MOTIVATE

Almost all of us are familiar with the story of Humpty Dumpty. Mr. Dumpty is the character from a children’s nursery rhyme.

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

And all the king’s horses, and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”

We would say today that Mr. Dumpty had the influence of both the House and the Senate in Congress; he had the command of the Airforce, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, even Space Force – but no one was able to fix the fallen nature of Humpty Dumpty. The tragedy of Mr. Dumpty’s life was that he appeared to depend solely upon human institutions of power and influence. Today, as God’s people, we know humanity cannot fix our fallen nature or solve society’s greatest needs.

This is the message of Hosea. We’ve spent the last month reading and reflecting upon the message of this book. It’s a minor prophet book that is unfamiliar to many of us. Though it’s unfamiliar, I’ve heard from many of you the surprising interest and relevance you’ve had in this series.

Hosea’s wife is a serial adulterer. And their relationship becomes a metaphor for the association of God and Israel, who has whored itself after false gods and foreign nations who are not helpful allies but scheming adversaries. So, God calls Hosea to redeem his unfaithful wife Gomer – similar to how He redeems and rebuilds unfaithful Israel.

And we realize the problem of spiritual adultery wasn’t erased in the 8^th century BC. It’s relevance today is reminding us that we cannot repair or redeem ourselves, but we need the relentless grace of the Lord. One of the aims I’ve had with preaching this book is to confront us with the reality that we lay in the deteriorating developments and splattering shambles of our sin, and there is only one who can help us – the Lord!

EXAMINE                          Hosea 14

In the introductory message we noted two different categories for the prophet describing the Lord.

The first was a category of aggressive toward sin. We read God as a jealous husband (2:2); a farmer fighting thorns (2:6); a provoked shepherd (4:16); a destructive moth (5:12); a ferocious lion (5:14;11:10); a fierce hunter (7:12); a grim reaper (9:12); a warrior (10:9-10) a disciplinary father (11:1, ff); a punishing judge (11:2); a predatory leopard (13:7).

A second category describing God is gentle toward the sinner. We read merciful depictions of God: a forgiving husband (3:1, ff); a healing doctor (6:1-2); refreshing rain (6:3); a merciful butcher sparing a calf (10:11); an understanding and gracious father (11:1, ff); a providing parent (13:4-6); a lover ready to reconcile (14:4); a nourishing plant (14:5-6); a shade-protective and fruitful tree (14:7-8).

We need the reminder that the faith journey is one of truth and grace. In this final chapter, let’s focus on 3 words that invite us to reflect upon God’s truth and grace.

Repent regularly.

Hosea 14 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.”

Hosea uses this word 16x, so it’s a point of emphasis.[1] The concept is like water receding; instead of our sin causing a flood of debris and destruction, we turn back to peace. Yet, as after a hurricane, if we allow sin to continue the flood waters will erupt even more violent and severe.

So, the prophet calls Israel to return/repent. The first time this word is used in Hosea is 2:7 when Gomer realizes she cannot have two lovers. She’s called to repent of forsaking her marriage, and to return to her husband.

Like Gomer, Israel stumbled. The nation stumbled on the rocks of prosperity. She tripped upon the broken promises of political leaders. Israel fell upon false gods that were idols of their craftsmanship. They needed to repent of actions that contrasted and alliances that competed with the Lord.  

What are the things you stumble over?
Illus: This past month I’ve been attending Oriole baseball games. Driving and walking through Baltimore is almost like navigating a minefield with potholes along the streets and damaged sidewalks throughout. Between swerving drivers or stumbling pedestrians, the need for corrective paths is a spiritual reminder for us today. It’s difficult to reach your destination with multiple stumbling blocks in your path.

We stumble over three elements:

• Small elements. The majority of trips occur over items that are unseen or unnoticed. Christians tend to focus on the obvious sins of society to the neglect of evident shortfalls in their own life: anger, bitterness, complaining, discontentment, envy, going with the flow, impatience, ungratefulness, or other small weeds of worldliness. If these smaller sins are left unchecked, they easily spread throughout our life to contaminate and metastasize everything and everyone around us. We should never minimize or underestimate sin.
  
• Significant elements. There are obvious areas where we are prone to wander from the Lord’s grace: addiction (whether alcohol, cannabis, or other; these are a banquet in the grave), immorality (softer versions with movies, internet & social media / hard version with temptations from coworkers or so-called friends). God has ingrained humanity with a conscience and majority of significant elements we know are damaging to self and others, yet we still stumble. This is the wonder of human heart with the reality that we cannot help ourselves and need an external Savior.

• Seductive elements. The real issue with seductive elements is that many actions are not considered sinful but still harmful. There are areas of Christian liberty that we can easily be seduced and enslaved, and we must be on guard to not slip or stumble in the faith.

The Christian life is one of regular repentance. There are no perfect people in heaven, only repentant sinners. God’s grace is available to those who humbly acknowledge their need for it, not those who pretend to have everything together.

There are no perfect people in heaven, only repentant sinners.

Tweet

Hosea shows that God “Takes away all iniquity” and accept us, and we respond with “pay with bulls the vows of our lips” / or sacrificially offer God our praise with the fruit of our lips.

