HOSEA 12-14 RETURN TO GOD2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hosea 12-14 Return To God

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011. Hosea chapter 12. Here in Hosea chapter 12, as we continue in the book of Hosea, Lord willing, we'll be finishing it off this evening. We're seeing the nation of Israel continue to get worse and worse.

We're seeing the difficulties that are there because of their rebellion against God. And we're seeing God declare the action that He will take, and again, as we've talked about many times, the restoration that will come in the end. And so there's good news, there's light at the end of the tunnel, but we need to get through some of that dark tunnel before we get there.

In Hosea chapter 12, we're actually going to back up to chapter 11 verse 12 to start off. That's where we ended last week. And as we go forward now, we'll be heading into chapter 12. So Hosea chapter 11 verse 12. It says, Ephraim has encircled me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah still walks with God, even with the Holy One who is faithful.

Now at this time, the nation of Israel is divided into two kingdoms. The first is Israel.

The northern kingdom is known as Israel and they never had a good king. From the very beginning, from the split, they were walking away from God. And that's who Hosea is ministering to. That's who he's prophesying to. He refers to them as Ephraim because Ephraim was the predominant tribe there of the northern kingdom. And so it was known as Israel but also referred to as Ephraim. And he says, "...Ephraim, or Israel, has encircled me with lies."

And the house of Israel has circled me with deceit. There's this issue that God is addressing continually with the nation of Israel through the prophet Hosea of their rebellion, their lies, and their deceitfulness. And so he's increasing there in verse 1 of chapter 12. It says, he daily increases lies and desolation or ruin.

And so we see that the nation of Israel is not turning back to God. They're not responding to God's prophets that He's sending. They're not responding to the things that God has declared.

And instead what they're trying to do is work things out on their own. There at the end of verse 1 it says they make a covenant with the Assyrians and oil is carried to Egypt. Because at this time the Assyrians and the Egyptians were threatening the nation of Israel.

And so what Israel was doing was they were making a deal with the Assyrians. "Hey Assyrians, you protect us from the Egyptians. Here's some money, here's some goods, you know, let's make an agreement. We'll hire you to be our bodyguards against Egypt."

But then Israel went down to Egypt and said, Hey Egypt, can you protect us from the Assyrians? We'll send you some oil, we'll send you some goods and then you can protect us. And so they're kind of playing both sides and thinking that they're pretty smart. They've got both ends covered, let them fight it out and then we don't have to be in the middle. But God says what they end up doing is increasing their lies and their desolation. Verse 2.

The Lord also brings a charge against Judah. So now this is the southern kingdom. And will punish Jacob according to his ways, according to his deeds. He will recompense him. So now he's including Judah as well as Israel in his address. In verse 3 it says, He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed. He wept and sought favor from him.

He found him in Bethel and there he spoke to us. That is the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is his memorable name. So you, by the help of your God, return. Observe mercy and justice and wait on your God continually.

Here as he goes on addressing the nation, he gives them the example of Jacob. And you might remember this account of Jacob. It's found in Genesis chapter 32. And there Jacob, he's on his way back to the land where he was raised. He's been in Syria. He's gotten two wives. He's gotten lots of flocks and herds. He's left Laban. He's on his way back and Esau's brother is about to meet him.

And there God meets with him. He wrestles with the angel of the Lord. That's what's being referred to here. And it's recorded for us in Genesis chapter 32. And so he gives this as an example how Jacob took his brother by the heel.

Jacob's name means heel catcher which carries with it the idea of being deceitful of being a trickster of you know being a double-tongued and so stealing or conniving and and in order to you know to get what he wants and we definitely see Jacob live out his name as he took the birthright as well as the blessing from Esau by deceiving and by trickery and by shrewdness and so

He comes back after he's fled from Esau and now he's having an encounter with God. And it says in his strength there in verse 3, he struggled with God. And there's this wrestling match that went on. It says there in verse 4, he struggled with the angel and prevailed.

