Author: Scott Walter

Hosea 14 begins with a call for Israel to repent and return to the Lord God. The text says, “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God,” (v. 1), but it could very well say, “Return, Waco/Texas/Atlanta/London/New Zealand, to the Lord your God.” The same call applies today, to every one of us, to repent and return to the Lord. Every day, due to our sin, we receive countless opportunities to repent and return to God. This means we turn to the Lord, confess where we fall short, and then move forward with a commitment to walk closely with Him.

The whole book of Hosea provides us with a picture of God’s relationship with Israel. Despite her sin and rebellion, God never tires of showing Gomer grace and mercy. While providing an example of a husband and wife, the book of Hosea illustrates a parallel in God’s relationship with Israel. The message continues in a similar way, in that in spite of our sin, the Father will still take us back into relationship with Himself. Mercy can be defined as not getting something we deserve, and while we certainly deserve eternal punishment, God shows us mercy through His Son, Jesus.

We see the same promise in Proverbs 28:13: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Out of fear and pride, our tendency is to try to conceal our sins. When we do so, we do not prosper. But God makes it very clear that when we confess and renounce our sins, we find mercy. Hosea declares this very same truth over the people of Israel. Confess and renounce your sin and you will find mercy. From God we find compassion (v.3), healing, love, and relief from God’s anger (v.4).

When we repent, we receive hope for the future. God will grow our roots down deep (v. 5-6), and we will dwell in His presence and bear fruit (v.7). Gomer’s sin was atrocious and heinous. Israel’s sins of idolatry and much more deserve eternal punishment. Our sins are equally repulsive and wicked. Despite this, God shows mercy to those who return to Him. May we never get over the gospel and the fact that He forgives our sins and receives us graciously (v.2).

In Hosea 13, we see that the Lord graciously reminds His people of His chronic provisions for them. He reminds them of their lack of solace or survival apart from Him. In His kindness, He filled their stomachs and lifted their spirits. When no longer feeling a need for Him, content in their satiation, they quickly forgot Him. Oh, how often we do this! Read what God says in Hosea 13:4-6 again:

“But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, and besides Me there is no savior. It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot Me.”

We often cry out in the face of that which is uncomfortable. We feel entitled to our own comfort, which ultimately becomes our priority. We build gods (“little g”) out of all of the earthly things we think will solve our problems, ignoring God in the process. He provides richly just what we need, and we respond with momentary praise followed by selfish fleeing and distraction.

If we pause and take a moment to review His track of faithfulness in our lives, we will see that God consistently provides exactly what we need, when we need it.

There is not one moment where He has left us lacking (Luke 22:35). He has never left us without. We have always been provided just what we need to continue on, even if it hasn’t matched the way we envisioned it (and it often doesn’t). He is so worthy of praise! He never, even for a moment, loses sight of what will bring Him most glory in our lives. May we never lose our desperate dependence, even if our flesh feels it is no longer needed!

Read this second reminder given to us in Hosea 13:14a:

“I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting?”

This is just another piece of evidence pointing to the Father’s greatest provision for us. Removing death’s power over us in the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son, Jesus (1 John 3:16). Let us never become complacent in this truth! We must maintain a renewed desire to follow Jesus each and every morning. Remind yourself today to always hold this Treasure dearly, responding with all praise and devotion to Him. His tender care and provision for us are daily reminders that God loves and cares for us.

In the book of Hosea, we find Israel in a state of chaos. They have gone through king after king after king over the past thirty years and now they are living under one of the worst kingships in history. They were desperate and were relying on their political alliances with other nations to save them. This passage alludes back to Genesis 32:24-30 and how the people of Israel in their current circumstance need to be reminded of what Jacob did (and what God asks of His people). As we read, we find an ongoing list of the sin that has easily entangled the people in the land. They are marked by fraud, injustice, love of money, idolatry, bitterness, unfaithfulness, and self-reliance. Hosea is being purposeful in his highlighting of the stubbornness of the people of Israel in hopes to display the unconditional love, kindness, and endurance of God. . 

