Turning For The Better
Hosea: God’s Relentless Love (Part VIII)
TURNING FOR THE BETTER
Hosea 14:1-9 (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.
Last October 2, Brandt Jean, a believer in Christ, surprised everyone in the courtroom when he offered his unconditional forgiveness to Amber Guyger, a former Dallas Cop who was found guilty of killing his brother, Botham Jean, in his own apartment. If you have failed to see the powerful video of Brandt addressing Amber, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkoE_GQsbNA
This is such a compelling testimony of God’s forgiveness because this was out of the ordinary. I believe with all my heart that the only people who would be capable of bestowing this type of forgiveness are the ones who experienced God’s gracious forgiveness as well. Remember the example of Stephen in Acts 7:58-60. He was literally asking God to forgive those who were stoning him to death:
Acts 7:58-60 (ESV)
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Are you forgiving to those who have wronged you? If you are struggling to forgive others, perhaps, you need to be reminded again of the extent of how God has forgiven you. One of the passages that always stand out for me in relation to God’s forgiveness is Psalm 103:10-12:
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Can you imagine what will happen to us if God really starts dealing with us according to our sins? Praise God because so many times, instead of dealing with us according to our sins, He had chosen to deal with us according to His mercy! Emphasizing verses 11-12, if you want to know the extent of the mercy God had shown us, the Psalmist said, “It is limitless.”
As we bring our studies on the book of Hosea to a conclusion this morning, we will find the Lord make His final appeal for repentance. With their coming judgment, the only way they can turn their future into something better is through their genuine repentance. Allow me to highlight at least three basic elements of repentance that we should not miss from our text:
I GOD’S CALL TO REPENT (v. 1)
As the Lord opens this last chapter, you will find a gracious call or invitation for Israel to return to Him. Obviously, the word “Return” provides the picture that they have departed from the Lord. Often, theologians call this departure from God as “Apostasy.” Also, the Lord was clear in helping them understand that it was their “iniquity” that caused them to stumble.
The question is: What was the major “iniquity” of Israel? Again, and again, God had directly condemned their worship of the god, Baal. He was one of the most popular gods of the pagans. As the son of El and Asherah, he was the rain and storm god whose chief concerns were agricultural fertility and sexual reproduction among animals and humankind. What made his worship more abominable was the incorporation of human sacrifice and ritual prostitution. Here are direct references to these practices:
Human Sacrifices
Psalm 106:36-41 (ESV)
36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; 41 he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.
It is hard to believe that God’s people were so foolish to participate in sacrificing their own children to honor a false god. Parents are, by nature, protective of their children, but in the worship of Baal, parents were literally willing to hurt their own children in order to gain prosperity. Tragically, many today are also willing to do the same. There are parents who are sacrificing their children at the altar of material prosperity. The only difference then compared today was that back then, once they placed their child on the altar of sacrifice, they would watch him or her be burned alive until death. In modern times, parents are hardly noticing that death is taking over little by little.
Ritual Prostitution
Deuteronomy 23:17 (ESV)
17 “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.”
This verse is a clear prohibition to Israel before they entered the Promised Land because God wanted to protect them from the Canaanites who were involved in the worship that employed male and female prostitutes in their local shrines. These prostitutes were considered priests and priestesses who helped facilitate their worship by engaging in sacred sexual intercourse. Sadly, despite the warning, God’s people repeatedly abandoned the Lord and embraced this immoral practice.
In spite of their sins, God is not passively waiting for Israel to come to her senses and repent. He graciously calls on them to return to Him. You see, if you have wronged somebody and you know that they have shut the door for reconciliation and forgiveness, you will certainly hesitate to go to that person. God is truly amazing because no matter how much we have wronged Him; He is always open and ready for our return.
God says almost the same thing in Isaiah 1:18 (ESV):
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Notice, God is calling us to repent from our sins. Regardless of what we have done, His forgiveness will always be complete!
