Introduction
In the early 20th century, when this chapel building was erected, nonconformist Christianity was a dominant force in Wales.
Nonconfomity’s early 20th. century dominance
Statistical data detailing the number of individuals identifying as nonconformist Christians in Wales during the first and second decades of the 20th century is limited.
The available figures suggest that nonconformity was highly influential during this era, but precise membership numbers for each decade are not readily accessible.
We can say that by 1910, nonconformist denominations collectively had approximately 550,000 members, while the established Church of England counted about 193,000 members.
The 1904–1905 Welsh revival significantly impacted religious life, with at least 100,000 people converting to Christianity during this period.
And although it’s hard to get a handle on what followed, because all the statistics that relate to it seem to be ‘England and Wales, what we can find tells us there’s been a deep decline in nonconformist Christianity in the UK since the Second World War.
Nonconformity’s later 20th. Century decline
It’s not just us … it is everywhere … and it is evidenced by sharp drops in membership, attendance, and cultural influence.
- Nonconformist church membership fell from 2.6 million in 1945 to 600,000 in 2015 (Brierley, UK Church Statistics).
- Sunday school attendance, once a cornerstone of nonconformist influence, collapsed by 95% during the same period.
Do we need statistics to tell us that? Probably not because we have seen it.
Why has this happened?
Scholars like Callum Brown (The Death of Christian Britain) highlight how societal secularization accelerated this decline, driven by post-war urbanization, affluence, and shifts in morality.
Others suggest that the rise of the welfare state diminished the church’s role in social support, while television and consumerism competed with traditional worship.
Others suggest that what they call ‘generational disengagement’ … basically the breakdown of functional families where the old and the young relate closely to one another … saw younger people abandon the faith of their parents.
I’m not sure that much of that really puts a finger on it, but the fact remains that by 2023, less than 1% of the population in Wales identified as nonconformist Christians, with aging congregations and declining clergy numbers suggesting an irreversible trend toward marginalization in public and private life.
I tend to the view … and please test this idea … that people have put too much store by political leaders, politics and what owning large sums of money can do for them.
I reckon people have been far too self-confident about doing what seems right in their own eyes, and paying absolutely no attention to the problems caused by the loss of a costly integrity and the near-idolisation of the features of moral decay.
The wealthy seem to feel it is their right (in fact we have philosophers now who argue forcefully that it is morally right) to exploit the poor and for the gap to be exploitatively widened between those who think themselves better because more affluent.
And this is absolutely NOTHING NEW at all.
These are the sorts of reasons that led to the decline and decay of God’s people that gets addressed … with the solution offered … in the Book of the prophet Hosea.
It is a marvellously crafted and wonderfully enlightening book.
1. Hosea’s Background
i) Historical
Hosea ministered during the 8th century BC, primarily to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (though with implications for Judah).
His ministry spanned the reigns of the kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel (Hosea 1:1).
This was a time of instability, particularly in Israel, where kings were frequently assassinated.
ii) Political
Israel faced external threats from Assyria.
The Assyrian empire was rising to power, and Israel’s political leaders often sought alliances with Egypt or Assyria, rather than trusting in Yahweh.
iii) Social
Society was marked by widespread corruption, social injustice, and moral decay.
The wealthy exploited the poor, and the gap between the elite and the common people widened.
iv) Economic
Initially, there was economic prosperity during Jeroboam II’s reign.
However, this prosperity led to complacency, greed, and exploitation.
The Assyrian threat also caused economic instability.
v) Spiritual
Spiritual compromise was rampant, as Israel mixed Yahweh worship with the spirit of their age and the practices of the people around them, embracing enthusiastically the rituals of the Canaanite fertility cults (for example the worship of the Baals).
And in the midst of all this were the priests themselves, failing to guide the people in the true faith and worship.
As a result spiritual ignorance and immorality prevailed (you can read about it in Hosea 4:6).
So what did Hosea have to say to these Israelites, these wayward people of God?
