“In You the Fatherless Finds Mercy” (Hos 14)

“O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have fallen because of your iniquity; take words with you, and return to the Lord. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity; receive us favorably, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods.' For in You the fatherless finds mercy”.(vs1-3)

Our help is in God the Savior of sinners (vs1-3). He says, “For in You the fatherless finds mercy”. We have failed and brought misery, even God's curse upon ourselves, sinning in Adam, and then sinning in our own daily rebellion. Yet, our hope for the mess we've made is not to clean it ourselves or to ignore the warnings; it is to come to God as we are, sinful and unworthy... unable to help ourselves or change... and to receive grace from God who delights to save. We'd think, “Stay away”, but God's grace is FOR people in our pitiful condition. Therefore, hope in God, not yourself, your changes, or your improvements; hope in God to be GRACIOUS for Christ's sake, to remove all iniquity by His blood and to subdue it by His Spirit. Hope in what God WILL do for you, rather than anyone else.

As we preach, pray, and practice, we hope in God to save others, also. Don't trust your talent or fine-tuning of debates; trust the Spirit to take the gospel and apply the message to all the Father gave to Christ. Trust Him to save the elect by the simple means that He's appointed.

The Lord will prosper us (vs4-7). He says, “I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall grow like the lily, and lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; his beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon.” Don't worry saying, “If I don't do it myself, then who will?” The Lord will. He will bring fruit, give grace, and make the changes that are needed. His way WILL work. You will never trust Him in vain. It may take time as roots go downward before fruit comes upward, but the blessing is sure to come by faith. Isaiah 37:31-32 says, “And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward... The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this”. We don't have a “word only” gospel, but we have actual power from God to produce life. What we could never do, which is bring others to Christ, God will assuredly do as we ourselves come to Him, as we're revived, and He makes us fruit bearing and lively. He says, “Those who dwell under [the believer's] shadow shall return; they shall be revived like grain, and grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon”. Bless God. Results are guaranteed!

The source of fruit is God Himself, and His people confess it and walk in the knowledge of praise to God (vs8-9). He says, “Ephraim shall say, 'What have I to do anymore with idols?' I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; your fruit is found in me”. God is the Source of every blessing, and He is the Object of our praise, as we acknowledge, “Not unto us, Oh Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth” (Ps 115:1). We are saved because God saved us, and we confess it such. We love because He gave us love, and we admit that He's given it indeed. We are not blind to His mercies, but we confess them to the Lord as gifts from His loving hands. He is why we praise Him; He is the reason that we can say, “Your fruit is found in me”.

Bless the Lord's name and give Him credit for what is in you, rather than trusting in yourself and having it taken away. Scripture continues, “Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them”. Confess the GRACE of God and enjoy His presence and favor, rather than believing your own greatness and losing peace.

"I Will Love Them Freely" S Lewis Johnson

 Charles Haddon Spurgeon whom I often quote has a sentence with which he begins one of his studies on the 14^th chapter of Hosea that I’d like to use as a kind of theme text.  Mr. Spurgeon says, “This sentence, I will love them freely, is a body of divinity in miniature.  He who understands its meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fullness is a true master in divinity.”  Now, after over 35 years of teaching in theological institutions, that text that Mr. Spurgeon has begun his study with, I can say is true to the facts of theological life.  This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature, and in fact, if you could come to an understanding of it, if you’re not already in understanding of it, you would have a body of theology in miniature.  If you would understand its meaning, you would be a theologian.  And if you could dive into its fullness, you would be worthy of a master of theology degree.

            The reason I say that is for 35 years I have taught literally hundreds of theological students, and have had them in my classroom for many hours, and many of them have left the institutions with degrees in theology who do not understand, “I will love them freely.”  How sad, but how true.  I have students today in the institution in which I teach, who will finish three years of study and be given a master of divinity degree, who are confused about “I will love them freely.”  And there are some who attend schools and attend for four or five or six years and get other degrees, and still do not understand, I will love them freely.  It is a body of divinity in miniature, and if you understand it, you are a theologian, and if you can really understand all of the implications of it, you should have master of theology degree.

            Now some of you may be sitting in this audience smugly and saying, Isn’t it nice to have that knowledge, because we’re in Believers Chapel?  Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in Ashkelon, lest the uncircumcised Philistines from other churches in the vicinity and elsewhere hear, but the vast majority of people who attend Believers Chapel do not have a sound knowledge of that simple sentence, “I will love them freely.”  I confess that very sadly.  It’s often been the subject of prayers on my part.

            But in the final analysis, truth is understood by divine illumination.  And we expound the truth, we seek to make it plain and clear, but there is a limit beyond with a man cannot go.  So, if by God’s grace you come to understand, “I will love them freely,” then you’re a theologian, proper theologian.

            And furthermore, Mr. Spurgeon could have added this.  If you come to understand this, your life will be transformed.  Cannot help but be.  So may God lead us into the truth of that simple line, “I will love them freely.”

