Hosea 13:1-15. Love s Rejection

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1 Hosea 13:1-15. Love s Rejection What are some of the blessings from God that all of the people of this world have received? Certainly, as the Creator, God has given each of us life, and has created an environment that provides sufficient resources for meeting all of our needs. There is enough land, plants and animals to easily feed every person on the planet. God has given us the miraculous power of physical healing, and the understanding and knowledge of this world that allows us to take part in accelerating the healing process. God has given us the opportunity to spend eternity with Him by simply choosing to accept Him as our Savior and LORD. When we do, God gives a personal gift to each of us in the form of His indwelling Holy Spirit that brings mew power and purpose to virtually every event in life. Regardless of one s spiritual state, how should all people respond to God when they come to realize the true source of these blessings? The minimum response is, certainly, acknowledgement of who He is, and the expression of some amount of thanks. However, most people in this world fail to recognize that these blessings come from God, and reject Him as their LORD. They come up with any of a myriad of explanations for these blessings to rationalize God out of their lives. Pseudo-scientific explanations are provided for all of God s miracles, and all of the work done through the power of the Holy Spirit. At best, those who reject God refuse to acknowledge Him or thank Him for what He is doing in their lives. At worst, they claim credit for the blessings they receive, or attribute them to others. I am reminded of a prayer that was said around 19 th -centurey dinner table, LORD, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn t be here and we wouldn t be eatin it if we hadn t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel. But we thank you just the same for this food we re about to eat. Amen. 1 The prayer became famous for its illustration of a hardened heart that could not easily acknowledge the LORD s part in the blessings of life. People have determined many models of thought that rationalize away the power and presence of God. People have replaced God s authority with a pantheon of other gods, whether they be fabrications of the myriad of world religions, or simply the product of the passionate desire for the material things of this world. 1 Charlie Anderson (Jimmy Stewart) in the film, Shenandoah, Universal Studios. Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, Produced by Robert Arthur, Written by James Lee Barrett.

2 What is God s response to these who reject Him and attribute the blessings they receive from Him to themselves or others? During the life of Hosea, the nation of Israel fit this model of apostasy quite well. They had rejected God as their Creator and LORD, lowering Him to join the others in the pantheon of the mythical pagan gods they gave authority to. Because God is Holy and Just, there would be a point of reckoning when God s judgment for their actions would be realized. They would find themselves separated from the land, and in their understanding, from the One True God forever. This is a lesson that serves as an archetype for the ultimate judgment that will result in a similar separation from God by all of those who have rejected Him. DETERMINED REJECTION Hosea 13:1. When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died. The tribe of Ephraim is used to identify the nation of Israel. Joshua was a member of the tribe of Ephraim, and the land he chose upon entering the Canaan land would be the land of the Ephramites. When the tribes would later divide into two nations, Judah to the south, and Israel to the north, it would be the Ephraimite, Jeroboam who would unite Northern Israel and serve as its first king. 2 This placed the tribe of Ephraim in control, causing the rest of Israel to follow their lead. About three generations later, Ahab, also of Ephraim would assume the throne. He married Jezebel, daughter of the King of Sidon, as part of a mutual agreement. Jezebel and Ahab worked together to change the national faith from following God to following the pagan Baals. As a result, the nation died spiritually. It was only a matter of time before the people would be held accountable to God for breaking the promise made at Sinai that God would be their God, and they would be His people. 3 Hosea 13:2. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. What had become of the people after Jezebel s successful campaign to turn Israel to Baal worship? Their sins against God increased. They removed their allegiance to God in every area of their lives, and embraced the sensual and ungodly culture of the land they had entered. They were so assimilated into pagan society that there was little that distinguished them from it. They still carried some of the appearance of Hebrews in their dress and meaningless 2 1 Kings 11:26; 12: Exodus 24:3-7.

