“Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.“
~ Hosea 14:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever been contrite for something that you did that you know that you should not have done? Have you ever been remorseful for something that you said that you know that you should not have said? Have you ever been penitent for something that you caused that you know was your fault? Even though your grandpaa knows that God has unconditionally forgiven him for the things that he has done that he knows that he should not have done, for the things that he has said that he knows that he should not have said and for the things that he has caused that he knows was his fault, your grandpaa still regrets for having done things that negatively affected his relationship with God. Your grandpaa still has remorse for words that he said and things that he did that caused hurt in the hearts of guys, gals and kids. Your grandpaa still feels chagrined for the damage that he has incurred to his Christ-follower testimony through carelessness and thoughtlessness interactions that he had at times with guys, gals and kids. When you get as old your grandpaa, you may begin to reflect more and more on how you have lived your lives, you may begin to mull over and over again the missteps and mistakes that you have made over your lifespans and you may begin to want to retrace or relive your lives in order to undo and/or reverse tactless actions, reword and/or rethink deleterious remarks and/or nullify and/or annul thoughtless and careless moments. A genuine, grieving repentance for having besmirched or defiled in any way a moral or an ethical norm that is firmly cemented in Biblical truths is the only pathway for the reconstruction of a broken relational bridge with a guy, gal and/or kid and the reconnection of a separated or broken hot line that a guy, gal or kid once had with God – as God the Father.
God – as God the Father, tasked a minor prophet – whose name is Hosea, the daunting task of giving His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, an opportunity to repent. To visually get His message across to His specially chosen guys and gals, God – as God the Father, first had Hosea marry and then stay faithful to a gal who lived a very questionable life and who would become unfaithful to Hosea. Hosea 14 is Hosea’s final plea to God’s specially chosen guys and gals that they repent and show penitence so that they might receive God’s mercy instead of God’s wrath. Hosea began his last appeal for God’s specially chosen guys and gals to be sorrowful for their despicable disobedience against God by telling them that their downfall is because of their evilness. Hosea ended his entreaties for God’s specially chosen guys and gals to be sorry for their sins by explaining again to them in verse 9 the two choices that they are facing to make, “Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.” God – as God the Father, through Hosea, told His specially chosen guys and gals that He would graciously forgive them if they would openly confess their sins, that he would unconditionally reconcile their waywardness if they would overtly acknowledge their sins and that he would freely love them if they would candidly come clean regarding their sins. God – as God the Father, through Hosea reminded His specially chosen guys and gals that their manmade gods that had been handmade from wood, stone, clay and metal will in no way be able to save them from being destroyed by the Assyrian people group army. God – as God the Father, through Hosea promised His specially chosen guys and gals – singling out the Ephraim tribal clan even though the Ephraim tribal clan was an imprudent nephew among Jacob’s own kids, that He would be their dew if . . ., that He would have them blossom like a lily if . . ., that He would have them grow into and smell like a Lebanon cedar if . . ., that He would have them become splendid like an olive tree if . . . and that He would have them flourish like grain and produce like a vine if . . . if they would turn back to Him.
Confessing to God and to any guy, gal or kid who has been affected in any way by you having sinned through having done something immoral, unethical and/or illegal or through you having said something angrily, untruthfully and/or harshly and/or through you having communicated through a thoughtless attitude and/or an insensitive action begins with a stomach wrenching feeling of extreme embarrassment and/or intense shame of either having your sin discovered or uncovered or having the realization that God – as God the Spirit, is vividly telling you that the action, word, attitude and/or . . . was the absolute wrong thing to do or say, brings about an inexplicable cleansing and an unmerited freedom. Your grandmaa and grandpaa several summers ago met a couple at a place where they were able to set up their camper. Hal and Julia were making an extended trip with their three girls through several states in western United States. Julia had been on a summer team that was in Bolivia over twenty ago that your grandmaa and grandpaa led. During the over seven weeks that Julia was on this Bolivia summer team, Julia became infatuated with a young Hispanic South America Mission missionary who had been asked to join this summer team. Even though nothing happened between Julia and this Hispanic South America Mission missionary, Julia had been convicted by God – as God the Spirit, of a rebellious spirit that she had in that relationship which led her to want to confess this rebellious spirit to your grandmaa and grandpaa. You will never ever go wrong when you confess a sin to the guys, gals and kids who your sin may have affected and hurt and to God Who is grieved by every sin that you commit.
Hosea 14 (901)