From sermon, "God's Free Love"

http://www.sljinstitute.net/sermons/old_testament/the_prophets/pages/hosea16.html

Ransomed from the Power of the Grave (Hos 13:1-14)

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O grace, I will be your destruction! Repentance is hidden from My eyes” (vs14).

Doing God's will from the heart is best for us (vs1-3). When he spoke with trembling, Ephraim, like Paul the apostle, was exalted. Paul said, “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor 2:3-4). But, when he got self-confident and strayed from grace, Ephraim died, lost his power, and became subject to defeat. It is the same with us: the same God who blesses our obedience also reproves our wickedness. He honors faith, and He reproves unbelief, giving us thorns (Gal 6:7-8). It is wrong to think that behavior cannot change or doesn't matter. The way that you feared God in the beginning, and He blessed you, is the way that you must return to now.

Tremble at His word, say what He says, and walk in the Spirit as commanded. He says, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another”. When we do it our way, the Lord will depart. He won't be second fiddle or the follower of our schemes. He'll bless all who fear Him, and He'll fight against those who don't (2 Chron 15:1-2).

Secondly, because of ease and victory, we forget God, so we have troubles to remind us of Him (vs4-9). He says, “I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. When they had pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they forgot Me.” It is wise to be thankful and walk humbly, but we think our success is because of us - that we're special and cannot be chastened. We think rules apply to others, but they don't apply to us. Therefore, we stop fearing God, and the result is that we give our glory to an idol, and God removes the very power whereby we succeeded. He says, “So I will be to them like a lion; like a leopard by the road I will lurk; I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, and there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them.” He tells us NOT to grieve the Holy Spirit, for when He is grieved, who is your Comforter, who gives you peace, and who overcomes your sin? He says, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them” (Is 63:9-10; Eph 4:30). We don't know how WEAK we are until we've offended the Spirit and must battle sin and Satan with little tangible help from God. When the Spirit allows unbelief and hypocrisy to mount, when fearing man replaces fearing God, and when human praise and ease of life is more important than Christ's Church and purpose, then the Lord's turned against us because we've FORGOTTEN Him. Guard your heart from self-sufficiency, and you'll protect yourself from falling. He saved you, not because you're great, but because He is, and this makes us willingly love.

Lastly, our salvation is guaranteed because God is the Redeemer; it is not because we're doing right, but when we are wrong, we're saved and pulled to safety because of who He is (vs12-14). He says, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Repentance is hidden from My eyes”. He doesn't wait on us to change, but He gives the change (Acts 5:31-32). He saves by pulling us from the pit, teaching us what we'd never learn ourselves, and by giving us the GRACE necessary to recover. This is the goodness, pity, and love of God because He's merciful, and like a man who can't count on his neighbor, He goes and does it all Himself. Isaiah 59:15-16, says, “So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him”.

Salvation doesn't frustrate God, as if He woos, teaches, and nothing happens. Yes, many perish in their sin, but it is no failure or evidence of His inability; it is His purpose to make His wrath known. Scripture says, “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory” (Rom 9:22-23). We're born God's enemies, but when chosen, loved in the covenant, and promised eternal life, we will come to Christ. We're drawn by the God who handles everything Himself. He says, “All the Father gives Me will come to me”, and, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the Last Day” (John 6:37-39). I'd love an all expenses paid vacation, where everything is provided; but I have an all-expenses paid salvation, where even my will power and repentance are included as things that God will do, so that I don't get destruction.

He had a purpose in our pain, and it was to reveal Himself the Savior of sinners who've really sinned and brought misery on ourselves, misery, that in itself, couldn't change us. No man is saved by what God does to Him, until God does the whole thing in Christ and brings you all the way home: there is not one inch of man, so it is sure to all who believe! Romans 4 says, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure... [for God] gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (vs16-22).

“Wait On Your God Continually” (Hos 12:2-6)

He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us–– That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is his memorial. So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually.

Wait on the Lord until He saves you. Don't go in self-strength, deceiving yourself in the abundance of trickery and illusion, but get REAL power from the Lord and REAL salvation.

He freely gives it, He willingly gives it, and He shall meet your needs thereby alone. This is the only way that we serve God, by faith.

First, He willingly and freely gives salvation (vs3-4). He uses Jacob as an illustration of finding God, saying, “He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he prevailed with the Angel and overcame; he wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us”. He doesn't ask us to deserve, but He gives from the goodness of His love, from His own heart, cheerfully, and without upbraiding or rejection. He says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). We're to wait on a gracious God.

I've been thinking about preaching and my church where I pastor, what gifts I have or don't have, etc. But, I find great peace in surrendering to Christ, in saying, “You will bless the word in the power of Your Spirit, or I won't preach”. There is no need to fake it, and you can't please God in unbelief. Let us REALLY believe the grace of God, and if it is free to sinners, then let us GET grace, so that we can live godly and please Him. You and I are to wait on the Lord for this.