He held on to the angel. He wrestled with him all night. Remember, the angel touched his hip and knocked it out of socket and he walked with a limp from that day forward. And yet, Jacob would not let the angel go and he begged and he cried. It says he wept here and sought favor. He asked him for a blessing. And so the way that Jacob prevailed was by surrendering to God.

By weeping, by being broken, and by asking for God to bless. And so what he's referring to here as he's talking to the nation of Israel, he's saying in verse 6, so you, by the help of your God, return. He's saying, look, follow Jacob's example. You need to be broken. You need to hold on to me and cry out for mercy. You need to hold on and not let go and not give up until I bless you.

"So you," he tells Israel, "return to me by the help of your God." He says, "Observe mercy and justice and wait on your God continually." Jacob came to the place where God had him be, where he finally surrendered. And he's calling Israel to do the same. Finally admit, finally recognize you have nowhere to run, you can't do anything. You think you're smart, you know, hiring these two nations to battle and be your protection?

You're still trying to do it on your own, God's saying. Just admit defeat. Hold on to Me. Return to Me, God is asking them. Verse 7, "A cunning Canaanite, deceitful scales are in his hand. He loves to oppress. And Ephraim said, 'Surely I've become rich. I've found wealth for myself and all my labors. They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.

But I am the Lord your God. Ever since the land of Egypt, I will again make you dwell in tents. As in the days of the appointed feasts, I have also spoken by the prophets and have multiplied visions. I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets. Though Gilead has idols, surely they are vanity. Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.

Now God again is addressing them. He calls them a cunning Canaanite. Why? Well, because they've got deceitful scales. They're using trickery. They're using lies and deceitfulness in order to try to obtain for themselves riches as well as protection. And He says there in verse 8, Ephraim is declaring, I have become rich.

And that reminds us, probably, if you've been around the Word for a little bit, of Revelation chapter 3. Remember the church of Laodicea and what God had to say? He says, because you say to that church that was lukewarm, that needed to repent, He says, because you say, I am rich, I have become wealthy and have need of nothing, He says, you do not know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

Well, Israel was saying the same thing. Look at how cunning we are. Look at how crafty we are. Look at what we've amassed for ourselves. And as Hosea is ministering to this nation, it's at a time where the nation on the outside seems to be prospering.

Things seem to be going well. They've got money. They're able to make these arrangements and deals with these other nations. And so they think they've got it all figured out. The testimony that they have of themselves is, hey, we're rich. We've got it made. They say, they're not going to find iniquity in us. They're not going to find sin in us. We've got it all figured out. We've got it all mapped out, all planned out. We've got it taken care of. But the reality, much like the church of Laodicea, is that they were...

wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. They were spiritually bankrupt. And that's the reality of many today as well. Who think, "Hey, I'm fine. I've got it made. I've got it figured out. I know how I'm going to pay these bills and get that taken care of and accomplish this in my life." But listen, if you're doing like the nation of Israel and you're not relying upon God for all of those things, you're relying upon yourself.

You're relying upon your own cunningness and craftiness. You're relying upon your own richness. And you don't realize that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Well, God's not having it. He goes on in verse 9 to say, look, I'm going to reduce you to tents again. He says, I'm the Lord your God. You're not fooling me. You're not pulling anything past me. I see what's going on. I see the iniquity in your midst.

And he says, I'm going to make you dwell in tents again. You're enjoying all the luxury that you have now, but you're going to be reduced to tents like you were out in the wilderness. In verse 10, he says, I've also spoken by the prophets and multiplied visions. I've given symbols.

through the witness of the prophets. He says, look, I've given you a message. I've illustrated the message. I've given you symbols of the message. Remember, Hosea was one of those symbols with God's call to him to go and get a wife who was an adulteress, who was a prostitute.

and to marry her and then she was going to run away and involve herself in prostitution again. He was to go and get her and bring her back and live with her as his wife after she'd been involved in that sexual immorality. And God says, look, that's how I've been dealing with you guys. This family here is an example to you of how you continue to run away from me and even though you've run away from me, I'm calling you back.

