Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

Ruth 1:6-18 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

INTRODUCTION

Well, after a year’s worth of treachery in Hosea, we were able to get all of the hard stuff in Ruth out in one sermon. This is an emotional passage, but nothing tragic happens. In fact, while we don’t know for sure what happened to Orpah, we do know for sure that this scene sets up everything good that will happen in the book. Welcome to the green pastures of obedience.

At times it can be difficult to know what genuine godliness looks like in real life. How do we honor God when a loved one dies? How do we honor God at work? How do we honor God when we are in danger? How do we honor God when our family thinks differently than we do? These are the types of questions that we have all faced, along with the frustration of not knowing the specific answers.

We have a perfect example in Jesus, of course; but as a man, his example is an even greater help to men. What a gift it is for women to have the snapshot Ruth provides of feminine godliness (answering through her life the questions I just asked). This morning I mean to move the story along by highlighting the events that take place in 1:6-18. And then I mean to take a close look at ten aspects of the heart of a godly woman that we see in Ruth (in this passage and throughout the rest of the story as well).

Would you pray with me that God would help us all (and especially the women of Grace) understand and appreciate Ruth’s example of genuine godliness? And in seeing it in such real-life situations, let’s pray that God would help us follow her example.

THE STORY CONTINUES

Last week we looked at the first six verses of the book of Ruth. In them we saw that during the time of the judges’ rule the nation of Israel was enveloped by a famine (likely as a result of God’s judgment upon them for their sin). Consequently, an Israelite man named Elimelech (disobediently) took matters into his own hands by leading his family away from Israel and into the pagan ...

Ruth 1:1-6 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to the book of Ruth. Last week we briefly considered the background of this amazing story and its three main themes: 1) The goodness of God’s design for his people, 2) The sovereign hand of God over all things, and 3) The certain path of glory (straight from God’s perspective and winding from ours).

This week we’ll begin to consider the text itself. Specifically, we’re going to look at the first six verses this morning. Insodoing I want to draw your attention to the simple fact that when tragedy strikes we have two options (and only two options). We will either take matters into our own hands or we will place ourselves in God’s hands. When take matters into our own hands, things will eventually collapse. When we place ourselves in God’s hands, things will eventually end in unimaginable blessing.

In our passage, Elimelech, the patriarch of this story, and his family repeatedly decided to take matters into their own hands. God brought about great glory through their faithlessness, but my prayer throughout this week has been that we would choose the other option. That is, I hope to help you all see from the choices of Elimelech’s clan that there is a better way. It may be a windier and hillier path, but it is one of greater good and glory. Please join me in praying that it would be so.

IN THE DAYS WHEN THE JUDGES RULED

The book of Ruth begins by establishing its basic place in history. The author notes that the events of Ruth took place “In the days when the judges ruled…”. The judges were military leaders who ruled Israel from around 1375 B.C. (the time of Joshua’s death) to 1020 B.C. (the time of Israel’s first king, Saul).

Depending on how you count, there were appx. 15 judges of Israel who, because they were local (not national) leaders, occasionally ruled concurrently. Among the more famous judges were Gideon, Samson, and Samuel.

One commentator (Hubbard, NICOT, 84) notes that the period of the Judges was “an era of frightful social and religious chaos. The book of Judges teems with violent invasions, apostate religion, unchecked lawlessness, and tribal civil war.”

Perhaps the most famous line in Judges is the last, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

The point for us to see is that this was not a time of obedience or prosperity for the people of God. Instead, it was a time of disobedience, suffering, and judgment. Consequently, in a story that took place during the time of the Judges, it shouldn’t surprise us to find tragedy. Tragedy and the rule of the judges went hand in hand.

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES

The first hardship that the reader is made aware of is a famine that took place throughout Israel.

“In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land…”.

There was no food in Israel and people were becoming desperate.

Ruth 1:1-6 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to the book of Ruth. Last week we briefly considered the background of this amazing story and its three main themes: 1) The goodness of God’s design for his people, 2) The sovereign hand of God over all things, and 3) The certain path of glory (straight from God’s perspective and winding from ours).

This week we’ll begin to consider the text itself. Specifically, we’re going to look at the first six verses this morning. Insodoing I want to draw your attention to the simple fact that when tragedy strikes we have two options (and only two options). We will either take matters into our own hands or we will place ourselves in God’s hands. When take matters into our own hands, things will eventually collapse. When we place ourselves in God’s hands, things will eventually end in unimaginable blessing.

