This morning I am reflecting on the last chapter of the Prophet Hosea. In it we see God's heart for His people, and His faithfulness, love and forgiveness. Here are the verses - Hosea 14:1-9 NIV:
[1] "Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
[2] Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
[3] Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses.
We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
[4] “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
[5] I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;
[6] his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
[7] People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom like the vine---Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
[8] Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”
[9] "Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them."
I love how the first few verses are God calling to the people of Israel to return to God, to repent and to change their minds. God is constantly inviting every one of us to this same path. We have all sinned, and continue to sin, and yet the path back to God is always the same and always available. He desires our relationships, desires to bless, desires to lead us! He calls us to look at our lives and reflect on what we are focused on, what we rely on, where our hope is, and if it isn't Him, to change our ways.
Even in the Old Testament, the Law starts with the invitation to relationship. God chooses Israel as His nation, and invites them to live in relationship with Him, as their God. The whole of the Old Testament is basically the invitation of God, the rejection of God over and over, and the reissuing of the invitation by God once again. We see this same thematic flow in these verses, and it represents the amazing faithfulness of God, in spite of Israel's constantly sinful ways.
I am reminded of a couple of verses from Paul's second letter to Timothy. Here are the verses - 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV:
[11] Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
[12] if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
[13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
These verses from Paul represent the flow I am talking about above. As I was reading them, I was thinking about the second statement in verses 12, and how that seems so harsh. I was immediately reminded of the Story of the Prodigal Son, as recounted by Luke. In this story Jesus describes the son disowning the Father, and the Father granting the son his inheritance, recognizing that in doing so, the son is basically saying he wishes the Father was dead. Here are the verses - Luke 15:11-13 NIV:
[11] "Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. [12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
[13] “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living."
The Father, even though He gives the son his inheritance, accepting the son's desire to end their relationship, never gives up on the son, and remains faithful to His love for this son. The son finally comes to his senses and returns to the Father, not as a son, but hoping just to be a lowly servant, and the Father in His faithfulness welcomes him back as His son! Here are the verses describing this - Luke 15:20-24 NIV:
[20] "So he (the son) got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
[22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
The father was ever faithful in his love and willingness to receive the son back into relationship. In the same way, in Hosea, God is ready to welcome Israel back, if they would just come to their senses and return to Him! In the same way, the Father is ever faithful in His love to us! The invitation to restored relationship always stands!
Verse Twelve from from 2 Timothy 2, can sometimes be read as a final judgment, that if you disown God, He washes His hands of you forever, and that is just not the case, as described by Jesus in the story from Luke. God is always waiting for us to turn back to Him, to recognize the error of our ways! He is ready to welcome us immediately! He is always faithful, forgiving, compassionate and merciful! Oh, what a great God!
Thank You Lord! Amen!
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