“Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
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.
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.’
“I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
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.
“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.
“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.” Hosea 14:1-9
The prophet closes his book with a final plea to God’s beloved people. The punchline was that they’d been horrific and God was holy, yet He would not stop pursuing them. Hosea had exemplified the Lord’s unrelenting love for His wayward Israel, and spelled out how His gracious mercy persisted in calling them back to Himself. Genuine penitence and petition would be met with promises they could trust.
Any stumbling requires Penitence to restore a right relationship with the Lord. He calls us to name our sin, acknowledge its folly and hurtful consequences to others, and intentionally turn from it in particular repentance. There is much wisdom in paying attention to our attitudes and behaviors that need to be made pure. (2 Samuel 12:13)
The words we’re commanded to bring Him should include Petition for His cleansing mercy, for protection from the devil’s wiles and strength not to sin again. When we ponder His past graces, we can make clear declaration of need that we believe He will profoundly meet.
The Lord replies with Promises we can believe and count on. God’s power is poured forth as His Spirit directs and meets us in prayer, and supplies truths on which we can stake our unknowns.
When we stray from the Lord or His pattern for living, do we panic in fear we’ll be found out, or approach Him humbly on the basis of His passionate love for us? Have we grown apathetic, unwilling to consider the possibility of a changed outlook or way forward? What in our thinking, our hearts, our habits, needs to be punctuated by God’s power? Where is He calling us to genuine penitence, or to more explicit and persistent petition? What particular promises will we claim for ourselves as we progress on our spiritual journey?
Lord, may I daily return to You for purity and passion to flourish for Your glory.
As the rain and snow 