In our passage, Elimelech, the patriarch of this story, and his family repeatedly decided to take matters into their own hands. God brought about great glory through their faithlessness, but my prayer throughout this week has been that we would choose the other option. That is, I hope to help you all see from the choices of Elimelech’s clan that there is a better way. It may be a windier and hillier path, but it is one of greater good and glory. Please join me in praying that it would be so.

IN THE DAYS WHEN THE JUDGES RULED

The book of Ruth begins by establishing its basic place in history. The author notes that the events of Ruth took place “In the days when the judges ruled…”. The judges were military leaders who ruled Israel from around 1375 B.C. (the time of Joshua’s death) to 1020 B.C. (the time of Israel’s first king, Saul).

Depending on how you count, there were appx. 15 judges of Israel who, because they were local (not national) leaders, occasionally ruled concurrently. Among the more famous judges were Gideon, Samson, and Samuel.

One commentator (Hubbard, NICOT, 84) notes that the period of the Judges was “an era of frightful social and religious chaos. The book of Judges teems with violent invasions, apostate religion, unchecked lawlessness, and tribal civil war.”

Perhaps the most famous line in Judges is the last, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

The point for us to see is that this was not a time of obedience or prosperity for the people of God. Instead, it was a time of disobedience, suffering, and judgment. Consequently, in a story that took place during the time of the Judges, it shouldn’t surprise us to find tragedy. Tragedy and the rule of the judges went hand in hand.

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES

The first hardship that the reader is made aware of is a famine that took place throughout Israel.

“In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land…”.

There was no food in Israel and people were becoming des...

The passage for this sermon is the entire book of Ruth. Rather than including the entire book here, we encourage you to read it elsewhere, either in your own bible, or online.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the book of Ruth. After making our way through a harsh book like Hosea, Ruth should provide a welcomed dose of pleasantness. After a brief, tragic beginning, Ruth really is a heartwarming tale—both in the immediate (as things turn out really well for everyone involved in the story), but also in the ultimate (as Jesus comes from Boaz and Ruth’s line).

This morning I mean to introduce Ruth by giving you a brief bit on the background and then focusing on the three main themes of the book. It is my hope that both the background and themes will remain in the front of our minds as we work our way through Ruth in order that we might get out of it all that God has put into it.

With that, let’s pray that God would help us to clearly see his glory in Ruth and that the clear view of glory would strengthen our trust in God every minute of every day.

THE BACKGROUND

I mentioned in the introduction that I’d give you a brief bit of background. The reason for the brevity is that there simply isn’t much known about the background of Ruth. Much of it is a mystery to us.

It’s interesting that the book is named after Ruth for a number of reasons. Ruth was not a Jew (the only OT book named after a gentile). More strikingly still, she was a Moabite; a member of a tribe birthed in incest. What’s more, while Ruth certainly plays a significant role in the story, she isn’t even the main character (Naomi), the main speaker (Boaz), or the main point (David).

At best, there are educated guesses as to the author, but no one claims any measure of certainty. Historically Jews have understood Samuel to be the author, but there are a number things in the text itself that seem to be in direct conflict with Samuel’s authorship.

Likewise, we cannot be sure of the date in which Ruth was written. We do know that it happened after the time of the Judges (1:1), after the time of David’s reign as king (4:22; apx. 1000 B.C.), and before its inclusion in the OT cannon (164 B.C.), but that leaves us with centuries of possibilities.

And unlike other books in the bible the author of Ruth does not explain his aim. That is, the reason for the writing of Ruth is lost to us as well. Scholars have offered a number of guesses, but all admit that that’s all they are.

Finally, I’m by no means a literary critic, but I read the thoughts of several and there is universal amazement at the literary excellence of Ruth. It is a remarkably well written story with symmetry and character development that are difficult to miss and easy to appreciate. If you haven’t read Ruth before, I think you’ll really enjoy it.

That really is about all we know in the way of background.

THE THEMES

With that, then, I’ll spend the rest of this sermon considering the content of Ruth. Specifically, as I mentioned earlier, I’d like to draw your attention to the three main themes of the book to help you better understand, appreciate, and apply the overall story of Ruth as we work our way through it.

