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14 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words
and return to the LORD;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”
I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.
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 upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.
(ESV)
Many people today worship their own abilities and accomplishments. For others, it is their intellect. Still others worship their spouse or their children or their jobs. Whatever it is that separates us from our Father, the bottom line is that He has chosen to heal us. Even in our continuous, headstrong rebellion, He chooses healing!
I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger will have turned from him.
Hosea 14:4 HCSB
Despite the fact that we reject Him, He will choose to freely love us. Amazing.
Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from Me.
Hosea 14:8 HCSB
Love has come. Victory is on the horizon. The reminder here is that the fruit can only come from Him! It does not come from our abilities or accomplishments. It does not come from our intellect or our family. A fruitful life comes only from the One who in His anger chooses to lay His wrath upon His Son so that we can live!