He says, look, I've sent you messages. I've sent you illustrations. I've given you visuals. I've made it very simple for you to understand that you need to repent, but you've not turned back. You've not been broken and returned to your God. As we look at this, as we understand the things that are going on, listen, very important message, very important lesson for us to learn. Don't think that your sin can stay hidden.

Don't be deceived and think, hey, I've got it all figured out. This is going on in my life, but I've got this to cover that and I've got this to take care of that. And I'm arranging it, I'm taking care of it and nobody's going to find out. They're not going to find iniquity in me. They're not going to find sin in me. But God says, I am the Lord your God. I know. And God says, look, I'm sending you messengers and I'm giving you illustrations.

And I'm even allowing church discipline to be involved right before your eyes so that you can see the severity and the seriousness and how serious God is about sin. Don't think that your sin can stay hidden. Don't be deceived. He will not allow it to continue. Verse 12, Jacob fled to the country of Syria. Israel served for a spouse and for a wife he tended sheep. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and by a prophet he was preserved.

Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly. Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him and return his reproach upon him. Again, he looks at the example of Jacob and how Jacob fled to Syria. Why did Jacob flee to Syria? Well, because he just tricked Esau. Esau found out about it.

He received the blessing from their father instead of Esau. And now Esau has declared, I'm going to kill Jacob. As soon as dad dies, I'm going to kill him. And so now Jacob has to flee as a result of his craftiness and trickery, as a result of his sin. He uses this to say, look, in the same way, Israel is going to have to flee their land because of their sin. They're going to have to flee and be the servants of

of the nation that I will bring against them, just like Jacob was a servant there in Syria. He says there in verse 14, he says, Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly. The nation of Israel is just provoking God and provoking God and provoking God at this time. They're just continuing to rebel against him. And so what God is going to do, he explains there in verse 14, he says, therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him.

You see, all God has to do is to just stop taking away the guilt. All God has to do is just remove His hand of protection upon the nation. And they are now going to experience the consequences of their sin. They're now going to experience judgment.

Not because God has just lost it and He's just flying off the handle. He's just removing His hand of protection. He's leaving. He's allowing the guilt of their bloodshed, of their rebellion against God to stay. And as a result, they're going to experience the consequences for their rebellion against God. Remember, forgiven sin, forgotten sin is the benefit of repentance.

And it's only in repentance that sin is forgiven as well as forgotten. Until repentance happens, sin is stored up. It's accumulated. We saw earlier in Hosea, he described it as, you know, they kept sinning and sinning and they've trapped themselves in sin. It's just piled up all around them. They can't escape it any longer.

And so God says, I'm just going to remove the protection and those piles of sin are just going to fall on them. And they're going to experience the judgment for their rebellion against me. Verse 1 of chapter 13 says,

When Ephraim spoke trembling, he exalted himself in Israel. But when he offended through Baal worship, he died. Now they sin more and more. They have made for themselves molded images, idols of their silver according to their skill. All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.

Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud, and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff blown off from a threshing floor, and like smoke from a chimney. Yet I am the Lord your God, ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me, for there is no Savior besides Me. I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great droughts,

When they had pasture, they were filled. They were filled and their heart was exalted. Therefore, they forgot Me. As God continues to lay His charge against Ephraim, He says, look, you exalted yourself and then you offended through Baal worship and you died.

You came from nothing. You came from slavery in Egypt. And I brought you into the land and I exalted you. And you had a good place. You had the place of blessing. But then you involved yourself in idolatry and you died. Just like Adam died when he ate of the forbidden fruit, Israel died when they began to practice idolatry. And he says now in verse 2, they sin more and more.

