Hosea 14:1-3

LOVE RECONCILING PEACE REMAINSLURED

TEXT: Hosea 14:1-3

1

O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

2

Take with you words, and return unto Jehovah: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good: so will we render as bullocks the offering of our lips.

3

Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

QUERIES

a.

Why is Israel directed to take. words unto Jehovah?

b.

Why does Israel pledge not to ride upon horses?

PARAPHRASE

Return, O Israel, by taking the right steps toward God. You have stumbled in taking the wrong steps of sin and rebellion. It is still possible for you to return, but if your return is to be in the right way, it must begin with a prayer for the forgiveness of your sin. So take with you words of repentance asking the Lord to forgive all your guilt and accept the only good thing that you are able to bring, the sacrifice of penitent lips. Taking the right steps toward God also includes, O Israel, renunciation of trust in world power such as the alliances you have made with Assyria, renunciation of your own military forces, renunciation of idolatry, and trusting completely in the Lord because you have no other One in whom you may trust.

SUMMARY

Israel is given directions for a proper response to the salvation God has offered earlier (Hosea 13:13-15) and will offer (Hosea 14:4-8). The proper response is penitent prayer and complete faith in God as their Father.

COMMENT

Hosea 14:1. RETURN UNTO JEHOVAH. FOR THOU HAST FALLEN. Few books in the Bible close on a higher note, with a more climactic appeal, than Hosea. Some, like Genesis, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, II Samuel, II Kings, Jeremiah, and others end on ominous, tragic notes. Other books, of course, close with a joyful note, but none is more dramatically impressive in this regard than Hosea. One gets the feeling from Hosea 14:1, here, that Hosea has just offered Israel its last call to repentance before the awful judgment falls, The Hebrew word for fallen here is kashalta which means literally, stumbled; made a false step. Israel is exhorted then, to return which is equivalent to taking the right steps toward God. Jeremiah says it thusly: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls (Jeremiah 6:16), (cf. also Psalms 16:11; Psalms 23:3; Psalms 25:10; Psalms 119:35; Proverbs 2:8-9; Proverbs 4:11; Isaiah 2:3).

Hosea 14:2 TAKE WITH YOU WORDS. TAKE AWAY ALL INIQUITY. SO WILL WE RENDER. THE OFFERING OF OUR LIPS. One of the first, and most necessary, steps to be taken is that of confession of sin. If we are honest with ourselves and honest with God and confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). However, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). The work of the Holy Spirit today is to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment (see comments on John 16:8-9 in Gospel of John, by Paul T. Butler, pub. College Press). God cannot bless until man realizes and acknowledges he is estranged from God and takes the necessary steps to return to the grace of God. The very word confess in Greek is homologeo which means literally tosay the same as. When we confess that we are sinners we simply say the same as God says in His word. And until we do we are rebelling against His word. So with Israelshe must say the same as God has been saying to her through the prophet Hosea. She has stumbled through her false stepping and must now confess it.

The phrase accept that which is good refers to Israel's plea to God to accept the only good thing they are able to offer Himthat is the sacrifice of penitent lips. They had no merit of their own to offer. He must love them freely (cf. Hosea 14:4). God is pleased with the sacrifices of penitent, worshipping lips (cf. Hebrews 13:15-16; Psalms 107:22; Psalms 116:17; Jer. 17:-26; Jeremiah 33:11; Jonah 2:9). And this is what Israel is directed to offer, penitent praise from their lips which would be better than the sacrifice of bullocks (cf. Isaiah 1:10-20; Micah 6:6-8).

Hosea 14:3 ASSYRIA SHALL NOT SAVE US. After prayer for pardon and for acceptance of themselves, and thanksgiving for acceptance, comes the promise not to fall back into their former sins. Trust in man, in their own strength, in their idols, had been their besetting sins. Now, one by one, they disavow them. First, they disclaim trust in man. No longer are they to put their trust for security in political alliances with godless, heathen nations, forgetting that God can protect them from any enemy, regardless of how powerful that enemy might be. The sin involved in making such alliances is, first off all a manifest lack of trust in God, and second, certain compromises with paganism is necessary in any such alliance.

Second, they disclaim trust in their own strength. War was almost the only end for which the horse was used among the Jews. They measured their own military strength by the number of horses their king could command (cf. Deuteronomy 17:16; 1 Kings 10:28; 2 Kings 18:23; Psalms 33:17; Proverbs 21:31). Civil defense is not necessarily spiritual defense. National security is not necessary spiritual protection. Without spiritual health there can be no national strength. Men today may boast of man-made satellites and of intercontinental ballistic missiles with the terrifying potential of nuclear energy, but what can any people do without God? If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us (Psalms 124:2-3). This will ever be true in spite of our military might.

Third, they must renounce all idolatry, We have dealt at length with the nature and causes of Israel's idolatry. It would be superflous to add to our former comments, only to remark how foolish indeed to trust in gods made with their own hands.

The phrase in thee the fatherless findeth mercy must be another step Israel must take in its way to humbleness. Israel must recognize that it is an orphan and since it is homeless, fatherless and helpless, must throw itself completely upon the mercy of Jehovah who will give mercy to those who so trust in Him.

The words of the Chronicler come to mind as we contemplate Hosea's closing admonition. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14). The three-stage program offered by Hosea to Israel for her salvation would fit the situation of America today: (1) Repent, change the mind in relation to God's word and will; (2) Confess its sins; (3) Renounce its vain hope in political alliances and treaties with godless, tyrannical governments whose avowed goals are enslavement of the world (instead of building bridges to our enemies we ought to be repairing bridges made by our pioneer ancestors of trust and praise to God); renounce its pride in its military and economic prowess; renounce all the idols it worships (sex, affluence, sports, sophistication, intellectualism). But, since America is not necessarily God's people any more than any other nation, the primary application of Hosea's admonition must be made to the Church (God's chosen nation ever since the Day of Pentecost), see the sermon on Hosea at the end of this book for this application.

QUIZ

1.

How had Israel fallen by its iniquity?

2.

Why is Israel exhorted to confess its sin?

3.

What is the only good thing Israel has to offer to God?

4.

Name the three-fold renunciation Israel is directed to make?