1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
2 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.
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 lily
and 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 do
anymore 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 them
but the rebellious stumble in them.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Today 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 AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assistant Minister.

9 You are destroyed, O Israel,
because you are against Me—
against your helper.

10 Where is your king now
to save you in all your cities,
and the rulers to whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 So in My anger I gave you a king,
and in My wrath I took him away.

12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
his sin is stored up.
13 Labor pains come upon him,
but he is an unwise son.
When the time arrives,
he fails to present himself at the opening of the womb.

14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol;
I will redeem them from Death.
Where, O Death, are your plagues?
Where, O Sheol, is your sting?

Compassion is hidden from My eyes.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

If anyone wants evidence that God judges sin, we need to look no further than death. Many of us try to ignore it and just not think about death – and with our amazing health care and endless safety measures, many people manage to delay death until old age. But as Hosea says, our sins are stored up before God (v 12) – or as the NIV puts it, our sins are “kept on record.” That means sinful people must bear their guilt (v 16).

Verse 14 briefly holds out the hope that God might rescue people from the grave. But – at least in Hosea’s time – that glimmer of hope is crushed when God declares that he will not have compassion.

Thankfully, that glimmer of hope bursts to life again in the New Testament, because God has always had an answer: Christ Jesus. Death is not the end for those of us who trust in Christ, because he died on the cross and rose to defeat death. That’s why in 1 Corinthians 15:55 the apostle Paul quotes Hosea, without anything to crush that hope again:

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Hosea forces us to face the horror of our sin and the punishment we deserve, but in doing that it shows us even more clearly how beautiful it is to know Christ Jesus and the victory over death that he has given us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assistant Minister.

1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel.
But he incurred guilt through Baal,
and he died.

2 Now they sin more and more
and make for themselves cast images,
idols skillfully made from their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
People say of them,
“They offer human sacrifice
and kiss the calves!”
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that vanishes,
like chaff blown from a threshing floor,
like smoke through an open window.

4 Yet I am the LORD your God
ever since the land of Egypt;
you know no God but Me,
for there is no Savior besides Me.
5 I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought.
6 When they had pasture,
they became satisfied;
when they were satisfied,
their hearts became proud,
and as a result they forgot Me.
7 So like a lion I will pounce on them;
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them,
and I will tear open their chests.
There I will devour them like a lion,
like a wild beast would tear them apart.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Verse 6 of today’s passage reminds me of Western society over the last century. God says: “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.”

The Western world has, in general, been the best fed in history as God has blessed us with great riches. For most of us, our problem is too much food, not too little! But God has also blessed our society with the riches of the gospel message. We have churches in almost every suburb, and Christian principles are engrained in our laws.

Yet where are we now? Our society has become proud and forgotten the Lord God.

And what will be the future? We know that God will not allow rebellion to go on forever, Christ will return as judge.

It should grieve us that a society that has so clearly benefited from God’s plan of salvation in Christ Jesus should turn its back on him. But that is very similar to what is described in Hosea 13. God rescued the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt, only for them to turn their backs on him.

Our prayer should be that many will hear the warning God has given us before it’s too late. But we also pray with confidence, because we know that Christ Jesus died for rebellious people, so those who do come to him will escape that judgement and have life forever with him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assistant Minister.

1 Ephraim chases the wind
and pursues the east wind all day long;
he multiplies lies and violence;
he makes a covenant with Assyria
and sends olive oil to Egypt.

2 The LORD also brings a charge against Judah.
He will punish Jacob according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel,
and in his vigor he wrestled with God.
4 Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought His favor;
he found Him at Bethel
and spoke with Him there —
5 the LORD is the God of Hosts—
the LORD is His name of renown.
6 But you must return to your God,
maintaining love and justice,
and always waiting on your God.

7 A merchant loves to defraud
with dishonest scales in his hands.
8 And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become!
I have found wealth for myself.
In all my labors, they can find in me
no iniquity that is sinful.”

9 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 feast.
10 I spoke through the prophets
and multiplied their visions;
I gave parables through the prophets.
11 Is there iniquity in Gilead?
They will surely come to nothing.
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?
Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones
in the furrows of the field.

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram
and Israel worked for a wife—
for a wife he tended sheep.
13 But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt,
and by a prophet he was preserved.

14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him
and repay him for his contempt.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Today’s passage reminds me of the saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” It’s saying that children are often like their parents. In this case, Israel is like their great, great, and a few more, grandfather Jacob whom God renamed Israel.

Jacob was not a nice guy. He was deceitful and scheming right from birth, only interested in looking after himself. But God came and humbled Jacob. He sent an angel to wrestle with him, and Jacob learned his lesson and was a changed man.

In Hosea 12, God is looking at Israel and seeing them act like their ancestor Jacob. They are scheming to make themselves rich, but God is promising to come and humble them too. The question is, will they learn their lesson, or will they continue in their rebellion?

