Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Hosea 14:1
The prophet Hosea has had a lot of harsh criticisms and pictures of coming judgment delivered to Israel. There are thirteen chapters of it detailed in his writing. But the book ends with a call to repentance. Even in all the coming judgment, God longs to restore His people in mercy.
God promises to heal them of their apostasy and love them, a promise that came true when the Jews returned from exile after the judgment of the captivity. God doesn’t delight in judging sin. He delights in forgiving and healing broken lives (Hosea 14:4-7).
Jesus is the way that I know this today. Jesus forgives and heals broken lives (even my one) with mercy and grace. Jesus restores beauty from ashes and brings joy from sorrow! Jesus is how God loves us freely and forgives our iniquity.
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