They're not repenting, they're not turning back, but they're just more and more, they're turning away from God. So God says, "Therefore you'll be like the morning cloud." What's the morning cloud like? Well, it's there in the morning, but as the sun rises, it dissipates. It's gone. It doesn't last very long. Which is interesting because a few chapters earlier in Hosea chapter 6, He tells them, "Your faithfulness is like the morning cloud."

And so you see all throughout the book of Hosea, as we talked about last week, you reap what you sow. And so if your faithfulness is like the cloud, that is that you're faithful maybe for a moment, for a short season, but then it just fades away. If your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, then the end result is you will become like a morning cloud. And you will be dissipated. You will be dissolved.

What you have and who you are, it'll be gone. He says, like chaff blown off from a threshing floor or like smoke from a chimney. What happens to the smoke from your chimney? It just, it's gone. It's just, it's no more. You can't hold on to it. You can't keep it. You can't preserve it. It's just gone. This is the devastation and destruction of sin. It reduces you to nothing. It destroys your life. It makes your life empty, worthless, meaningless.

But he says in verse 4, Yet I am the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt. He says, look, even though this is the case, your faithfulness is like the morning cloud and now you're going to become like the morning cloud, yet I am the Lord your God. God says here, basically, look, I'm not giving up on you, even though you've been unfaithful. I'm still your God. What God is doing...

By allowing them to be like the morning cloud, by removing His hand of protection and allowing them to experience the judgment for their sin, what He is doing is He's bringing them to the point where they will know no other God except for Him. That's what He says. And you shall know no God but Me, for there's no Savior besides Me. You see, if God allowed them to trust in these idols, that would be cruel because they can't save the people. And so if He just allowed them to continue...

They would continue to trust and then they would find out at the end that they were not really their saviors. He says, there's no savior besides me. I'm the only one. So I'm going to allow you to experience judgment so that you can find out for yourself there's no savior besides me so that you can turn to me and be saved. You see, God's heart is a heart of love even as he's bringing discipline, even as he's bringing chastening.

His purpose is for them to turn and repent so that they could be saved. He's not trying to destroy them. He's trying to save them. Check out verse 6. Well, actually start in verse 5. It says, I knew you in the wilderness in the land of great drought. God says, look, I knew you in the wilderness. Remember, they're wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. God says, I knew you. Now, it doesn't mean He just like knew where they were, you know, on the map. He knew them. He was with them.

He provided for them. He says, there was in the land of great drought, He provided for them water in the wilderness for 40 years. He provided for them food daily, the manna that came down from heaven daily for 40 years. This whole huge multitude of people. God says, I knew you, I was with you. And because it was in the land of great drought, you had to rely upon me. You were staying close to me because you were crying out to me for water and for food.

You were desperate for Me. But then in verse 6, when they had pasture and were filled, they were filled and their heart was exalted. What happened? God brought them into the Promised Land. They didn't need that daily provision of manna anymore because they were able to eat off of the land. They didn't need the miraculous providing of water because there was the rivers and streams that were there in the land. And so when they were filled, when they experienced these blessings of God,

He says, "Their heart was exalted and therefore..." there at the end of verse 6, "They forgot Me." When they had nothing and had to rely completely upon God, He was there with them. I mean, it was wilderness, but they had God. But when they were blessed, they forgot God. And this is such a clear picture of how we can be many times. The same way, you know, when we're in a desperate situation,

God is right there and we're calling on Him, we're grasping hold of Him, we're crying out to Him. I mean, our relationship with God in those times, it's like nothing like we've ever seen before. Because we're desperate, because we have to. But then in the season of blessing, once we're filled, we're not relying upon God for our daily bread. We forget God. Sometimes we wonder, you know, why do these trials happen in my life? Not all the time, and I'm not saying this is always the case, but I would encourage you to consider.

