How does Hosea 10:12 connect with the concept of repentance in the New Testament? Hosea’s Urgent Call “Hosea 10:12—‘Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you.’ ” Key Words that Echo into the New Testament • Sow … reap • Break up unplowed ground • Time to seek the LORD • Righteousness showered from above Repentance in Hosea: The Core Elements • Turning from barren soil (sin) to cultivated soil (obedience) • Active responsibility: “sow … break up” • Eager expectation of God’s response: “until He comes and sends righteousness” New Testament Parallels 1. The Command to Turn – Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:15—John the Baptist and Jesus: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” – Acts 3:19—“Repent therefore, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away.” 2. Breaking Up the Hardened Heart – Luke 3:8—“Produce fruit worthy of repentance.” The imagery of fruit presumes cultivated soil. – 2 Corinthians 7:10—“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret.” 3. Sowing and Reaping Language – Galatians 6:7-9—“Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.” Repentance sows to the Spirit. – James 3:18—“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.” 4. The Shower of Righteousness from Above – Romans 5:17—Believers “receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness.” – Titus 3:5-6—“He saved us … through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Connecting Threads • Hosea’s “time to seek the LORD” becomes the eternal “now” proclaimed in 2 Corinthians 6:2—“Now is the day of salvation.” • The plowed ground in Hosea mirrors the freshly prepared hearts in Acts 2:37—“They were pierced to the heart,” ready for Peter’s call to repent. • The promised rain of righteousness foreshadows the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-18). Practical Takeaways • Repentance is not a one-time gesture but ongoing cultivation. • God supplies the rain of righteousness, yet He commands us to prepare the soil. • The New Testament does not replace Hosea’s call; it amplifies and fulfills it through Christ and the Spirit. |
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