Chapter 12:2-5 Footnote:
Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel, was the common ancestor of all 12 tribes of Israel (both
northern and southern kingdoms). Like the nations that descended from him,
Jacob practiced deceit. Unlike Israel and Judah, however, he constantly
searched for God. Jacob wrestled with the angel in order to be blessed, but his
descendants thought their blessings came from their own successes. Jacob purged
his house of idols (Genesis 35:2), but his descendants could not quit their idol
worship.
But you must return to your
God;
maintain love and justice,
and wait for your God always.
12:6
Footnote:
The two principles that Hosea called his nation
to live by, love and justice, are at the very foundation of
God's character. They are essential to his followers but they are not easy to
keep in balance. Some people are loving to the point that they excuse
wrongdoing. Others are just to the extent that they forget love. Love
without justice, because it is not aiming at a higher standard, leaves people in
their sins. Justice without love, because it has not heart,
drives people away from God. To specialize in one at the expense of
the other is to distort our witness. Today's church, just like Hosea's nation,
must live by both principles.
So in my anger I gave you a
king,
and in my wrath I took him away.
13:11
Footnote:
God had warned Israel that kings would cause
more problems than they would solve, and he reluctantly gave them Saul as their
first king. The second king, David, was a good king, and Solomon, David's son,
had his strengths. But after the nation divided in two, the northern kingdom
never had another good ruler. Evil kings led the nation deeper into idolatry
and unwise political alliances. Eventually the evil kings destroyed the nation;
with Hosea, the northern kingdom's kings were cut off.
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins
have been your downfall! 14:1
Footnote:
Verses 1-3 are Hosea's call to repent. Verses
4-8 are God's promise of restoration. God had to punish Israel for its gross
and repeated violations of his law, but he would do so with a heavy heart. What
God really wanted to do was restore the nation and make it prosper.
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.
Footnote:
The people could return to God by asking him to
forgive their sins. The same is true for us: we can pray Hosea's prayer and
know our sins are forgiven because Christ died for them on the cross (John
3:16).
Forgivenss begins when we see the destructiveness of sin
and the futility of life without God. Then we must admit we cannot save
ourselves; our ony hope is in God's mercy. When we request forgiveness, we must
recognize that we do not deserve it and therefore cannot demand it. Our appeal
must be for God's love and mercy, not for his justice. Although we cannot
demand forgiveness, we can be confident that we have received it because God is
gracious and loving and wants to restore us to himself, just as he wanted to
restore Israel.
"The fruit of our lips" refers to thank offerings to God.
God desired real, heartfelt repentance, not merely annual
sacrifices.
14:3-8 Footnote:
When our will is weak, when our thinking is confused, and
when our conscience is burdened with a load of guilt, we must remember that God
cares for us continually; his compassion never fails.
When friends and family desert us, when coworkers don't
understand us, and when we are tired of being good, God's compassion
never fails.
When we can't see the way or seem to hear God's voice, and
when we lack courage to go on, God's compassion never fails.
When our shortcomings and our awareness of our sins
overcome us, God's compassion never fails.
Who is wise? He will realize these
things.
Who is discerning? He will understand
them.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
14:9
14:9 Footnote:
Hosea closes with an appeal to listen,
learn and benefit from God's word. To those receiving the Lord's message
through Hosea, this meant the difference between life and death. For you, the
reader of the book of Hosea, the choice is similar: either listen to the book's
message and follow God's ways, or refuse to walk along the Lord's path. But
people who insist on following their own direction without God's guidance are
"like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble". If you are
lost, you can find the way by turning from your sin and following
God.
God's concern for justice that requires faithfulness and
love that offers forgiveness can be seen in his dealings with Hosea. We can err
by forgetting God's love and feeling that our sins are hopeless, but we can also
err by forgetting his wrath against our sins and thinking he will continue to
accept us no matter how we act. Forgiveness is a key word: when God forgives
us, he judges the sin but shows mercy to the sinner. We should never be afraid
to come to God for a clean slate and a renewed life.
Keep reading -- 179 days left!
All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV
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