Secondly, waiting on the Lord involves patience. Saul was supposed to wait on Samuel the priest, but he did it his own way, in his own time, and it didn't please God. He said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed... then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord'. Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering'. And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you (1 Sam 13:11-14).” Wait on pardon, rather than walking without it, serving God in the flesh displeasingly. Wait on the joy of the Lord and power, rather than pretending that you have it. Wait because He assuredly gives. You and I don't have to be better than we are to get the grace that we need.

Wait on Him because He will meet your needs. He will give grace to make you gracious. He'll give power, peace, and everything that you need. Don't serve Him on your own, but draw near to Him and beg for the cleansing of your mind. Humble yourself in prayer and ask Him to save you, to speak by you, and to do you good by the Spirit. Admit your sinful inability and trust Him to be good enough to give it to you. Go to the cross for favor and acceptance before trying to live acceptable; remember PARDON comes before pleasure and power over sin. Wait because the promise is sure, and He won't have you waiting in vain.

Finally, I've seen the weariness of the flesh, and the religion of man trying to serve God without God serving him. I've experienced the stupidity of thinking that we can substitute our charm and talent for the Holy Spirit, when we can do nothing apart from God working in us by faith. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Rom 8:2-4 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. Let us believe His love, so that He can work... believe His promises, so that we can experience them... and believe His necessity and sufficiency, so that we honor no other gods and give our hearts to no one else but Him. Scripture says, “Ephraim feeds on the wind, and pursues the east wind; he daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried to Egypt” (Hos 12:1-2). You've tried and failed in your strength, finding peace an illusion and victory turned to failure. Now that you can rationally do nothing else, wait. Wait on the Lord continually!

“My Sympathy is Stirred” (Hos 11:1-12:1)

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror”. (vs8-9)

The Lord saves us, not because we are repentant and changing, but because He is merciful, even while we rebel obstinately in sin. He says, “My sympathy is stirred”.

We are blind as bats with no eyes, and we can't see how bad we are, how far we've fallen, or the beauty of the Lord (vs1-7). He says, “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them”, and again, “My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him”. He has been gracious, we have been evil, and we are not saved because we got our act together. In love, grace, and pity, God WOULD NOT take “no” for our answer, but He drew us, called us, and guaranteed that we'd eventually yield. He put us in the Book of Life, and even our sin and rebellion were included as obstacles that He'd overcome, when He promised and guaranteed us salvation from before the world began. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “who has saved and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”.

Bless God. He has sympathy on us and saves us, even though we love sin and deserve death (Hos 11:8-11). He says, “My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim”. He doesn't deal with us, except in mercy earned for us by the Son. He chooses to forgive, instead of punish, and He doesn't need our repentance at all. He repents and turns from His anger, doing us good undeservedly. Then, we understand, after we're corrected. He says, “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I do this, says the Lord God, let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” (Ezek 36:22-32). Most people think that God is only responding to their faith and love, but the gospel reveals God CAUSING faith and love, giving mercies to those who mocked and murdered Him, and giving mercy, before we even admit our guilt. He causes prayer; He does everything. He doesn't save the worthy; He mercifully saves the most unworthy, most unwilling, and the most unrepentant people by refusing to let us perish.

Finally, we'll be chastened, rightfully, but not destroyed (Hos 11:12-12:1). We read, “Ephraim feeds on the wind, and pursues the east wind; he daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil [worship] is carried to Egypt”. No matter how evil we are, mercy will fetch us, and He will make us hate our sins. Be wise, children of God. Be wise, Oh unbeliever! The Lord is right in what He says, chastens justly, and He will not let us have our way. We will return, in chastening love, giving God glory, or we'll prove ourselves to be reprobate and rejected, the people whom God punishes.

Remember also, He calls you to obedience lovingly and compassionately. There is no evil in the Lord, no unwillingness to help, and no failure to all who trust Him.

“Seek the Lord” (Hos 10:9-15)

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” (vs12)

Seek the Lord, and don't be neglectful. If you want mercy, then obey Him.

We seek the Lord by His command, coming in Christ, through Christ, and to Christ for the mercies that He gives. He doesn't say, “Sit on your hands, continue in sin, and mercy is yours”. He says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matt 7:7-8). Do it.

Seek the Lord because of the misery of sin (vs13-15). [We only do God's will from the heart, and the power over sin is obtaining the Lord. We're exhorted, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind”, so that we only humbly exalt Christ in love, when we've found Christ intimately for our own comfort (Phil 2:1-3). Likewise, your situation also needs relief, and the coming pain of God's hatred in hell cannot be happily endured! Thus, seek peace, joy, and heaven to come; it's worth it!

