More than anything, Hosea is a call for you to turn to God. It’s not a call to religion, or to trying harder at being good. You’re called to turn from sin, and turn to God.
In these last two chapters you’ll see something of why you should.
- Chapter 13 explains how God’s judgment is coming and there’s nothing other than God that can save you.
- Chapter 14 calls you to turn to God – and than to know the utter peace and joy that your soul craves.
What will you do? Reject God, or reject sin and turn to him?
These notes accompany a sermon on YouTube delivered at Bromborough Evangelical Church in October 2024. You can find more in the series in our sermon index.
You have no saviour but God (Ch 13)
The setting for Hosea is that he was preaching to northern Israel. They had abandoned true worship of God.
Instead of actually loving or knowing God, they’d turned to false worship (golden calves at Bethel and Dan). And all they had was dry religion, far from a living relationship with the living God. And yet, God loved them. He always had. He called Israel his son – with all the love and heartache that that involved when the son turned out to be so rebellious.
So judgment was coming on them, just as God had said it would in his covenant with them (Leviticus 26). The judgment on Samaria, the capital city of northern Israel, was the coming Assyrian invasion from the east. So read Hosea 13:15-16.
The language is horrible, but that was the kind of brutality that Assyria was famous for.
If you fast forward to New Testament times, Jerusalem also came under God’s judgment – that time at the hands of the Roman empire in AD 70. It was equally brutal.
Those judgments were just birth pains of the horrors to come. When Jesus returns to the earth there will be terrible judgment – very real, very painful. And: Inescapable. The point of chapter 13 is that nothing but God can save you.
False religion can’t save you
Read Hosea 13:1-3.
- Ephraim is shorthand for northern Israel.
- They had worshipped Baal instead of God.
- Even their worship of God was awful, using golden calves as images rather than approaching God in Jerusalem as commanded.
- They kissed the calves in their worship, just as people today will touch statues and icons in places of worship all over the world.
- And they’ll all disappear like smoke from a window.
- False religion can’t save you.
Self sufficiency can’t save you
Read Hosea 13:4-9.
- God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt (v4).
- He kept them and provided for them in the wilderness (v5).
- But once they’d settled in the promised land they forgot him. They were comfortable, life was good, they felt no need to give thanks, or to recognise their dependence.
- All the good that you have is by God’s grace.
- Your comforts, your health, your friends.
- It is God’s to give, and his to take away.
- And you’ll lose it all at some point.
- Self sufficiency can’t save you, because you’re not as self sufficient as you think you are.
Political rulers can’t save you
Read Hosea 13:10-13.
- Again, even kings are accountable to God.
- In the democracies of the west, the leaders reflect the values of society – that’s why they’re voted in.
- You might scoff at Donald Trump, but he was elected into office, chosen by the nation.
- You might recoil at Nigel Farage’s exclusivism, but he feeds off the fear and racism that many people have.
- Many people rejoiced to see the Tories out of government, and then immediately started complaining at Labour. Political rulers can’t save you.
- And what to make of men like Putin, Netanyahu, or other leaders engaged in wars?
- Are any of these people turning to God? Do any care about his Son, Jesus Christ?
- As Psalm 2:2-4 puts it, The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and his Anointed One… The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them.
- Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and political rulers can’t save you.
Death itself can’t save you
Read Hosea 13:14.
- “Sheol” is something like the grave, or the place of the dead. In Greek, it’s usually called Hades.
- There was an episode of Inspector Morse years ago where the bad guy drove off, crashed into a tree, and died.
- Morse, an atheist, was livid: “He got away!”
- Many will feel aggrieved that Jimmy Saville and countless others seem to have got away with their crimes, never brought to justice.
- But verse 14 puts paid to that.
- Death isn’t an escape from God’s judgment simply because you don’t end there.
- One day, he will raise everyone from the dead – everyone, good and evil.
- He has no compassion over death or Sheol (Hades); they won’t hold everyone for ever.
