CALL FOR REPENTANCE
Hosea 6:1-11
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.” (3)
chapter 6
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.
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."
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 - then my judgments go forth like the sun.
6. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
7. As at Adam, they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me there.
8. Gilead is a city of evildoers, stained with footprints of blood.
9. As marauders lie in ambush for a victim, so do bands of priests; they murder on the road to Shechem, carrying out their wicked schemes.
10. I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: There Ephraim is given to prostitution, Israel is defiled.
11. "Also for you, Judah, a harvest is appointed. "Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,
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1. Hosea starts the prophecy with his invitation to return to the Lord. The affliction they now suffer is only for a short time, and as Christ brought us into a complete restoration through his resurrection, we will also live in the presence of God. God’s love and grace are persistent like the rising sun and copious like the spring rain (2).
2. However, the present state of Judah and Israel was far from God’s character. They may have brought elaborate offerings but did not worship God with the right heart (6). They were unfaithful in keeping the covenant God had given them. Their cities were full of robbers, slanderers, and murderers. The prostitution Hosea mentions here may mean idolatry, but they were sexually immoral as well, and it was happening in the most grotesque forms in their shrines (10).
3. They were already suffering from the consequences of their sins, but God’s punishment for them was also coming. Hosea understood that God'sjudgment upon his people was an expression of his mercy and a prelude to the restoration of their relationship (11).
Prayer: Father, your love and grace for me is like the rising sun and spring rain. Thank you for disciplining me to turn away from the sin that the world offers and come to you. Help me hold to your words and discipline me to take the right way.
One Word: Return to the Lord