Prospect to Penitents — J. Glyn Owen

Hosea 14 and the Prospect for Penitence

Will you kindly turn in the words of scripture to the book of the prophet Hosea in chapter 14, our subject this morning, the prospect for penitence. And we shall be basing our message on verses 4 to 7.

But at this stage I think it is more important that we should read again verses 1 to 3 in the chapter. Since you have your Bibles open before you, you'll be able to follow as we look at various aspects of verses 4 to 7 as we proceed.

Let me therefore read what really introduces the theme of the chapter. You remember that at the death of Solomon, the one kingdom of Israel was divided into two. Solomon's successor could only persuade two of the groups, two of the twelve tribes, to be loyal to the old things and to the Davidic rule, Judah and Benjamin.

Ten tribes rebelled and they became known as Israel, the northern of the two tribes, of the two sections. Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Now, at this particular point in time, Israel has been exceedingly rebellious against God.

That rebellion has taken the form of the worship of false gods and of course there can be no greater offense than that in the sight of God, to elevate someone or something into the place that the only true God should occupy.

Such was the sin of Israel. Along with that, of course, they sought to find some defense for themselves. Not being sure that God would defend them, they would have to look elsewhere. And so they looked to Assyria and to Egypt.

They thought that by means of political alliances and the military prowess of these two nations, they would be all right. If trouble came, they would have a place of refuge. Into that situation, God sends his prophet Hosea and he calls the people back to repentance.

Israel’s Rebellion and the Call to Return

And my friends, if I'm not mistaken, God is calling his people again. And he has not summoned us here today other than that we should hear his word of summons to repentance. If like Israel of old we have wandered in any way from him, the call of God still is return, repent.

Listen to it. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall. 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.

Assyria cannot save us. We will not mount war horses. We will never again say our gods to what our own hands have made. For in you the fatherless finds compassion. Repentance finds its consummation in that threefold renunciation.

Never again will we say, never again will we say to the work of our hands, you are gods, you are our gods. Assyria cannot save us. Neither can Egypt save us. Military power, political strategy, as well as our idolatries are impotent.

Now that is the climax of the repentance to which God called his ancient people. The question now is this. Where does repentance lead us to? I have had many people over the years say that repentance is a very, very hard searching experience and a very hard experience to go through.

And so it is. It means a right about turn, a turning away from your sins that God condemns and a coming right back to God humbly acknowledging that you've been wrong. And that's hurting to the pride, to the ego.

Repentance Leads to God’s Healing

But where does it bring us to? Now that's what I want you to see this morning. Repentance may be hard and your heart may be thumping at the thought of it. But when you and I return to the Lord in terms of the summons of this prophet and indeed of others and of New Testament apostles, when we return to the Lord there is something that awaits us which eye has not seen and the imagination of man has not conceived.

What is it? Well, let's come to it. It begins with 4A, first part of verse 4. What God says he will do for those who are genuinely repentant. Now will you notice I have to leave that side of my message this morning.

I cannot underscore the significance of verses 1 to 3 anymore. May the Spirit of God do that. Assuming now that every man and woman, every fellow and girl in our service this morning is repentant, penitent on account of sin.

And we want to turn back to God and we are doing it inwardly in our hearts. And our presence here this morning and perhaps at this table means this, that we're coming back to God from any wanderings of thought and spirit and attitude, any rebellion of will, we're coming back to God.

All right, where will it lead us to? Oh, look at these lovely words. I will heal their waywardness. Who says that? Well, it's none other than the God of Israel says that. The God who summoned the prophet and sent him out to call the rebels back says, look, you come back to me and I will heal your waywardness.

Undoubtedly, underlying the action of worshipping false gods, underlying confidence in political leadership and in military power per se, as apart from God or as alternatives to God, there is a grave, serious condition of soul.

And says the Lord through the prophet, look, he says, I'll deal with that underlying waywardness of yours that thinks that men and people and military might and strong people in the land, they can shield you, they can lead you, they can contrive something to save you in the dire hour, they cannot.

If you come back to me, I will heal that basic stream in your spirit that makes you wayward and rebellious and evil and entertains such notions of rebellion at any given time. Now, my friends, I think that there is something here that touches the raw spot in all of us this morning.

There is a diseased area in the mind and in the spirit of many of us who bear the Lord's name. And we, if we were honest enough, we would have to say we have more confidence in men, political man and military man than we have in the Lord God Almighty.

And it is no less a sin this morning in the 20th century than it was way back in the 7th century BC or the 8th. Men are called, of course, to undertake a work for God in society and in the political field and in the military field.

