Hosea 5:15 I will go [and] return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
As chapter 5 of Hosea's prophecy closes, the Lord speaks through the prophet, saying in essence that he regards not the proud of heart, but rather, hears those who confess and acknowledge their offense - their sins against Him - and seek His face. That is, those who humbly confess the sinfulness of their ways and the sinfulness of their flesh, and rest only on the mercy of God for forgiveness are heard by Him.
How different this picture is than what we often see today - people responding to an erroneous call, e.g. "who wants to come up here to be saved?" "who wants to spend eternity in heaven?" "who wants to make a decision for Jesus?"
None of these invitations make ANY SENSE AT ALL from a Biblical perspective. It's not about "saved" or "heaven" or "decisions".... it's about honestly and forthrightly confessing the grievousness of the sins we've committed against God, despising those sins and forsaking them, and throwing oneself on the mercy of the God against whom we have done such evil. Without an appropriate understanding of sin, and our wickedness in contrast to the holiness of God's Law and his righteous expectations of us, we cannot begin to understand what salvation means. We simply WON'T be healed of our sin if we don't see it for what it truly is - wicked and damnable. We cannot hold anything back here - our sin condemns us, and God would rightly wipe his hands of us and throw us into the deepest hell for what we have done. If this isn't our perspective, then modern-day "altar calls" are a bunch of feel-good baloney.
Calvin writes in his commentary along these lines:
But the Prophet shows at the same time the final issue, that is, that they will afterwards return to the Lord; and that this is also the purpose of God he affirms, "Till they acknowledge", he says, "that they have sinned". For it is the beginning of healing, when men consider the cause of their disease. He had said before that Israel saw his disease, but not in a right way; for the origin of the disease was hid from him, and continued as yet hid. But now the Prophet distinctly shows that it is to seek God, when people acknowledge and confess their sins. This word continually occurs in Scripture when sacrifices are spoken of. Hence men are said then to sin, when they go forth before God, making a true confession, when they acknowledge their guilt and pray for pardon. So also in this place he says, "Until they confess that they have sinned I will for a time hide myself." And he adds, "They will seek my face". This is the second thing in attaining salvation - to seek the face of God: for we are reconciled to God, we know, by repentance and faith; not that repentance procures pardon for us, but because it is necessarily required; it is a cause, as they say, which is indispensable.The first step then towards healing, as we have already said, is to be touched with grief, when we perceive that we have provoked the wrath of God, and when thus our sins displease us. But he who is thus become in himself a sinner, that is, who begins to be his own judge, ought afterwards to add this second thing - to seek the face of God, that is, to present himself a suppliant before God, and to ask for pardon; and this arises from faith. It is then to repentance that the word "'asham" belongs, which is to "acknowledge sin:" and to "seek the face of God," properly belongs to faith.
Now let us see what is the application of this doctrine as to both people. When the Israelites and the Jews lived in exile, it was of great benefit for them to have this testified, that God was hiding his face for a time, that he might afford them time to repent; this is one thing. Now when men considerately attend to this, that they are to seek God, that they may repent, they are encouraged; and this is the sharpest goad to rouse men, that they may no longer be torpid in their vices: and this is what the Prophet meant. When the Lord shall banish into exile both the Jews and the Israelites, let them not think that though for a time he will seem to cast them away they are wholly deserted; for as yet a convenient time for repentance will be given them. He afterwards describes the way of reconciliations that is, that they shall acknowledge that they have sinned, and then that they shall seek the face of God.