1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,for you have stumbled by your iniquity.2 Bring your confessionsand return to the LORD.Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquityand receive us graciously,that we may presentthe fruit of our lips.3 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.”4 I will heal their apostasy;I will freely love them,for My anger has turned away from them.5 I will be like the dew to Israel;he will blossom like the lilyand take root like the cedars of Lebanon.6 His shoots will sprout,and his splendor will be like the olive tree,his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.7 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.8 O Ephraim, what have I to doanymore with idols?It is I who answer and watch over him.I am like a flourishing cypress;your fruit comes from Me.9 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 thembut the rebellious stumble in them.REFLECTIONSWritten by Gus CameronToday we finish the book of Hosea. In this final chapter, we see that God’s great desire is for people to return to him. He wants people to come back to him and say, “Please God, forgive me”. Our confidence is that we know that God will always answer that prayer because Christ Jesus died to wash us clean and God is faithful.Hosea finishes with a question for us to reflect on: “Who is wise?” Are we wise enough to understand what Hosea has been teaching us? The wise person will recognise their sin and rebellion. They will recognise God’s just judgement on sin. They won’t downplay it or ignore it. The wise person will recognise the idols they have worshipped instead of God and they will repent of their idolatry. The wise person will return to the Lord God and ask for forgiveness. The wise person will be forgiven through Christ Jesus.The warning in the last verse is also that the rebellious will stumble. The only right path in life is to follow the way of the Lord, every other path ends in destruction. It’s a heavy warning, but it’s the warning we need to hear. It’s a warning that we also need to share with others. If you have not yet asked God to forgive you through Jesus, please do that now. If you have already done that, then pray for someone you know who needs to turn to Christ. Pray that God would help you to speak the truth to them, and pray that God would help them be wise to the reality of God’s judgement on their sin, but also to the wonderful assurance and joy of God’s love freely given to us in Christ Jesus.





























ABOUT THE AUTHORGus is our Senior Assistant Minister.

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