A practical way to help you regularly repent is to daily read God’s word. In the OT there’s a story of King Josiah who wanted Israel to honor the Lord (2 Chr 34). He reigned about a century after Hosea. So, Josiah orders all the cult temples and idol altars to be destroyed. And as the people implement these reforms, they enter the house of the Lord. They start cleaning and making repairs in the temple for the worship of God, and they find a book. It’s THE Book – the Law of Moses (Scripture)! So, the priests begin to read the book to the king and all the people start weeping, and their immediate response is to repent for their spiritual drift and disobedience.

Likewise, the best practice for us to regularly repent before the Lord is to read His word as the measurement for our life.

Ultimately, repentance is the change of mind and heart. It’s where you recognize your beliefs and behaviors are not according to God’s standard, so you agree with God to confess and change directions. And repentance is to be a regular daily practice in our faith journey.

• What repentance is happening in your life?

Hope in God’s healing.
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.

In the book of Hosea, the Lord makes 30 “I will” statements to Israel.[2] Such statements are not always blessing but are sometimes pruning and punishing. However, in this last chapter we see God’s promise to heal, love, and restore Israel. God’s healing will start with their…

• Apostasy (ESV)
• Waywardness (NIV)
• Faithlessness (NLT)
• Backsliding (KJV)

Literally, it’s the same word used in 14:1 for return/repentance, with the idea that we can either turn toward God or away from Him.

Further, in vv. 4-6 there are three references to Lebanon, while this location has not previously been mentioned throughout the 14 chapters. Why? Lebanon was a region north of Israel, and the place of cultic Baal worship influenced Israel. Therefore, the prophet is saying all the good things Israel aspired to receive from Baal and never could fully provide will truly come from Yahweh.^[3]

Israel broke God’s covenant but God offers free love and turning away His anger. We appreciate God’s forgiving grace is free but we don’t always acknowledge that it costs Him everything. God is not having amnesia with our spiritual adultery or sinful waywardness. Instead, God’s atonement will arrive through His only begotten taking on human flesh.

God promises to be like dew to Israel. God gave Israel the promised land, which flowed with milk and honey – it was fruitful and beautiful. But amid their spiritual drift they became exiled to desert places with physical and spiritual dryness. Only God can transform graves into gardens; hard soil into fruit-bearing blossoms. It’s like the return to the Garden of Eden – or what we also know to be as the new earth and new heavens of Revelation 21-22. It’s in the new creation where God will restore what has been lost, comfort our heartaches, wipe away tears, and provide a life that flourishes and thrives with profound meaning in the presence of the Savior who died to demonstrate His love for us.

BUT, those same chapters that describe the glorious grace of healing and hope in heaven, also describe those who will miss out.

Rev 21:7-8 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my child. But, as for the [unrepentant] fearful, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, the addicted, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

This type of hope and healing with assurance of God’s forgiveness; mending of relationships; opportunity to have peace of mind – and even sleep at night; to have a clear conscience without shame or guilt, and truly believe in a hopeful future. This is what we all yearn for, and it begins when we are willing to accept to the diagnosis from God’s word and comply with an appropriate prescription.

The Lord speaks today

Heb 4:11-13 “Let us strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are bare and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.”

• We gain hope through hearing and heeding God’s word. Guided personally / Gathering on Sundays / Growing in groups…

Walk in wisdom.  
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.

You might remember back when you were in grade school. You may have either wrote or received a letter where you worked up the courage to share your feelings, express your thoughts meaningfully. Maybe you then asked a question such as:

• Will you go to homecoming/prom with me?
• Will you be my girlfriend/boyfriend?

These final verses of Hosea are similar and more significant. The prophet has rallied the courage to speak forthrightly. He’s channeled his anger away from the hurt of betrayal so that he’s preaching for righteous principles and godly values. He rebukes, he warns, and he instructs on different decisions and new directions for the people to take. Actually, these words are not Hosea’s but the Lord’s.

The wisdom of God is not always understood, especially by the world. They don’t see it. They don’t agree with it. They oppose God’s word and ways. They dig in their feet to stand their ground, but there is coming a day when their foundation will stumble and crumble, and the Lord will be proven right.

The Bible says there are two paths: the narrow or the broad / the way of God’s wisdom or the way of human foolishness / the law of the Lord or the counsel of the wicked / the way of life or the way of destruction.

Repent regularly.

Hope in God’s healing.

Walk in wisdom.

APPLY/THINK

Illus: There is one place you can stand on the beach with sand on toes and yet still not see the ocean. You can hear it’s waves; smell the saltiness; perhaps even feel the chilly foam bubbles and cold water upon your legs – but still not see it. This place is located on the beach with your back turned away from the ocean. Likewise, if we are turned away from God or have our eyes closed, then we will miss the incalculable compassion and vast faithfulness of God. No love is higher, wider, deeper, truer, or greater than the love of the Lord.   

---

[1] Hosea 2:7; 3:5; 5:4, 15; 6:1; 7:10, 16; 8:13; 9:3; 11:5, 11; 12:6; 14:1, 2, 7

[2] See David Murray, Hosea, in Milk & Honey Devotional edited by Joel R. Beeke (2010), pp. 199-231.

^[3] Duane A. Garrett, Hosea, Joel, vol. 19A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997), 278.