II GOD’S CONDITIONS IN REPENTANCE (vv. 2-3)
After God gave Israel an invitation to repent, He went further and gave them at least three specific conditions on how they should turn from their sins and be restored back to Him. Before we highlight the three conditions, we should first emphasize the first part of verse 2 that says, “Take with you words.” Remember, the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 12:34 that says, “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” The same can be said of people who are repenting of their sins. If they are truly sorry in their hearts for the sins that they have committed, they will humbly come to the Lord and verbalize three basic realities:
Acknowledge Your Sins:
Since we are using the English Standard Version, what we will read would be: “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips” (v.2). Unfortunately, this reading is not as clear compared to the rendering of the New International Version that says, “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”
The first two basic realities can be drawn from these words. First, a sinner must acknowledge his or her sins. Listen to these words - “Forgive all our sins.” Clearly, this is an acceptance of guilt. There is no covering of the sin, no justifications, or any attempt to excuse the wrongdoing. Instead, the sinner is simply expressing remorse for the sins committed.
In the history of Israel, we have become very familiar with the sins of King Saul and King David. King Saul was commanded by the Lord to destroy all the Amalekites, including their animals. King Saul disobeyed the Lord because he spared the life of King Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and some animals, which he used for burnt offerings. God sent Samuel to rebuke him for his disobedience. His response is found 1 Samuel 15:20-21 (ESV)
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
Obviously, King Saul justified his incomplete obedience by saying that he only spared some good animals for the purpose of sacrifice. In response to this, God said:
1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)
22 And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
Making excuses for our sins doesn’t work with God. What a contrast though with David! When he violated God’s laws with Bathsheba and was confronted by Nathan with regards to his sins, here was how he responded:
2 Samuel 12:13 (ESV)
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
We all need the same attitude. When we desire to make it right with God and repent, it must begin with us confessing our sins.
Appeal for Grace (v.2)
Going back to the New International Version for the next phrase, “receive us graciously.” Clearly, as a sinner, we should not only acknowledge our guilt; we should also recognize that we deserve to be punished for our sins. However, since we need help from God, we should humbly come to Him and beg for His kindness and grace.
This is perfectly illustrated to us by the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector found in Luke 18:9-14 (ESV):
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Between the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, who went to God with the right attitude? Without a doubt, the Tax Collector exemplified the truth that God was impressing to the nation of Israel in Hosea. None of us should have the prideful attitude that the Pharisee had demonstrated because just like the Tax Collector, we are all guilty of continually offending the Lord with our sins. It is only by His grace that we are able to pray to God today and have the confidence that He is delighting in our prayers.
Abandon Other Loyalties (v.3)
The last condition is set in verse 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.”
If you examine these words, part of what Israel must declare when they repent is that they were willing to abandon their trust in other nations. As we have seen in the past chapters, one major reason why they left the Lord is because they were convinced that these two world powers could provide them the protection that they needed. In this verse, the nation of Assyria was directly identified. While Egypt was alluded with the phrase, “we will not ride on horses,” but more importantly is the connection between trusting other nations and their idols, “we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.” I believe, I have explained this truth several Sundays ago that the biggest danger in forging alliances with other nations is the potential influence that pagan nations can have in their idolatrous worship.
Bringing these three conditions together, we will have a much better understanding of what genuine repentance looks like. If you only have the first two without the third, it is still unacceptable. Why? It is because the third condition will call for a behavioral change. And every true repentance in the Bible has demonstrated this change (Ex. Luke 19:8)
III GOD’S CURE IN REPENTANCE (vv. 4-8)
Lastly, I want us to see what God is willing to do for His people once they are willing to take that step to be restored back to Him. Listen to these powerful verses and the images they are presenting:
Hosea 14:4-8 (ESV)
4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. (Healing begins)
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; (Prosperity, Stability) 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. (Beauty, Popularity)
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. (Safety, Prosperity, Popularity)
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. (Prosperity)
These verses allow us to see the blessings that can come when God’s people humble themselves and seek greater devotion to God. Often, Satan seduces God’s people to abandon the Lord by making them believe that they will end up in a better place. But the reality is that there’s no better place than to be with God.
I would like to close with the words that God gave Solomon when he was dedicating the temple in Jerusalem. This verse clearly shows the blessings that can come out of true repentance:
2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
14 “[I]f my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
It is never easy to repent because it takes a lot of humility to acknowledge our sins. But I pray that if we need to make our lives right with God, we won’t delay it. Why? It is because, in the end, we don’t want to miss everything that God is willing to do to us, for us, and through us. Yes, in the end, He is the only One who can really turn our lives into better!