In verse 6 we see the command “return.” This is a call of action to leave all idols and sin. Jacob worshiped God and cast out all idols from his family. Hosea is saying, “Now you do so too!” They have refused to hold fast and wait for the Lord and have sacrificed their knowledge of God. God desired not just intellectual knowledge of him, but a personal relationship with him. Hosea reminds Israel that this is God’s discipline and punishment on them, but if they were to surrender their own ways of life and “return” that God is waiting with a tender embrace. 

How sweet to be reminded so many years later that our God is the same God. He has watched with patience even as we have embodied the same habits as Israel: relying on political parties to save us or our land, marking our life by fraud because we have continuously been someone we are not, and grown to be dependent on our self (or our money) to make us successful. God is not surprised–in fact, He has been here before. Yet, his posture is the same: a tender embrace waiting on us to surrender to His ways that are far better than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9).

NOTE: As with much poetry, Hosea uses imagery and references filled with unspoken meaning. While Hosea’s original audience, the people of Israel, would have been familiar with these references, those of us in the twenty-first century may not share the same context, so links are provided in the Dig Deeper section for more information.

In Hosea 11, think of Israel as a rebellious teenager with the nickname “Ephraim.” God has given him life, taught him to walk, fed him, protected him, and provided for him, but Israel continues to run away, ignore warnings, demand privileges, and fall in with the wrong crowd. This is where we meet up with God in chapter 11. He is done! In verse 7, God declares “My people have made up their minds to turn away from me. Even if they call me the Most High God, I will certainly not honor them.”

But then, in verse 8, we can hear the tenderness in God’s cry, “People of Ephraim, how can I give you up?” Though hurt at His people’s rebellion, God refuses to leave them to destruction as the cities of Admah and Zeboyim, both destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. We see God’s compassion heal His hurt and His perseverance power the plan for Israel’s return to Him. Despite the rebellion, God’s love surpasses His anger and fuels his forgiveness of Israel.

Not only will God not destroy the nation of Israel, He will bring them, and us, back to Him through Jesus Christ. In verse 10, God predicts, “I will roar like a lion against my enemies. Then the Lord’s people will follow him. When he roars, his children will come home trembling with fear.” Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and this verse foretells of His coming like a lion, guarding the souls of His people, and of their remorseful return to Him. But this isn’t just about the people of Israel, this is about us, too.

We are the rebellious teenager. We run away from Him when we see things we desire. We ignore His warnings of dangers in this world. We demand privileges born out of our own entitlement. We follow people and things for instant gratification. We are like Israel, but God was not done with them and He is not done with us. Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10), to protect us from the enemy and our poor choices (2 Thessalonians 3:3), and to restore our relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Today we read the continuation of Hosea’s metaphors for Israel. He uses two examples: the luxuriant vine and a trained calf (or a heifer in the NIV). The first example of a vine is a common image used for the nation of Israel (see Ps. 80:8-16; Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 15:1-8; 17:1-10). It is typically employed to call out the unfaithfulness of Israel when it does not bear the fruit it was designed to bear. That would be like a lime tree producing apples or rotten limes.

Yet in this passage, we see that the vine is luxuriant and prosperous. That is, the more Israel gains on a worldly scorecard, the more sin it commits. They have given their worship to both the pagan gods and Yahweh. In verse eight, Hosea uses the phrase “thorns and thistle” to convey the unproductiveness of Israel as God’s people. They had continually done anything they wanted rather than follow God’s design. This theme carries on in the metaphor of the trained calf, Ephraim. Threshing was a relatively light activity compared to the other task for cattle, which was to plow. In order for cattle to plow the field, they would require a yoke. Israel abused its freedom to thresh in the field by planting wickedness. This is why God will place a yoke upon them: plowing under the yoke will lead them in paths of righteousness.

There is a command in verse 12, and it is the key point that we should take to heart:

            “Sow righteousness for yourselves,

              reap the fruit of unfailing love,

            and break up your unplowed ground;

            for it is time to seek the Lord,

            until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”

We are to sow righteousness and seek the Lord. Likewise, Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” How often have we decided to pursue our own ways and trust in our own gifting and abilities without properly recognizing that God is the one who gives them to us for His own glory? Speaking of the yoke, let us consider Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus teaches us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we decide to surrender our desires and take up the yoke of Jesus, we find greater freedom there than we would trying to live life on our own. He is gentle and lowly in heart. By plowing with Him, we may reap His steadfast love. 