2. Structure of the Book of Hosea
The book of Hosea has two main sections:
A. Hosea’s Marriage as a Metaphor for God’s Covenant (Chapters 1–3)
Hosea 1:1-9: Hosea is commanded to marry Gomer, symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness.
Hosea 1:10–2:1: Promises of restoration for Israel despite their sins.
Hosea 2:2-13: God’s case against Israel’s infidelity, likened to an unfaithful wife.
Hosea 2:14-23: God’s promise to allure and restore His people.
Hosea 3: Hosea redeems Gomer, symbolizing God’s redeeming love for Israel.
B. Oracles of Judgment on such sin and the road to Restoration (Chapters 4–14)
Hosea 4–7: Indictments against Israel for idolatry, immorality, and lack of knowledge of God.
Hosea 8–10: Pronouncements of judgment, focusing on Israel’s misplaced trust in political alliances and false worship.
Hosea 11: A poignant contrasting of God’s fatherly love and Israel’s rebellion.
Hosea 12–13: A recounting of Israel’s history, illustrating their persistent sin and God’s impending judgment.
Hosea 14: A final call to repentance and restoration, demonstrating God’s unfailing mercy and love.
And it’s that final chapter calling for repentance and promising restoration that we’re looking at today.
3. The shape of Hosea 14
I said this chapter was all a call to repentance as the condition of restoration and that’s exactly what the shape of the chapter shows you.
There’s firstly a call to repentance, and then comes the promise of restoration.
Call to Repentance (14:1-3)
Israel is urged to return to Yahweh with words of confession and reliance on His mercy rather than idols or foreign alliances.
Hosea 14:1
“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”
This text gives us the solution to the problem … but it needs to start with exposing the problem before it comes to the solution … and that’s why we’re concentrating on those two verses there today.
“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!”
Here’s the basic explanation of what a people who’ve gone away from God need to do and why they need to do it.
1. "Return"
Here’s a command – the Hebrew uses a verb in the imperative … signalling urgency and action.
The verb שׁוּב (shuv) is central to Hosea’s message, implying a turning away from sin and turning back to God.
It’s not just a turning away from their sins, it’s a definite turning from them BACK TO GOD!
They are to return (it says) …
עַד־יְהוָה ("to the Lord")
Which underscores the need for a full and personal return to Yahweh, the covenant God.
2. Why?
"for you have stumbled because of your iniquity" … your sins have been your downfall.
Their choices in life have compromised their stability!
That rings true, doesn’t it, of the Wales that we live in today?
The world we live in and the people we live alongside here in rural Wales are frankly not characterised by stability.
And their choices aren’t far from Hosea’s people’s lives either.
It’s mind-blowing stuff but the verb used here ‘to stumble’ views the consequences of sin as a fall from stability and righteousness.
That warrants, I think, a little bit of thinking about.
So much of what is sold to us as ‘freedom’, is actually kicking the legs out from under us.
Well by now we have got a painfully clear analysis of what’s wrong and WHY Hosea’s. people are in terminal decline.
Hopefully, these people can now see the mess they’ve made for themselves.
The next verse then deals with what they need to actually do to sort it out and return to God.
3. HOW?
How are they to return to God when they’ve been away from Him and are stumbling about … and that’s where the next verse takes us … we’ve seen the what and the why.
Now for the ‘how’.
Hosea 14:2
The verse reads:
"Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to Him, 'Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.'"
So let’s dive into that:
“Take words with you
and return to the Lord.”
“Take”
The imperative emphasizes an active response—the people are commanded to "take" something with them as they return to Yahweh.
"With you."
This indicates personal responsibility; they must bring something themselves, every one of you.
Take with you WORDS …
"Words."
This refers to verbal repentance rather than sacrifices or material offerings and it pointedly doesn’t use the word for animal sacrifices.
The use of devarim instead of korbanot (sacrifices) highlights the priority of sincere confession over ritual.
Key Insight:
This is personal.
The emphasis is on the act of bringing words—a sincere, spoken acknowledgment of sin made openly to the Lord before the people.