3 traditions, but just about every area of their lives was fully immersed and conversant in the world culture. Their craftsmen would create beautiful and ornate works of silver and other precious materials. People would look upon them with wonder and awe, responding then by lifting the objects to deity. I am reminded of the testimony of a Baptist missionary serving in the African bush who purchased a hand-crafted alligator and placed it in a prominent place in his home. The local neighbors were amazed by it, started bringing their friends to see it, and ultimately started leaving offerings behind for it. When the missionary realized what was going on, he immediately disposed of what had become an object of pagan worship to the people he was trying to lead to God. Much of this world s culture shares such animism: the assigning of living traits and personal authority to lifeless objects. People worship objects made by people s hands. People worship the sun and stars when they have the opportunity to know and worship the one who made the starts. The last phrase of this passage is a little hard to translate. The grammar used can be translated, as sacrificing humans, or as humans who sacrifice. The difference between these two interpretations is significant when held to scrutiny, but probably not very important when held within the context of Hosea s message. The Israelites did participate in human sacrifice when they did so to the pagan god, Molech. However, God demanded a ransom for the first born rather than sacrifice, 4 so there is no indication that the people sacrificed humans to God. The last phrase, the kissing of calves, is an idiom that was used to describe the worship of dumb animals. A calf kisser was one who worshiped animals, much like a tree hugger is understood to day as a radical environmentalist who places the needs of plants above those of humans. In much the same way, when such people turn away from God and place authority in plants, they are also kissing calves. Hosea 13:3. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. What will ultimately become of those who have rejected God in this manner? Four metaphoric examples are provided that each paint a similar picture: the nation of Israel will simply fade away. The morning mist and dew are quite visible, but gradually disappear when warmed by the sun. One does not see its evaporation except by its fading. Likewise, chaff that swirls around on the 4 Ex. 13:13, et. al.

4 threshing floor is dissipated by the wind, and gradually it is gone. One sees smoke leaving the house through the window or chimney but never sees its final destination as it disappears in the air. God is stating that the nation of Israel will fade away in the same manner. All of those who have rejected Him will be scattered by Him, and eventually the very nation of Israel (and Judah), God s chosen nation, will be completely dissipated. It will no longer be known as a nation or have any influence in this world or the next. What does this say about modern day Israel? Today s nation is a political nation that was formed by Jews who had been scattered. Like the ancient Israelites and Judeans, modern Israel has still rejected God s blessing of salvation through obedience to Him by turning to Jesus. Consequently we still see them as a people who reject God and are continually embroiled in battles with their neighbors. 5 Ultimately, all who have rejected God s plan of grace will simply fade away. When the judgment takes place at the end of the age, all who have refused to turn to God in faith will be cast into the lake of fire, 6 separated from God for eternity. None who have rejected God will be left, and remaining will be all of the people, for all ages, who have turned their hearts and lives over to God in faith. PROUD REJECTION Hosea 13:4-6. Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me. 5 I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. 6 According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me. The dissolution of the nation of Israel would not take place because God left Israel, but rather because Israel left God. God reminds them, through Hosea s words, that it was He who delivered them from slavery and nurtured them as a nation. It was He who delivered them through the many battles with other nations when they were greatly overpowered. Why would they turn from the one who actually interacted with them and gave them such tangible blessings, and turn to imaginary, lifeless, powerless idols that cannot provide them with anything? By so doing they have forgotten those commandments that came down from Sinai that referred to the LORD s intentional relationship between man and God. They now completely deny the commandment, Though shalt have no other Gods before me. They have forgotten the exodus from Egypt. They have 5 However, Israel is also experiencing a great revival among its own people who have turned to the LORD in faith. Jews are coming to Christ and leading other Jews to faith. 6 Revelation 20:15.

5 forgotten the manna and quail that were provided in the wilderness. They have forgotten God s mighty hand that led them through the Red Sea and across the flooding Jordan River. They have forgotten the walls falling at Jericho. They have forgotten the pillar of fire that has consumed the sacrifice in the temple each year on the Day of Atonement, and still stands over the Temple in Jerusalem. Instead they are living for the day, choosing the sensual pleasures of sin, rationalized by their imagined approval by the supposed authority of pagan gods. God has been rationalized away from their culture and their individual lives. He has been forgotten. Hosea 13:7-8. Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: 8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them. When the LORD dispenses his judgment upon Israel it will come as suddenly and as fiercely as the attack of a wild animal. We probably have much less fear of animals today than the ancients did. There were many more animals living in the areas where the people inhabited, and their weaponry was far less sophisticated. They lived in fear of an attack from a lion or leopard when they walked the pathways between their villages. Such attacks were violent and vicious, with the bodies of the victims literally ripped apart as they were simply prey for the hungry animals. There are few animals that attack with such determination as a mother bear who is defending her cubs. Through these words, God is showing Israel, in a very graphic way, that their disobedience of Him will be dealt with in similar suddenness, and a similar completeness. One does not survive being ripped open by lions and tigers and bears. 7 Israel will not survive the coming judgment. One would think that given the prophecy of Hosea, the people would turn back to God. One would think that they would repent rather than face the doom that is to come. During this same time Amos was sharing a similar prophecy. One would think that they would listen, but they did not. The people refused to give attention to Amos or Hosea, save only a remnant that would be sufficient to preserve the prophecy, but not enough to move Israel back to God. The prophets and the remnant would all be rejected by the culture, much like the pastors, preachers, and members of today s Christian churches are so adamantly rejected by this culture. God will respond to today s culture in the same way. No one knows when the end of the age will come. All of the signs for Jesus return have been 7 Apologies to L. Frank Baum.

