August 16, 2024 | Be God's Light
The Future Blessings on Israel
Scripture: Hosea 14(NIV)
1 Return, Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not mount warhorses.
We will never again say ‘Our gods’
to what our own hands have made,
for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
4 “I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 People will dwell again in his shade;
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
9 Who is wise? Let them realize these things.
Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
Devotional
This book began when Hosea married a promiscuous wife and had children given names reminiscent of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. The Israelites said, “You’re not my God.” To that the Lord replied, “You’re not my people.” The northern kingdom of Israel ignored Hosea’s metaphorical warnings and continued to prostitute themselves to false gods. For this they would be conquered by the invading Assyrians.
But exile would lead to restoration. This final chapter in the book of Hosea opens with a verse that says, “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!” Though God was disciplining them, He was also saying, “You’ll always be my people.” That’s why He says, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them” (v. 4).
Not only would Israel be blessed in the future, but it would also be a blessing to others. People in the future would enjoy the future abundance of God’s favor on them, as one relishes the fragrance of a lily, the shade of a cedar, and the fruit of the vine.
This harkened back over a thousand years earlier when God said to the patriarch Abraham,
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
Ultimately, this would be fulfilled in Jesus, the descendant of Abraham and the Son of God. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
The ripples of God’s promises through Abraham, Israel, and Jesus are still spreading today. How has God blessed you? How is He calling you to be a blessing?
Poem
Returned
A package received from the parcel post man
A package, rough handled and torn
Inside, product broken
The damage immense
Returned to the vendor
Replacement expense
A soul was thrown down by the liar satan
A soul, rough handled and torn
Inside, all was broken
The damage immense
Returned to the Father
Repair, great expense
A new life received, healed by the Son of Man
A new life, undamaged, reborn
Inside, heart created
The beauty immense
Returned to the Garden
At Mercy’s expense
