Chapter Introduction
The Lord’s judgment is designed for restoration. When His words, warnings, and calls are no longer heard, then judgment will come. The road back to the Lord began with awareness of sin, repentance, humility, and seeking Yahweh alone for help.
Hosea 6:1-3
Is this true repentance? Only the Lord really knows. But if they’d had a repentant attitude, then they wouldn’t have been brought to this place. There is more evidence that the people turned quickly back to God when it affected their material wealth. They were acting out of self-preservation, not repentance.
They had previously looked to Baal for their rain and praised him when they were blessed. When the rains failed, they ran back to Yahweh. Suddenly, they had God all figured out. Whatever He did in judgment, they presumed He would quickly undo. All they had to do was turn to Him.
They were quick to repent and just as quick to return to their previous lifestyle. They didn’t realize the depth of their sin. They thought it would all pass in a few days. While they were flippant about sin and assumed God would resolve any crisis in a few days, God was bringing about their destruction and moving them to exile.
When we face a national crisis, we suddenly are one nation under God, and we cry God bless America. Yet, when the crisis passes, we return to our wicked ways as a nation. Like the children of Israel, we somehow believe God owes us a correction when we recite our prayers. Like any good father, God is patient and loving to His children who stumble and bumble in sin as they love and pursue Him. Yet, the loving Father corrects the disobedient, wayward, and rebellious child.
Hosea 6:4-6
This seems to be the evidence that the repentance wasn’t real. They had a faithfulness one minute that couldn’t be found the next. This sounds very much like the words of a Father dealing with a rebellious child. He doesn’t want to punish them, but they won’t listen.
God cut them to pieces with the prophets and killed them with the words.
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:11-13)
God’s word is living and active. It is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God had given them the word by which they were to live. He was their God and provided for them in every way. Yet, they turned away. That same word that was their provision now became the words that would bring about their destruction.
It’s hard to imagine them coming to God with a sacrifice and making a burnt offering when they were rebellious, wicked, and seeking other gods. They were going through the religious motions of worship in an attempt to cover all their bases and keep all the gods happy. They had put God Most High among all their other gods. How irreverent! How heartbreaking that must have been to God. Yet, if we pause to examine ourselves, we’ll find we’ve been in this same place. We’ve opened the word reluctantly, not desiring God but going through the motions. We skipped the prayer because we thought we had something more substantial. We’ve attended church to give God his hour and a half for the week. Then we’ve returned to our lives, our way of having given God our little sacrifices.
God desires mercy and knowledge of God, not empty and rote religious motions. Jesus quotes this in Matthew 9:13 when the Pharisees criticized Jesus for sitting down with tax collectors and sinners. There is no substitute for knowing Him and living in His presence. He’s our Father, and He wants to share in our life. He wants to be there when we experience life and feel joy, pain, sorrow, and contentment. He wants to guide us through those difficult places in our life. And He wants to bless us without spoiling our adventure to pursue this life with Him. In this life, we will never see Him clearly or understand all His ways like we’d like.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (1 Corinthians 13:11-12)
The religious motions and works meant nothing when they weren’t done in love. They became chores, something done to stay in the right relationship with God. The love of the Lord was forgotten, and the covenant was broken.
See Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 9:24 when Jesus quotes Hosea.
See Isaiah 1:11-17; Amos 4:4-5; Micah 6:6-8 for more on the proper place of Sacrifice.
Hosea 6:7-11
Like Adam, they transgressed. But then it speaks of Adam as a place. This may be a reference to the time and place of the fall of man. There, they transgressed the covenant and dealt treacherously with the Lord.
Gilead was once a sacred place that is now characterized as defiled by blood. Shechem was a city of refuge and became the first capital of the northern kingdom. Now the priests commit murder on the way to Shechem. They are corrupt and depraved.
At this time, the once great cities of God were now known for their wickedness and waywardness. This is just an incredible picture that shows how far a nation can fall and how bizarre the changes seem when all restraint is thrown away and there is no knowledge of God.
A harvest is also appointed to Judah also when the Lord regathers the tribes in the latter days.
The Big Idea
The Lord’s judgments on man because of sin should awaken them to understand they need to return to the Lord by repentance, prayer, and reformation.
©2006 Doug Ford; Further Study and Revision 2016, 2025
Facebook