First: The goodness of God’s design for his people.

Have you ever read the laws and regulations of the OT and wondered what’s going on? Have you ever wondered why in the world God would require or prohibit some of the things he does?

Leviticus 19:19 You shall not … wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.

Leviticus 19:27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.

Leviticus 19:23 When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden.

The passage for this sermon is the entire book of Ruth. Rather than including the entire book here, we encourage you to read it elsewhere, either in your own bible, or online.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the book of Ruth. After making our way through a harsh book like Hosea, Ruth should provide a welcomed dose of pleasantness. After a brief, tragic beginning, Ruth really is a heartwarming tale—both in the immediate (as things turn out really well for everyone involved in the story), but also in the ultimate (as Jesus comes from Boaz and Ruth’s line).

This morning I mean to introduce Ruth by giving you a brief bit on the background and then focusing on the three main themes of the book. It is my hope that both the background and themes will remain in the front of our minds as we work our way through Ruth in order that we might get out of it all that God has put into it.

With that, let’s pray that God would help us to clearly see his glory in Ruth and that the clear view of glory would strengthen our trust in God every minute of every day.

THE BACKGROUND

I mentioned in the introduction that I’d give you a brief bit of background. The reason for the brevity is that there simply isn’t much known about the background of Ruth. Much of it is a mystery to us.

It’s interesting that the book is named after Ruth for a number of reasons. Ruth was not a Jew (the only OT book named after a gentile). More strikingly still, she was a Moabite; a member of a tribe birthed in incest. What’s more, while Ruth certainly plays a significant role in the story, she isn’t even the main character (Naomi), the main speaker (Boaz), or the main point (David).

At best, there are educated guesses as to the author, but no one claims any measure of certainty. Historically Jews have understood Samuel to be the author, but there are a number things in the text itself that seem to be in direct conflict with Samuel’s authorship.

Likewise, we cannot be sure of the date in which Ruth was written. We do know that it happened after the time of the Judges (1:1), after the time of David’s reign as king (4:22; apx. 1000 B.C.), and before its inclusion in the OT cannon (164 B.C.), but that leaves us with centuries of possibilities.

And unlike other books in the bible the author of Ruth does not explain his aim. That is, the reason for the writing of Ruth is lost to us as well. Scholars have offered a number of guesses, but all admit that that’s all they are.

Finally, I’m by no means a literary critic, but I read the thoughts of several and there is universal amazement at the literary excellence of Ruth. It is a remarkably well written story with symmetry and character development that are difficult to miss and easy to appreciate. If you haven’t read Ruth before, I think you’ll really enjoy it.

That really is about all we know in the way of background.

THE THEMES

With that, then, I’ll spend the rest of this sermon considering the content of Ruth. Specifically, as I mentioned earlier, I’d like to draw your attention to the three main themes of the book to help you better understand, appreciate, and apply the overall story of Ruth as we work our way through it.

First: The goodness of God’s design for his people.

Have you ever read the laws and regulations of the OT and wondered what’s going on? Have you ever wondered why in the world God would require or prohibit some of the things he does?

Leviticus 19:19 You shall not … wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.

Leviticus 19:27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.

Leviticus 19:23 When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food,

Hosea 14:9 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 upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the end of Hosea. We made it. Next week I’ll begin preaching through the book of Ruth, but this week we have one more verse to consider. The verse is actually an invitation (perhaps a command) to recall the entirety of Hosea’s prophecies and to obey them (and a warning for not doing so). For that reason, we’ll look at the message of 14:9 and then the message of Hosea. Let’s pray that God would give all of us an even greater understanding and an even greater desire to walk in it.

THE MESSAGE OF V.9

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times something other than wisdom guided me in my childhood. Among my more impressive displays of non-wisdom was a time that involved a rope swing and accidental cliff diving. The swing was at my neighbor’s house. It consisted of a rope, a block of wood for a seat, a whole drilled in the wood for the rope to go through, a knot tied on the end of the rope to hold the seat, and the whole thing tied to a tree branch 15-20′ up.

Because the seat wasn’t fastened to the rope (but only rested on the knot), I’d taken to seeing how high up on the rope I could get the seat to go. I tried quite a few different methods. I tried simply heaving the seat up as high as I could. I tried flipping the rope like I was cracking a whip. I started to make real progress when I tried standing still and spinning the rope.

