A Plea to Return to the Lord
The title of this post is the title that some man gave to chapter 14 of the book of Hosea. For weeks (possibly a few months), our Tuesday afternoon ladies’ Bible class has been studying the book of the prophet Hosea. It is uncomfortable, to say the least. Those first three chapters are really hard for us to understand since God tells Hosea to marry a wife of whoredom – a prostitute if you will – a woman named Gomer (if that’s your name, I’m sorry).
We recognize that Hosea represents God in this writing and that Gomer, his wife, represents Israel. The northern Kingdom of Israel is involved in many different sins against God, but idolatry seems to be the topic throughout most of the rest of the book. Chapter 4 is a listing of all that the Lord accuses Israel of doing – they were ignorant (4:6), they were ungrateful (4:7), they loved sin (4:8), and they were deeply steeped in idolatry (4:10-14).
Chapters 5 through 13 discusses in detail the punishments that are coming for these people if they do not repent. Over and over the sins are listed in which they are involved and they are begged to turn from their evil behavior. It’s very hard to read, and even harder to study in detail.
But then comes chapter 14 which begins with these words, “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God…” What follows is a beautiful picture of what repentance should look like:
- “Take with you words and return to the Lord;” (vs. 2)
- Words that request forgiveness.
- Words that recognize God’s power to forgive and our need of the one true God.
- “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” (vs. 4)
- The rewards of true repentance are great.
- “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.” (vs. 9)
- Two choices – to walk in the right ways of the Lord or to stumble through life.
Wow! This last verse should make all of us stop and think about how we live our lives – our thoughts, our actions, our words, our motives, our very reason for living. What a clear-cut description of our two choices! When I stumble in life (and I often do), I need to realize that there is a right way and it belongs to the Lord. He stands ready to forgive when I bring words to Him that recognize His power and willingness to forgive.
That same plea to return to the Lord which was made to Israel is still available for all who will return to the only One who has the power to grant forgiveness.
What a blessing true repentance is.
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AUTHOR: Donna Faughn
