14 DATE: Sunday, February 21, 2021 ​

INTRODUCTION: LEE DAVIS If you have your , I’d like to encourage you to turn to Hosea chapter 14. Today we’re going to be finishing our study in the . The last four months have been an amazing journey of learning haven’t they?! I know I’ve learned a lot, and I’m sure that you have as well. In fact, at the end of today’s sermon we’re going to have a time for you to share about how God has used this book to work and move in your hearts. We are all looking forward to hearing from you during that time.

Before we begin, I’d like to ask a question, “What makes good news, really good?” What is it about receiving pleasant information that makes it really good? Good news is often considered good, when it comes after a time of great struggle and difficulty. On May 8, 1945, after a long 6 year battle with Nazi Germamy, Sir Winston Churchill announced the unconditional surrender of the Nazi’s to the Allied Forces. After six years of one of the darkest times in human history, the good news of the Nazi’s surrender brought the world to great celebration. The second World War was OVER! Cities like London and New York had millions of people flooding the streets in celebration over the end of this horrific war. The celebration was great because the struggle was great. If the allied forces had a simple disagreement with Germany and Japan, the world wouldn’t have celebrated like they did. It was the greatness of the struggle that caused the world to celebrate.

After 13 chapters of judgement. After 13 chapters of difficulty. After 13 chapters of intense back and forth with the Israelites, Hosea chapter 14 is truly good news. For decades, Hosea has been painstakingly sharing the prophetic word to the Israelites, and for years they have continued to rebel against God. Well, when things are at their lowest for the Israelites, Hosea concludes his prophecy with some beautiful words in Chapter 14.

TEXT: LEE DAVIS 14 Return, O , to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your ​ 2 iniquity. T​ ake 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 ​ 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.”

4 I​ will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned 5 from them. I​ will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall ​ 6 take root like the trees of ; h​ is shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be ​ 7 like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. T​ hey shall return and dwell beneath ​ my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their 8 fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. O​ , what have I to do with idols? ​ It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me 9 comes your fruit. W​ hoever 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.

PRAYER: LEE DAVIS

POINT 1: A CALL TO REPENTANCE. 14:1-3. MIKE LITTLE

In verse 1 Hosea tells Israel to return to God and in the following verses He essentially tells them how to do it. First Hosea says to Israel to return to the LORD your God for you have stumbled. The word “stumbled” (kāšal) appears several times in Hosea. One reference is :5 (ESV) “5 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; also shall stumble with them.”.~~ The term stumble is used to describe the result of their immoral behavior. The upper class and their leaders in their pride have led Israel to follow the false gods and brought them to their ruin. In the next two verses Hosea tells Israel three things to do to start reconciling to Yahweh.

First in verse 2 Israel asks for forgiveness, “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.” ~ “Take with you words” could be a couple of different things. It could be that Hosea is simply telling Israel to say these words. But Hosea was probably suggesting that Israel make a vow or offer a prayer. Their vow or prayer was that God would forgive them of their iniquity and accept their prayers and praise and not reject them because of their sin. We see an example of this in Jeremiah 31:7 (ESV) 7 For thus says the LORD: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.”. ~~ The remnant of Israel has repented of their sin and seek forgiveness from God. Hosea goes on to say that Israel will “pay with bulls the vows of our lips.”. Israel will fulfill their vow or prayer of repentance through good deeds as defined by the covenant. The phrase “fruit of lips” is in Hebrews 13:15 (ESV) “15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”. ~~ The bull was the best animal that Israel could offer for a sacrifice. Israel is not just saying words. They were sincere in their repentance. Kimchi described this by saying, “He does not require of you on your return to him silver or gold or offering, which the Israelites lavished at great expense on their idols, but good works with which ye are to confess your iniquities.”. God desired their best sincere praise, worship and devotion to Him. Secondly, Hosea suggested that Israel renounce the false gods.

In verse 3 Hosea makes three brief statements that confesses Israel’s failure in keeping the covenant and that Yahweh alone has the power to save them. He alone provides salvation. The first statement is “3 Assyria shall not save us;”. In the book of Hosea, he references Assyria twice, in chapters 5 and 8. Let’s read Hosea 5:13 (ESV) “13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.”~~ The sickness and the wounds are metaphors for the political trouble in which both nations found themselves. Israel and Judah sought help from Assyria, but Assyria cannot help them. Israel and Judah were unfaithful by seeking help from a foreign power. By not seeking Yahweh, they committed apostasy. It is hopeless to seek human help to save what is God’s. Now in chapter 14, Israel confesses that Assyria could not help them solve their political or international problems. Israel renounces their foreign alliances. The second statement is, “we will not ride on horses;”~ Israel trusted in its military. Israel probably got its horses from Egypt. This breaks one of their rules found in Deuteronomy 17:16 (ESV) “16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.”.~~ There were rules that applied to the king. It was forbidden for the king to acquire many horses, or great wealth in silver and gold. The priests kept these rules available for the king for reference. The king was not to acquire horses because it could create a friendly relationship with Egypt. This law would keep Israel from going back to Egypt and their ways.

