A Plea to Return to the Lord
Take
with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all
iniquity, and receive us
graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Hos. 14:2
Take
with you... Israel was invited to return, bringing words of
repentance accompanied with obedience, repaying God’s gracious
acceptance of them with calves fruit of our lips.
לָקַח
lâqach
law-kakh'
A
primitive root; to take
(in the widest variety of applications): - accept, bring, buy, carry
away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive
(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.
דָּבָר
dâbâr
daw-bawr'
From
H1696; a word;
by implication a matter
(as spoken
of) of thing;
adverbially a cause:
- act,
advice, affair, answer, X any such (thing), + because of, book,
business, care, case, cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment,
X commune (-ication), + concern [-ing], + confer, counsel, + dearth,
decree, deed, X disease, due, duty, effect, + eloquent, errand, [evil
favoured-] ness, + glory, + harm, hurt, + iniquity, + judgment,
language, + lying, manner, matter, message, [no] thing, oracle, X
ought, X parts, + pertaining, + please, portion, + power, promise,
provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, X (as
hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some [uncleanness],
somewhat to say, + song, speech, X spoken, talk, task, + that, X
there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings, what
[-soever], + wherewith, which, word, work.
שׁוּב
shûb
shoob
A
primitive root; to turn
back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or
figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return
to the starting point); generally to retreat;
often adverbially again:
- ([break,
build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie
down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep]) X again, (cause to)
answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring
(again, back, home again), call [to mind], carry again (back), cease,
X certainly, come again (back) X consider, + continually, convert,
deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get
[oneself] (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), [go]
out, hinder, let, [see] more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull
in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover,
refresh, relieve, render (again), X repent, requite, rescue, restore,
retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay,
send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off),
(cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again,
backward, from, off), withdraw.
יְהֹוָה
yehôvâh
yeh-ho-vaw'
From
H1961; (the) self-Existent or eternal; Jehovah,
Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050,
H3069.
say
unto him, ... See the confession of the publican and compare it with this (Luke
18:13). In both testaments one can see the utter simplicity of what a
person has to do in faith to obtain forgiveness from God. See Rom.
10:9-10; 1Jhn. 1:9.
אָמַר
'âmar
aw-mar'
A
primitive root; to say
(used with great latitude): - answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast
self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command
(ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish,
report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk,
tell, term, X that is, X think, use [speech], utter, X verily, X yet.
אֶל
אֵל
'êl
'el
ale,
el
(Used
only in the shortened constructive form (the second form)); a
primitive particle, properly denoting motion towards,
but occasionally used of a quiescent position, that is, near,
with
or among;
often in general, to:
- about,
according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because (-fore,
-side), both . . . and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in (-to),
near, (out) of, over, through, to (-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,
with(-in).
so
will we...
Quoted in Heb. 13:15. The word calves indicates sacrifice; so in
reality this means: We will offer a sacrifice of praise to God as the
fruit of our lips.
שָׁלַם
shâlam
shaw-lam'
A
primitive root; to be
safe
(in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be
(causatively make)
completed;
by implication to be
friendly;
by extension to reciprocate
(in various applications): - make amends, (make an) end, finish,
full, give again, make good, (re-) pay (again), (make) (to) (be at)
peace (-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper (-ous),
recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward, X
surely.
פָּר
פַּר
par
pâr
par,
pawr
From
H6565; a bullock
(apparently as breaking
forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing
the hoof): - (+ young) bull (-ock), calf, ox.
Would
be an expression of the sacrifice of praise to God.
שֶׂפֶת
שָׂפָה
śâphâh
śepheth
saw-faw',
sef-eth'
(The
second form is in dual and plural); Probably from H5595 or H8192
through the idea of termination
(compare H5490); the lip
(as a natural boundary); by implication language;
by analogy a margin
(of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.): - band, bank, binding, border,
brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, ([sea-]) shore, side,
speech, talk, [vain] words.
Verse 2 reminds me of the following Scripture.
2Chr.
7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land.”
Both
Scriptures are a call for prayer of repentance.
1Jhn.
1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Though
this final appeal would surely be rejected by His arrogant and
stubborn nation (cf. Hos. 10:12-15), it would instill hope in the
hearts of a righteous remnant and provide the repentant generation of
the future with a model to follow in returning to the Lord (cf. Hos.
3:5; 5:15b-6:3). True repentance would involve an acknowledgment of
sin Say
to Him, Forgive all our sins
and a desire to praise the Lord that
we may offer the fruit of our lips,
Israel’s only Savior, God, and Helper (contrast Hos. 5:13; 7:11;
8:4-5, 8:9; 13:2).