Sometimes trials happen in our life because what we've demonstrated to God, Lord, the only way that I'm going to spend time with you daily, the only time that I'm going to really seek you and cry out to you is when I'm in desperate need. And God says, okay, well, since I really want to be with you and have fellowship with you, I'm just going to allow you to be in a state of desperate need so that we can have this communication and relationship. Because when your heart is filled, then it's exalted.

When you don't need to cry out to me for the daily provision, then you don't cry out to me. You just kind of disconnect and you forget about God. That was the state of the nation of Israel. Verse 7. So I will be to them like a lion. Like a leopard by the road, I will lurk.

I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs. I will tear open their ribcage, and there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. I will be your king. Where is any other that He may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, Give Me a king and princes. I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath."

God says, because this is how you are, I'm going to be like a wild animal to you. Like a lion, like a leopard, like a bear who's robbed of her cubs. You know, that's kind of a notorious thing, right? How angry bears get when their cubs are taken or when you're in between the bear and the cubs. I mean, that's, everybody knows, don't do that. That's a bad thing to do. God says, look, this is the state that I'm in. I'm going to come at you. I'm going to come against you. The judgment with discipline is,

like a wild animal, and I'm going to bring a devouring. And he goes on to ask the people, where are those that you trusted in to save you? And remember, they're bargaining with Assyria, hey, protect us from Egypt. But Assyria is the nation that God will use to conquer Israel and to bring his judgment upon them. The ones that they thought were going to save them are the ones that devoured them. So he says, look, where are those you trusted to save you?

Where are the kings that you insisted that you have? You remember, originally they didn't have a king. God was their king. And they told Samuel, listen Samuel, we don't want you or your sons to rule over us. We want a king. Give us a king. And Samuel was distraught. He was like, man, they've rejected me. And God says, no, they haven't rejected you. They've rejected me as their king. And then God gave them Saul. He says, okay, I'm going to let them have what they're asking for, but it's going to be as an act of judgment.

They're going to experience the consequences of their rejection of me as their king. So he says, I gave them their first king and now he says, I'm going to take away their last king. He's going to be conquered. He's going to be brought to nothing. They've relied upon, they thought, man, if we have a king, we'll be safe. If we have a king, everything will be okay. Now as the 2012 elections start heating up, keep that in mind. You know, if we have this person, then we'll be okay. If

If that's who you're relying upon to save you, you're following the example of Israel. They're trusting in these men. They're trusting in the tactics, the politics, the bribery. They're trusting in these things to save them. But God says, look, I'm the only one who can save you. He says, I'll be your king. Where's anybody else who can save you? He says, I'm going to come against you like a wild animal. Now, it's interesting that he uses a wild animal. Because think about it for just a moment, just on a very practical level.

What are your chances of surviving an encounter with a lion? Just you by yourself, what's your chances? What's your chances of surviving an encounter with a bear robbed of her cunts? We don't have much chance, do we? We can't stand up. Listen, if you can't stand up and defeat a wild animal, what chance do you think you have of standing up against God?

I mean, even against each other, right? If you try to take C4 on, you're in trouble. If you can't overcome another human being, how do you think you're going to stand up against God? You know, it's interesting. People often say, you know, well, I'm going to stand before God and I'm going to tell Him. How do you think you can stand up against God when these things, man-made things, natural things, I mean, we're so vulnerable. We're so weak, right?

How is it that we think we can stand up to God? How is it that we think this president or that king or this group or that nation could stand up against God or protect us or save us? They're worthless. They're vulnerable. They're weak. We can't trust them. But that's what Israel was trusting in. And God says, they're not going to be able to save you. Verse 12.

The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up. His sin is stored up. The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come upon him. He is an unwise son. For he should not stay long where children are born.

I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be your plagues. O grave, I will be your destruction. Pity is hidden from my eyes. Verse 15. Though he is fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come. The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness. Then his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up. He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize. Verse 15.

