Return and the Promise of Renewal (ch. 14)

Introduction:

Well, here we are, the last message in the book of Hosea. We have learned so much about the unfathomable love of God in our study, We have seen his desire to love the unlovely, and because he is most holy, his necessity to judge their relentless sinful rebellion against him. Mixed in between both ends of the spectrum has been his consistent appeal for repentance.

This morning as we close the book of Hosea, we will see that God’s parting words through Hosea are once again aimed at repentance. What is it that Yahweh wants his unfaithful bride Israel to do? We will see in this passage of Hosea 14, that he pleads with them to Return, and assures them of the promise of renewal. So let’s now dive into this beautiful epilogue of the story of the unfathomable love of God, and allow God to speak to us personally.

Text: Hosea 14

Hosea 14 ESV

1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2 Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. 3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.” 4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit. 9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Main Idea: Since God is Long-suffering and Plenteous in Mercy, He Will Forgive All Those Who Repent of Their Sin and Obediently Turn to Him.

Note: In verses 1-3, the prophet speaks to the people, urging repentance before conveying God speaking and his promise of blessing (vv. 4–8).

I. Call To Return (1-3)

A. Need to Return (1)

(1) Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Return...to the Lord your God - This thematic exhortation to return (2:7; 3:5; 6:1; 7:10; 12:6) is now addressed toward the Lord your God, who alone will cause you to stand, and away from that which caused you to stumble. Thus the true meaning of repentance.

for you have stumbled because of your iniquity - this is the explanation (for) of the need to return, and the hope that is conveyed here is that the invitation to return is given to those who have fallen. It is not an earned invitation, but given out of pure grace and steadfast love.

So what do true words of repentance sound like? Hosea tells is next with...

B. Words to Return (2-3)

True repentance (returning), is not just grief filled words of apology, they are words that are defined by movement; from something, to something.

(2) Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.

Take with you words - Words of confession accompanied by obedience please God, not half-hearted sacrifices (5:6; 6:6; 8:11–13). A precise wording for confession is suggested in vv. 2, 3.

the vows of our lips - Or, “fruit of our lips”…the Hebrew words for “bull calves” (here rendered “vows”) and “fruit” are similar. See Prov. 12:14; 13:2; Heb. 13:15.

(3) Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.”

Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses - Israel was to give up trusting in foreign political powers (5:13; 7:11; 12:1), in her own military strength (10:13; cf. Ps. 33:16, 17), we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands - and in idolatrous and syncretistic religion (2:8, 13; 3:1; 4:12; 8:5, 6; 10:5, 6; 13:2).

orphan finds mercy - This alludes to the earlier theme of loss and restoration of love illustrated by Hosea’s marriage and his daughter, Lo-ruhama (1:6; 2:2–4, 14–23).

We therefore see that true repentance involves more then just words, it is words back up by movement.

II. Promise of Healing (4-7)

A. Heal Their Apostasy (4)

(4) I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

Healing is always a desire of those who are in pain or are enduring the consequences of sin, however, this healing promised by God goes deeper then the physical, and is an everlasting healing not conceivable in this life.

I will heal - The promise of healing began to be realized when Israel returned from its sixth-century exile in Babylon. It finds much greater fulfillment in Jesus Christ and His church, and is consummated at His Second Coming.

apostasy - The action of having the truth but turning from it was Israel’s characteristic unfaithfulness (4:10–12; 5:4; 7:4; 11:7) and will be healed by the great Healer, whose anger is now turned away.

Love them freely - In this love song, we hear again the deep affection of God for His elect. This undeserved love is what the New Testament calls grace (Rom. 5:15; Eph. 2:5, 8 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” )

B. Heal Their Deadness (5-6)

(5-7) In this section, resplendent with the language of love, colorful metaphors are drawn from plant life, displaying life and care.