And we need to remember them and to bolster them with our prayers. May it please God to send more God-fearing, righteousness-seeking men and women into these areas. But for men and women of God to withdraw their confidence from their God and repose confidence in the political field or in military power is a slur upon the Almighty.

When the tornado comes, there is no one but God Himself who can save you. And He says, I will heal your waywardness. You come back to me in penitence and I will deal with that basic streak in your attitude, in your spirit.

I will deal with it. I will heal it. Now the actual treatment is not stated here. And so I cannot deal with it as perhaps the prophet Hosea would if he had written about it. But I want to remind you that a basic factor in dealing with this kind of thing is simply, of course, to live in the conscious presence of God.

See, the only people that have greater faith in something other than God or someone other than God are the people who do not really know God. See, if you know God in His glory and in His greatness and in His covenant and in His promises, then you do not need, you're not really tempted to have confidence in anybody else if you know God.

And so the way to deal with this basic skepticism and unbelief is this, come back to God from the avenues of wandering, come to know God, come to live close up to Him. Now on Wednesday night we were noticing that in calling the people back, literally what Hosea was doing was this, he was calling the people to come back right up to God.

As it were, face to face, eyeball to eyeball, that you can whisper to one another, near enough to whisper. Tell me, my friend, believing man and woman this morning, have you ever been that close to the Almighty?

God is God. If you don't, you too will be tempted to rest in the power of some Assyria and to make idols of something or other and bow down and worship them. The day will come, your price will be given you as it was given Judas.

And that's the danger. The only real answer to it is in the knowledge of God. When you know Him, you know you have the answer to every problem. Judas was tempted by 30 pieces of silver to sell his Lord.

Do you think that the man who leaned on Jesus' bosom at supper would have been tempted by 30 pieces of silver to sell his Lord? Not on your life. John, the beloved, well, why not John? Well, for this reason, John, you see, knew the Christ in a way that Judas didn't.

Oh, they were both with him. They could both tell you the color of his hair and something about his features and his height and how much he weighed and what he ate and what he liked. Of course they could.

But the one was only physically present with him. The other was spiritually united to him. My dear men and women this morning, listen. It is not enough to know the doctrines of God. You've got to know God.

And that's the answer to the temptation to apostasy of every kind. It's to know Him, really to know Him. When you turn away from Him, you say, in effect, I really don't know Him. Look next. The next thing God says is, I will love them freely.

God’s Freely Given Love for the Penitent

What a sweet little statement, but how utterly profound. I will love them freely. I think it is Alexander McLaren, the late Dr. Alexander McLaren. You know where he comes from anyway, by his name. He's in the glory today.

Many of us thank God for him. I think it was he who said that at this point, the dam is down. What he meant was this. When men and women rebel against God, there emerges a dam between them and God. The Lord God of Israel has a myriad of things He wants to give His people.

A myriad of things He wants to tell His people. A hundred thousand things He wants to do for us and in us and through us. But there emerges a dam. And the tide of blessing that God wants to give us is as if it were held in abeyance.

Oh, there are trickles of benefits coming through. But when you return in genuine penitence and renounce your idols, really do so. And the dam is down. And the tide of God's purposes, the ocean of His love begins to flow again.

And you become inundated with it. That's the picture. I will love them freely. You know, brothers and sisters, sometimes in our prayers we kind of try to coax God to love us. We try to persuade Him to do this and to do that.

You don't need to do that when you're really penitent. God says so. You only need to do that when you're uncertain of Him. And if you're uncertain of Him, then you can be certain of nothing. I will love them freely, says the Lord.

Nothing shall hinder me. I will come to them. I will put my arms around them. I will caress them. I will kiss them. I will bless them. Does that language make you uncomfortable? I know many people who are made uncomfortable by language like that.

And by some of our hymns that speak of this kind of thing. It isn't all that long ago when I was preaching somewhere. And we sang that hymn, which I love immensely. Especially when it's sung to the right tune.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus. Lost, unmeasured, boundless, free. Rolling like a mighty ocean in its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me is the current of thy love. Leaning onward, ever homeward to my glorious home above.

Somebody challenged me about the appropriateness of singing a hymn like that. Because what does it mean? Oh, my friend, don't you know? You good people who believe the book, who know the catechism, who have the doctrines.

Tell me, tell me. Don't you know anything about the torrents of God's love breaking in upon you? Into the wilderness of your life. So that God becomes the supremely conscious one in your consciousness.

