A Call to Repentance (Jeremiah 3:11-25; Zechariah 1:1-6)
“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniqu y. Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
A Promise of God’s Blessing
I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. They will return and dwell in his shade; they will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a green cypress tree; your fruit comes from Me. 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 righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.”
Once more, God is calling to His people, begging them to repent so that He can bless them. The speed of light is the speed of darkness, and darkness and light cannot exist in the same place. Before God can bless the Israelites, they must repudiate their idols and whole – heartedly worship Him. “Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity. Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
Yesterday, we observed that the idol-worshiping Israelites were spiritual zombies, controlled by the demons they had invoked. But God still wants to heal these people, as evil as they have become. God is not afraid of evil; He laughs at it because His righteousness, His justice, His purity and His holiness are more than a match for any evil.
“I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. They will return and dwell in his shade; they will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.” All the Israelites have to do is to turn to God and He can fix everything magnificently. Here God is referring to some of the highest standards of beauty and bounty at that time.
“O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a green cypress tree; your fruit comes from Me. 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 righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.” Even now, there are still those in Israel whose hearts are open to the Lord. God is appealing to those people. God is the Source of wisdom, righteousness, health and wholeness. Why would anybody turn away from such wonderful things? But the longer people worship idols, the more they become like the demons those idols represent and the less they will choose what is right.
APPLICATION: In the movie “Indiana Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail,” Jones and his arch enemy have both come to the place where the grail has been guarded for centuries. As Jones’ enemy is grabbing the Grail, her foot slips, causing her to slide off toward a nearly bottomless pit. When Jones grabs her hand in an attempt to pull her back from the brink, she lets go, preferring to clasp the Grail instead, and falls to her doom. The lesson is clear: if we choose to hang on to something when we shouldn’t, we might pay with our lives.
We might wonder how many of Hosea’s listeners took these messages to heart and repented. Only when we reach heaven, will we know. But God who is rich in mercy sent Hosea with his prostitute wife and his children with the significant names as graphic witnesses to anyone who would take notice and repent. May we have tender hearts toward the Lord so that when He speaks to us, we will hear and obey rather than rebelling!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, open our hearts, give us ears to hear and minds to receive Your Will for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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