As I reflect on their rebellion, I can’t help but think about the society we live in today, which is consumed by a desire to be rich. People proudly live in full, open rebellion against God. The next time God comes in judgement will be when Christ Jesus returns, and then it will be too late. We need to pray that God will humble them before that day comes. We have the wonderful promise of the gospel! Pray now that God’s Spirit would bring many more to new life in Christ as we share the hope we have in him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assistant Minister.

8 How could I give you up, O Ephraim?
How could I surrender you, O Israel?
How could I make you like Admah?
How could I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart is turned within Me;
My compassion is stirred!
9 I will not execute the full fury of My anger;
I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim.
For I am God and not man—
the Holy One among you—
and I will not come in wrath.
10 They will walk after the LORD;
He will roar like a lion.
When He roars,
His children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
and like doves from the land of Assyria.
Then I will settle them in their homes,
declares the LORD.

12 Ephraim surrounds Me with lies,
the house of Israel with deceit;
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Though Israel deserves to face God’s fierce anger, though they deserve total destruction, God will not do it. Why? Because of his compassion. Any human ruler would not show such compassion. But God’s compassion is far greater than human compassion. Yes, he will discipline his people but then he will transform them. At last, they will follow him. He will roar like a lion, that is, he will speak his powerful word and call his people out of slavery. They will come trembling, trembling in awe before his greatness, trembling at his word. He will settle them in their homes.

Ultimately, this is a picture of what God has done for his people through his Son – and we Gentiles are included. We deserved destruction, but God’s compassion for us in Christ is beyond our understanding. He roars the gospel message to the world, and we come trembling before him and his word. He brings us out of slavery to sin and causes us to follow him. He gives us an eternal home in the New Jerusalem. Praise God for his compassion on sinners like us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son.
2 But the more I called Israel,
the farther they departed from Me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and burned incense to carved images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them in My arms,
but they never realized
that it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of kindness,
with ropes of love;
I lifted the yoke from their necks
and bent down to feed them.
5 Will they not return to the land of Egypt
and be ruled by Assyria
because they refused to repent?
6 A sword will flash through their cities;
it will destroy the bars of their gates
and consume them in their own plans.
7 My people are bent on turning from Me.
Though they call to the Most High,
He will by no means exalt them.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

This passage is about the tragedy of Israel. God loved them as a father loves his only son. He chose them to belong to him. He called them out of slavery in Egypt. But the tragedy was that, from then on, the more he called them, the more they went away from him (v2). The more he sent them saviours and prophets, the more they turned away from him and worshiped other gods. This will inevitably lead to further tragedy, Hosea says. God will punish them. Israel will return to Egypt (v5) – that is, they will return to slavery, this time under the Assyrians.

But this passage also contains the solution to this tragedy. According to chapter 2 of Matthew’s gospel, God has sent a new Israel into the world, his eternal Son. He too was forced to take refuge in Egypt – because of King Herod’s murderous intent. But God also called him out of Egypt back to the land of Israel. But unlike the old Israel, this new Israel would always obey God’s call, even to death on a cross. And so he would win an eternal salvation for all who trust in him. How blessed we are to live in the days of this new Israel, Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel,
and there you have remained.
Did not the battle in Gibeah
overtake the sons of iniquity?
10 I will chasten them when I please;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bondage
for their double transgression.

11 Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh;
but I will place a yoke on her fair neck.
I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow,
and Jacob will break the hard ground.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness
and reap the fruit of loving devotion;
break up your unplowed ground.
For it is time to seek the LORD
until He comes and sends righteousness
upon you like rain.

13 You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
and in the multitude of your mighty men,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be demolished
as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel
in the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to pieces
along with their children.
15 Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel,
because of your great wickedness.
When the day dawns,
the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Israel have sinned greatly. God warns that terrible judgement is coming. But God longs for his people to repent. He longs for them to turn back to him and walk in his ways so that he can forgive and spare them his punishment. In v12 he calls them back to the right path. ‘Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love’. As a farmer sows seeds, God’s people are to do righteous deeds, that is, live his way. Then they will reap the reward of experiencing God’s unfailing love as he blesses their lives.

But this will not be easy. It will be like a heifer breaking up unplowed ground. They need to make every effort to seek God. And it’s urgent. Now is the time to seek the Lord, says Hosea, otherwise judgement will come soon. And they need to persist in seeking the Lord until he comes and showers his righteousness on them.

Here is a wonderful statement of God’s saving grace that is as true for us today as it was then. As we turn away from our sin and seek God, he promises to shower his righteousness on us. As Romans 3 says: ‘But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (Romans 3:21-22). As we put our trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, God declares us to be perfectly righteous in his sight. What a gift! Hallelujah!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

1 Israel was a luxuriant vine,
yielding fruit for himself.
The more his fruit increased,
the more he increased the altars.
The better his land produced,
the better he made the sacred pillars.
2 Their hearts are devious;
now they must bear their guilt.
The LORD will break down their altars
and demolish their sacred pillars.