You see, we've moved now into experiential religion. And it's a great step. I didn't do it. The prophet didn't do it. God said, I will love you freely. No holds barred. I'll be so intimate with you. I'll do so much for you.

I will love you freely, absolutely freely. Do you know anything, my friend? Is there anything in your experience this morning that corresponds to that? Do you know God? Now, doctrine is all important in our Christian religion.

God has seen fit to reveal himself to us in words written. As well as in the word incarnate. And so, knowledge of the Bible is important. But some of us have gained the idea that Christianity is learning and repeating a textbook.

So that we think that we are it when we've learned the scriptures. Now, please, please, let no one say that the senior minister of Knox doesn't believe that reading and repeating of scriptures may be unimportant.

But I tell you, you can repeat the scriptures till you're dead. And yet not know God loving you freely. Yet not knowing the kind of intimacy with God that the prophet holds out here. A doctrine is vital.

It is basic. It is important. God will do nothing contrary to his word. But over and above the word is the God of the word. Who is a living God. Who is not in chains to his own word. And he's alive. And he comes to one another.

And if some poor woman breaks her alabaster box of precious ointment at his feet. Do you think he has no alabaster boxes of precious ointment to pour upon our feet? How poverty stricken we think of our God must be.

No, no, no. Things which eyes have not seen, ears heard, the heart understood, or the imagination conceived of. Are yet in the heart of God for those who repent and return. After all Jesus said, did he not?

This is life eternal. That they might know you. The only true God. And Jesus Christ whom you sent. Knowing him. Now you and I do not only need therefore the certainty that God loved us at a point in time.

Where he did not withhold the only begotten of his bosom. But delivered him up on a cross to die in our place. To redeem us from the curse of sin and eternal misery. We need to know that. But brothers and sisters we need to know that God's love didn't die on Calvary.

The Continuing Flow of God’s Love

You and I need to know that the river of God's love was not damned on Calvary. It's come flowing down the centuries. And as the Holy Spirit came into the church and the fruit to the Spirit is love. Into every part of the world.

Into every age and time. His men, his servants have gone. Bearing the spirit of grace. And sometimes where his servants haven't gone he's gone himself. A love of God today is no less than it was on Calvary.

But it is for us to follow the word of God. If we want to know it. Know what it meant when he said of all. I will love you freely. Now listen. If he could say that and mean it. Before Bethlehem. Before Calvary.

Before Pentecost. Brothers and sisters. There's no reason why you should have to modify it now. On the contrary. Pentecost and all that has transpired since Jesus rose from the dead. Including his session at the father's right hand.

Means that the waters must flow. The ocean is abroad. You return to me. And renounce your sin and come back to me with all your heart. You shall surely find me. I must close with this last word. I will heal their waywardness.

The Dew of God’s Refreshing Presence

I will love them freely. I will be as the dew. Unto Israel. Have you ever contemplated that? I will be as the dew unto Israel. The towel as it was called meant. Sprinkled moisture. The Hebrew word seems to have been used indiscriminately.

Both of dew and of night mist. Moist air drawn in from the sea. Was largely responsible for the dew fall. In western Palestine. Especially in coastal areas and near mountain slopes. And it's more than probable that the reference here is to night mist.

Which one scholar describes as rolling masses of vapor. Brought from the Mediterranean. Which counteracts the dry heat and keeps vegetation alive. I will be as the dew unto Israel. Clearly the ministry of this kind of dew was very evident.

First of all it was refreshing. Refreshing to man, to beast, to all nature alike. And as it was refreshing it was softening. It softened the soil. So that you could sow in it. And if plants were already sown or seeds.

Then the soil would still remain soft and pliable. And something would grow under the refreshing of the dew. And then of course along with that comes the third point. It was a fructifying influence. You could expect fruit.

There might be no excessive rain. Real rains as they call them in some parts of the world. There might be none. But if you had this sufficient saturating dew. You could have a sweet green garden behind your little house.

Communion with God is the only sure means of spiritual refreshment. Leave your sin. Turn right around. Come back to Him. Beg pardon and acceptance. Renounce. Renounce your sins in His presence. And you'll come to know Him.

And as you come to know Him. You will find that the more time you'll spend in His presence. You'll receive something that can only be described as the dew. It will keep your soul fresh. And your thoughts sweet.

I have a friend in the Anglican Church. I suppose we've preached together many, many, many times during the year. And if ever we are together. Before we go on to a platform or to a pulpit. He always says this.

Whoever is with him. This is not only for me. But when I'm with him. He says, Glenn. Remember. All our fresh springs are in Him. He's got it. All our fresh springs are in Him. It's just the other way of putting this truth.

