Hosea 14:1-9 PLEASE RETURN
God does not want to punish Israel. He wants her to return to Him. “Please return so you will be safe!”
Even after everything Israel has done, God STILL calls out to them to return. He calls for them to leave their sin and come back to Him. HE is the prodigal’s father, waiting by the roadside for His child to return. He waits with open arms and great restoration if they will but come.
To come though, they must leave behind what they have turned to. The prodigal’s son was not restored in the pig pen. He was not restored on his journey. He didn’t restore himself either. His restoration happened when he faced his father with a contrite heart and a repentant spirit. If he would have come back demanding to be let in, I don’t believe he would have received the same welcome.
At this point in Israel’s history, they are refusing to lay down the idols they have been serving. They are also coming to God and expecting Him to take them back. God would LOVE to take them back, but He won’t accept them as they are. They HAVE to change. They MUST leave the other in order to be welcomed home. There is no place for both.
The judgment about to be poured out on Israel is just. It is rightly earned by their own actions. These actions have brought God to this place of ‘the final straw’ and He will not back down, unless real change happens. He does not desire to discipline Israel. But, to save them, it is necessary.
God KNEW what the choice would be before He made this final plea. But He STILL made it. He knew the lives that would be lost and the cost, on both sides. But He loved Israel enough to do the hard things.
A child who never receives discipline and is allowed to break ALL the rules is a disgrace to both the parents and himself/herself. Shame and destruction follow in the path of such a child. This results in a spoiled, self-centered, and uncaring child. Israel was to that stage.
I wonder what would have happened if God’s discipline was unmistakable in the ‘early years’ instead of waiting so long. I know that starting early and being consistent is key for children. NO WAY can you wait until your child is a teenager before setting down rules or enforcing discipline. It’s too late by then. At that point a FIRM hand is the only thing that may save them. And that’s exactly what God was going to do with Israel.
Father God, THANK YOU for my parents who didn’t wait until it was too late for me. THANK YOU for not waiting too late to discipline me too. It is NEVER easy receiving discipline, but it IS necessary. Keep working on my heart Father. Help me to be the woman YOU intended from the beginning. I KNOW Your discipline is ALWAYS for my benefit. Help me to always listen and learn. Not for a moment but for a lifetime! THANK YOU for ALWAYS having Your arms open wide to receive me whenever I do come home.
