Let
Us Return Unto The Lord
-- Hosea Six --
Israel had sinned grievously. They had
become idolatrous. Sin had taken them far from the one true and loving God. God
had promised that Israel would be left to face the
consequences of her sins. “I will return again to My
place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
(Hosea 5:15) The thought of being left in our sins, without God, should bring
us to our knees. Sadly, Judah was not too far behind Israel.
Hosea pictured the goodness of God
in receiving and reviving His penitent people. God always promised to receive
those that repent. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14) God was prepared to receive His people again, if only they
would turn their hearts to Him.
The goodness or faithfulness of both
Israel and Judah was like an early morning cloud.
It did not last and went quickly away. Through His prophet God pronounced
coming judgment upon those nations. His judgment was as sure and certain as the
coming of morning light.
Sadly, Israel felt very righteous. However,
their religion was only outward show. This led God to say, “For I desire mercy
and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than
burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6) While practicing an outward religion Israel was disobedient against God and
treacherous in dealing with others.
Gilead was specifically called out by
God as a city that had done wickedly. They worked iniquity and were polluted
with blood. Murder was their sin! God asked, “Though Gilead has idols-Surely they are
vanity-Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed
their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.” (Hosea 12:11) He
looked upon the sinfulness of both Israel and Judah as a “horrible thing.”
Return
to the Lord and live – Hosea 6:1-3: In much the same way as Hosea had
appeal to his own unfaithful wife to return to him the prophet now pleaded with
Israel to return to God. “Come, and let
us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken,
but He will bind us up.” (Hosea 6:1) Hosea knew God to be forgiving, merciful
and compassionate. He was a God of severity, but He was also a God of goodness.
(Romans 11:22) No doubt but Hosea knew the words of Deuteronomy 32:39, “Now see
that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me;
I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver
from My hand.” Friends, God will revive you and restore you if you repent and
obey!
Righteousness must be continual –
Hosea 6:3-4:
God caused both Israel (Ephraim) and Judah to think of their sad spiritual
condition by asking “O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? He
wanted them to be fully aware of the punishment they deserved because of their
transgressions. Their faithfulness or goodness was like to morning cloud or it
was like the dew on the ground in the early morning. Their righteous was there
for a short time and then quickly gone away. They had forgotten that God
expected, desired and deserved continual righteousness.
God had sent his prophets to shape
and mold Israel spiritually by His word. The word
of His mouth is the tool that He uses even this day, to shape men for eternity.
God’s word is like a fire that burns the impurities from our life. It is also
like a hammer to mold and shape us into the likeness of the Almighty. Jeremiah
said, “Is not My word like a fire?" says the
LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)
It is by the word of God that His judgments go forth as the light.
Remembering God’s covenant – Hosea 6:6-8: Gomer had broken the
covenant that she had made with Hosea. She had become an
unfaithful wife treacherous companion. Israel had likewise broken her covenant
with God. God desired obedience with a merciful heart. Israel only gave empty sacrifices to
God. Their relationship with God should have been more important to them than
any burnt offerings that they might sacrifice. Yet their lives could only be
described as spiritual emptiness and failure.
God sadly said, “But like men they
transgressed the covenant; There they dealt
treacherously with Me.” (Hosea 6:7) They like men or like Adam transgressed
God’s covenant. God’s covenant with Adam was simple and easy to be understood,
yet in rebellion he transgressed. Israel transgressed the covenant of God
by their treacherous and ungodly living. Their wickedness was a grief to the
heart of the Creator.
Gilead is a city that represented how Israel had worked iniquity. Iniquity has
to do with the evil that is in the heart that then found place in the life of
the person. Their lives were polluted by the blood of their worthless
sacrifices and by the blood of those that were murdered in their godless
society. When humanity lacks respect for God there will be manifest a lack of
respect for human life.
Returning the covenant of God’s people – Hosea 6:9-11: Both Israel and Judah had become very corrupt.
Instead of helping the hurting they had become a “troop of robbers” waiting to
harm some individual. The priest had become a company of murderers. God had
said to the priest, “Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king!
For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a
snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor.” (Hosea
5:1) Their evil society had been described in the said words, “Hear the word of
the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge
against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.” (Hosea 4:2)
Jeremiah gave a similar picture to
that painted by Hosea. He wrote, “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery,
swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not
know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My
name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'?” (Jeremiah
7:9-10) God observed the horrible idolatry of both Israel and Judah. He said, “I have seen a horrible
thing in the house of Israel: There is the harlotry of
Ephraim; Israel is defiled. Also, O Judah, a harvest
is appointed for you, When I return the captives of My
people.” (Hosea 6:10-11) Sadly He used a sever period of captivity to bring Judah to her knees. The great need was
for a return to God’s covenant by His covenant people. Israel would be destroyed because of her
sinfulness. Judah would be preserved so that the
Christ, man’s hope for redemption could be born.
The greatest need in any age is for
man to return to the covenant of God. In humble love and obedience will you
hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus (Hebrews
11:6), repent of sins (Luke 13:5), confess Christ as Lord (Matthew 10:32-33), and be baptized to be saved.
(I Peter 3:21) “Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He
will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.” (Hosea 6:1)