‘Take with you words, and return to YHWH. Say to him, “Take away all iniquity, and accept what is good, so will we render as bullocks the offering of our lips. Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands, “Our gods”, for in you the fatherless find mercy.'
The way in which YHWH must be approached when they return to Him is not through ritual but through ‘words'. This is not a lessening of requirements but because they have committed ‘sins with a high hand' for which sacrifices cannot avail (compare David's sentiments in Psalms 51). Their only hope now is to come to YHWH with deeply repentant words. And Hosea makes clear the kind of words that will be required. They can be analysed as follows:
1) They must approach YHWH ‘with words' revealing their genuineness. They had sinned with a high hand so that, like David (Psalms 51) sacrifices were insufficient. What was now required was a response of genuine contrition and repentance.
2) They must ‘return to YHWH', genuinely seeking forgiveness, and asking Him to take away all iniquity.
3) They must call on Him to ‘accept what is good' (compare Hosea 8:3). In other words, to accept a genuine response of heart that sets aside all evildoing and social injustice, together with all idolatry, and offers a life responsive to Him and His covenant. For this is how they will offer to Him the acceptable offering of their lips.
4) They must renounce Assyria and all foreign assistance, and must trust in YHWH alone.
5) They must no longer trust in their own military might, and especially on horses obtained, as they would be, from Egypt.
6) They must guarantee that they will no longer call their own workmanship, ‘our gods', praying to the work of their own hands.
7) They must submit to Him as ‘orphans' (the fatherless), acknowledging thereby that they had rejected Him as Father, and seeking His mercy in order to obtain re-acceptance.
It will be noted that three positive responses (1-3) are followed by three renunciations (4-6). It is not enough just to turn from what is wrong, we must first ensure that our relationship with God is put right. The sevenfold picture that ensues is evidence of the divine perfection of their response.
‘So will we render bullocks, (the offering of) our lips.' ‘The offering of' is not in the Hebrew and is inserted in order to convey the sense in English. The idea is that their words of repentance and supplication have taken the place of blood sacrifices which, in accordance with the covenant, would not suffice for sins of a high hand. And anyway sacrifices could not lawfully be offered in a foreign country unless YHWH had ‘revealed His Name there'.
It has, however, been suggested that prym (bullocks) should be seen as signifying pry (fruit) with an enclitic ‘m' attached, added for emphasis. Then it will read, ‘so will we render the fruit of our lips' indicating that what they say they also perform.
YHWH's Responsive Love Song.
The words that follow are reminiscent of the Song of Solomon, which may well have been known to Hosea, and are in the form of a love song by which YHWH gives His response. Israel are now no longer an adulterous wife, but a wife who is beloved and fruitful.