I will be as the dew to Israel. Are you dry this morning? Are you hard this morning? Do you want to enter into the singing of the praises? Were those anthems touching anything in you? You wanted to praise God.

Did some of you wish that we could just do something even more than we were doing? Do you want to break the bounds? I will be as the dew unto Israel. Refreshment. And with refreshment a softening process.

So that whatever God wants to sow in the garden of our souls. He can do it. We're soft. We're sensitive. He can put any seed in your mind. Any thought. And it is received. You see there are some people who come to church and they're just like bits of rock.

Now don't be cross with me. But it's true. I know it's true. And we come to the house of God and we're not prepared to hear God though He shout at us. And call us by name. But the penitent you see who's come really back to Him.

Penitence Produces Fruitfulness and Shelter

It means this. The abandonment of all other loyalties. Submission to Him. And now as the dew begins to saturate our souls. We become pliable. The clay in the hand of the potter. It's changing the metaphor.

It's the same basic truth. And out of all this comes fruitfulness. Fruitfulness even when there are no rains. It's not raining anywhere else. But it's raining on my soul. It's parched all around. But my soul is wet with the dew of heaven.

Do you know that? I sometimes wonder. However. Whether there isn't here in Hosea 14 .5 a little gentle reminder that. Whereas God meets His people and communicates His love to them in torrents in the daytime.

Literally or when all is well if it means that. His dew also descends in the night time. You see the dew does fall at night. It's all dark. Nobody sees it. Nobody hears it. But it's coming down. And some of you are going through dark places at the moment.

And I believe that the words of the prophet are a reminder to you and to me. It may be dark where you are. And you may not be aware of the mighty torrents of God's love breaking into your life. But in the night time the dew descends.

And softens. And fructifies and refreshes. I will be as the dew unto Israel. And then comes the response into which I can't go this morning. Let me just read to you what happens. Now following what God says He will do.

I will is the relevant verb so far. I will do this. I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely. I will be as the dew to Israel. You see it's divine action so far. Now what? Okay. Says God as sure as I do these things.

Listen. He will blossom like the lily. See the lily blossoming. In it's purity. In it's whiteness. And it's uprightness. He like a cedar of Lebanon will send down his shoots. The lily has no shoots. The lily grows upwards.

But it's roots. I'm sorry. It's roots are not there. She has very little roots. And so says the Lord. The character that I will build now is a character that has roots going down. As well as growing up like the lily.

In beauty and in uprightness. Neither is that everything. His young shoots shall grow out. We've got the picture of a tree still. And the shoots are going out. The branches are going in all directions.

Little shoots that had never come to anything. Now they begin to grow. And there are no limits to them. So you see there is beauty here. The lily growing up. The roots going down. The branches going out.

And what then? His young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree. I can say nothing about that. His fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. If you've been with the cedars of Lebanon. They are the same today as they were in biblical times.

All the trees in Lebanon. The cedar area used to grow together. And they were overlapping. So that if you went through an area of territory where cedars grew. If you went there on a warm summer's day.

You would find that the perfume was concentrated. Because there was no room for the air to pass through. The foliage was so thick. And it came down. And it was as if the order was caged in. It was concentrated.

And says the Lord. What will happen to the person I'm describing? He says his fragrance will be like that of the cedars of Lebanon. He'll be condensed with the fragrance of myself. And my son. And my spirit.

He will dwell. Men will dwell again in his shade. People will find him a shelter in a weary land. People will thank God on behalf of this person. There will be blessing through him to the needy and the weary.

Final Appeal to Return to the Lord

Oh Israel. Return unto the Lord your God. If you've fallen. You have fallen by your own iniquity. Take with you words. And say to him. What the prophet bids us say. Plead as the prophet bids you plead.

Forgiveness. Acceptance. Renounce. The objects of your false faith. Which is a denial of God. And just begin to walk humbly with him. And this is the dimension of things. That you can expect. The church at large this morning.

Knows very little of this. Because we live in a day where not only the world is arrogant. But the church is arrogant. Men and women want their own thing. And their own way. And their own glory. In the very church of the almighty God.

And because of that. We're only reading about these things. Whereas we ought to be experiencing them. God grant us at his table. To see again the extent of his love in history. On Calvary. Purchasing our redemption.

But oh may God grant us to see and to recognize. That the love of God was not damned up on Calvary. It's penetrating and percolating down the years of time. And the author of it. The God of love who is love.

Is here today. Open the sluice gate. In order that he may pour out upon you. His sweet refreshing grace.