Hosea 14 THEY SHALL RETURN Hosea gave a final appeal to Israel to face the fact that their own sin was the reason for the condition in which they were found. They had to face themselves and reject putting any hope in men or other nations. They had to acknowledge the only hope they had was in God who shows mercy to "the fatherless" - the orphans. As a nation Israel was done. The curse of separation and all that it accomplished, was evil. It was real and final. Hosea's call to repentance was like a prayer of genuine penitence when a sinner comes to God. There is the confession, "I am wrong," and it is to the Lord, not just to one's self or to another person. The true penitent confesses their own inability to help themselves, they acknowledge their helplessness, ask for forgiveness from God and cast themselves on His mercy. Judgment is not God's last word. Beyond judgment, forgiveness is offered. God's forgiveness is real and is based on His grace. But rejected grace is rejected forgiveness.
Words without actions are useless. Honesty does not try to manipulate God to grant what we want without giving ourselves up to Him completely and without reservation. Genuine repentance is obvious and will be evident to others. In Hosea's message there is hope and a final appeal to individual people. The nation was finished but "the Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth."
Restoration can begin when we take full ownership and responsibility for our own sin and face the futility and failure of life without God. In confession there is the admission of guilt. In an unbeliever a person admits to their own lost condition without comparing themselves with others. Such a person knows their only hope is in God and His mercy. Believers who "confess and forsake" their sin find mercy even though we know we do not deserve mercy and forgiveness. We know justice has every right to be carried out on us, but "God who is rich in mercy," can accept us on the basis that we are "accepted in the Beloved."
God truly wants Israel back and prospering. Israel had trusted in Assyria, Egypt and idols, but when the Lord replies to the call of individuals, His reply is full of grace. He hears and responds when people mean what they say, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously (according to the riches of Thy grace)." God replies to such a true and open-hearted confession with words of grace. He will heal them and love them freely. There will be refreshing and growth to their soul. Outwardly there will be beauty and the fragrance of a life lived for God. There will be fruit and fellowship from the Lord that blesses them, and through them others.
When confession of sin and repentance is real, there will be evidence in the change of heart. We know we do not deserve mercy. We know we do not deserve forgiveness. We know we do deserve divine justice to be carried out on us. We cannot demand forgiveness, but it can be granted by a forgiving, gracious Father who loves us and wants us restored to Himself. God never ceases to be holy, just, righteous and love. He does not fail; he does not change. He does not lie. His mercy endures forever. His grace is sufficient to meet our every need. His provision for our needs comes from His fullness. His compassions fail not.
We need to listen to Him, learn from Him, and benefit by applying the word of God to every situation in life we face. God's justice requires faithfulness that does not overlook sin nor discount its effect in any way. God's love does offer forgiveness to those who repent and turn to Him in faith. When we come to Him, He forgives on the basis of sin's wages being paid by a sinless Substitute, our Lord Jesus Christ. When we fail and sin as a believer in Christ, He forgives when we confess and forsake that sin. It is in that way we are accepted and fellowship is restored by a just God, and on our part that causes great appreciation of our Lord and His present work on our behalf.
The peace Israel wants will be real when there is evidence of recovery and a change of heart towards our Lord Jesus Christ. They will then reject all the wrong that brought them to judgment. In repentance, wisdom and prudence - the failing people will return, repent, be born again and live forever in fellowship with the Lord. They will live in communion with the Lord and they will be a blessing to the nations of earth. God responds to true confession and the fruits of repentance. Faith in God is the fundamental requirement for acceptance by Him and it must be real, immediate and directly focused on the Lord against whom they had sinned. Ephraim, as a people, had learned to their own grief, the bitterness of being joined to idols.
The Lord will be like a sheltering tree to Israel in a day yet to come. Wisdom and prudence go together in everything, and in particular when it comes to spiritual things. It is not enough to be intelligent about a matter. We need to be able to act according to that wisdom with true conviction that comes with prudence. These two connecting principles when coordinated with obedience, lead to blessing. We never learn what happened to Hosea and Gomer, but we do know what happens when people return to the Lord. Unsaved people will find mercy in God's saving grace. A believer who sins, finds forgiveness from God when sin is confessed and forsaken. Perhaps that happened with Gomer and Hosea.