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: 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: 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 acknowledge Him 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 acknowledge Him and seek His face, God will meet us. As James says, “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” (James 4:8).
By the way, a great song that’s based on this verse is “You’ll Come”. Listen to it HERE.
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: Sometimes our love for God can be inconsistent and up-and-down, here for a while and then gone like a morning mist (v4). 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. I 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: Your attitude toward others (“mercy”, the horizontal aspect of Christianity) and your attitude toward God (“acknowledgment of God”, the vertical aspect of Christianity) are even more important than any offering of money or any 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 you treat God.
On verses 7-11: These verses show us that God is aware of all the sin that happens in this world and He hates it. Yet in verse 6 we see that God is nonetheless a lover of mercy, who calls us to love mercy too. So taken together, verses 6 to 11 show us both the holiness of God and the mercy of God.
Like I’ve been telling our people at Thrive often these days, at the cross of Jesus Christ we see God’s justice and God’s mercy. The cross is an intersection where God’s holiness and God’s mercy meet. Let’s be sure to cross that intersection every day. Let’s stay close to God’s justice and His mercy.
Heavenly Father, thank You that today is a day for me to press on to acknowledge You. No matter how hard or easy, victorious or disappointing yesterday was, may I press on to acknowledge 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!