The third statement is “and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.”. Last week in studying verse 2 of chapter 13 we learned that Israel had skilled craftsmen. They “made for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver.”.~~ Israel now confesses their idolatry and their unfaithfulness to Yahweh.

Finally, Hosea says “In you the orphan finds mercy.”~~ The people of Israel have become orphans. The shrines to and their priest, their kings, and the military have been destroyed. Israel will turn to their true father, Yahweh. When they turn to Yahweh with the proper heart, God will show them mercy and restore their covenant relationship.

Application In these first three verses Hosea describes what we should do when we have turned from God. We start by asking for forgiveness and confess our sin. In repentance we turn from our sin and allow God in His mercy to restore our relationship with Him. It does not matter how far you have drifted from God. You can always return to God. The enemy wants you to think that you can sin more than God’s grace allows. You will never drift beyond God’s reach. Whatever your sin, God’s grace is more.

Now Jason is going teach us about forgiveness.

POINT 2: A PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS AND RESTORATION. 14:5-8 JASON PALMER 4 I​ will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned 5 from them. I​ will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall ​ 6 take root like the trees of Lebanon; h​ is shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be ​ 7 like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. T​ hey shall return and dwell beneath ​ my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their 8 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 9 comes your fruit. W​ hoever 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.

Since the very beginning of this book, we have seen over, and over, and over again, how Israel consistently, constantly, rejected God. It is apparent by the way they lived, and like Mike just shared with us, that Israel was an apostate and unfaithful people. They were not living up to their namesake; Israel - the one who wrestles with God. Just like us, all they had to do was to turn back to God, but there is a problem. How does one do this? Here in this verse, God promised to heal their apostasy. This should be sombering. To be an apostate is to be in a faithless ​ ​ state. To be in this state is to be in a place where on your own, you can’t get yourself out of it. According to this text, it is implied that God alone is the one capable of stepping in and healing one with an apostate heart, and to be honest, this has bothered me. Throughout this book we have read over and over again a call to repent, to turn back to God, but how does an apostate one do that on their own, especially when their apostate heart rejects the idea of repentance and God Himself? Someone cannot turn back to God under their own power. One can’t will themself back to Him. Someone can’t earn this and buy it. God has to save them with an amazing, awe-inspiring act of His grace. What makes it even greater is like Mike mentioned earlier, there is no sin that can prevent God from giving His people this gift. God is willing to freely give His love and turn His anger away from an apostate, but after God changes their heart. This is something worth praising God for. We can not, under our own power and desire, save ourselves from the wrath of God, but only by the love of God, shown to us through the grace of God, can one be saved. So, if you are not a believer and you hear these words today and they move you to turn to God then know that God is working on your heart.

To show His people what He will do, God uses horticultural metaphors to demonstrate His love towards His people. First God says, “ I​ will be like the dew to ​ Israel.” In a dry, arid land, crops depended on the dew that came in the evening and ​ lasted till the morning. Without it they would cease to exist. I have been thinking about the dew this past week. Many of us take water for granted. In particular, the rain. It has rained here a lot this winter and I am sure that many of you would be glad to see it stop for a while, but we should be thankful for it. God has provided us with the moisture needed for life to thrive around us, but imagine what it would be like if He withheld the rains from falling. Imagine a drought. How would your life look different if you didn't have access to clean water to drink or water to pour on your crops? Our lives would look drastically different than what it is now. The same was true for Israel. Their livelihood depended upon the dew. This was one of the reasons for why they pursued Baal. They believed that he would provide the waters to keep them from drought and therefore provide them with the life they needed. Now God is saying here, “I will be like the dew”. I will bring forth the life you need. Notice, Israel sought Baal for his water in order to live, God in turn ​ ​ offers Himself to His people so they may live. ​

Second, God says that Israel, “shall blossom like the lily”. God is going to ​ ​ bring forth life and beauty to Israel. After all of the devastating punishments, God is going to heal Israel and make them beautiful again. The other nations will see this beauty that comes from God Himself and hopefully be moved to come to Him themself. Here we see the reversal of God’s punishment for their apostasy found throughout this book.

6 Third, God will make Israel establish, “root[s] like the trees of Lebanon; h​ is ​ ​ shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.” As one commentator put it, “The three lines of the triplet allude to three ​ aspects of Israel’s future status: stability (“his shoots”), visibility (“his splendor”), 1 and desirability.” ​ Again, everything that God is going to do to Israel is a reversal ​ of His punishment towards them. It is like the garden of Eden revisited. God will bring forth life and stability from a state of nothingness and chaos. As He does so, it says that He will make Israel’s roots like the trees of Lebanon. That is their roots will run deep and they will be well grounded and stable. Israel will be able to endure and persevere through any trial for having such deep roots. Like the olive tree, Israel will be beautiful and valuable. Olive oil was and is still used medicinally and for beautification. Like this, Israel will be sought after by others to find healing and beauty because of their God. Sort of like how Israel sought the false god’s like Baal from other nations. As for Israel’s fragrance, it says that they will be like that of Lebanon. Lebanon was known for its cedar trees. Cedars smell wonderful. After everything that Israel will endure as part of their just punishment, they will smell rotten and putrid to those around them, but all of that will change when God restores them. The world will smell their new life like the scent of cedar in the woods. Israel will be made new.

