The Way of the Wise
Hosea 14:9 (NIV)
9 Who is wise? Let them realize these things.
Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
The title of this chapter in the NIV Bible is “Repentance to Bring Blessing” whereas its title in the ESV Bible is “A Plea to Return to the Lord”. I wanted to focus on these things first in the perspective of convenience and truth. This, however, is not to say that either version is better than than the other. But what do you think is a far more appealing instruction of the two? Most certainly, that is the one with a ‘blessing’. The other title, on the other hand, expresses a deep and urgent conviction that is to return to the Lord.
Doing God a Favour for His Blessing?
Most of the time, I catch myself thinking that if I do/do not do something, I feel like I am doing God a favour. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I have seen my actions that way often in the past. That choosing to do the right thing should make God feel like I am doing Him a favour. But it was also in those moments that I realized, that I am doing no one a favour but myself if I choose to obey and follow Christ (by doing what is written in the Bible).
This is in light of the truth that apart from God, we are bound for destruction. And that not even our good deeds (choosing to do the right thing / being a good person) can save us. It is only through Christ.
But what is the only thing we can do then, to earn God’s approval of us? In this chapter, God made it quite clear (but not at all simple) for His people of Israel, and that is to return to Him / repent. The word return implies a cycle of an event or an activity. This tells us the very nature of what repentance is for Christians.
Having the humility to accept the truth that Christ is the only solution, repentance should draw us even closer to Him. But this is not without pain or sorrow, seeing in full view our lack and weaknesses in the light of God’s grace. This is extremely painful and mortifying for a human being who is not able to “measure up” to God’s standards.
It is also clear, however, that we are not called to become Christ (as some people would assert or think of themselves with their petty righteousness), but only to be Christ-like. Our likeness to Christ requires us to live a life of constant repentance — not because of the sins we choose to do even after we have learned the truth. But because we are still bound to our human flesh and because of this, we are bound to fail to “measure up” to the standards set by Jesus Christ.
Repentance is an Action
But in verse 9 of this chapter, the Bible tells us one of the ways we can illuminate Christ’s righteousness in our lives is by choosing to walk the path of the wise [that is with complete regard, humility, and obedience of the Word of God]. And the ways of the wise tells us to repent daily and choose to return to the Lord: Every. Single. Time.
This is because the world is not a lake but a river. And it is flowing downward to destruction. As long as we are in the World, our faith will be challenged and swayed by temptation, and we may choose to do one thing, but our hearts may choose another.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for the Word that You have given us this day. We thank you for all the good and beautiful things in our lives: our friends, family and our faith in You. Truly, God, without You all our efforts are in vain and we can never measure up to Your holiness. But thank you, Lord, for your grace, that through Jesus Christ, we are made righteous and able to come to You in spirit and in truth. Father, teach us how to delight in the sorrow of leaving our sinful nature behind as we move forward with grace as we run the race, with our eyes set upon You. Father, be our strength and give us wisdom for all the things that we will deal with for this day. We love you, Lord. All these things we pray in Your mighty name. Amen.