They are NOT to think that dead, impersonal, external rituals (however well-executed) will do the trick.
That will get a bit more important in the next little section … but here at the tail end of this section this word ‘return’ is so very important.
“Take words with you
and return …”
וְשׁוּבוּ (Veshuvu): Another plural imperative, from שׁוּב ("to return").
The repeated command underscores its urgency.
But ‘return’ to where … to where you were before?
Should they revert to the pattern of religious observance they remember from their youth and now long to copy again … as if they were using tracing paper?
Not in the least.
The resolution of the difficulty the people of God faced in Hosea’s day was to get back NOT to their tradition but to the Lord …
“Take words with you
and return to the Lord.”
אֶל־יְהוָה (el-YHVH): "To Yahweh."
It is not just about abandoning your rebellion but definitely about renewing closeness and intimacy with God.
Hosea is going to help us a little bit more here:
“Take words with you
and return to the Lord …”
And as you do so, say these specific things:
- 2 “Say to him:
‘Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”
Another imperative, "say".
The people are commanded here to explicitly confess their sin and petition Yahweh.
"To Him."
This shows that the confession is directed personally to Yahweh, not through intermediaries or mere ritual.
Key Insight: Repentance must be verbalized directly to God, demonstrating personal engagement in the act of repentance.
It is not someTHING we have wronged but SomeONE … so we confess it openly and directly to HIM.
1. Forgive all our iniquities
תִּשָּׂא (Tissa): A jussive verb from נשא ("to carry, forgive").
This conveys a plea: "May You forgive" or "Lift away."
The use of this verb expresses a deep dependence on God to remove their iniquity.
כָּל (Kol): "All" or "every."
This emphasizes the totality of their sin; they are asking for complete forgiveness.
עָוֹן (Avon): "Iniquity."
This term carries the idea of guilt and moral corruption.
Key Insight: The confession appeals to God’s mercy, recognizing His ability to completely remove the burden of sin.
And then there’s the consequence of that …
2. ‘That we may offer the fruit of our lips’
Translators have stumbled over this last part of verse 2
“that we may offer the fruit of our lips”.
If you were to translate the Hebrew verbatim you’d get something like:
“and we will pay with bulls
the vows of our lips”
Which sounds weird.
The word used is used of the young bulls of their ritual sacrifices, so the repentance is followed by the request for all sin to be removed so that proper worship can follow … not the sacrifice of bulls in some ritual but restoring their right personal relationship with God as they confess their sin and return to worshipping Him as their hearts overflow through their lips.
Key Insight: True repentance leads to a desire for God to accept not just their confession but their renewed dedication to Him, expressed as they relate personally to God in heart-felt praise.
Instead of animal sacrifices, the people offer verbal worship and thanksgiving, demonstrating that their repentance is heartfelt and spiritual rather than external and ritualistic.
So there are three clear things these people need to do in v. 2 to sort out the problem exposed in v. 1
1. Shift from Ritual to Relationship:
This verse underscores a key theme in Hosea: God desires sincere repentance and a restored relationship with His people, not empty rituals or insincere sacrifices (cf. Hosea 6:6).
2. Righting your relationship as worship:
The imagery of "young bulls of our lips" elevates verbal confession and praise to the level of sacrifice, reflecting the prophetic critique of mechanical worship and the priority of genuine devotion.
3. Clinging to God’s Readiness to Forgive:
The plea for God to "forgive all iniquity" reveals Israel’s acknowledgment of their dependence on His mercy.
The jussive form (tissa) conveys hope and confidence in God’s willingness to forgive.
The Hebrew text of Hosea 14:2 conveys the necessity of repentance that is verbal, heartfelt, and directed toward Yahweh.
The people are called to bring "words," not sacrifices, and to confess their sins, trusting in God’s mercy to forgive and accept their renewed worship.
This repentance contrasts sharply with the insincere and superficial repentance critiqued earlier in the book (e.g., Hosea 6).
It also lays the foundation for the promise of restoration that follows in Hosea 14:4-8.