Seek Him because He's merciful. He says “Reap in mercy”, and He promises to rain “righteousness on you”. He forgives and saves people He would otherwise punish. He tells us to seek, so He can be gracious, for He delights in mercy. Is it not written, “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy” (Micah 7:18). Seek bread from Him who gives it willingly! You won't be forsaken, and what you seek, which is Him and His goodness', will be found. Isaiah says, “For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain'; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right” (Is 45:18-19).

I've seen shame, fear, and grotesqueness in my life, looking up and seeing I'm far from God and hurting for it. Yet, He's been found of me, continues to call, and He continues to prove Himself faithful. Repentance isn't in vain, for Christ promises, “I will give to each one of you according to your works” (Rev 2:23). Yes, much is wrong, but we have a real guarantee of change, grace, and love to experience. Seek Him, and you'll never regret that you did! Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord makes on rich, and He adds no sorrow with it”.

“Ashamed of His Own Counsel” (Hos 9:10-10:8)

“Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.” (Hos 10:6)

Our wisdom, posing as wisdom, gets us into trouble. Wisdom is God's word because He rules the world. He says, “Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel”. Wisdom is fearing God, living by what He says, and walking in love. Wisdom is believing Christ in a way whereby you follow Him. This is despised by the wise of the world, but it is the wisdom that is from God. 1 Cor 1:26-27 says, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise,; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty”.

Our wisdom or counsel is vain. He says, “Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel”. People think they're smart, that God is wrong, and there is another way. We hear that we must suffer, so we pull back, as if we know a way of compromise that will succeed. But He says, “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). We're instructed to walk by faith and depend upon mercy, but we take matters into our hands and depend upon our abilities, rather than grace. But, He says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). We think we'll conquer sin. We think that we can find peace in some pursuit other than wholehearted service to the Lord. But, He says, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). And, in these FOLLIES, we lose our souls, lose peace, and destroy our own selves.

Be truly wise. The Lord has spoken, and it shall come to pass. He says, “Though they bring up their children, yet I will bereave them to the last man. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!” (Hos 9:12). His word is not only true, but it is the only truth; it is the only way to be holy and thereby happy. He said said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Though our wisdom is folly, we may turn now. He says, “Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel”, but what would happen if God's word was received? 2 Tim 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”, so that if heeded, God's word will heal. We can have been ignorant, gotten ourselves hurt, and squandered valuable time in unbelief, but God is gracious to help now. He doesn't save the righteous but He calls sinners to repentance, saying, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matt 9:13).

Just as it has been horrible for you in sin, it shall be well with you in righteousness. You won't avoid the trouble of serving God, but you'll be free from the misery of non-service. He said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:11-12). You'll get good things from God, and He will take away your pain.

Finally, it is better to suffer for righteousness' sake, be rewarded, and spare yourself fury from God. He said, “Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them from My house; I will love them no more.” (Hos 9:14-15)

“He Will Punish Their Sins” (Hosea 9:9)

"They are deeply corrupted, As in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins." (vs9)

Heed the warning and avoid the doom:

When God says, “He will punish their sins”, woe unto you. We can't outsmart or whip God, so it's best to join Him in repentance and faith.  He has the keys of hell, and only His truth counts, for He is all-wise, the Judge, and the King. In Matthew 28, after rising from the dead, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go you therefore and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (vs18-20).  We live or die according to His will only.

Therefore, repent, “for He will punish their sins”.  This word is God's word!  If we repent, it will be well with us.  If we don't, then we'll be punished.  Five of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 were told to repent or horrible things would happen.  They were also told that everyone who overcomes... everyone who obeys... would be rewarded. Jesus said, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from it's place – unless you repent... to him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev 2:4-7).

Secondly, it's better to have pardon than hatred from God, “for He will punish their sins”.  He'll forgive, or He'll damn, but one is pleasurable, though we suffer now.  The other is eternally ruinous, though we may laugh in the temporary pleasure of sin. Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward”.  Choose mercy instead of hatred and God's love instead of punishment.

Thirdly, as assuredly as He punishes the wicked, He helps all who want obedience.  He doesn't say, “Come see Me after you're clean”, but in pity, He cleanses us, so we can enjoy favor. He says, “Come unto Me all you that labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). Likewise,  Christ wept over the lost showing His willingness, and He died to show His power, taking holiness so seriously that He died, rose again, and comes to you in the gospel in order to cleanse. Acts 3:26 says, “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities”. Christ told the man in Mark 5, when all seemed hopeless, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (vs36).

“Shall Fail Her” (Hos 9:1-2)

“Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples, for you have played the harlot against your God. You have made love for hire on every threshing floor. The threshing floor and the wine press shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail her”.

You and I may try all that we want, but we won't find blessedness some other way than God's way. Many think, “I will hit my head on the wall, again, and surely, it will stop hurting and heal”, but this is NOT the way. If you want a change of relationship with God, increased peace and fruitfulness, then you must live as He commands, believing God.

