Repentance Leads to Blessing
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not mount war-horses.
We will never again say ‘Our gods’
to what our own hands have made,
for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
4 “I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 Men will dwell again in his shade.
He will flourish like the grain.
He will blossom like a vine,
and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what more have I to
do with idols?
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a green pine tree;
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
9 Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
Introduction
Introduction
We come today to the end of our study in the book of Hosea. And I do believe that it has been an important look into the history of the nation Israel, to see just how they fell away from God, how they forsook the one that had redeemed them, and how they turned away to idols, and the response of God to those who forsook him.
It’s important to us because God uses the examples from the OT to warn us in our day as the church. Not as a threat, but just as a reminder of His continued grace, and our utter dependance upon him for sustaining grace.
As we come to this closing chapter of the book of Hosea, we can again be challenged and encouraged as Christians. What Hosea is going to do in this last chapter is to issue a final call to Israel to repent of their waywardness, and to thus receive the gracious blessing of God upon their lives.
As we begin, let us remember that there are many even in our day who calim to love Christ, but who often are far from him.
Thre are others that once walked very closely with the Lord, but their hearts have subsequently grown cold. They have wandered away from the faith. They have drifted from the firm anchor of Christ as revealed in the Scriptures. They are not walking closely to the Lord.
And this passage that we consider this evening speaks to such as these. We may rest assured that no matter how far we drift away from the Lord, ultimately He is gracious towards us, and when we repent of our sinfulness and waywardness, He will richly bless us in Christ Jesus.
This text speaks of spiritual healing that is available to any person, or group of people, that has drifted away from the Lord.
As we turn our attention to this passage, notice firstly with me...
1. Man’s Need of Repentance (vv.1-3)
1. Man’s Need of Repentance (vv.1-3)
The final chapter begins with a call to the people of Israel to repent. It is a sincere cry that the people of Israel would return to God. Verse 1 reads...
1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
The cry is that people who had seen and witnessed the powerful mercies and grace of God would return to God. Recall that Israel had plentiful evidence of the profound grace of God.
Recall back to Hosea 13:9...
9 “You are destroyed, O Israel,
because you are against me, against your helper.
All sin is directed against God.
Let us keep this at the forefront of our minds as those who love the Lord. How easy it is for us to slowly engage in sin, to tolerate sin, to allow sin in our lives, and to slowly become cold in our walk with the Lord.
Sin leads to downfall, without fail.
As a consequence of this, we find the call that is put to Israel in verse 2...
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
Notice that Hosea here calls the nation of Israel to confession.
“Take words with you and return to the Lord...” - this refers to a careful consideration of what has taken place, the fact that you have fallen away from God, and that you are now called to return to the Lord with words of confession before God.
At least three things are seen in the words that they are called to bring before God...
Firstly, there is a cry to God for forgiveness. “Forgive all our sins...”
Secondly, there is a cry that God would receive them - that they would no longer be estranged from Him. “Receive us graciously...”
And then finally, a plea that there would be fruit flowing from a restored relationship with God. “That we may offer the fruit of our lips.”
These three components are helpful to us, and they remain relevant. Without a confession of sin, there can be no forgiveness. Where there is no forgiveness, there can be no fellowship with God. And where there is no fellowship with God, there cannot be a proper honouring of a life lived in the freedom that He brings.
Look with me at Psalm 32:3-5
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord”—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin. Selah
There is the confession of sins before God.
Then going on into verse 6, we find both the idea of restoration, and that of God’s blessing ...
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
Consider also Psalm 51… go through this Psalm.
But notice further that Israel is called to be specifc about the sins that they have committed.
In verse 3 we read....
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not mount war-horses.
We will never again say ‘Our gods’
to what our own hands have made,
for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
They are called as a nation to here acknowledge and confess that apart from God they have truly have no hope at all.
You will recall from our study through Hosea that they had placed their hope in idols, and that they had also placed their trust int he surrounding nations to deliver them from difficult circumstances and places.
Both of these are addressed here.
“Assyria cannot save us...”
They are called to confess that there is no hope in nations; there is no hope in politics; there is no hope in the political party that I support. Hope is found in God alone. In Christ alone, my hope is found!!
