Hosea
Chapter 14
Samaria is guilty, for she rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, their little ones will be crushed, and women with child will be ripped open.
Conversion
Return to your God, the Lord, O Israel!Your sins have led to your downfall.
Return to the Lord with humble words. Say to him: Oh, you who show compassion to the fatherless,forgive our debt, be appeased.Instead of bulls and sacrifices,accept the praise from our lips.
Assyria will not save us: we will no longer seek horses, nor will we ever again say ‘Our gods’ to the work of our hands.
I will heal their disloyalty and love them with all my heart, because my anger has turned away from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel, and he will flourish like the lily. Like a cedar, he will send down his roots;
his young shoots will grow and spread. His beauty will be like an olive tree, and his fragrance, like a Lebanon cedar.
They will dwell in my shade once more,they will flourish like crops,they will blossom like a vine,and their fame will be like Lebanon wine.
What would Ephraim do with idols, when I am the one who hears him and makes him prosper? I am like an evergreen cypress tree; all your fruitfulness comes from me.
Epilogue
Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who is discerning enough to grasp it? The ways of the Lord are straight: the righteous walk in them, but sinners stumble.
Commentaries
Judgement.
This marks the beginning of a series of short poems that focus on aspects of Israel’s joyful early history, contrasting with its current situation. Throughout, Israel’s unfaithfulness and infidelity are highlighted in opposition to the Lord’s steadfastness.
Historical Summary.
Jeroboam, from the tribe of Ephraim, was the first king of the northern kingdom (Israel) after the split in 931 B.C. The “original sin” of this king, which marked both the beginning and the end of the kingdom of Israel, was to set up idolatrous shrines in Dan and Bethel. Israel had asked the Lord for a king (1 Sm 8:1-9), but the people quickly forgot that only God has the power to save (13:9-10).
Conversion – Epilogue.
The book of Hosea concludes with a call to repentance; God is willing to heal His people’s betrayal (5) by presenting tender images that inspire hope and comfort to a people overwhelmed by their own sin (6-9).