It is wrong to think that we can fight Him and prosper.

First, God doesn't change, and we must. He says, “the new wine shall fail her”. Thus, we must go from unbelief to faith, from self-service to love, and from impurity to holiness (1 Pet 1:21). We must be made different by the grace of God, so that we can have different results. God said, “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; it shall never produce meal. If it should produce, aliens would swallow it up” (Hos 8:7). God is not One to bless on our terms.

Secondly, the misery must be our teacher. He says, “the new wine shall fail her”. Don't be so blind as to say, “He hurts because He is wrong”, or, “This is just how it is”. Indeed, sin and thereby the curse is in the world. Yes, the most fruitful children of God are poor in spirit, often poor in this world's goods, persecuted, hated, and mocked as insignificant nobody's with no one to help them (Rev 2:9-10). But, the reality is that our behavior DICTATES much of what we receive, whether God fights for us or against. We will be hated and challenged the whole life of faith, but God is on the side of those who do His will. He says, “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit” (1 Pet 3:10). Contrarily, He will not stop chastening until the actions are corrected in people. He doesn't allow us to rule ourselves, so He gives MISERY to guide us in a different direction. Some learn, but many are destroyed. He said, “I have written for him the great things of My law, but they were considered a strange thing. For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it, but the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins” (Hos 8:12-13).

Finally, God is here to help. In Haggai's day, the people were chastened for not building God's house, but we read, “the high priest, with all the remnant of thepeople, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, I am with you, says the Lord... and be strong, all you people of the Land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts” (Hag 1:12-13, 2:4). He doesn't warn and chasten to refuse our cries. He doesn't call us to repent, and then deny our plea. If you will be turned, if you'll improve, then God is willing. If you need help to obey, then it will be given. You and I have not gone too far to obey God now.

“It Goes Away” (Hos 5:13-7:7)

Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth. "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away.(Hos 6:1-4)

The Lord Jesus is the end result of repentance: we learn to walk by faith, relying upon and thereby glorifying the Lord from the heart (Rom 15:5-7; Phil 1:27). We may think repentance is easy and quick, but it may take years, months, or many days, for the Lord to turn us to Himself. When the Lord told the five churches in Revelations 2-3 to repent, He gave them a way of escape, but problems may be so deep, that it takes years to root them out and return the heart fully to the Lord. He says, “For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away” (Hos 6:4).

First, repentance doesn't take place when we say, and it is not by self strength. He says, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burn offerings” (Hos 6:6). Repentance is renouncing self entirely; it is leaning upon the Lord for salvation, trusting Him for acceptance with God. It is RESTING in the Beloved - a rest that comes from seeing Him as Lord, whom God raised from the dead, and thereby entering into the benefits of faith, even justification, forgiveness, and peace. If the heart doesn't rest, then it CANNOT love, which is the command (1 John 3:23). We are to believe and love from the Lord's power, and not our own.

Secondly, when repentance takes years or days longer than we imagined, don't give up. They said, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight”, but He said, “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria. For they have committed fraud... they do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness; now their own deeds have surrounded them; they are before My face” (Hos 6:1-2; 7:1-2). Those who are taught by God will be drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ amidst the darkest of storms. We'll see hope in the gospel, in spite of our sins. He says, “Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, when I return the captives of My people” (Hos 6:11). We'll see forgiveness, in spite of the wickedness of sin. And, we'll trust the Lord to improve us, though He hurts us for what we've done. Repentance is more than, “Sorry, Lord”, quite often, because we're only beginning to see what is wrong. A man, for years, may have strayed from God in the heart, living like the people of Haggai - for his own benefit - and then suddenly see how wrong he has been, and yet by the years, learn increasingly that he has fallen (Haggai 1).

He isn't condemned, but the pain continues, the crops wither, and the house built upon sand falls, so that he may build again. The Lord, after the disciples fished all night and caught nothing, told them to cast their nets on the right side, but it isn't until we do it right, that the affliction ceases (John 21:3-6). Sampson’s long hair (his obedience to God) was cut, and he thought he could go out as at other times. He didn't know, that his eyes must be gouged out, and he must entertain the wicked, before the hair would return, and he'd have enough strength to cry out again (Judges 16).

You will get Christ back. He wills to give Himself to you, but be PATIENT!

Finally, when God has returned you to Himself, purged the unbelief and produced the love, then you'll enjoy the benefits of faith, as He adds to you. He says again, “Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, when I return the captives of My people” (Hos 6:11). Seeking your own will, caused Him to take away! He said, “For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me” (Hos 5:14-15). Seeking God's will, though trials abound and sufferings persist, produces the peace that is promised. You'll walk through life chasing after God, and seeing God bless your relationships and miraculously save.

