Hosea , Sarah Barry
I WILL LOVE THEM FREELY
Passage: Hosea 14:1~9  
Key verse: 4
Repentance to Bring Blessing14 [a]Return,(A) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(B) have been your downfall!(C)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(D) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(E)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b](F)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(G)
we will not mount warhorses.(H)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(I)
to what our own hands have made,(J)
for in you the fatherless(K) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(L) their waywardness(M)
and love them freely,(N)
for my anger has turned away(O) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(P) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(Q)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(R)
he will send down his roots;(S)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(T)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(U)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(V)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(W) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(X) of Lebanon.(Y)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[c] to do with idols?(Z)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(AA)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
14 [a]Return,(A) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(B) have been your downfall!(C)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(D) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(E)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b](F)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(G)
we will not mount warhorses.(H)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(I)
to what our own hands have made,(J)
for in you the fatherless(K) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(L) their waywardness(M)
and love them freely,(N)
for my anger has turned away(O) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(P) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(Q)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(R)
he will send down his roots;(S)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(T)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(U)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(V)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(W) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(X) of Lebanon.(Y)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[c] to do with idols?(Z)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(AA)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
- Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
- Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim
Cross references
- Hosea 14:1 : S Isa 19:22; S Jer 3:12
- Hosea 14:1 : S Hos 4:8
- Hosea 14:1 : S Hos 5:5; S 9:7
- Hosea 14:2 : S Ex 34:9
- Hosea 14:2 : Ps 51:16-17; Mic 7:18-19
- Hosea 14:2 : Heb 13:15
- Hosea 14:3 : S Hos 5:13
- Hosea 14:3 : Ps 33:17; S Isa 31:1; Mic 5:10
- Hosea 14:3 : Hos 8:6
- Hosea 14:3 : ver 8; Hos 13:2
- Hosea 14:3 : Ps 10:14; 68:5; Jer 49:11
- Hosea 14:4 : S Isa 30:26; S Hos 6:1
- Hosea 14:4 : S Jer 2:19
- Hosea 14:4 : S Isa 55:1; Jer 31:20; Zep 3:17
- Hosea 14:4 : S Job 13:16
- Hosea 14:5 : S Ge 27:28; S Isa 18:4
- Hosea 14:5 : S SS 2:1
- Hosea 14:5 : Isa 35:2
- Hosea 14:5 : Job 29:19
- Hosea 14:6 : Ps 52:8; S Jer 11:16
- Hosea 14:6 : S Ps 92:12; S SS 4:11
- Hosea 14:7 : Ps 91:1-4
- Hosea 14:7 : S Ge 40:10
- Hosea 14:7 : S Hos 2:22
- Hosea 14:7 : S Eze 17:23
- Hosea 14:8 : S ver 3
- Hosea 14:8 : S Isa 37:24
- Hosea 14:9 : S Ps 107:43
- Hosea 14:9 : S Pr 10:29; S Isa 1:28; Da 12:10
- Hosea 14:9 : Ps 111:7-8; Zep 3:5; Ac 13:10
- Hosea 14:9 : Isa 26:7
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Take words and return to the Lord (1-3)
When we return to the Lord after sinning, God wants us to confess our sins with our mouth as the fruit of a repentant heart. We need to admit that earthly things cannot save us, just as Ephraim had to repent of trusting in idols and the Assyrian Empire.
2. God's healing comes (4-9)
God promises to heal his people of their sinfulness himself, with no restrictions on the outpouring of his grace. He ultimately accomplished this through Jesus' cross. When we are opened to the dew of God's grace, he nourishes us spiritually so we can grow. We put down roots in his word, then send up shoots, and finally produce good fruits. Then we and our nation can be a source of blessing, like a vine with abundant fruit or a spreading tree that can provide shade to many. We must acknowledge that all our fruitfulness comes from the Lord.
Prayer: Father, I confess my sin to you and forsake all my idols. May your abundant love in Jesus come upon us.
One Word: My fruitfulness comes from you