6 accomplished, so there is no reason for delay, other than God s continuing grace on those who are now here and have not yet turned to Him. Because of this, some believe that Jesus return is imminent. 8 Most have, like the Israelites, forgotten that potential imminence and live like Jesus is never returning. The gospel goes unshared by a church that, like Israel, has largely withdrawn into itself. The church has become keepers of the aquarium rather than fishers of men. It has become a hotel for saints rather than a hospital for sinners. Because of this, the church has lost much of its relevance in modern society. The people of the culture who have rejected God will suffer the same end that is prophesied, and later realized, for the nation of Israel. The people of the church who are living in disobedience will not be condemned by their sin because of the promise of the seal of the Holy Spirit. However, we are still responsible for our actions, and when the books are opened at the final judgment 9 those actions will be revealed. ROYAL REJECTION Hosea 13:9-11. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. 10 I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? 11 I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath. At this time the people are at peace with their neighbors, leading them into a false sense of security and power. They think that their King is so powerful that none of the neighboring nations would dare to insult their great nation. Their arrogance is so complete that they do not realize that there are several nations around them that are so much stronger that they could be overrun at any time, and the closest of these, the Assyrians, are organizing to do so. Saul was the first King of Israel, and was recruited to that position by the people, after anointing by a resistant and knowing Samuel. It was not God s will that the people have a king. God desired that the people looked to Him as their King. However, God does allow us to make decisions for ourselves, and through Samuel, God allowed the reign of Saul and those that followed him. Soon after the reign of Solomon, the kings were no longer anointed by a prophet. Soon the position of King would no longer be ordained of God in any way. Now, when facing the greatest challenge that Israel would ever know, their king would be 8 The exponential rate of world population will usher in any number of catastrophic problems that, alone, will further bring the earth into the tribulation that is described in the Revelation of John, and will do so in only a few more generations. The world population growth and its long-term impact on society is worth investigating. 9 Revelation, Chapter 20.

7 powerless to help them. Without a king, the nation would crumble because they failed to look to God, their true king. TRAGIC REJECTION Hosea 13: The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid. 13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. God had a plan for Israel, a plan that would finally be realized after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a plan that is being realized through the church today. Israel was to be a nation of priests, obedient to God, proclaiming the truth and goodness of God to all nations. Instead, they have turned from God, rejected His authority in their lives, and like a child that is stuck in the birth canal, they will die before their potential can be realized. Sin has that impact on all people, ancient and modern. The plan that God has for our lives cannot be realized when we reject Him and His love. God s plan will not be carried out in the hearts and lives of those who reject him. God s plan is carried out by those who love Him by the Holy Spirit with whom they abide. Recall that Jesus said that You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 10 It is through that temple that God now abides with man, and as we surrender more and more of our lives to Him, the Holy Spirit can do more and more with us. Forbid that we would end our days still in the birth canal, never realizing what it is that God had for us in our lives. Hosea 13: I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. 15 Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. God does have an ultimate plan to redeem all of these who are to be lost from the power of the grave. Death and the grave (Hebrew, sheol) will no longer have the ultimate power to separate men from God. He has a plan to provide a payment for the sins of mankind, from those before the fallen Israel through those who live until the end of the age. The apostle Paul reflects on Hosea s prophecy in his first letter to the Corinthians Corinthians 6:19.

8 1 Cor. 15: Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ. The rejection of God s love carries with it great consequences. We must always remember to accept full responsibility for our attitudes towards God and the actions that come from such an attitude. We should always acknowledge that all that we have, our lives, abilities, gifts, blessings, and opportunities all come from God, and we should humbly thank Him for them. We should respond to God s love with a true heart-felt desire to be obedient to Him, and respond with compassion to a world that is suffering from the sin of rejecting God. Only we can take the gospel to them.

