Hosea 14:1-9
1 Return, Israel, to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your wrongdoing.
2 Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to Him, “Take away all guilt
And receive us graciously,
So that we may present the fruit of our lips.
3 “Assyria will not save us,
We will not ride on horses;
Nor will we say again, ‘Our god’
To the work of our hands;
For in You the orphan finds mercy.”
4 I will heal their apostasy,
I will love them freely,
Because My anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
He will blossom like the lily,
And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
6 His shoots will sprout,
His majesty will be like the olive tree,
And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
7 Those who live in his shadow
Will again raise grain,
And they will blossom like the vine.
His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like a luxuriant juniper;
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 righteous will walk in them,
But wrongdoers will stumble in them.
The Salvation of Israel
A call to repentance (v 1-3)
We now have come to the final chapter. The theme of this chapter is the salvation of Israel. (1) First, a call to repentance from the Lord is spoken to the people of Israel. “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your wrongdoing.” The God who made an eternal covenant with Israel will receive Israel, the unfaithful wife, just as Hosea received his adulterous wife. (2) The people of Israel will come to offer the Lord not sacrificial animals, but hearts of repentance. “So that we may present the fruit of our lips” refers to prayers of repentance. (3) At last, they will acknowledge that it is not Assyria, nor idols, but the Lord alone who is the One who saves them.
God’s response (v 4-8)
Through repentance, Israel will once again experience God’s blessing. (1) Their unfaithfulness and sin will be completely healed. (2) God will again receive Israel, the adulterous wife, and will grant them material blessing. (3) God’s anger will turn away from them. (4) The places that had become barren because of God’s anger (the east wind) will once again be restored as fertile land. This is because God will be to them like “the dew.” In verses 5-7, the richness of the restored land of Israel is described in beautiful language. The lily, poplar, olive tree, and grapevine all point to the abundance of the “Millennial Kingdom (the Messianic Kingdom).” The people of Israel who survive the time of tribulation will come to dwell in the restored land. In verse 8, it is prophesied that the people of Israel will be completely set free from idolatry. From that time on, the people of Israel will forever be a people who have nothing to do with idol worship.
Conclusion (v 9)
Verse 9 is the conclusion of the entire Book of Hosea. The wise person and the discerning person are those who live in obedience to the word of God. The problem that the people of Israel faced was ignorance of the word of God. Those who do not know God’s word or who rebel against it are foolish. In the future, the people of Israel will gain the knowledge of God and will walk with Him forever. Blessed are those who are regarded by God as “wise.” Such people are those who engage daily with Scripture, store God’s word in their hearts, and walk in the way of the Lord.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please increase in me the knowledge of Your word. May I continue to walk as a wise person. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.