“We will not mount war-horses..”
They are called to cry out that they will no longer trust in the strength of their armies.
“We will never again say ‘our gods’ to what our own hands have made...” - they are called to turn away from the idolatrous worship in which they had engaged.
And the reason is then given - ‘for in you the fatherless find compassion...’
Dear friends, the lure of sin is that we will find joy, hope, peace, contentment, satsifaction in all manner of things in this world. The truth of course is that none of these things in the world are a source of peace and contentment. In fact, so long as we seek our joy and satisfaction in these things, we will more likely find that we are most despondent and hopeless.
And the reason is that our hope is only found in Christ. And when we are fully at peace in Christ, God is even pleased to put our hearts at rest so that we truly do delight in Him.
I must ask before we continue - are you resting and delighting in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is He truly your hope and your joy?
As we continue in our passage, we note secondly...
2. God’s Mercy Through Repentance (vv.4-8)
2. God’s Mercy Through Repentance (vv.4-8)
These verses contain a response from God to the call that would come from Israel. If they come to God in repentance, in confession of sin, then God will grant great mercy to them...
Verse 4 says...
4 “I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.
Three beautiful truths are found in this verse that God promises if the people will turn to him in repentance.
Firstly, he says that he wil heal their waywardness.
God is the one that will work this healing within their hearts such that they are now in a place to have their lives oriented and directed towards Him.
In Psalm 40:1-2, the Psalmist describes his own experience of this gracious working of God...
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
The promise of God to Israel, and the promise of God to people even today, is that if they turn away from their sinful ways, and towards him with genuine repentance, he himself will lift them up. He himself will place their feet onto solid ground.
That is an encouragement to us!
Notice further, God says that he will “love them freely...”
Not only will he set their feet on a rock, and place them in firm places where they do not keep stumbling and falling into the traps of the evil one, but they will know His own love that is placed upon them!!
There is beautiful picture of this in the prophet Zephaniah.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
What a glorious picture of the eternal love of God being set upon His chosen people. And dear friends, God says here to Israel that if they turn to him in repentance and faith, they will be the recipients of His great love. He will love them freely.
And let me add, that I do believe that the fulfilment of this is in the church today, as the elect of God. God has set His love upon the church in a unique way. Where a people of God are gathered together having been cleansed by the blood of christ through repentance and faith in Him, God’s special love is upon that people.
And I would hate to be separated from this. That is why church discipline is such a serious thing - and should be taken so seriously by those who go through church discipline. Because as they are put out of the church, they are placed in a position where God’s love and favour is no longer upon them!!
But for those in the Lord Jesus Christ, His love is set upon them. The church is the object of God’s great delight.
And the third thing that we see there, is that God’s anger will be turned away from those who have so repented.
We must recognise that any person that fails to turn to God and to live in obedience to Him stands under his just wrath. That is, in one sense, why Israel would go into exile and be so severely punished by God - because they had broken covenant with him.
But this is the reality of all those who refuse to repent and believe. God’s wrath remains upon such a person.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
But friends, in this verse in Hosea, God is saying to those who would forsake their sinful ways and return to him, that his anger will be turned away. In order for this ultimately to be able to come to fulfilment, there needed to be a sacrifice offered on behalf of man. And that sacrifice was offered in the person of His very Son, Jesus Christ.
21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
What glorious truths these are.
And dear friends, we must see the direct encouragement that is ours as the church. Because ultimately the promises came to fulfilment in Christ, and we now are the beneficiaries of these great promises, if we are in Christ.
As Hosea now proceeds, he does so by emphasizing the great joys that will be true of those who are the recipients of such blessing from God. And the picture that he gives is of that which is bountiful and beautiful!!
In verse 5 we read that words of God through Hosea...
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
he will send down his roots;
The first picture here is of Israel being a lily. The lily grows in moist soil, and God says here that he will be the dew that gives this lily growth. In other words he will bring life and revitalization to the people of Israel.
With that in mind, God changes the picture to another plant, but again conveys the manner in which and the extent to which he will provide life and vitality. He says that Israel will become like a cedar of Lebanon, and he will sent down his roots
The cedars of Lebanon were massive and impressive trees, and little could bring such a tree down due to the deep roots that supported it’s large structure. This is how God will cause Israel to be established.