9 Hosea 14:1-9. Love s Promise With this passage, we reach the end of the prophecy of Hosea. Hosea prophesied between 786 and 746 B.C. during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel and from Uzziah to Hezekiah of Judah. 11 Amos prophecy was given immediately prior to that of Hosea, with the two prophesying as contemporaries for about five to ten years. Their messages were the same, a trait to be expected if they are preaching the truth. Both have spoken clearly and harshly against the sin of Israel (and Judah). God formed the nation of Israel in the incubator that was north eastern Egypt, and they grew as a cohesive, identifiable society. They reached the point that the size of the nation threatened the power of the Pharaoh, and his persecution of the nation led to the Exodus, as God miraculously intervened in their lives, saved them from the Pharaoh, cared for them in the wilderness, led them successfully through deep and raging waters and impossible battles, and placed them in the land of His promise. The nation had seen great and might works at the hands of God, a God who revealed Himself to them constantly through the Pillar of Fire for about 1200 years. God had a plan for this nation that he had nurtured. As promised to Abraham, this people would become great, would inherit the land, and the entire world would be blessed. The opportunity that God had provided for this nation was phenomenal. God s desire was that the Hebrews would become a nation of priests, sharing the goodness of God with the world, and bringing the world to Him. A CALL TO REPENTANCE Hosea 14:1. O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. However, there was a problem with the plan. What was that problem? God s plan went much farther than the scope of this nation, as God was also dealing with man s need for salvation from the penalty of sin. The Hebrews were unable to fulfill God s ultimate purpose, and that failing is referred to by Hosea as their downfall. What caused their downfall, and what are its consequences? 11 Albright, William F.

10 Israel had lost the unique identity it established in Egypt and had broken the covenant it made with God at Mount Sinai during the Exodus. The Hebrews had, as a nation, made the commitment to be obedient to God, and honor Him alone. At that time, Moses brought the tablets containing the 10 commandments down from the mountain, and the nation was dedicated to them. However, as sincere as they may have been at that time, the sin of this world was never far from them. As they forgot the covenant, they started to mix with the pagan culture, abandoning the God who saved them and provided for them, exchanging His true power and promises for the powerless wooden and metal hand-made idols and the pantheon of pagan gods they found in the culture around them. They were so completely assimilated into the culture, there was no true spiritual life left in them as a people. They still identified themselves with the nation of Abraham. They still sought to keep the letter of traditional law. However, they rejected God, and embraced the world. What would be the impact of that sin on the nation? The penalty for sin is death, separation from God, and for its refusal to repent of its sin, the nation would die. God would empower the Babylonians to destroy Judah, the southern kingdom of the Hebrews, and empower Assyria to destroy Israel, the northern kingdom of the Hebrews. When the Hebrews were in exile, being further assimilated into the pagan culture, God s glory left the temple. Even when Ezra and Nehemiah led some of the Hebrews back to Judah, the pillar of fire was gone. God never again worked in the nation of Israel as He had done before. God s glory did not return until the birth of the Messiah, Jesus. God would still complete His plan, but the salvation that God offered would be available to all people as His Holy Spirit, His Glory, would reside in the hearts of all believers, rather than in the temple of Jerusalem. The temple that was destroyed by Babylon would be rebuilt at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hosea 14:2. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. What could Israel do to be restored to God? What could Israel give to God to pay for the sins they had committed? There is nothing that they, or anyone can give to God to pay for their sin. However, we are not to go to God empty-handed. God s plan for salvation from sin starts with our acknowledgement that we have sinned. We must first understand that there is nothing we can do on our own to become righteous. The nation of

11 Israel was given the Law of Moses, and by following it one could be righteous under that Law. However, to do so is impossible, and no man could keep every letter of the law. Sin would enter soon or later and would serve to separate man from God. Hosea s words direct Israel to bring God their words, the heart-felt, true words of repentance. God calls upon those who have sinned to acknowledge their sin and turn from them, back to Him. Only when we have done this, have we placed ourselves in a position to receive forgiveness from the LORD, who will cleanse us from our unrighteousness, and accept us into His fellowship. What is our response to this act of salvation that God performs? In this text, that response is praise. Our thankfulness for what God has done is sincere and spontaneous. Hosea describes that praise as a thankoffering. The KJV uses the word calves. Since an unblemished calf was the most appropriate sacrifice for the thank offering, the word calf was synonymous with the thank offering. With this understood, the calves of our lips makes more sense. A literal translation of the Hebrew would be the thank offering of our lips. That is, we will give thanks. Hosea 14:3. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. One of the sins that keeps us from obedience, and kept Israel from the same, is failure to rely on God. Israel had previously made a pact with Assyria that brought them the temporary period of peace that they currently enjoyed, so they placed their security and peace on that pact. Little did they know that Assyria was about to invade and destroy their country. Their security was in their war horses, at that time considered the most powerful weapon of combat. Finally, their security was also placed in things made with their own hands. They gave spiritual authority to objects made by man. Today, we deal with the same sin that separates us from God. We place our security in powerful friends, we place our security on our possessions, and we give obedience to objects made by man rather than to God. This latter point can be seen by looking into the average person s checkbook and credit card register. There we see what people are investing in, and upon observation, we will usually find that God has very little, if any, priority in people s lives. They spend their resources on worldly things that have no lasting reward. When we repent of our sins, and turn fully to God, these issues fade away.