“Let Him Alone” (Hosea 4:14-5:12)

“For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the Lord will let them forage like a lamb in open country. Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Their drink is rebellion, they commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor” (vs16-18)

The worst thing possible is being LEFT ALONE by God (Hos 4:14-19). He said, “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone”. When sin is not reproved in the conscience by chastisements... when we think we're getting away with it... then we really hurt ourselves, because we don't hurt, and so we destroy ourselves increasingly (Eph 4:17-19).  In chastisement, God gives us warning, but if we feel no pain and are without chastisement, then we're bastards (Heb 12:7-8).  God must save us, and when He doesn't speak and move us, then we can't be saved.

Saints are allowed to be destroyed in our schemes, by God letting them “prosper”, until we learn later (2 Chron 20:35-37).  Sinners are permitted to rebel, only to be utterly taken out in the long run.  Thus, silence is fearful, and doing your will and getting away with it is one of the worst things imaginable. When God says, "let them alone", He refuses to give knowledge necessary for salvation, since we've so despised the knowledge He gave already.

Saints are encouraged to discern our way by God's word, rather than our feelings or success.  We secure our path, because we can't judge by "open doors", which, perhaps, we've forced and opened ourselves. We seek God's kingdom, walking in the light of scripture, and we make sure that we're safe, rather than deceived (Ps 139:23-24).  Don't think painless joy is the mark of safety; it is better to have misery and be blessed by God's word exalting your way as pleasing to Him, than to have the delusion of peace (Rev 2:8-11).

Secondly, ignorance causes destruction, so heed knowledge (Hos 5:1-4).  We read, “They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord.” People don't know God naturally and must be taught.  Those who obey God's word in trembling fear are blessed for receiving God and believing Him for who He is in truth (Is 66:1-2).  Those who reject the gospel are cursed in their lie, punished for their caricature of God, and they miss out on the salvation Christ gives. Do not be unwise! God is whom He declares Himself to be, and the Lord Jesus is the one and only mediator, the only One capable of appeasing wrath. Salvation is free, earned by Him, and given to sinners not one bit better than another. Therefore, only God is glorified in the salvation that makes us obedient, for He saves for real, giving the blessings of holiness. If this God is yours, then rejoice, and honor Him wholeheartedly. If you have another, or if you're cold towards God's commands for you, then repent. Ignorance isn't bliss.

Finally, God hurts us for taking man's word over His, so FEAR God and glorify Him who is Lord and Savior (Hos 5:10-13). He says, “Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept”.  Man can't help or heal the bones that He's broken, so disregard men and serve God.  Know where you stand according to scripture, and do not bow to anyone else (Matt 10:27-28).  God will fight for the hated believer, but He hates the fear of man, and He'll show that man can't save you, and glory is Christ's alone (Deut 32:36-41).  Your God is either the God of the bible in grace and truth, or it's man-made idolatry.  Who will you serve?  God or men?

“Taken Away” (Hos 4:1-13)

Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

God takes away from us.

He chastises us because we're sinful (vs1-3). We read, “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God... therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away”. He doesn't hurt us for no reason, but we've brought pain into this world, so that all misery is justified, and if we learn the gospel by it, then He'll comfort. He paid our sins, will give us grace to obey, and will bring us to bliss. Surely, a curse causeless will not come (Prov 26:2).

The Lord is wise, and you are in grief. What shall you do? Is the answer to blame God and turn your back, or is it to confess your sins, admit that He is right, and obtain mercy? There is GRACE to be had, but there must be an acknowledgment of God's JUSTICE first. No one is mercifully saved, until he admits that he deserves all the misery he could endure, even hell itself.

Misery is the result of unbelief and sin (vs4-10). We read, “So I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds. For they shall eat, but not have enough; they shall commit harlotry, but not increase; because they have ceased obeying the Lord”. Learn the lesson now. You can't fight God, neglect the gospel, live as you desire, and still have the blessed pleasure of the Holy Spirit. You can't have Christ and sin, so one must go. Either you'll walk with God peaceably, or peace will be removed (Luke 9:23-24).

Sinners today have false peace, and soon, they'll have wrath to awaken them. Believers are BLESSED to be conscience of our gloom, for the Holy Spirit reveals that we've lost our first love. Let us all get back to Christ and stay with Him, hating the consequences of sin, and hating the lost fellowship of unbelief and self-rule. It is ALWAYS better in the Father's house than squandering our joy on harlots.

Sin seems alluring, but it is baited with a painful hook (vs11-13). We read, “They have played the harlot against their God. They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery”. Wickedness feels good until the morning, when God brings judgment to light. Therefore, don't judge by present pleasure. Judge by the word of Christ.

