16/11/2022 Wednesday
Hosea
God’s people partly repent, but not sincerely and He warns of more judgment.
Chapter 6
OUTLINE OF HOSEA The Ryrie Study Bible
1. The Prodigal Wife, 1:1-3:5
A. Her Unfaithfulness, 1:1-11
B. Her Punishment, 2:1-13
C. Her Restoration and Israel’s, 2:14-23
D. Her Redemption, 3:1-5
2. The Prodigal People, 4:1-14:9
A. The Message of Judgment, 4:1-10:15
1. The indictment, 4:1-19
2. The verdict, 5:1-15
3. The plea of Israel, 6:1-3
4. The reply of the Lord, 6:4-11
5. The crimes of Israel, 7:1-16
6. The prophecy of judgment, 8:1-10:15
B. The Message of Restoration, 11:1-14:9
1. God’s love for the prodigal people, 11:1-11
2. God’s chastisement of the prodigal people, 11:12-13:16
3. God’s restoration of the prodigal people, 14:1-9
The Plea of Israel, Hosea 6:1-3
• Some of the people call for repentance (v.1). Key to revival!
• Let us return (Return, used 21x in Hosea). This is God’s plea!
• The Lord has torn, but He will heal. God longs to restore the broken.
• The Lord has smitten, but he will bind us up.
• He will revive us… he will raise us up, and we shall live (v.2).
• Then we will know the LORD (v.3). That is what God longs for from us.
• He will come as morning dawn, the rain and latter rain (i.e., regularities and fruitfulness).
• “Verses 1-3 may be the words of the priests. This whole context has been addressing them. This then would
be their liturgical response to YHWH’s call for repentance in Hos. 5:15.” Bob Utley
The Reply of the LORD, Hosea 6:4-11
• The repentance of many was insincere, v.4
• God is frustrated with Ephraim (Israel) and Judah.
• Their goodness as a morning cloud disappeared.
• Their goodness as the early dew dried up and went away.
• As a loving Father, God had no choice but to send judgment, v.5
• God hewed them (chopped them) by the prophets’ inspired words. Perhaps literally as Elijah killed the prophets of Baal
(1Ki 18:40).
• God slew them (caused them to die) by the words of His mouth by sudden death or plagues.
• Their judgments were as the light (clear and easy to see).
The Reply of the LORD, Hosea 6:4-11
• God spelled out His expectations (v.6).
• God desires mercy. This is the same word as goodness (v.4).
• This word refers to goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.
• Hosea repeats this complaint (Hosea 4:1; 12:6).
• God does not want sacrifices.
• Insincere sacrifices are meaningless. They are empty religion.
• God desires that we know Him.
• Jeremiah emphasises this (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
• Peter urges it repeatedly in his second book (2Peter 1:1-8; 3:18).
• God desires knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
• Anyone can offer a burnt offering; only the sincere make the effort to get to know God intimately.
• God’s expectations have not changed to this day.
“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of
the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
(1 Samuel 15:22)
The Reply of the LORD, Hosea 6:4-11
• Both Israel and Judah lacked sincere repentance and transgressed (v.7-11).
• They transgressed (i.e., passed over) the covenant.
• They dealt treacherously (with hidden deceit) against God.
• Gilead (a key idolatrous city) was sinful and polluted (v.8).
• Priests murdered as robbers and committed lewdness (immorality) (v.9).
• God saw a horrible (rotten, corrupt) thing in Israel and immorality in Ephraim (v.10).
• Judah also would not escape. They would reap what they had sown. God’s judgment would come on them 130 years later
in Babylon (v.11).
• Once again, God is reminding us that we will reap what we sow. O that we might sow to the Spirit and not
to the flesh!
Note similes in this chapter
• prepared as the morning (v.3) – fresh and new
• He shall come unto us as the rain (v.3) – refreshing
• as the latter and former rain (v.3) – in different seasons
• your goodness is as a morning cloud (v.4) – it evaporates
• as the early dew it goeth away (v.4) – it melts and is gone
• judgments are as the light (v.5) – clear and easy to see
• as troops of robbers wait (v.9) – hidden and ready for attack
Applications for Us Today
• When we sin, God longs for us to repent sincerely. He knows our hearts and we cannot fool Him.
• If our repentance disappears as a cloud and evaporates as the morning dew, it was not true repentance.
• Though faithfulness and knowledge of God do not save one’s soul, they are the qualities God greatly desires
from His children.
• Because God loves us dearly, He always chastens to motivate us to return to Him and do right. God’s
chastening always focusses on our restoration.