So Hosea 14:1 calls Israel to return to the Lord because their sin has caused them to stumble. Hosea 14:2 unfolds this return by providing specific instructions on how to repent: through heartfelt words of confession and acknowledgment of dependence on God's mercy.
The sequence is clear: repentance begins with recognizing the problem (sin in 14:1), then proceeds to verbalizing that recognition and seeking God's grace (14:2).
Relation to Hosea 6
Hosea 6:1-3 also contains a call to return to the Lord:
"Come, let us return to the Lord; He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us..."
However, in Hosea 6:4-6, God rejects the people's return, saying:
"What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist..."
Key Difference Between Hosea 6 and Hosea 14
1. Superficiality vs. Sincerity
In Hosea 6, the people’s words are shallow and insincere. They seek restoration from God without true repentance or a change of heart. Their love is fleeting, like "the morning mist" (6:4), and they fail to acknowledge their ongoing rebellion against God.
In Hosea 14, the repentance described is heartfelt and genuine. The call to "take words" and acknowledge sin reflects a deep understanding of their need for God's mercy and a willingness to turn away from their iniquities.
2. Ritual vs. Relationship
Hosea 6 highlights the people's tendency to rely on ritual sacrifices rather than cultivating a genuine relationship with God: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (6:6).
In contrast, Hosea 14:2 demonstrates that true repentance involves verbal confession and a desire to restore a relational connection with God, leading to authentic worship ("the fruit of our lips").
Repentance as a Holistic Act: Hosea 14:2 teaches that true repentance involves more than outward actions—it includes heartfelt confession, a reliance on grace, and a transformation of worship.
The Power of Words: The call to "take words" emphasizes that repentance is not merely an emotional or internal act but one that must be expressed.
Words have the power to restore relationships, and in this context, they bridge the gap between a sinful people and a merciful God.
The contrast with Hosea 6 underscores that God rejects empty words or actions.
True repentance is marked by humility, honesty, and a deep recognition of God’s sovereignty and grace.
Promise of Restoration (14:4-8)
God responds to repentance with assurances of healing, love, and blessings.
“‘I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendour will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 People will dwell again in his shade;
they will flourish like the corn,
they will blossom like the vine –
Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I[c] to do with idols?
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;
your fruitfulness comes from me.’”
The imagery of growth and fruitfulness (e.g., a flourishing tree) underscores God’s transformative power.
Wisdom Epilogue (14:9)
A closing reflection emphasizes the moral of the book: God’s ways are right, and only the righteous walk in them.
But as the un-right with God try to walk in them in their own way … they stumble there.
Place in the Overall Message:
Hosea 14 serves as the climactic resolution of the book.
And it offers hope after the dark pronouncements of judgment, reinforcing the covenant relationship between Yahweh and His people:
“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.”
Conclusion
For a congregation seeking renewal, this passage offers a model for genuine repentance:
- Recognize the Problem: Just as Israel stumbled because of sin (14:1), churches must reflect on their spiritual state and identify areas of failure.
- Confess with Sincerity: The instruction to "take words with you" reminds us that prayerful, honest confession is a vital step toward restoration.
- Trust in Grace: The plea to "forgive all our sins and receive us graciously" encourages reliance on God’s mercy, not human effort.
- Renew Worship: The "fruit of our lips" points to the ultimate goal of repentance—restored worship that flows from gratitude for God’s grace.
Here’s a powerful reminder from Hosea that it is genuine repentance and turning back to God that opens the door to renewal, both for individuals and congregations and nations.
The theme of "return" (shuv) to God is central in the Old Testament prophets, serving as a call to repentance and restoration. It reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people, where Israel's rebellion and idolatry have broken fellowship with Him. Prophets like Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel repeatedly urge the people to return to Yahweh, emphasizing His steadfast love, mercy, and willingness to forgive.