I talked to a man today who had a brain aneurism. He said it was from smoking 50-60 cigarettes a day. He smoked one recently, went numb in his limbs, and saw light. He said that he would never smoke again, and determined to use an organized effort to ensure it. He is looking to the future, and thank God, he had some problem with smoking, so he could quit before more damage was done. Therefore, the absence of pain, all the years the cigarettes made him glad, was nothing more than the storing up of pain for later. He felt good all those years, but he was smoking himself, by his own admission, into near death. He must quit. Likewise, the lusting woman flatters you, the business deal can be corrupted, the family can be ignored, and we can refuse repentance because we THINK we're prospering and we're enjoying the pleasures of sin. But, payback is coming. Today's joy will be tomorrow's frown, so don't wait on the misery. Trust the gospel IMMEDIATELY and prepare.

“Know the Lord” (Hos 2:16-3:5)

In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.(vs18-20)

We'll know the Lord, when He saves us, intervening on our behalf and recovering us from sin (vs16-20). He says, “ In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD”. We'll know Him in grace, in His love, and we'll know His mercy, because we have sinned and sinned, and only He came to intervene.

We'll know Him because we didn't straighten out or save ourselves. We were astray, wondering, lost, and never returning, but He CARED enough to humble us, to destroy our vain ambitions, and He MADE us trust Christ, taking everything else away, revealing we're sinners, and then having mercy on us EXACTLY as we are. We know the Lord, because we know the blood of Christ, the justness of sins atoned, and the purpose of chastening love, which is to bring us to God. We know the Lord as everything, because we see that rebellion lacks lasting pleasure and won't work.

Secondly, assurance is the result of blessing (vs21-23). We read, “Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth [will bless the soul to win her heart], And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!" Thus, when God blesses us with grace, we know that we're His. He blesses us with faith alone, allows us to receive the testimony apart from feelings and merit, and then He blesses us with the joy of holiness as justified children. We're blessed without works, and then we're blessed in them. We're blessed because God makes us to rejoice in the Lord, receive salvation freely, and then He blesses us by the Spirit with comfort, power, and satisfaction. Joel 2:26-27 says, “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other”. Yes, we're blessed in obedience, so that knowing we're His, we get hot for Christ and receive more assurance from His throne.

Thirdly, God makes us faithful (Hos 3:1-5). We read, “So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. And I said to her, You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man – so, too, will I be toward you”, which is faithful. Thus, salvation - the return of God to the soul by Christ - is always a double bond. He doesn’t love us, merely, but He causes us to love Him back in return. We read again, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:18-19). He puts joy in our heart, the fear of departure, and He gives the Spirit of obedience, so that we call on the Lord to do His will. When God saves, He saves the character, the whole man, and not merely his mouth will confess. He gives heart love, obedience, and desire for Christ. He gives the fear of the Lord to keep us near, and then He REWARDS our nearness. He never forgives, without giving strength to sin no more. We look to Him, we live, and we walk uprightly in godly fear.

Before salvation... or the restoration of the believer... we pursue other interests, other gods, and our vain ambitions. We seek salvation by the devil's hand, pleasure from sin, and security by compromise. We forget God and think our bread is buttered by the world. But, He painfully proves this is vain, hurts us lovingly, forgives us freely, graces us graciously, and then we are His. We read, “Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days”. He catches our heart, draws us in by a mixture of truth, godly fear, love for holiness, and single minded hope. He makes us know that Christ alone can satisfy, and that Christ alone is real.

Blessed be God. Forgiveness makes Christ mine, and it makes me His!

“My Oil and My Drink” (Hos 2:2-15)

I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry. For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink.’ (vs4-5)

She mistakenly thought that sin, self, and circumstances made her satisfied and happy - that she'd received good from some source other than the Lord - so He brings her to nothingness and barrenness, so that she can be saved (vs2-5). We read, “For she said, I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink”.  She walked in proud rebellion, but trouble and helplessness would make her trust Christ.  It's the same with us.  Sin deceives us, self-strength lies to us, and we credit our zeal, success, and salvation to ourselves, giving our love to everything but Christ, who alone is why we aren't going to hell!

What hinders you?  Where do you look for comfort?  What is your praise?  Many say, “I need a wife”, or “a better husband”, but they blindly miss out on God who alone gives peace. Job 35:10 says, “But no one says, Where is God ,my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?”

Secondly, He brings us down, because we won't listen (vs6-13). We read, “Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time and My new wine in its season, and will take back My wool and My linen, given to cover her nakedness.” We glory in our strength, so we learn our weakness. We boast in our zeal, so He takes it away, giving us the miserable fruit of self-promotion and defeat. We boast in ease, boast in feelings, and glory in success, so He gives us trouble, sorrow, and failure.  We boast in our ability, but He removes it, because of His love!  He did not redeem us to serve ourselves, or for us to give our love to another, so He saves us by the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48 says, tells us, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another” (Is 48:9-11).

Finally, He returns to His afflicted and saves the poor in spirit (vs14-15). He says, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor (Trouble) as a door of hope (because He saves afflicted sinners); She shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt”.  We failed and faltered because we had to learn that salvation's of the Lord, and it's to His glory in obedience and praise.  Now, being low, we trust Him, and as believers, we get the fruit of faith. I'm aware, by the pain of sin, that obedience – faith, and doing what God says all day and night - is the best thing for me, the only way to be happy, and THE calling of my life (Eph 4:1-3). He saves us as sinners, so that His glory and obedience to Him is the most important thing in our life.