At one point though, overtaken by a remarkable dose of non-wisdom, I decided to spin with the rope for maximum speed and force. The physics made sense. The block of wood soared all the way to the top of the rope. But after a few seconds I realized I was so dizzy that I was in trouble. And because the fullness of my non-wisdom had kicked in, I decided the best way to handle things was to let go of the rope and run before the wood could come all the way around and clobber me. And so I ran…right off the bank of our creek and headfirst into the rocks that served as a retaining wall. I came too in a bloody, wet stupor and was then quickly transported to the ER for stitches.

Here’s the point of my humiliating story: we need wisdom. When we have it and live by it, things go well (not necessarily easily or comfortably, but well). When we lack it and therefore live without it, things go poorly. We need to live our entire lives based on wisdom; true wisdom. Therefore, as Proverbs says over and over, finding wisdom ought to be among our highest priorities and receiving wisdom among our most desired gifts.

By God’s grace, what we have in Hosea is pure, undefiled, God-given wisdom. And the heart of Hosea’s wisdom is that there is far more to this life than we can imagine. To help you see what I mean, let’s begin by looking at the four parts of the message of Hosea 14:9.

First, the wise and discerning will understand the message of Hosea

In other words, wisdom is there to be found in Hosea for all who desire it. And the wise will go to Hosea for further understanding. ” Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them…”. The message of Hosea is a critical component of genuine wisdom. If we lack an understanding of Hosea’s message, we lack a measure of wisdom. If you want to be wise, you need to know Hosea.

Second, the message of Hosea describes the ways of the LORD.

It is absolutely necessary that you and I understand this. Hosea’s message is not Hosea’s message. It is God’s message through Hosea. Likewise, Hosea’s stories and examples aren’t ultimately about Hosea, they are God’s means of giving his wisdom to his people. Consequently,

Hosea 14:9 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 upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the end of Hosea. We made it. Next week I’ll begin preaching through the book of Ruth, but this week we have one more verse to consider. The verse is actually an invitation (perhaps a command) to recall the entirety of Hosea’s prophecies and to obey them (and a warning for not doing so). For that reason, we’ll look at the message of 14:9 and then the message of Hosea. Let’s pray that God would give all of us an even greater understanding and an even greater desire to walk in it.

THE MESSAGE OF V.9

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times something other than wisdom guided me in my childhood. Among my more impressive displays of non-wisdom was a time that involved a rope swing and accidental cliff diving. The swing was at my neighbor’s house. It consisted of a rope, a block of wood for a seat, a whole drilled in the wood for the rope to go through, a knot tied on the end of the rope to hold the seat, and the whole thing tied to a tree branch 15-20′ up.

Because the seat wasn’t fastened to the rope (but only rested on the knot), I’d taken to seeing how high up on the rope I could get the seat to go. I tried quite a few different methods. I tried simply heaving the seat up as high as I could. I tried flipping the rope like I was cracking a whip. I started to make real progress when I tried standing still and spinning the rope.

At one point though, overtaken by a remarkable dose of non-wisdom, I decided to spin with the rope for maximum speed and force. The physics made sense. The block of wood soared all the way to the top of the rope. But after a few seconds I realized I was so dizzy that I was in trouble. And because the fullness of my non-wisdom had kicked in, I decided the best way to handle things was to let go of the rope and run before the wood could come all the way around and clobber me. And so I ran…right off the bank of our creek and headfirst into the rocks that served as a retaining wall. I came too in a bloody, wet stupor and was then quickly transported to the ER for stitches.

Here’s the point of my humiliating story: we need wisdom. When we have it and live by it, things go well (not necessarily easily or comfortably, but well). When we lack it and therefore live without it, things go poorly. We need to live our entire lives based on wisdom; true wisdom. Therefore, as Proverbs says over and over, finding wisdom ought to be among our highest priorities and receiving wisdom among our most desired gifts.

By God’s grace, what we have in Hosea is pure, undefiled, God-given wisdom. And the heart of Hosea’s wisdom is that there is far more to this life than we can imagine. To help you see what I mean, let’s begin by looking at the four parts of the message of Hosea 14:9.

