Hosea 6

Willful Disobedience

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

The LORD corrects his people for their healing if they come to him humbly seeking to obey him.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Jer 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

Hosea 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

This prophecy sounds a lot like the burial and resurrection of our lord Jesus Christ. He identified with his people and took their sins upon himself. He took our chastisement and by his stripes we were healed.

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

"If we follow on" If we learn of his ways, for he is a faithful God.

Isa 54:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

2 Sam 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
2 Sam 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
2 Sam 23:5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.

He will refresh his people and restore them if they will learn of him and obey him.

Hosea 6:4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

They tried for a time to keep the laws, but soon they were carried away by the distractions of the world and their own evil hearts.

Jesus spoke a parable of those overcome by the things of the world.

Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Hosea 6:5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.

Because they rejected the prophets words, they must suffer the results of their own stubborn ways.

Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Outward rituals did not cover their wicked hearts; God sees the hearts and the lack of obedience; they had no good fruit. The LORD wanted them to show mercy and to learn of his ways. We learn the heart of a person moreso by their fruit than from their words.

Hosea 6:7 But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

They were like men, like Adam who transgressed the will of God. They did so willingly inviting the vengence of God upon themselves. They acted like infidels who openly mock and challenge God to do something.

Hosea 6:8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
Hosea 6:9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.

Priests that consent to immorality. Priests who wink at sin and are man centered instead of preaching the holiness and vengeance of God upon sin. They may rob them of their money, using it inappropriately, but more so they condemn them to hell by not warning them of the penalty for their sin. Too many profess to be of God, but they do not show a change of heart. Good works follow a new heart. To preach to them that all is good with them, when they have never confessed their sins and turned to follow Jesus may fill a church. However they are condemned from lack of conviction and easy grace. To be a disciple requires total commitment to Jesus Christ, not to say bless me as I do what I want to do. The Lord knows who are his, may we also know if we are saved from the wrath of God through faith in His Son. We are to preach the cross and the need to turn from our sins and to ask for forgiveness and his Spirit to guide us.

Hosea 6:10 I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

The word for "horrible thing" is the same root word for "hair". Their spiritual whoredom causes the hair to stand on end. They certainly grieve the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Hosea 6:11 Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.

They would harvest the correction of God, for they are captive to sins and they needed to be turned around to serve God. First they must confess that they are in error and seek to be forgiven. God reveals our hearts, but most make excuses and hide from God. Sin is not a trivial thing. God sent Jesus to suffer and die on the cross as payment for our sins. Reflect on this and do not take grace for granted.