God is Waiting …

​“Their actions do not allow them to return to their God, for a spirit of promiscuity is among them, and they do not know the Lord.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭5:4‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/hos.5.4.HCSB

Why is it that “Their actions do not allow them to return to their God”? Is it because their God has rejected them forever? Or is it because their actions will not let them repent? “I have gone too far and God will never take me back!” Let us keep reading Hosea 5.

“So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭5:12‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/hos.5.12.HCSB

They, Ephraim and Judah, have decided that God is dead, old, and non-relevant to their day. Sounds like the culture today. When in fact that God is still alive and well and is a solid rock to stand on. 

“When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/hos.5.13.HCSB

Since they decided that God is dead they turned to others who seemed to have it all together. Whether it was Assyria, Egypt, or Babylon the nations of Israel (Ephraim) and Judah stopped leaning on the “rotten” foundation of God. But then these nations could not help them and were still miserably sick with no one to help them. 

“For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/hos.5.14.HCSB

We often seek God for His mercy but we overlook Him in His judgment. Because of Judah’s and Israel’s lack of repentance and reliance on God, He has to rebuke them and tear down their foundations and walking sticks that they are trusting in. 

“I will depart and return to My place until they recognize their guilt and seek My face; they will search for Me in their distress.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭5:15‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/hos.5.15.HCSB

God does not continue to tear down but he waits for them to repent and return to His foundation, comfort, mercy, grace, and love. 

So back to my original question: Why is it that “Their actions do not allow them to return to their God”? Because they are unwilling to repent and return to God. But God is waiting for them, and us, to return to Him. God’s main objective with people is to have fellowship with us. God is wanting an open and honest friendship with us. 

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you? ”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:7-9‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/gen.3.7-9.HCSB

“And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:10-11‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/gen.3.10-11.HCSB

“The Lord God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:21‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/gen.3.21.HCSB

God’s first act after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of “knowledge of good and evil” was to find them to have their normal fellowship but they hid fearing God’s wraith. The second act was God was wanting them to acknowledge their sin. And God's last act was to provide for them.