First, the wise and discerning will understand the message of Hosea

In other words, wisdom is there to be found in Hosea for all who desire it. And the wise will go to Hosea for further understanding. ” Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them…”. The message of Hosea is a critical component of genuine wisdom. If we lack an understanding of Hosea’s message, we lack a measure of wisdom. If you want to be wise, you need to know Hosea.

Second, the message of Hosea describes the ways of the LORD.

It is absolutely necessary that you and I understand this. Hosea’s message is not Hosea’s message. It is God’s message through Hosea. Likewise, Hosea’s stories and examples aren’t ultimately about Hosea, they are God’s means of giving his wisdom to his people.

Hosea 14:4-8 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 7 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. 8 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.

INTRODUCTION

Can you think of a time when you were promised a gift of significance; something you were really excited about? Do you remember the feeling of anticipation and excitement? We’ve all had that at some point in our lives and we’ve all experienced the joy it brings—both the anticipation and then the gift itself. What’s even more exciting is when something like our birthday comes along and we know that we’re likely to get not one, but several such gifts. That’s another level of joy, such that it’s often as fun to create it for someone as it is to receive it. Like all parents, I loved being around the birthday anticipation of our kids when they were little.

We’ve come to the final verses in Hosea and in them we find the promise of not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not ten, but fourteen amazing gifts from God; the kind of gifts that make everything else we’ve ever received—as good as they may have been—absolutely pale in comparison. There are few passages in the entire bible in which God offers more to his people.

If you were not here last week, you would do very well to go back and read or listen to that message. The reason it’s so critical is because last week we saw (in vs.1-3) the condition for receiving the promises of this week (in vs.4-8). In other words, if you don’t know the kind of repentance call for by Hosea (coming to God as he truly is, as he commands, acknowledging the sinfulness of our sin, and accepting their just consequences), you won’t know the blessings he promises. Repentance is God’s requirement for his gifts. What’s absolutely amazing, however, is that the ability to truly repent, like the ability to obey rest of God’s commands, is itself a gift of God. We saw last week that God always gives what he requires to his people!

What’s more, if you were not here for the past 11 months, you would do well to go back and read or listen to all of those messages too. The reason that is so critical is because our ability to appreciate the blessings of God offered in this morning’s passage is directly proportional to our experience of the depth of the sinfulness of our sin. The point of the first thirteen chapters of Hosea is largely to help us with that—with seeing how deep our sin really goes and how fiercely God really opposes them.

With all of that having been said, regardless of how long you’ve been with us, I’m really glad you are here today. I’m glad that you can hear in clear and awe inspiring terms that which God offers to all who would put their hope in Him through Jesus. Let’s pray that God would help us to appreciate the remarkable nature of the gifts he offers, and that we’d all actually receive them—all 14 of them, and the countless others mentioned throughout the rest of the bible—in faith.

GOD’S RESPONSE TO GENUINE REPENTANCE (1-7)

Before getting to the list itself, I want to say a quick word about God’s gifts. They are not just an offer of blessing, they are also an instruction on blessing. What I mean is this: where God offers a reward, he is also teaching us about what is truly valuable and (therefore) desirable.

It’s a lot like the food parents’ give their kids. We give them what they should want even though it rarely is what they do want. The wise child knows they need to learn to like what their parent gi...

Hosea 14:4-8 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 7 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. 8 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.

INTRODUCTION

Can you think of a time when you were promised a gift of significance; something you were really excited about? Do you remember the feeling of anticipation and excitement? We’ve all had that at some point in our lives and we’ve all experienced the joy it brings—both the anticipation and then the gift itself. What’s even more exciting is when something like our birthday comes along and we know that we’re likely to get not one, but several such gifts. That’s another level of joy, such that it’s often as fun to create it for someone as it is to receive it. Like all parents, I loved being around the birthday anticipation of our kids when they were little.

We’ve come to the final verses in Hosea and in them we find the promise of not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not ten, but fourteen amazing gifts from God; the kind of gifts that make everything else we’ve ever received—as good as they may have been—absolutely pale in comparison. There are few passages in the entire bible in which God offers more to his people.

