Hosea 6:1-11 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Hosea 6:1-11. Let’s go!
Hosea 6:1-2 (NIV)
1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.
On verses 1-2: In chapter 5 Hosea had prophesied that God would punish the nation of Israel for their sins, and now in chapter 6, Hosea urges the nation of Israel to return to the LORD. He says “He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.” Why would you go to the very person who has torn you to pieces for healing; why would you go to the very person who injured you to be restored? You would only do so if you believed that somehow that person (1) had a good purpose in bringing the injury; and (2) is able to heal you. So here we see Hosea’s faith in both the goodness of God’s heart and the ability of God’s healing, restoring power. Hosea urges the people to come back to God, believing that God had a good purpose in allowing their punishment and was just, fair and wise in executing that punishment. He urges the people to come back to God, believing that God is fully able to restore and revive them.
Likewise, we can trust in the goodness and power of God. For the rest of our lives on earth, we can be sure that whenever God allows us to go through difficulties or defeats, it’s not because He is cruel or indifferent. It’s because His ultimate purpose is to revive us, to restore us, to make us stronger than we were before, and to know Him more intimately, “that we may live in His presence” (v2).
Hosea 6:3 (NIV)
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
On verse 3: Previously in chapter 5 Hosea pointed out how his people the Israelites “do not know the LORD” (Hosea 5:4, NKJV, NLT), and that is a big reason for all the trouble they brought upon themselves. So in the spirit of wanting to see his people restored, refreshed and reunited with God, Hosea now says here, “Let us get to know the LORD; let us press on to know him.” (v3a) Hosea says this with the confidence that as he and his people press on to know God, God will appear and come to them, like rain watering the earth (v3b).
Like Hosea, let’s have the attitude that no matter what happened yesterday, no matter what victory or defeat we experienced yesterday, we will press on to know God today. Instead of living in the past, let’s press on to live for Jesus today. And let’s do so with the confidence that as we seek His face, God will meet us. As James writes, “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” (James 4:8).
Hosea 6:4-5 (NIV)
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.
On verses 4-5: Here God laments the waywardness of His people, how their love comes and goes like a morning mist or the morning dew (v4). It is because of their unreliable commitment to God and their waywardness that God sent his prophets, wods and judgments to discipline His people (v5).
Sometimes our love for God can be inconsistent and up-and-down, here for a while and then gone like a morning mist. That’s why we need the Word of God, like a sword, to cut into our lives, to speak into our situations and to shed light on our wrong attitudes and inconsistencies.
It’s no wonder God’s Word is called the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), “sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Thank God for His Word that cuts into our lives like a knife. We need God’s Word every day!
Hosea 6:6 (NIV)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
On verse 6: It helps me to read this verse also in the New Living Translation: “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”
More than token sacrifices from His people, God always wanted – and still wants – a close relationship with His people and a people who would reflect God’s heart.
From this we can appreciate two aspects of Christianity. There’s the horizontal aspect which is your attitude toward others (“mercy”). There’s also the vertical aspect, which is how well you know God’s heart (“acknowledgment of God”, knowing God). Knowing God and reflecting Him to others is more important than any single offering of money or sacrifice of time that you give. If you want to know what is the true quality of your worship, look at how you treat others and how well you know God.
Hosea 6:7-11 (NIV)
7 Like Adam, they have broken the covenant– they were unfaithful to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of wicked men, stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a man, so do bands of priests; they murder on the road to Shechem, committing shameful crimes.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel. There Ephraim is given to prostitution and Israel is defiled.
11 “Also for you, Judah, a harvest is appointed.
On verses 7-11: These verses once again speak of the people’s sins – breaking their covenant with God (v7), wickedness and bloodshed (v8), ambush and murder (v9), prostitution (v10). This applies to both Israel (“Ephraim”) (v10) and Judah (v11).
These verses show us that God is aware of all the sin that happens in this world and He hates it. Taken altogether, Hosea 6 show us God in anguish: on one hand so wanting to be close to His people, and on the other hand so dismayed by their sin.
That’s why later on God would surely appear with the cross. At the cross where Jesus died, God expressed both His wrath toward our sin as well as His desire for us to be close to Him despite our sin. The cross was God taking the initiative to deal with our sin problem so that He could be close to us. The cross is the intersection where God’s justice and mercy meet. Let’s be sure to cross that intersection every day. Let’s stay close to God’s justice and mercy.
Father, thank You that today is a day for me to press on to know You. No matter how hard or easy, victorious or disappointing yesterday was, may I press on to know You today, remembering both Your justice and Your mercy. Thank You for Your Word which, like a sword, cuts deep into my heart and life, sometimes destroying me first so that I can experience true life after. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
