Hosea

Hosea 6: Mercy more than sacrifice

Begin in prayer

Before we read what the LORD wants more than offerings, please ask Him to give us mercy and to help us know Him as He is.

“What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats.

Isaiah 1:11

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that You want mercy and the knowledge of You more than offerings, and show us Jesus, who came to call sinners. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

The people say, “Come, and let us return” to the LORD, for He has torn them and He will heal them. They hope He will raise them up after two days and come to them like the spring rain. But the LORD answers that their love is like a morning cloud and like the dew that disappears early. He says, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice”, and “the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings”. Israel, like Adam, has broken the covenant, and the LORD points to bloodshed in Gilead and on the road toward Shechem. He sees a horrible thing in the house of Israel, and He also sets a harvest for Judah.

As you read Hosea 6, look for the answers:

• What does the LORD say about the love of Ephraim and Judah? (verse 4)
• What does the LORD desire more than sacrifice? (verse 6)
• What did Israel do to the covenant, like Adam? (verse 7)

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD wants mercy and the knowledge of Him more than offerings, and Jesus came to call sinners.

Chapter 6 begins with words that sound like repentance, as the people say they will return to the LORD. They say that He has torn them and will heal them, and that on the third day He will raise them up. But the LORD answers that their love is like a morning cloud and like dew, which are gone when the sun is up. Sacrifice and burnt offerings were God's own commands, so verse 6 does not cancel them. It says they are empty without mercy and the knowledge of God. Mercy here is faithful love toward God and toward people, and the knowledge of God is knowing Him as He is. Verse 7 says that like Adam, the people broke the covenant. Shechem was a city of refuge, made to protect people from bloodshed, yet murder now waited on its road (Joshua 20). Jesus used verse 6 and told the Pharisees to learn what it means, for He came to call sinners (Matthew 9 verse 13).

How does Hosea 6 show us that the LORD wants mercy and the knowledge of Him more than offerings, and that Jesus came to call sinners?

The people say they will return, but their love fades quickly.

They say, “Let us return”, and they trust that He will heal them (verses 1 to 3). The LORD answers that their love is like a morning cloud and like dew (verse 4). Both are gone when the sun is up. A love that fades so quickly cannot be trusted.

The LORD wants mercy and knowing Him more than offerings.

He did not cancel the offerings He had commanded (verse 6). He says they are not enough without a heart of mercy that knows Him. Jesus told the Pharisees to learn this, because He came to call sinners (Matthew 9 verse 13).

Israel, like Adam, broke the LORD's covenant.

Verse 7 says they were unfaithful to Him there. Gilead and the road toward Shechem were stained with blood (verses 8 and 9). The LORD sees a horrible thing in the house of Israel (verse 10). Sin leaves every people guilty, and every people needs a Savior.

Memorise

For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, is my love for God like a morning cloud that soon fades?

Israel's love faded in the morning sun, for it “is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears early”. The LORD also says, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice”. A people can bring offerings and still have a heart that has gone.

Jesus told the Pharisees to learn what that means, for He came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. He offered Himself on the cross for His people, once and for all. He rose, and no more offering is needed.

So come to Him. Turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus. He forgives the sins of everyone who comes, and He gives a heart that wants to know God.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the LORD wants mercy and the knowledge of Him, and that Jesus came to call sinners. Parents, please explain verses 8 to 10 in your own words, since they speak of killing and shameful crimes. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for the mercy He wants, and for Jesus, who came to call sinners, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:8

Merciful God, thank You that You want mercy and that You sent Jesus to call sinners. Forgive us for love that fades like the morning cloud. Please bring each one of us to Jesus and teach us to know You. Amen.