If you were not here last week, you would do very well to go back and read or listen to that message. The reason it’s so critical is because last week we saw (in vs.1-3) the condition for receiving the promises of this week (in vs.4-8). In other words, if you don’t know the kind of repentance call for by Hosea (coming to God as he truly is, as he commands, acknowledging the sinfulness of our sin, and accepting their just consequences), you won’t know the blessings he promises. Repentance is God’s requirement for his gifts. What’s absolutely amazing, however, is that the ability to truly repent, like the ability to obey rest of God’s commands, is itself a gift of God. We saw last week that God always gives what he requires to his people!

What’s more, if you were not here for the past 11 months, you would do well to go back and read or listen to all of those messages too. The reason that is so critical is because our ability to appreciate the blessings of God offered in this morning’s passage is directly proportional to our experience of the depth of the sinfulness of our sin. The point of the first thirteen chapters of Hosea is largely to help us with that—with seeing how deep our sin really goes and how fiercely God really opposes them.

With all of that having been said, regardless of how long you’ve been with us, I’m really glad you are here today. I’m glad that you can hear in clear and awe inspiring terms that which God offers to all who would put their hope in Him through Jesus. Let’s pray that God would help us to appreciate the remarkable nature of the gifts he offers, and that we’d all actually receive them—all 14 of them, and the countless others mentioned throughout the rest of the bible—in faith.

GOD’S RESPONSE TO GENUINE REPENTANCE (1-7)

Before getting to the list itself, I want to say a quick word about God’s gifts. They are not just an offer of blessing, they are also an instruction on blessing. What I mean is this: where God offers a reward, he is also teaching us about what is truly valuable and (therefore) desirable.

It’s a lot like the food parents’ give their kids. We give them what they should want even though it rarely is what they do want. The wise child knows they need to learn to like what the...

Hosea 14:1-3 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2 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. 3 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.”

INTRODUCTION

The other night at DG a child (who shall remain anonymous) was running backwards at an impressive clip down a hallway and into a room where the men and small children were gathered. Unintentionally this child collided with their much younger sibling, knocking them to the ground. There didn’t seem to be any concern in the offending child’s face until they looked up and saw the faces of the surprised men who were trying to discern the level of injury. Upon noticing that they were being noticed, the child quickly blurted out to the fallen sibling (while looking at the men), “I’m sorry. Are you OK?”

Everyone who has or has been around kids has witnessed something similar. And let’s be honest, every one of us have participated in something similar. We’re all guilty of throwing out insincere apologies occasionally.

There’s something particularly obvious about a fake sorry, isn’t there? Somehow we can usually tell when someone doesn’t really mean it. There’s also something particularly unhelpful about fake apologies as well, right? In fact, insincere sorrys tend to make things even worse; like adding insult to injury.

On the other hand, there’s something particularly healing when someone who wrongs us genuinely feels bad about it, stops doing it, and asks for our forgiveness. I imagine we’ve all felt the unique joy of a relationship restored when a friend owned up to a wrong they’d committed.

While it’s easy to see the role that genuine repentance plays in restoring our earthly relationships, we’re left with two critical questions as we contemplate our relationship with God: 1) What exactly constitutes genuine repentance?, and 2) How does God respond to genuine repentance?

Grace, God is kind to us in including Hosea 14 in the bible, for in that chapter he answers those two questions in no uncertain terms. In fact, it seems as if answering them for the Israelites is the primary point of chapter 14. The first three verses (which we’ll look at this morning) answer the first question (what exactly constitutes genuine repentance?). Verses 4-8 (which we’ll look at next week) answer the second question (how does God respond to genuine repentance?). The final verse (v.9, which we’ll consider two weeks from now in what will likely be the final sermon in Hosea) deals with the superiority of a life lived according to the wisdom of God.

Would you pray with me, then, that God would make this passage clear to us, that as a result we might become people of genuine repentance, and that God would deal with us as he promised the Israelites he would should they genuinely repent?

TURNING TO GOD MEANS TURNING TO HIM AS HE TRULY IS (1A)

Most of the time I hear people talking about repentance (which isn’t all that often) they seem to equate it with stopping a particular sin. That is, for many people repentance is merely about turning away from something that dishonors God. It definitely is that, but Hosea 14:1-3 teaches us that genuine repentance includes both turning from something and turning to something. That is, genuine repentance means turning from sin to God. To be even more clear, Hosea helps us to see that there are two key aspects to turning from sin and two more in turning to God. There are, therefore, according to the first three verses of Hosea, four parts to genuine repentance. Let’s consider each,