Be encouraged if He is your Savior and Lord.  Rejoice, if you're desperate enough to believe!

“Sons of the Living God” (Hos 1:10)

Now when she had weaned Lo–Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then God said: "Call his name Lo–Ammi, {Literally Not–My–People} For you are not My people, And I will not be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’ (vs8-10)

Sovereign mercy is the reason that we are saved. It is NOT because of us.

Israel was rejected, and “yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered”, so that spiritual Israel, God's elect from every nation, comprises the REAL Israel of God (vs8-10). We Gentiles are saved because He rejected national Israel for unbelief. Our election, both Jew and Gentile, is not determined by bloodlines, but simply by grace. We all make up the kingdom of God (Romans 11).

We are not in because we are better. We are in because God chose to save us when Israel rejected Him, giving salvation to people they despise, even to people who'd never heard of the covenants, Israel, and who worshiped stones, totem poles, and devils, posing as God (1 Cor 10:21-22).

Secondly, mercy saves us, not because we are worthy, but because God is MERCIFUL and compassionate. He says, “Say to your brethren, My people, and to your sisters, Mercy is shown” (Hos 2:1). He looks upon sinners, hell-worthy, heading to damnation, and in pity, He suffers away our sins, giving us life to ease our misery, and bringing us to heaven's bliss (Acts 7:34). We didn't seek, call, and we are no different from those who perish. We are not better, wiser by nature, or more strong willed. Scripture says unarguably, “As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one (Rom 3:10-12)." Thus, when we WILLINGLY followed lies and lived for self, when we followed the devil's guidance as blind and dumb, God gave us conviction of sin, showed us the Risen Savior, and promised us victory by the grace that made Christ our Savior and secured salvation by His blood. You and I didn't put ourselves in the covenant, didn't choose or die for ourselves, and we didn't call ourselves by the Spirit, differentiating ourselves. It was God's merciful gift to save sinners from what we deserve.

Thirdly, we admit that we are unworthy of mercy, if we obtain it (Hos 2:2-4). In response to our unwillingness to be saved, He says, “I will not have mercy on her children, for they are the children of harlotry”. Mercy isn't given to anyone who trusts in themselves, looks to themselves, or believes in themselves, even a bit. Mercy is for sinners so low that we deserve God's judgments, confess ourselves rightfully condemned, and bow to God's salvation. He won't have mercy on us any way but Christ, and yet He teaches us this. He rejects our efforts, refuses our proud abilities, and destroys our vain attempts to hide in sin. He gives us REAL mercy, when He's humbled the pride of man, so that mercy, and not human religion, can produce the fruits of peace. Look upon God's mercy. If you don't deserve it, then you may have it.

“Departing From the Lord” (Hos 1:1-7)

“When the Lord began to speak to Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord” (vs2).

First, you can be the harlot sinner that He saves, or you can miss salvation. But, Christ came to save sinners (vs1-2). He told Hosea, “for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord”.

The harlot woman departs from the Lord, but she pictures you and me who have whored from God, serving self, and prancing about as if we are self-saved, above reproach. He calls us back, not by calling us “little sinners” or minimizing repentance, but by DESTROYING self-confidence and bringing us to confess that we are spiritual whores, needing redemption. He only saves the admitted sinners who take their place as low.

Secondly, only those who bow to judgment obtain mercy (vs3-5). Not only am I a sinner - a spiritual whore - but I am DESERVING of whatever punishment God gives in chastisement or in the cross. He says, “It shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel”. Whatever He did to open my eyes is justified, and as a sinner, I find it right that Christ alone can bear the punishment of my sins. I am not a “protesting sinner”, destroyed by unbelief; I'm a confessing sinner, surrendered to all of God's dealings, calling them JUST and right.

Thirdly, Jesus saves us, not because of what we do, but because of what He does for us (vs6-2:1). He says, “Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen”. We read in Romans 9, “For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion'. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (vs15-16). We RECEIVE His mercy, but mercy is God's gift, not by will-power, nor by our improvement, and not by minimizing sin. Mercy comes because God WILLED it for us, and justly gives it by the sacrifice of His Son, paying for sins. Mercy isn't because I got better; it is mercy that opened my eyes, made me admit my sins, and then freely forgave me of transgressions (Matt 10:8). Mercy - a relationship with God based upon Christ's accomplishments, guaranteeing not only acceptance but also the power of the Spirit, is the only way with God. He says in Zechariah 4, “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts”.

We are the sinners... not the Savior... and to Him belongs glory. He is only willing to help those who meet the conditions of sinful, justly punished, and thereby mercifully and to God's glory, saved.