Hosea 14:2

Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. TAKE WITH YOU WORDS - instead of sacrifices-namely, the words of penitence here put in your mouths by God. "Words" in Hebrew [ dªbaariym (H1697)] mean realities, there being the same term for words and things; so God implies, He will not accept empty professions (Psalms 78:36, "Nevertheless, they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues;" Isaiah 29:13). He does not ask costly sacrifices, but words of heartfelt penitence. RECEIVE US GRACIOUSLY - literally, (for) good ...

He afterwards shows the way of repentance: and this passage deserves to be noticed; for we know that men bring forward mere trifles when they speak of repentance. Hence when the word, repentance, is mentioned, men imagine that God is to be pacified with this or that ceremony, as we see to be the case with those under the Papacy. And what is their repentance? Even this, — if on certain days they fast, if they mutter short prayers, if they undertake vowed pilgrimages, if they buy masses, — if with these trifles they weary themselves, they think that the right and the required repentance is brought before God: but all this is altogether absurd. As then the world understands not what repentance means, and to what it leads, the Prophet here sets forth true repentance by its fruits. He therefore says, _Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah; and say to him, Take away all iniquity and bring g...

1-3 Israel is exhorted to return unto Jehovah, from their sins and idols, by faith in his mercy, and grace through the promised Redeemer, and by diligently attending on his worship and service. Take away iniquity; lift it off as a burden we are ready to sink under, or as the stumbling-block we have often fallen over. Take it all away by a free and full forgiveness, for we cannot strike any of it off. Receive our prayer graciously. They do not say what good they seek, but refer it to God. It is not good of the world's showing, but good of God's giving. They were to consider their sins, their wants, and the remedy; and they were to take, not sacrifices, but words stating the desires of their hearts, and with them to address the Lord. The whole forms a clear description of the nature and tendency of a sinner's conversion to God through Jesus Christ. As we draw near to God by the prayer of...

Verse Hosea 14:2. _TAKE WITH YOU WORDS_] And you may be assured that you pray aright, when you use the words which God himself has put in your mouths. On this very ground there is a potency in the LORD'S PRAYER, when offered up believingly, beyond what can be found in any human composition. And it may be presumed that it was this consideration that induced our _reformers_ to introduce it so _frequently_ in the public liturgy. See the order of God's directions here: - 1. Hearing these merciful invitations, believe them to be _true_. 2. Cast aside your idols; and return to God as your Maker, King, and Saviour. 3. _Take with you_ the _words_ by which you have been encouraged, and plead them before God. 4. Remember your iniquity, deeply deplore it, and beg of God to take it all away

TAKE WITH YOU WORDS - He bills them not bring costly offerings, that they might regain His favor; not whole burnt-offerings of bullocks, goats or rams; with which, and with which alone, they had before gone to seek Him (see the note above at Hosea 5:6); not the silver and gold which they had lavished on their idols; but what seems the cheapest of all, which any may have, without cost to their substance; “words;” worthless, as mere words; precious when from the heart; words of confession and prayer, blending humility, repentance, confession, entreaty and praise of God. God seems to assign to them a form, with which they should approach Him. But with these words, they were also to turn inwardly “and turn unto the Lord,” with your whole heart, and not your lips alone. “After ye shall be converted, confess before Him.” Take away all i

EXPOSITION HOSEA 14:1 The foregoing part of this book abounds with denunciations of punishment; this closing chapter superabounds with promises of pardon. Wave after wave of threatened wrath had rolled over Israel and come in unto their soul; now offer after offer of grace is made to them. O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God. The invitation to return implies previous departure, or distance, or wandering from God. The return to which they are invited is expressed, not by אֶל, to or towards, but by ער, quite up to, or as far as right home; the penitent, therefore, is not merely to turn his mind or his face toward God, but to turn his face and his feet home to God; he is not to go half the way and then turn aside, or part of the way and then turn back, but the whole way; in other words, his repentance is to be complete and entire, wanting nothing, according

TAKE WITH YOU WORDS, AND TURN TO THE LORD,.... Not mere words without the heart, but such as come from it, and express the true sense of it; words of confession, as the Targum; by which sin is acknowledged, and repentance declared, and forgiveness asked. Kimchi's note is a very good one; "he (that is, God) does not require of you, upon return, neither gold nor silver, nor burnt offerings, but good works; therewith confessing your sins with your whole hearts, and not with your lips only;'' and which best agrees with evangelical repentance and Gospel times, in which ceremonial sacrifices are no more; and not any words neither; not tautologies and multiplicity of words, or words of man's prescribing, but of the Lord's directing to and dictating; the taught words of the Holy Ghost, which he suggests and helps men to, who otherwise know not how to pray, or what to pray for; and these expres...

According to the heading of this chapter, we have here «an exhortation to repentance,» and «a promise of God's blessing.» Hosea 14:1. _O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity._ Fallen into sorrow, fallen into shame, fallen into spiritual poverty, fallen into weakness of faith, fallen almost to destruction, though thou art Israel, and God loves thee, yet «thou hast fallen by thine iniquity;» and the only possible way in which thou canst obtain restoration, is to «return unto the Lord thy God.» Seek once again thy Father's face; cry, with the prodigal «I will arise, and go to my Father.» «O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God.» Thou mayest do so, for he bids thee come back to him. Thou should do so, for it was ill of thee to wander from him; so end thy wandering, and return unto him. «Return unto the Lord thy God.» He is «thy God» stil

CHAPTER 14 The Return and the Glorious Redemption _ 1. The exhortation to return (Hosea 14:1) _ 2. The glorious redemption (Hosea 14:4) Hosea 14:1. This chapter is a wonderful finale to the messages of Hosea. What tender entreaties! What gracious assurance! What glorious promises of a future redemption! it is Jehovah beseeching His people, those who had forsaken Him, outraged His character of holiness and who had despised Him. First is the call to return. God's hands are tied as long as His people stay away from Him and do not return to Him in true repentance. No true salvation and deliverance for His people is possible without a true heart return unto Him. It is this for which He looks and waits....

HOSEA 14:1 (Heb. Hosea 14:2). ISRAEL'S REPENTANCE AND YAHWEH'S FORGIVENESS. The section begins with a passionate appeal to Israel to repent and confess his sin (Hosea 14:1 f.). A promise of amendment (spoken by Israel) follows he will no longer put his trust in foreign alliances and idols (Hosea 14:3). Yahweh now assures Israel of forgiveness; His anger is turned away, and the regenerated people shall blossom as the lily (Hosea 14:4). Ephraim repeats his renunciation of idols, and Yahweh answers graciously, the dialogue being continued ...