Samaria is held guilty for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword. Their infants shall be dashed in pieces and their women with child ripped open. Pretty graphic, huh? He says, look, Ephraim, your iniquity is bound up. Your sin is stored up. Remember, forgotten sin, forgiven sin, that is a benefit that only comes with repentance.

to turn from sin and to obey God, that's when sin is forgotten and forgiven. But if there's no repentance, sin is stored up. It piles up more and more. And as I was meditating on that idea, that thought, I had this image. I don't remember exactly where it's from. I think it's from Raging Waters when I was a kid.

And I don't know if it's still there, but there on the kid area, there was this big bucket that was overhead. And it would fill with water. And it would keep filling with water, keep filling with water until, well, it was just too heavy. The last drop came and then the bucket would tip over and then it would pour water all over the kids who were having a good time there. But that's the visual that I saw and maybe the Lord reminded me of it to help you understand. This is what it's like when sin is stored up.

That when there's not repentance, it keeps filling the bucket, filling the bucket, filling the bucket. But there comes a point then where the bucket is full. And the only place for it to go is to tip over and for it to all spill out. That's what's happening. Israel has rebelled against God and filled up the bucket, filled up the bucket, filled up the bucket with their sin. And now it's being tipped over. And they're going to reap the consequences and the judgment, the effects of their sin.

But verse 14 is important. Because he says, I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. God is bringing judgment so that he can bring restoration. He's letting them go to the grave. He's letting them be destroyed and wiped out so he can bring them back from that destruction. Again, God's objective is restoration. Even though they've rebelled. Even though they've stirred them up to anger. Even though they've

ignored Him and just persisted on and continued on. He's acting in their best interest by allowing them to reap what they have sown. Romans 6, verse 23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The wages of sin is death. It brings destruction. Always, in every case. We may not see the effects immediately because that bucket's being filled. But if there's not repentance...

We'll experience the consequences of that sin. We'll experience the judgment and the wrath that goes along with it because of our rebellion against God. In verse 16 he says, Samaria is held guilty because she has rebelled against her God. Her guilt is not removed because she has not repented. Samaria was the capital city of Israel. And they're going to experience...

The just payment for their guilt, for their rebellion against God and the destruction that is coming.

Well, like I said, there's light at the end of the tunnel, but we've got to get through that dark tunnel to get to the light. And so we've seen God pronounce and declare, I'm going to bring this judgment upon you. But now, as we head into chapter 13, we see the light. The light at the end of the tunnel. The restoration that God is seeking to accomplish. Look at chapter 13, verse 1. I'm sorry, chapter 14, verse 1.

Verse 1.

Here God now looks forward. He fasts forward to what we refer to as the Millennial Kingdom. Ever since this, Israel as a nation has not turned back to God. Some individuals have. And they've turned to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. But Israel as a nation has not.

But there in the millennial kingdom, under the reign of Jesus, Israel as a nation will return to the Lord. And so here he's calling Israel, return to the Lord your God. You've stumbled because of your iniquity. What has happened to you is as a result of your rebellion against God. Now return. Now again, picture the wife of Hosea, the adulterous woman, the harlot that God instructed him to marry.

And he got married and they had children together. But then she left and she began to practice harlotry again. And God says, "Go find her. Go purchase her back for yourself and bring her back home as your wife." That is the picture of what God is doing with the nation of Israel. Israel, right now as a nation, is practicing that harlotry. They are not devoted to God. They are not worshipping God. But there is coming a time very soon where God will bring her back to Himself.

And that relationship will one day be restored. Well, he says in verse 2, take words with you and return to the Lord. He's calling them to repentance. Calling them to turn back to God. And here we see the amazing grace of God. The very fact that He calls them back. That He calls them and says, come back. Return to me. Return to the Lord. He's not given up on them. He's not cast them off. He's not done with them. But He's calling them to repentance.