Hosea exemplifies this theme vividly. In Hosea 14:1-3, the call to "return" is an invitation to abandon sin and seek God’s grace through heartfelt repentance. Hosea portrays sin as a stumbling block and reminds Israel of the need for verbal confession ("Take words with you") and dependence on God's mercy ("Forgive all our sins"). This return is relational, seeking not only forgiveness but a restoration of covenant intimacy.
Throughout the prophets, returning to God often contrasts with superficial rituals or empty sacrifices (e.g., Hosea 6:6; Isaiah 1:13-17). Instead, it demands sincere humility, a transformed heart, and trust in God's character.
Ultimately, the call to "return" is not only a warning but a promise: when Israel turns back, God heals, restores, and renews, as seen in the assurance of divine blessings in Hosea 14:4-8
What’s this got to do with us and the decline I was talking about at the start?
Not of that stuff we were talking about there and that concerns us now is new.
Wales has a rich history of spiritual awakenings coming out of times just like ours … and worse.
Times of Awakening where repentance and a return to the Lord have led to significant church growth and societal transformation.
Here are specific instances:
- The Welsh Methodist Revival (1730s–1760s)
In the early 18th century, Wales experienced a profound spiritual awakening known as the Welsh Methodist Revival.
Key figures like Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland preached repentance and a personal relationship with God, leading to widespread conversions.
This movement emphasized heartfelt religion over formalism, which is exactly what Hosea was getting at, and that resulted in the establishment of numerous Methodist societies and a revitalization of the Welsh church.
- The 1859 Revival
The 1859 Revival was marked by intense prayer meetings and a deep sense of conviction of sin that had led to stumbling, and led to widespread return to God among the populace.
Within two years, Welsh chapels welcomed over 100,000 new believers, many of whom had previously led ungodly lives but experienced life-transforming encounters with Jesus.
- The 1904–1905 Welsh Revival
Perhaps the most renowned, the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, led by Evan Roberts, saw an estimated 100,000 conversions in a single year. The revival began with fervent prayer and a call to repentance, leading to spontaneous outbreaks of singing, prayer, and open confession. This movement not only filled churches but also had a profound societal impact, including reductions in crime and the closure of pubs due to lack of patronage.
- The Role of Youth in the 1904 Revival
A notable spark for the 1904 Revival was the testimony of a young girl named Florrie Evans in New Quay.
Her declaration, "I love Jesus Christ with all my heart," ignited a flame that spread across Wales, demonstrating how individual repentance and devotion can lead to widespread spiritual awakening.
- The Impact on Communities
During these revivals, entire communities were transformed.
For instance, in the 1904 Revival, policemen formed choirs to sing at revival meetings due to the lack of crime to police.
Long-standing debts were repaid, and family relationships were restored, showcasing the profound societal changes that accompanied spiritual renewal.
People stopped stumbling at God’s ways, and started walking in them … and it began in every one of those examples when God’s people repented and returned to Him, pleaded for the forgiveness of their sins from Him … and offered not ritual but the overflow of their hearts in heartfelt praise
Our situation in Wales today is at least as old as Hosea, and as He has done it before, the God of Hosea longs to do this for us again.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Nonconfomity’s early 20th. century dominance
Nonconformity’s later 20th. Century decline
Why has this happened?
1. Hosea’s Background
i) Historical
ii) Political
iii) Social
iv) Economic
v) Spiritual
2. Structure of the Book of Hosea
A. Hosea’s Marriage as a Metaphor for God’s Covenant (Chapters 1–3)
B. Oracles of Judgment on such sin and the road to Restoration (Chapters 4–14)
3. The shape of Hosea 14
Call to Repentance (14:1-3)
Hosea 14:1
1. "Return"
2. Why?
3. HOW?
Hosea 14:2
- Shift from Ritual to Relationship:
- Righting your relationship as worship:
- Clinging to God’s Readiness to Forgive:
Relation to Hosea 6
- Superficiality vs. Sincerity
- Ritual vs. Relationship
Promise of Restoration (14:4-8)
Wisdom Epilogue (14:9)
Place in the Overall Message:
Conclusion
