SCRIPTURE: HOSEA 14
REPENTANCE TO BRING BLESSINGS (vs. 1-9)
When Israel will return to God and seek forgiveness from Him, God will bring them the following blessings:
- He will heal their waywardness. (v. 4a)
- He will love them freely. (v. 4b)
- He will turned away his anger from them. (v. 4c)
- God will be like a dew to Israel and blossom like a lily. (v. 5a)
- God will be like a cedar of Lebanon sending down his roots. (v. 5b)
- His young shoots will grow. (v. 6a)
- His splendor will be like an olive tree. (v. 6b)
- His fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. (v. 6c)
- Men will dwell again in His shade. (v. 7a)
- He will flourish like the grain and blossom like a vine. (v. 7b)
- His fame will be like the wine from Lebanon. (v. 7c)/
THOUGHTS:
When we humble ourselves and repent, God will receive us, restore us and revive us. If we obey Him, our ugliness will become beautiful with fragrance.
Hosea closed his book with an appeal to listen, to learn and benefit from God’s word. Today, you can either listen to God’s word and follow His ways or refuse to walk along the Lord’s path. People who insist on following their own direction without God’s guidance are in complete darkness.