Charles Spurgeon Commentary Hosea 14:2

"Take with you words, and return unto Jehovah: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good: so will we render [as] bullocks [the offering of] our lips." — Hosea 14:2 (ASV)

Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him,–

He puts the words into our mouths; for he knows that, sometimes, we feel as if we cannot give proper expression to our repentance. We feel it, but we cannot utter it; so he puts the very form of the confession into his children's mouths: 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.

Sin has had the mastery over you; therefore, ask to have it taken away by pardon and by the cleansing which will deliver you from its influence and power! Do not ask the Lord merely to take away some of your sin, but say to him, "Take away all iniquity. Especially, if I have indulged some darling sin that has been my ruin, take that away."

Plead with him also, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us."

"You cannot receive us with our sins upon us. Will you press us to your bosom while we are black and foul with iniquity? No, that cannot be; so, first take away all our sin, and then receive us."

"Receive us again into favor with you, into a conscious sense of your love. Receive us when we come to you in prayer. Receive us when we come to the communion table. Receive us as you did at the first, as your sons and daughters."

"Receive us graciously."

"We cannot hope to be received on any other footing but that of your free and abounding grace; for even if you forgive and cleanse us, we will be sinners still and will still need your grace and mercy."

"Receive us graciously; so will we render."

"When you have put away our sin and received us, then we will begin to serve you. We will bring to you not the calves of the legal sacrifice—for a sense of your love will make us feel that you do not delight in burnt offering—but we will render to you the calves of our lips: our testimony to your faithfulness, our declaration of your truth, our prayer, and our praise."

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.

As if he feared that we could not find suitable words to speak to him, he puts the right words into our mouths.

Our Heavenly Father is so anxious to bring back his children when they wander from him that he actually makes the prayer with which they may come back to him: "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render to you the praise which is your due, which shall come from our hearts, and which our lips shall express."

If there are any of you here who have grieved your Heavenly Father by growing cold at heart, I do trust that the Spirit of God will sweetly draw you back again to your old standing, and to something higher and nearer to God than even that was.

Take with you words, and turn to the Lord:

"What words am I to take?" asks the poor convinced sinner. "I cannot put words together." Here are the words put into your mouth:—

Say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

Come with humble confession, come with sincere repentance, come with earnest supplication, come trusting to the grace of God, come bringing your heart with you, and rendering it to God as a living sacrifice.

Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him,

See, he puts the words into your mouth; as if he felt persuaded that you would say, "Lord, I cannot pray an acceptable prayer," he makes one for you, so that you, who have backslidden the most, and have gone the farthest astray, may have no excuse: Turn to the Lord: say unto him.

Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

Our thankfulness will give you such hearty praise that it will not be like the Jewish worshiper's slender sacrifice, when he offered the turtledoves or the young pigeons. Instead, we will give you from our praise a sacrifice as hearty as when the devout Israelite brought the young bullock, the very best of his beasts, to be offered upon the altar of his God. Thus, we will offer to you the calves of our lips.

Take with you words, and turn to the Lord:

But the poor penitent cries, "Alas, Lord, I do not know what to say." So God puts in the sinner's mouth the very words he is to utter.

Say to him, Take away all iniquity, –

That is where the mischief lies, in your iniquity—your turning aside from the path of truth, and iniquity itself. Say to the Lord, "I do not want to keep any of my iniquity; I desire to be delivered from it altogether." "Take away all iniquity," –

And receive us graciously:

"Lord, take us back again. According to the greatness of your grace, restore us to your heart of love, and let us dwell where your children dwell: 'Receive us graciously.'"

So will we render the calves of our lips.

That is to say, "We will give you the sacrifice of our praises.

We will speak well of your name. If we have the calves of the stall, we will give them to you; but, in any case, we will give you the calves of our lips."