12 A PROMISE OF HEALING Hosea 14:4. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. When we repent of our sin and turn to God, there is a significant response from God. No matter how far we have gone from God, He fully accepts us on our sincere and faithful return. Once we have returned, God does not hold the sin of our past against us; our waywardness is healed, our backslidden state is forgiven. God is unchanging, so his anger does not peak or fade. God is who He is, and when we are lost, his righteous anger is demonstrated by our separation from Him. When we turn to Him in faith, his righteous anger is not kindled against us, but is continuing to work in the hearts of lives of others, separating them from the love that God has for them. Hosea 14:5-7. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. When we turn to God in faith, His love is demonstrated by His placing the Holy Spirit into our hearts. The results of that gift is a life that can be fruitful in God s kingdom. Every person has gifts, abilities and interests that can be applied to activities that further the Kingdom of God in this world. During the dry months, the primary moisture that plants received was a heavy morning dew. Like that dew, God s spirit will nourish and provide for the needs of every believer so that they realize the potential that God knows is there. Like the blossoming of the lily, the life that was dead in sin, can blossom, and be fruitful in good works. The weak foundation that the unrepentant stands on is also replaced by the Spirit of God, and like the roots of the Cedars of Lebanon that enable the tree to stand strong against wind and weather, we gain a similar stability and power to stand against adversity when we are standing in faith. Like the shade of the cedar, God s protection is provided over all believers. In this protected and empowered state, the believer can flourish, and his/her good works will be known by many. AN ASSURANCE OF PROVISION

13 Hosea 14:8. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. The language of the first statement found here may be a bit confusing, and different translations render the statement in slightly different manners. However, the truth is consistent across these translations. When the sinner has turned to God, there is no longer any need for the idols. As a person turns their life over to God, there is no need to place such importance on the things of this world any more. What are those things in this world that we tend to give too much value? What are some of the things in this world that we value so highly that they have a hold on us? It is the release of that hold that we realize when we give them to God. It is the peace that comes from that freedom that is realized in this statement by Hosea. With such release, we are no longer subject to the dynamics of such worldly insecurities. Like the evergreen tree, God s faithfulness will remain constant both in season and out. God will be with us in the good times and in the bad. It will be from God that we receive a life that is abundant 12 in faith, love, peace, joy, and other countless blessings that have a permanent value that overshadows the things of this world that we once thought to be so important. Hosea 14:9. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. Approached from my position as a university professor in the field of engineering, I was once asked to speak to a Christian high school assembly to address an issue of faith versus science. The predominant hypothesis in the school was that one cannot be a scientist and be a Christian. Some Christians students were being drawn away from the sciences by such a position. Some students who were interested in the sciences found it difficult to also embrace tenets of the faith. The scientific community might be teeming with knowledge, but it is also a wasteland of spiritual wisdom. Ph.D. degrees do not promote faith, they promote worldly knowledge. The error the students are making is equating wisdom with scientific knowledge, and in many instances these two positions are diametrically opposed. When great scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom are combined, we find a scientist who truly understands his craft. 12 John 10:10.

14 That same wisdom is attainable by the simplest of God s people, and when His wisdom is embraced by the faithful, they will be able to discern spiritual truths that the most learned Ph.D.s consider foolishness. The ways of the LORD are truth, and stand as a stumbling block to those who think themselves wise. Prior to coming to God, all people are in the lost and destroyed state that is also the character of Israel at the time of Hosea s prophecy. The distance they stood from God was a gulf that only God s grace could cross. It is only through God s grace that we are saved. It is only through our faith in Him and His faithfulness to forgive us that we find forgiveness for our unrighteousness. What are some of the things that are still in our lives that keep us at arm s length from God? What are some of the things in our lives that stand between where we are and where God wants us to be? Are we as faithful in our giving as God would require? Are we as faithful in our fellowship with Him and with other Christians as we should be? Are we as faithful in our study of God s Word as He would desire? We must ask the LORD for forgiveness from the sins that are revealed by such questions, as we, in His wisdom, repent of those actions and attitudes that compromise our faithfulness. God has promised that he is faithful. The prophecy of Hosea is issued to Israel, but applies to every lost person. God s offer of forgiveness still holds for every person, including those in modern Israel. Pray for one another, and pray for Israel, that the nation that turned away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the nation that turned to a worldly system of legalism, self-righteousness and idol worship, would even now turn to