November 18, 2022 – Friday
Blessings of Repentance
Hosea 14:4-8 NET
4“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger will turn away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily, he will send down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon.
6 His young shoots will grow; his splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 People will reside again in his shade; they will plant and harvest grain in abundance. They will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do with idols anymore! I will answer him and care for him. I am like a luxuriant cypress tree; your fruitfulness comes from me!”
Hosea 14:4-8 ESV
4 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
Comment
Read both versions above (you may find both side by side here as well) for clarity and you will see the wonder of God’s grace and blessing following Israel’s repentance.
The incredible promises here are very reminiscent of the promises made in Psalm 1, especially verse three, for one who avoids behavior God disapproves of. 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. 4Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Sadly, we do not obtain these same promises today when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Instead, we have the sure promise of salvation and the ability to turn our lives around to live a life that God will approve of. Nonetheless, we have gifts the people of Israel did not receive. Many of those gifts will come and go, but (1 Corinthians 13:13) faith, hope and love will remain, But the greatest of these is love. Paul made this even more clear when he wrote in Galatians 5:6b The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. And it is our faith that makes this possible.
Bottom Line: Repentance and coming to the Lord brings salvation and then gifts beyond that. So let us repent or return to the Lord and be thankful for His blessings of salvation and more.
Prayer: Almighty God, Thank You for the gift of Salvation through Your Son and all the spiritual gifts as well, especially the gift of Love. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek