Hosea 14 Study Notes 14:1-9 Verses 1-3 are Hosea’s call to repent. Verses 4-8 are God’s promise of restoration. God had to punish Israel for its gross and repeated violations of His law, but He would do so with a heavy heart. What God really wanted to do was restore the nation and make it prosper. 14:1-2 The people could return to God by asking Him to forgive their sins. The same is true for us: We can pray Hosea’s prayer and know our sins are forgiven because Christ died for them on the cross (John 3:16). Forgiveness begins when we see the destructiveness of sin and the futility of life without God. Then we must admit we cannot save ourselves; our only hope is in God’s mercy. When we request forgiveness, we must recognize that we do not deserve it and therefore cannot demand it. Our appeal must be for God’s love and mercy, not for His justice. Although we cannot demand forgiveness, we can be confident that we have received it because God is gracious and loving and wants to restore us to Himself, just as He wanted to restore Israel. 14:3-8 When our will is weak, when our thinking is confused, and when our conscience is burdened with a load of guilt, we must remember that God cares for us continually; His loving compassion never fails. When friends and family desert us, when coworkers don’t understand us, and when we are tired of being good, God’s loving compassion never fails. When we can’t see the way or seem to hear God’s voice, and when we lack courage to go on, God’s loving compassion never fails. When our shortcomings and our awareness of our sins overcome us, God’s loving compassion never fails. 14:9 Hosea closes with an appeal to listen, learn, and benefit from God’s word. To those receiving the Lord’s message through Hosea, this meant the difference between life and death. For you, the reader of the book of Hosea, the choice is similar: you can either listen to the book’s message and follow God’s ways, or refuse to walk along the Lord’s path. But people who insist on following their own direction without God’s guidance are in “total darkenss” and “have no idea what they are stumbling over” (Proverbs 4:19). If you are lost, you can find the way by turning from your sin and following God. 14:9 God’s concern for justice that requires faithfulness and for love that offers forgiveness can be seen in His dealings with Hosea. We can err by forgetting God’s love and mercy, and feeling that our sins are hopeless; but we can also err by forgetting His wrath against our sins, and thinking He will continue to accept us no matter how we act. Forgiveness is a key word: When God forgives us, He judges the sin but shows mercy to the sinner. We should never be afraid to come to God for a clean slate and a renewed life. God brings life to you. Choose life and live forever, by His grace. He loves you beyond what you can imagine. God bless you.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 10:02:27 +0000