14
Israel, return to the Lord your God. Your sins have destroyed you!
2 Tell the Lord you are turning away from your sins.
Return to him.
Say to him,
‘Forgive us for all our sins.
Please be kind to us.
Welcome us back to you.
Then our lips will offer you our praise.
3 Assyria can't save us.
We won't trust in our war horses.
Our own hands have made statues of gods.
But we will never call them our gods again.
We are like children whose fathers have died.
But you show us your tender love.’
4 Then the Lord will answer,
‘My people always wander away from me.
But I will put an end to that.
My anger has turned away from them.
Now I will love them freely.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel.
They will bloom like a lily.
They will send their roots down deep
like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
6 They will spread out like new branches.
They will be as beautiful as an olive tree.
They will smell as sweet as the cedar trees in Lebanon.
7 Once again my people will live
in the safety of my shade.
They will grow like corn.
They will bloom like vines.
And Israel will be as famous
as wine from Lebanon.
8 Ephraim will have nothing more to do with other gods.
I will answer the prayers of my people.
I will take good care of them.
I will be like a healthy juniper tree to them.
All the fruit they bear will come from me.’
9 If someone is wise, they will realise
that what I've said is true.
If they have understanding,
they will know what it means.
The ways of the Lord are right.
People who are right with God live the way he wants them to.
But those who refuse to obey him trip and fall.
4:1–14:9 The people and leaders of the northern kingdom hadn't loved God. They hadn't shown faithfulness to him. The way that God explained this was like bringing charges against them in court. God accused them of not being faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. The people and leaders of the northern kingdom didn't honour God as God. They stole and told lies. They committed murder and adultery. These things went against the Ten Commandments. The ways that God's people acted brought harm to the land and animals around them. This showed that they weren't being rulers of God's creation like they should be. They burnt incense to false gods on high places. They killed human beings and sacrificed them to false gods. This showed that God's people didn't recognise who God is. They didn't recognise how he wanted to be worshipped. The priests didn't lead the people in following the Law of Moses. Many prophets didn't speak the truth to the people. God's people made fun of prophets who did speak the truth. The kings and princes didn't follow God's rules for kings recorded in Deuteronomy 17:14–20. They depended on the strength of their large armies and the armies of other nations. They trusted nations like Egypt and Assyria to save them when they were attacked. They didn't cry out to God when they needed help. Because of all of these things, God had made a decision. He would no longer keep the covenant curses from coming upon them. He would allow the northern kingdom to be destroyed by the armies of Assyria. The people and leaders of the northern kingdom would suffer terribly. Many would be killed and many would be forced to leave their land. They would be forced to live in Assyria and other nations. This was the exile of the northern kingdom. God was very sad about this decision. He didn't want it to happen. He wanted to bless and heal his people and give them success. But he could only do that if they changed their ways and did what was right and fair. He could do it if they recognised that he is God. He could do it if they asked him to forgive them. That was why God sent them messages through Hosea. God understood that his people refused to turn back to him. They refused to repent of their sin with their whole heart. But God's heart was full of kindness, pity and mercy towards them. He described himself as Israel's father. God was gentle and tender towards his son. He didn't want his son to be destroyed. God promised something for after the time of judgement. He promised to bring his people back from exile. Then they would follow God faithfully and he would love them freely.