(5) I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;

I will be like the dew - Dew was one of the key sources of water for Israel. It would be vital for the growth of the kind of plants that follow.

like the lily - The Hebrew term can refer to several different lily-like flowers; all are prized for their beauty.

Biblical authors regularly celebrate the trees of Lebanon (especially cedars) as the most majestic (e.g., Ps. 104:16).

(6) his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.

his shoots shall spread out - Here the imagery depicts an expanding kingdom like the growth of a great tree: Israel’s original calling was to spread its influence through the whole world.

beauty shall be like the olive - The olive was regarded as a symbol of strength and prosperity (cf. Ps. 52:8).

fragrance like Lebanon - A reference to the scent of cedars.

Ephesians 2:1–7 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

C. Heal Their Insecurity (7)

(7) They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow - the place of security, a shade tree, a place where the nourishing nutrients of Yaweh can have their full effect.

Psalm 91:1 ESV

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

they shall flourish like the grain … like the vine … like the wine - Israel again becomes a choice vine, which was her design from the beginning (cf. 10:1). The landscape here depicted is an Eden-like paradise, illustrating covenant renewal by the replanting of Israel as a lush garden (cf. 2:14–23).

III. Appeal to Wisdom (8-9)

A. Wisdom That Knows the Living God (8)

(8) O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.

what have I to do with idols? - a rhetorical question signifying that God alone is sufficient and needs help from no one, thus reminding Israel that they too need only Yahweh to care for them.

I am like an evergreen cypress - Nowhere else in the OT is the Lord likened to a tree, which leads some to suggest that these words are spoken by Israel. However, in 5:12 Hosea uses an equally bold comparison of the Lord with “a moth” and “dry rot,” so this suggestion is unnecessary. An “evergreen” tree is ever full of life and strength, thus signifying the everlasting sufficiency of God.

B. Wisdom That Choses and Obeys What is Right (9)

(9) Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Whoever is wise - This epilogue challenges every generation to consider carefully the ways of the Lord that are presented in the book (cf. Ps. 1; 18:21; Prov. 10:29). The choices that Israel faced are also set before the reader: wisdom or folly; discipleship or rebellion; life or death. The wise will “choose life” (Deut. 30:19, 20).

Hosea has an apt conclusion for his book. The Lord has made his case, and is justified in punishing Israel for ingratitude and covenant breaking.

Yet there is a final appeal for the wise, who understand (the same verb used in 4:14: “people without understanding shall come to ruin”).

This verse is full of terms otherwise met in the Psalms and Proverbs, such as “wise,” “understand,” discerning, the ways of the Lord, and the contrast between the upright and transgressors.

Note: Most of the book has addressed Ephraim as a corporate body, but these terms in Hos. 14:9 focus on the moral response of individual Israelites. The positive terms in such a setting refer to those who really grasp the grace of the covenant. They also guide them in their own course of life, even when terrible disaster overtakes the people as a whole.

Much like the church in which the promises and judgments are given corporately, however, in the end, only those who are truly God’s covenant people will be saved, the rest will be judged.

So What?

Do we understand the difference between apologies and true confessional repentance?

We have all experienced doing something wrong and incurring the anger of other people. We are talking here about more then just be sorry for the consequential outcome of our wrong doings, but a complete reversal of direction so that the sin is not repeated.

We are to see that the sin that God hates, is the sin that we are to hate as well, and so we take a trip from the landfill of our rotting sin, to the mountain of God were his healing presence is available and experienced.

Is our driving passion in all of life to truly know God, and to live actively by his wisdom?

Most of us have experienced the folly of the world system and have ourselves participated with it. The reality is that this folly is only going to increase. Therefore, as those who have been born from above, we run from the world system, seeking to know it intimately no longer, and spend our days in the presence of our loving father, basking in his wisdom and beauty.

If this is your desire, cry out to God each day, focusing on him and his word, and joyfully obeying his commands. This is an eternal activity as we will be doing so to perfection in eternity!