7 Then Hosea writes the following, “ T​ hey 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.” Who are “they” and under whose shadow ​ will they dwell? “They” most likely refers to everyone who comes into a covenantal relationship with God, through the blessing of Israel, both Jew and Gentile. As they come or return back (Jews here) to Israel, they come to God. With Israel they find shade under “his” shadow. A lot of translations say “my” shadow, but the hebrew here most likely means “his” shadow. All of this to say, because of what God is going to do to restore Israel, Israel will become the nation that God intended them to be; His people who are a desirable nation. A nation where other nations can come and find shade, rest, and life under their shadow. Here, people “ ​ shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” You see, Israel will be used by God to bless the world. ​ The nations shall hear about Israel and come find life there. This is similar to what

1 Stuart, D. (1987). Hosea–Jonah (Vol. 31, pp. 138–220). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. ​

Jesus said about the Kingdom of God. In Luke 13:18-19 Jesus says “What is the 19 ​ kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? I​ t is like a grain of ​ mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” God is going to do ​ something miraculous with tiny Israel and make something out of nothing and bless everyone around them. People will come to Israel to find their true home.

Now before we move on, I do want to point out something odd about these verses. Have you noticed how much Lebanon is mentioned here? Where else was Lebanon mentioned in Hosea? Nowhere, and now all of a sudden it appears 3 times. Why so many times? One idea is that Israel was wanting to be like Lebanon. Lebanon traded with Israel and so they exported many goods there, for example Cedar wood in I Kings 5 for the building of the Temple. So Israel, wanting to be more like Lebanon, may have worshipped Baal with the hope that Baal could make them more like Lebanon. Isn’t this a sad truth about mankind? We find ourselves comparing ourselves to others to the point where we are willing to compromise all that we know about God and His promises to be like them. For example, we buy things like them, thinking we can be happy like them. We dress like them to appear more like them. We speak like them to be accepted by them. Without even realizing it, before long we become someone else that we were not before. This is what happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. As the book of Hebrews taught us, we naturally drift away from God and when we do so, we find ourselves gravitating to someone or something else in order to worship them. All that to say, God is now telling Israel, anything that you thought Baal could do for Lebanon, I 8 can do better. This leads us to the last verse of this section. “ 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.”

Clearly, this is a rhetorical question. God is basically saying to Ephraim and Israel, “quit chasing idols, I am all you need” and then He tells them why.”I am ​ like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.” After comparing Israel’s ​ future restoration to that of trees, God tells them that He is like a tree too. An evergreen cypress is green all year round. It doesn’t die. Its leaves do not shed for a season. What is fascinating about this tree is that with it you get the allusion of God being a never dying tree. He is a tree that always lives. Think about that. God is the tree of life. All of Israel’s, and all of our hope, comes from the tree of life. From Him, life and all good things come and because we sit on this side of the cross, we know that the tree of life is Jesus Himself. May we pursue Him and find life.

POINT 3: A RENEWED CALL TO FAITHFULNESS: :9: LEE DAVIS 9 W​ hoever 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.

Like I mentioned earlier, in Hosea 14, the prophet is coming to the end of his prophetic ministry. For decades he has faithfully delivered God’s word to the people of Israel, and he concludes this prophecy with one last appeal to his 9 audience by pleading with them in verse 9: “ W​ hoever 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 14:9 serves as a concluding statement that summarizes the whole book. This last sentence draws the reader to consider their own walk with God through language of great contrast. The language used in 14:9 is very similar to wisdom language that can be found in the book of Proverbs. In this text, Hosea is challenging the hearerer to consider if they are wise and discerning, or are they a transgressor who lives in constant stumbling. The contrast is one of wisdom and one of folly. The wise and understanding walk in wisdom and faith, the foolish walk in sin and stumbling. The question that Hosea is posing to his listeners is, which one will we be? Will we walk in faithful obedience to God which leads to life, wisdom and understanding, or, will we walk in selfish, sinful, idolatrous practices that lead to disobedience and death. The question is true for us today. Which will be our path: life or death? Today, will we consider Hosea’s warning to follow God in Christ, or will we live in our own sinful desires?

PRAYER: LEE DAVIS

TRANSITION TO GROUP SHARING ABOUT THE BOOK: LEE DAVIS Well guys, after 4 months, we have finished the book of Hosea. Right now we would like to open it up to you to share about what you’ve learned through the last several months. Would anyone like to start us off?