PODCAST
Time For Repentance
November 14th, 2015
Hosea 9:7-17
Have you ever delivered bad news? It’s no fun. Especially when the recipients turn against the messenger as the Israelites turned against Hosea for delivering God’s message of judgment. Yet Hosea’s message was intended to warn the people and encourage them to return to God. Otherwise, grim consequences loomed, culminating in rejection by God. Despite the nation’s history of idolatry and wickedness, all the way back to their days in the wilderness at Baal Peor recorded in Numbers 25, God repeatedly forgave and sent signs and warnings to draw the people to repentance. Yet they persisted in replacing God with degrading idols (Hosea 9:10).
Perhaps the Israelites felt they had time; the Baal Peor incident had occurred centuries earlier, and the nation still existed. Surely Hosea was a fool, if not completely insane!
People today are not so different. After all, haven’t we been waiting 2,000 years for Christ’s return? Delayed judgment demonstrates God’s patience; God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but draws all to repentance and abundant life! (2 Peter 3:8-9).
Author: Rhonda Carrim
