CALL FOR REPENTANCE

Passage: Hosea 6:1-11

Key verse: 3

NIV

Israel Unrepentant

6 “Come, let us return(A) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(B)
    but he will heal us;(C)
he has injured us
    but he will bind up our wounds.(D)
2 After two days he will revive us;(E)
    on the third day(F) he will restore(G) 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,(H)
    like the spring rains that water the earth.(I)”

4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?(J)
    What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears.(K)
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
    I killed you with the words of my mouth(L)—
    then my judgments go forth like the sun.[a](M)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(N)
    and acknowledgment(O) of God rather than burnt offerings.(P)
7 As at Adam,[b] they have broken the covenant;(Q)
    they were unfaithful(R) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,(S)
    stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(T)
    so do bands of priests;
they murder(U) on the road to Shechem,
    carrying out their wicked schemes.(V)
10 I have seen a horrible(W) thing in Israel:
    There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
    Israel is defiled.(X)

11 “Also for you, Judah,
    a harvest(Y) is appointed.

“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(Z) of my people,

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Footnotes
  1. Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  2. Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam; or Like human beings
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

6 “Come, let us (A)return to the Lord;
    for (B)he has torn us, that he may heal us;
    he has struck us down, and (C)he will bind us up.
2 After two days (D)he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.
3 (E)Let us know; (F)let us press on to know the Lord;
    (G)his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us (H)as the showers,
    (I)as the spring rains that water the earth.”

4 What shall I do with you, (J)O (K)Ephraim?
    What shall I do with you, O (L)Judah?
Your love is (M)like a morning cloud,
    (N)like the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
    I have slain them (O)by the words of my mouth,
    and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For (P)I desire steadfast love[a] and not sacrifice,
    (Q)the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

7 But (R)like Adam they (S)transgressed the covenant;
    (T)there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 (U)Gilead is a city of evildoers,
    (V)tracked with blood.
9 As robbers (W)lie in wait for a man,
    so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to (X)Shechem;
    they commit villainy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
    (Y)Ephraim's whoredom is there; (Z)Israel is defiled.

11 For you also, O (AA)Judah, (AB)a harvest is appointed.

When (AC)I restore the fortunes of my people,

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Footnotes
  1. Hosea 6:6 Septuagint mercy
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

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).

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).

They were already suffering from the consequences of their sins, but God’s punishment for them was also coming. Hosea understood that God's judgment 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.