His people were apostates; they had deliberately turned from His righteousness and turned towards sin. As they continued on this path, they had even become clouded in understanding of righteousness and sin; a condition which only God’s grace can cure. His forgiveness not only provides restitution for sin, it also provides healing. God forgives and restores, not because we deserve it or earn it, but because He freely loves us in His grace. And He promises that those who walk with Him in submission and repentance will bear the fruit of His blessing and provision. He will refresh them daily like the morning dew, renew their beauty, and root and strengthen them in Him to successfully face life’s storms. They’ll bear fruit, regain their value, and be a fragrant aroma of His grace in the world. Others will find shade and rest in the grace given by God’s people. They will live in abundance and be remembered like a fine wine. But the people had to make a choice; they had to respond. God was done with their idolatry and He called them to see that everything they had looked for in every other place but in Him, was in fact provided by Him the whole time. The choice was clear, but it still had to be made. We must look into our hearts and lives and honestly assess what we see. Do we feel and act ugly, weak, exhausted, worn down, powerless, valueless, joyless, lack delight in life, and give off unpleasant fragrances which repel instead of attracting? If this is the reality of our lives, it’s because we’ve allowed sin to take the place of God and His Word in our lives. Everyone must choose which way they’ll go. Only when we submit to God as Lord of our lives in every area, turn all things over to Him, trust in His promises revealed in His Word, and diligently pursue obedience to His Word, will we walk in the light, life, and abundance of His mercy, grace, and love in Christ. What will you choose? (Vv. 4-9; Exod. 32:25-26; Josh 24:14-15; 1 Kgs. 18:21; Ps. 30:5; 119:89-96; Prov. 3:5-8; 12:12; Isa. 37:31; 42:4-10; Hag. 1:10; Rom. 5:6-11; 6:21-23; 8:28-39; 1 Cor. 2:14-16; 2 Cor. 2:14-17; 4:3-6; 5:17-21; John 3:16; 6:26-29; 8:30-36; 10:10; 15:1-11; Gal. 3:13-14; Eph. 1:9-14, 18-23; 2:1-10; Phil. 3:7-16; Col. 2:6-7; 1 John 5:21)