Going further into verse 6, God says...
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
Pictures making use of various trees continue here.
Firstly, it speaks about the young shoots that will grow. Israel had frequently been depicted as a vineyard or a grapevine. The picture here is of the new shoots of the vine that would grow out. While under the judgment of God, Israel was told that they would be a dry vine that failed to produce fruit, God says that following repentance and submission to him, they would once again thrive, and new life would be brought forth from her.
They are also spoken of as an olive tree in verse 6. The olive tree provided a staple food and was highly productive. It remained green all year around, and thus would be seen as that which thrived under all conditions. Such says God, will be the nation Israel.
Further to this, God refers here to the fragrance of Israel being like a cedar of Lebanon. This speaks of Israel being a pleasing aroma that would bring refreshment to those around her. She would envelop those around her with a beautiful fragrance.
If we just pause there for a moment, it is worth noting the variety of agricultural products Hosea uses to refer to the abundance that would be true of Israel.
Keep in mind that Israel had been involved in the cultic Baal worship, that was said to be the god of agricultural production. But God says here that when they return to Him, they would indeed excel in their production from products / crops that would far exceed the crops associated with Baal.
In keeping with the distinctions that are drawn here, keep in mind that the crops that Baal was associated with were seasonal, and would only produce fruit at a particular time. God would cause His people to flourish and abound in all seasons by His grace.
This brings us to verse 7, which reads...
7 Men will dwell again in his shade.
He will flourish like the grain.
He will blossom like a vine,
and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
Notice what God is saying here. In terms of the idea of dwelling in his shade again, God is saying that Israel will be restored to such an extent that others would take shelter in his shade.
In that day, with the blazing heat of the middle east, the picture was often used of greater nations being those that provided shade (meaning protection) to smaller nations. This picture was used by the prophet Ezekiel as he spoke God’s words concerning Assyria.
In Ezekiel 31:6-7, we read...
6 All the birds of the air
nested in its boughs,
all the beasts of the field
gave birth under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
7 It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.
The picture is clearly the kind of protection that can be brought to those who are falling under this greater power.
But recall that in the history of Israel, it was Israel that could provide such a place of protection to those who were weaker. In particular, Israel had laws that God had commanded them to live by that treated aliens in their midst in a proper manner. As Hosea speaks here about those who will again dwell in her shade, he is referring to the fact that Israel will be restored to such an extent that a haven would be provided, even for those not of Israel.
The picture here is most fully brought to reality in the church. The church that would be birthed would not only be made up of those of Israel, but even of the Gentiles.
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
In fact, it is certainly the church that has spread through the entire world, and continues to spread even in our own day, as God allows this true Israel, those who are redeemed in the Lord Jesus Christ to florish and thrive and grow.
Praise God!!
In verse 8, we find God’s word to Israel concerning His own care for them...
8 O Ephraim, what more have I to
do with idols?
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a green pine tree;
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
Three things that God says concerning himself here.
Firstly, God entirely disassociates himself from idols. What have I to do with idols.
We as God’s people are to worship God according to who he has revealed himself to be, rather than as we would have him be, according to our own desires. And we are to worship Him alone, and we are not to worship idols - we are not to set our hearts on any thing in this world - apart from the worship of God.
Secondly, God declares and promises his care. “I will answer him and care for him...”
As the people of Israel would turn back to God, God confirms that he will provide for them in abundance.
And thirdly, God assures Israel that he would continue to provide both security and fertility. They would be fruitful. It’s interesting to see here that God refers to himself as a green pine tree, and reminds them that their fruitfulness would come from Him.
A similar thing is said by Jesus Christ in John 15 when he refers to himself as the vine, and the church as the branches. There is surely no fruitfulness in this life - no true fruitfulness - apart from God / Jesus Christ.
Finally from our text, note...
3. Wisdom’s Call to Repentance (v.9)
3. Wisdom’s Call to Repentance (v.9)
Verse 9 says...
9 Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
This verse really serves as an epilogue - a call to the wise. Or wisdom’s call to those who would hear her.
Expand on the verse...I want to use this as application...
Conclusion
Conclusion