3 Surely now they will say,
“We have no king,
for we do not revere the LORD.
What can a king do for us?”
4 They speak mere words;
with false oaths they make covenants.
So judgment springs up
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

5 The people of Samaria will fear
for the calf of Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn
with its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced in its glory—
for it has been taken from them into exile.6 Yes, it will be carried to Assyria
as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim will be seized with shame;
Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.
7 Samaria will be carried off with her king
like a twig on the surface of the water.
8 The high places of Aven will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

The sentence that jumps out at me in this passage is the final one: “Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’” This describes the desperate attempt of unforgiven sinners to hide from the judgement of God. But they will not be able to. It’s even more sobering when you consider that the sins of Israel described in this passage are ordinary sins, common in our society today. For example, in v1, ‘As his fruit increased, he built more altars’: Israel became prosperous, but instead of thanking God for it and serving him gladly they served other gods. In v4 they break contracts and take each other to court. Sound familiar?

Revelation chapter 6 picks up this sentence and applies it to the final judgement.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Revelation 6:15-17)

When that day comes unforgiven sinners will not be able to hide from God’s judgement. Let’s praise God for the Lamb’s forgiveness and pray for opportunities to warn unbelievers of the judgement to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness.
I saw your fathers as the firstfruits
of the fig tree in its first season.
But they went to Baal-peor,
and consecrated themselves to Shame;
so they became as detestable
as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird,
with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
12 Even if they raise their children,
I will bereave them of each one.
Yes, woe be to them
when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,
planted in a meadow.
But Ephraim will bring out
his children for slaughter.
14 Give them, O LORD—
what will You give?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that dry up!

15 All their evil appears at Gilgal,
for there I hated them.
I will drive them from My house
for the wickedness of their deeds.
I will no longer love them;
all their leaders are rebellious.
16 Ephraim is struck down;
their root is withered;
they cannot bear fruit.
Even if they bear children,
I will slay the darlings of their wombs.
17 My God will reject them
because they have not obeyed Him;
and they shall be wanderers
among the nations.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Andy Rowlands

In this passage, Israel is presented as a grapevine, as those who are to bear fruit for God. I find this such a humbling passage, because it’s not for their fruit that they were chosen: wild grapes don't bear good fruit. It’s a striking image that shows us the nature of Israel’s (and our) relationship with God. Just as God found Israel, He is the one who found me and made himself known to me! And not only to me, but also to his church.

And yet, sin is so terrible as to take Israel away from the God who loved them. It is so terrible that the destruction of the people God loves is better than their continued sinning. Their children are being taken away so that they cannot sacrifice them, and they are being driven away from the places that lead them to sin.

That’s confronting for me. I cannot pretend that I do not sin, and the consequences are so serious! When I consider all the evil of my life, I am so thankful that God will not curse me for my detestable sins, nor reject me because of my disobedience. Instead, he will see my Lord, Jesus, who at the cross became accursed for me, bearing the punishment for my sins, so that I do not have to. And so now I rejoice, as one God has chosen and even justified at the cross.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy is one of our Student Ministers.

1 Do not rejoice, O Israel,
with exultation like the nations,
for you have played the harlot against your God;
you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.
2 The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them,
and the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not remain
in the land of the LORD;
Ephraim will return to Egypt
and eat unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD,
and their sacrifices will not please Him,
but will be to them like the bread of mourners;
all who eat will be defiled.
For their bread will be for themselves;
it will not enter the house of the LORD.
5 What will you do on the appointed day,
on the day of the LORD’s feast?
6 For even if they flee destruction,
Egypt will gather them
and Memphis will bury them.
Their precious silver will be taken over by thistles,
and thorns will overrun their tents.

7 The days of punishment have come;
the days of retribution have arrived—
let Israel know it.
The prophet is called a fool,
and the inspired man insane,
because of the greatness
of your iniquity and hostility.
8 The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman,
along with my God,
yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths.
Hostility is in the house of his God!
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gibeah;
He will remember their guilt;
He will punish their sins.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

In our passage today, it seems that Israel is having a party. People rejoicing, new wine, fresh grain – all these ideas sound like a great feast day to the Lord. But in the midst of this great party, Hosea speaks a sombre warning – Don’t rejoice. The days of punishment have come.

You see, even though everything seemed great at this moment, Israel’s greatest problem still remained – their spiritual adultery (v1). They had been unfaithful to God. And God’s judgment was coming against them as a result. Hosea warns Israel of a great reversal of their situation – their abundant crops will not feed them; their silver will be taken; they will not be able to celebrate the LORD’s feasts; and they will be cast out of God’s land. They might be partying now, but soon their worlds will be turned upside down.

It's not easy to warn people about God’s judgment – especially when everything seems good. For a lot of my friends, life is a bit of a party – they have good jobs, good houses, and good holidays. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good. But they have a big problem too – they have been unfaithful to the God who made them. And I know that a day of judgment is coming for them too (2 Peter 3:8-10). Jesus has rescued me from that judgment – praise God! – but my non-Christian friends are still facing that judgment, even though they don’t know it. I’m not a prophet like Hosea, but as an ambassador of Christ, I still want to try and warn my friends, and implore them to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20). Why don’t you pray today that we would have the courage to warn others about God’s judgment, and share the amazing news of Jesus with them?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.