1
“Come, let us return unto the LORD;
for He hath torn, and He will heal us;
He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.
2
After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will raise us up,
and we shall live before Him.
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.”
4
What shall I do unto thee, O Ephraim?
What shall I do unto thee, O Judah?
For your goodness is as a morning cloud,
and as the early dew it goeth away.
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.
6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice;
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7
But they, like men, have transgressed the covenant:
there have they dealt treacherously against Me.
8
Gilead is a city of workers of iniquity,
and is polluted with blood.
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.
10
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
there is the whoredom of Ephraim,
Israel is defiled.
11
Also, O Judah, He hath set an harvest for thee,
when I return the captivity of My people.
📖💔🌦 Summary of Hosea 6 – False Repentance and the Love God Desires
Hosea 6 presents two contrasting parts:
- A call to repentance from the people, and
- The LORD’s response that exposes their falsehood.
They come to the LORD, but with shallow and insincere motives. God is not seeking ceremony, ritual, or sweet words—He desires love and the knowledge of Him more than all sacrifices.
📌 1. A Call to Return to the LORD (verses 1–3)
“Come, let us return to the LORD, for He has torn, and He will heal us…”
- The people cry out to return to the LORD, trusting that the LORD heals quickly
- They believe that restoration will come very soon (“on the third day He will raise us up”)
- “Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD” sounds good, but the LORD knows their hearts
🎯 Many people want the blessing of restoration without true repentance. The words may be right, but the motives may be wrong.
📌 2. God Rejects Shallow Repentance (verses 4–6)
“Your love is like the morning cloud and like the dew that goes away early.”
- Israel’s love is not lasting, like dew that quickly vanishes
- The LORD prefers true love rather than burnt offerings:
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (verse 6)
🎯 God desires relationship, not ritual. A faithful heart is more precious than outward worship.
📌 3. The People Break the Covenant (verses 7–11)
“They have transgressed the covenant like men at Adam…”
- In Gilead, a city of priests, there are traces of evil and bloodshed
- The priests, who should keep God’s law, act instead like robbers
- Ephraim and Judah break the covenant, living in uncleanness
🎯 When the spiritual becomes corrupt, the moral fall of a nation becomes unavoidable.
📖 Main Lesson
- Repentance must come from the heart, not merely from the lips
- God is not impressed by outward worship if there is no true love and obedience in life
- Shallow love does not save — only steadfast love endures the test
- A nation may be religious yet still be far from God
- God knows the heart; pretended repentance will not save
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“I will have mercy, and not sacrifice…”
→ Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 to rebuke the Pharisees, who were religious but lacked true love
📖 Mark 7:6
“This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”
→ As Hosea said, ritual without the heart = hypocrisy
“Let us draw near to God with a true heart…”
→ God desires an honest heart, not outward appearance
“Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.”
→ Not merely guilt, but true repentance that changes life
🎯 Hosea 6 is an urgent call to return to the LORD with a right heart, not merely with liturgy or routine. The LORD wants living love, not dead religion.
🕊️ “Come, let us return unto the LORD…” – Hosea 6:1
🕊️ “Your love is like the morning cloud…” – Hosea 6:4
🕊️ “I desired mercy, and not sacrifice…” – Hosea 6:6
🕊️ “They have transgressed the covenant like men at Adam…” – Hosea 6:7