He wants them back, but they must come in repentance. And so He says, take words with you and return. Take words with you. Consider Romans chapter 10, verse 9 and 10. If you confess, Jesus Christ says, Lord. If you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that He is Lord, you will be saved. That's the promise. The idea here is not just...

You know, internally just say, hey, you know, I'm repentant, I'm returning to the Lord, but you're just kind of keeping it quiet. He says, no, be vocal. Let it be known. Use your words. Something audible. Declare you're right. Declare to the Lord He's right. He says, use your words. Come to me and say, take away all iniquity. You see, what He's calling them to do is confession.

Not confession to a priest, not confession to a man, but confession to God. And confession means to agree with God. They're agreeing with God about their iniquity, about their sin and rebellion. And so they're to come to God and say, God, take away our iniquity. You see them asking God to take away their iniquity is them acknowledging that they are in sin. Up to this point, they're refusing. They're saying, no, we're not wrong. We're right. We've got it figured out.

But God says, no, return to me and come and say, I've been in sin. I've been practicing iniquity. I am wrong and you are right. And God, I need you to take away that iniquity and receive me graciously. Receive me graciously. Again, he says, we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. You see, it's audible. It's not just internal. Confession is something that's done to God with our voices. Our commitment to the Lord is done with our voices.

It's not just something that happens internally. He says, take your words with you and come. But notice also in verse 3 what their words are to contain. Assyria shall not save us. Here we see the repentance. Confession, declaring and acknowledging, yes God, we're in sin. Remove our sin from us. And now repentance. Assyria shall not save us. Up to this point they're saying, Assyria will save us. We don't need to turn to God. Assyria's God is covered. We've got it figured out.

But now they're saying, "We're turning away from Assyria. They're not going to save us. We will not ride on horses. We're not going to run away. We're not going to try to fight our battles. Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods.'" What are they saying? They're saying, "We're turning away from idolatry. We're turning away from trusting other nations. We're turning away from trusting our horses."

This is what repentance is. It's turning away from sin in order to obey God. And so what we see here is them returning to the Lord and God calling them to return with confession and repentance. This is how we get right with God.

That's how the nation will get right with God. It's how us individually get right with God. We must confess and acknowledge, yes, I'm in sin, I'm wrong. Lord, take away my sin and receive me graciously. But it needs to be accompanied by repentance. Sometimes Christians just try to get away with the confession. Yes, I'm wrong, but then they continue to practice those things. But that's not returning to the Lord.

And you're not tricking the Lord. It doesn't work. He knows. There needs to be real confession accompanied by real repentance. A turning from sin to obey God. Verse 4. I will heal their backsliding. Would you consider that for just a moment? Look at what God says. To this nation who has been in absolute rebellion, who's ignored His messages, who's spat in His face, who have just gone against Him continually.

He says, return to me with your words, confess your sin, repent from your sin, run 3,000 miles barefoot on your knees, and then I'll heal you. No, what does he say? He says, confess and repent and I will heal your backsliding. God is so gracious. Yes.

We see here the amazing goodness of God. He doesn't ask for us something that's difficult or impossible or unreasonable. He asks for us to acknowledge that the sin that we're involved in is sin. And then to turn from it. To obey Him. To make a choice and stop living in that direction, in that way. That's what He asks of us. That is not unjust. That is not...

You know, God demanding something spectacular or great from us. Really, it's the bare minimum. I mean, I think if I were God, I would require a lot more of us. But He says, no, confess. Agree with me about your sin. And then turn from it. And I will heal your backslidings. Amazing how good God is. There's no person who's beyond the reach of the mercy and grace of God.

As long as we have breath, we have the opportunity to use our mouths, to use our words and confess and ask God for forgiveness and to repent and turn from sin. And he says, I will heal their backslidings. Well, let's continue to read on verse 4. I will love them freely. Oh my goodness, we could stop there again. I'll heal their backsliding and I will love them freely. That's not how we are, is it?