The opening verses of this chapter instruct the Israelites to refrain from rejoicing because they have been unfaithful to God. Disobedience is not a new trend in the time of Hosea; it has been a theme throughout Israel’s  history. The Israelites are a forgetful people. Namely, they forget over and over again the covenant made between them and God. In the book of Deuteronomy, God makes a covenant with Moses, promising the people of Israel His blessing for their obedience (which we call the Mosaic Covenant).

The Israelites try to shortcut the promise and seek prosperity apart from God, and this leads to disastrous consequences. Throughout the prophetic book of Hosea, these consequences are described in detail. In this chapter, the Israelites experience diminished fruitfulness and exile from the land of Jerusalem. Their forgetfulness leads to rebellion and as a result, God’s judgment on them.

“They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices please him” (v. 4). God doesn’t want our offerings. He doesn’t need our external acts of obedience – He seeks repentant hearts. David’s confession to God in Psalm 51 speaks to this:

16 “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17)

God is gracious. He allows us to come to Him broken and in need. We don’t need to have everything tidied up in order to be in relationship with Him. He just wants us. He wants hearts that are turned toward Him. He does the restoring and the redeeming as we draw near to Him.

In our study of the book of Hosea, the Hebrew word “Yada,” meaning “acknowledge” has appeared several times. It’s used in the context of Israel acknowledging God. The meaning of “Yada” goes beyond simply knowing about someone. It implies a deep knowledge, one that defines an intimate relationship. Israel claims to “yada” God, but their actions do not match in the slightest. In today’s reading, Hosea continues to lay out how Israel has willfully and continually fallen short. 

In chapter 8, Hosea continues to call out Israel’s hypocrisy. Even though they say with their mouths that they “yada” God, their actions don’t follow suit. What Israel does betrays the condition of their hearts. They lack the sincere desire to completely abandon their sins and follow God. While Israel appears to be making strides economically and politically, their spiritual condition is actually deteriorating. Her people are involved in idol worship. She seeks alliances with pagan nations, but they no longer desire her (v.8 she is among the nations like something no one wants).

God takes hypocrisy very seriously and is not pleased with his people. Judgment is near. God is about to chasten Israel with the very things that His people have pursued for their own fulfillment. Soon, everything that God’s chosen people have exalted above their Lord will viciously turn on them (v.9 Ephraim has sold herself..). Their allies and political role models will become their conquerors. Israel will be transformed into a seemingly forsaken land, a people without a home. 

Even for all of Israel’s shortcomings and failures, God’s rescuing hand still reaches out. Despite their rebellion, before time began a restoration plan had already been put in motion. Psalms reminds us that the Lord chastens those he loves.  Like all of us,  Israel is never too far gone.   In His infinite grace, God gives His people a wakeup call to bring their focus back to Him. Today, take time to thank God for His grace and love that abounds.

God’s desire all along was to redeem Israel. But as we see in this chapter, the nation was not willing to give up their sin. Not only were they not repentant of their sin, but they were so deep in their sin that they were not aware of it. Hosea gives us several images to illustrate this in verse 8: a cake that is burnt on one side, but uncooked on the other; strength that has been devoured from an able body; and gray hairs that are overtaking a man’s head. To each of these illustrations, Israel’s response is the same…”he knows it not.”

As humans, we have the amazing ability to deceive ourselves when we are in sin…and this is exactly where the nation of Israel finds itself. Israel realizes that they have a problem: God’s blessing has been removed from them, and they are experiencing extreme hardship as a result. What they do not acknowledge is the role of their own sin and disobedience in getting them to this point. God desired to heal Israel from their sin and its effects, but not as long as they behaved as their sin didn’t exist.

We are no different from Israel. In much the same way, our own pride tells us to hide our sin. It often feels safer to hide sin than to experience the pain of remorse. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession and repentance lead to healing and safety.

Hosea warns Israel about leaving the safety of God and looking to the world for answers. He closes in verse 16 by describing them as a “treacherous bow.” They are a useless and dangerous weapon that is completely missing the mark. God desires to redeem us. May we courageously and consistently confess the sins in our lives so that we can live in that freedom.