- You will rise to be judged by God.
- Death itself can’t save you.
What hope is there for you? Read v4 no Saviour exists besides me, and v9 you have no help but me. So turn to God!
You will be resurrected
Verse 14 is so important for you to get hold of, we’ll dig in a little to think about this resurrection.
Firstly, the fact that Jesus rose from the dead shows that such a thing is possible. It’s a game-changer for everyone.
- Read 1 Corinthians 15:19-21.
- He talks about the many witnesses to the fact at the start of the chapter. Jesus rose from the dead. The firstfruits.
Since Jesus is the firstfruits, that suggests there are more to follow. In fact, everyone ever will rise from the dead.
- Read Revelation 20:11-13
- Notice the reference to death and Hades (Sheol) – they’ll give up all their dead. Everyone will rise.
- You are going to see it; you’ll be there.
So what happens then? Most people will suffer a second death.
Even death and Hades will suffer death! Read Revelation 20:14-15.
You might take some satisfaction that Jimmy Saville and others like him didn’t “get away with it.” But more than that, you need to be ready for that day yourself. Is your name written in that book of life? Most people who ever lived – including many, many very religious people – will be bitterly disappointed on that day.
All in Christ will live
But some will enter eternal bliss with Christ. Those whose names are in the book of life.
Read Revelation 21:1-4. It’s just what Hosea promised you to in Hosea 1:10, 2:1. So read Revelation 2:11.
But how can you be a conqueror? What does it mean? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-56.
Christ, the firstfruits, is already victorious over sin and death, and everyone who has faith in Christ is united to him in life forever.
Everyone will be raised from the dead, but those who are alive in Christ will know only the bliss of rest in God, peace forever.
And that gives Christians hope today, every day: Read 1 Corinthians 15:57.
But all this ought to lead you to an urgency for the future:
Turn to God (Hosea 14)
Hosea 13:15-16 spoke of judgment to come on Israel, and we’ve seen how a far more cosmic and drastic judgment is coming to the whole world, when Jesus returns. But in the warnings, there was also a message of hope. In Hosea 13:4 God said “no Saviour exists besides me”, and in Hosea 13:9 “you have no help but me.”
There’s no refuge from God, but there is always refuge in him.
So as you go to him, what will you take? Do you think you’ll promise to try harder to be good? Maybe you’ll turn over a new leaf with your church attendance, Bible reading, or prayer? Perhaps you’ll review the money you give to the church, and up it a bit?
But remember Hosea 6:6, so much in Jesus’ mind: For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Take nothing in your hands. But take words in your mouth. Pray. Confess your sin. Acknowledge to God your idolatry. Repent.
Turn from all that and turn to God.
Read Hosea 14:1-3.
This is a word for everyone. Even Christians can start to count up their works before God, as if your service deserved something from him. Busyness isn’t an offering. It’s usually an idol. Don’t offer that.
For those who will come, the fear of terrible judgment is gone.
Freshness, stability, vigour
Instead, God promises freshness, stability, and vigour (in the words of Derek Kidner, BST series).
Hosea uses imagery from nature to emphasise the point: Read Hosea 14:4-7.
Never forget that you never need to provoke God to love. It’s his natural disposition, and his desire is to bless you.
Your sin provokes him to wrath and justice. You can be punished for your own sin for all eternity in a lake of fire if you choose. Or you can turn to the God who longs to bless you, to call you his child.
He loved you enough to come to the earth to take the punishment your sins deserve, and he now – today – offers you eternal life that begins right now.
You will no doubt experience physical death. But then you’ll rise one day, and enter incorruptible bliss in a new creation with Jesus. So ditch the idols: Read Hosea 14:8.
Come to God. Turn from sin and death, and turn to life and peace.
What will you do? Read Hosea 14:9.
Will you be wise, and turn to God? Turn to the one who is ready to love you again?
Hosea began with the prophet showing love to a wife who turned to other lovers over and over. But he loved her again. Read Hosea 14:2 again.