You know, your spouse comes up to you and says, I was wrong. Please forgive me. I repent. I'm not going to do that. You say, mm-hmm. Be miserable for a couple more weeks. Then we'll talk. Then I'll love you freely. God says, I'm going to heal your backslidings and I'm going to love you freely. I'm not going to hold back my love. You're going to be consumed with my love. You're going to be overwhelmed with my love. You're going to be immersed in my love.

I'm going to love you freely. I'm not going to hold back myself from you, my love from you, my goodness from you. Verse 4 continues on to say, For my anger has turned away from him.

Here again, talking about the millennium. He says, look, they're going to be blessed. They're going to grow. They're going to be established. It's going to be beautiful as I heal them.

and restore them. What was God looking to do? Restoration. The same is true for any person. If you will confess and repent, God will heal and He will love and He will cause you to grow. He'll bless you and He'll work in your life. That's the way God is. Verse 8, Ephraim shall say, What have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree. Your fruit is found in me.

Israel says, I'm having nothing more to do with idols. I'm not turning from God anymore. I've seen the fruit. Look at what God's done in me. Never again will I turn away. Paul tells us it's God's goodness that leads us to repentance. Here Israel is tasting that goodness. Seeing, wow, what we have in the Lord is so much better than what we had outside.

Verse 9. Who is wise? Are you wise? Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Are you prudent? For the ways of the Lord are right. The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. Who is wise? Does that describe you? You see, in verse 8, Israel, after a long time of difficulty, finally learns their lesson. Are you wise? Are you prudent?

Because he says, the wise, the wise will walk in the ways of the Lord. You see, we don't have to learn the hard way. We don't have to wait until that sin piles up and up and up and up and then finally comes crashing down upon us. You don't have to wait till then to repent and turn and experience the goodness of God and the healing of your backslidings. You don't have to wait. If you're wise, you will turn to God right now. If you're wise, you'll experience the blessings of God right now as you turn to Him and ask Him.

For forgiveness and to take away your iniquities as you confess and repent. That's what the wise do. It's not that the wise, you know, are perfect and don't sin. Listen, we all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God. But the wise among us will confess that sin and repent and experience the forgiveness of God, the healings of our backslidings. We'll experience His love freely without holding back. But the fool, the fool...

stumble in the ways of the Lord. The fool continues to fall, continues to fail, continues to walk away from God. And their sin piles up and up and up. And the bucket becomes full, it tips over. And they experience the consequences, the judgment for their rebellion against God. Are you wise or are you a fool? The worship team is going to come up and lead us in a song. And as they do,

Let me remind you, God does not change. This is the way that He's working with the nation of Israel and this is the way that He works with us today. Unrepentant sin is stored up until it reaches the breaking point and we experience the consequences of sin. And just like God sent Hosea to the nation of Israel, God is sending me to living water this evening to call out to you and to remind you

to turn and get right with God. Confess. Use your mouth. Use your words. Confess. I'm going to ask that George, that Richard, that my wife would be up front here. And I want to ask you guys to confess and repent as they lead us in this song. That you don't just sit there and say, well, I can just do it in my own heart. He says, use your words. Now, not that you're confessing to these people.

But confess to God your sin. You don't have to tell them exactly what you're going through or what you're dealing with. But you confess to God. And so they're going to be up here to pray with you, to agree with you, to help you. Because what we don't want to see is you continue down that path to where the sin is stored up and then the judgment comes. And so as we cry out to the Lord, as we worship Him, they'll be up here, confess and repent.

Let's allow God to work in our hearts. It's time to be like Jacob. To be broken. And finally surrender to God. I don't know what's going on in your heart. I don't know what issues there are. I don't know what God wants to do. But you know. It's loud and clear. So repent. Confess. And use this time to turn to God. That He could heal your backslidings. And that He could love you freely. Let's worship the Lord. Come up during this song.

If you need to repent.