Hosea 6
McGeeCHAPTER 6THEME: Israel will return in the last days; Israel presently to be judged for current sins
Hosea 6:1
ISRAEL WILL RETURN IN THE LAST DAYSThis is God’s last call to the northern kingdom in that day, but it also looks to the future of that nation when God will heal them; although He has torn them, He intends to bind them up. This should be a warning that God will judge the sin of any nation that makes a profession of being a Christian nation and which has had the benefit of the Word of God.
Hosea 6:2
“In the third day he will raise us up"this is very interesting in light of the fact that the resurrection of Christ was on the third day. He was raised for the justification of both Jew and Gentile. This will also be applicable in that future day when God will bring Israel back into that land and bring them to Himself. In Ezekiel 37 God speaks of that day as a resurrection, and that resurrection will be based on the One who was raised on the third day; for in Christ’s resurrection there is provided, for any man who will accept it, a redemption and a justification which will bring him into a right relationship with Almighty God. The apostle Paul develops the subject of the future of Israel in Romans 11. In our day, God’s purpose in building His church is to draw to Himself both Jew and Gentile, people out of every tongue and tribe and nation, who are going to come before Him to worship. When God completes His purpose in the church and takes it out of the world, He will again turn to the nation Israel and will raise her up. Every prophet who wrote in Scriptureand even some who didn’t writespoke of God’s future purpose for the nation Israel. Even before the children of Israel could get into the land, Moses began to talk about the coming day when God would restore them back to the land for the third time. The third timeon the third day, so to speakthe restoration to the land would be a permanent restoration. There is a correlation between this restoration and Christ’s being raised from the dead on the third day.
Hosea 6:3
“And he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” The former rains were the heavy rains which fell toward the end of October, and the latter rains were the heavy showers of March and April which came right before the harvest. There are folk who say that the latter rain has returned to that land, but I do not think you can say that either the former or latter rain has returned. The rainfall in Israel is much less than we have in Southern California, and here it is not the rain which makes this area a so-called Garden of Eden (despite its smog and traffic); it is irrigation that makes the land productive. But in Israel there is not enough water to irrigate all the land, and we are not seeing the fulfillment of the promised return of the rains to that land. When these people again turn to God, however, the blessing will come not only to the people, but also to the land and the animal world. “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD.” That is the very secret of the solution to the problems of lifeto know the Lord. The apostle Paul, even when he had come to the end of his life, had this ambition: “That I may know him [that is, the Lord Jesus Christ], and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Php_3:10). There is no way for improvement in this life apart from a knowledge of God. The Word of God is very emphatic about that, and either it is right or it is wrong. Over thousands of years the Word of God has been proven right, and I do not think the present generation is upsetting it by any means.
Hosea 6:4
ISRAEL PRESENTLY TO BE JUDGED FOR CURRENT SINSGod sounds as if He is just a little bit frustrated here. In effect, He is saying, “What am I going to do with you? I love you, but you continue on in sin and I am going to have to judge you!” This puts God on the horns of a dilemma. Judgment is the strange work of GodHe wants to save, not judge. But when people keep turning away from God, then the day comes when He has to judge them. The people of Israel were religious, but they had no knowledge of God and were far from Him. We today have a lot of religion, and I am opposed to it. Let me illustrate my point with a letter which a man wrote to the editor of a newspaper: In today’s society, religion has outlasted its usefulness. Man at long last has outgrown the necessity for this opiate. No longer does he have to explain the unknown with folktales and the worship of a superior being. In a complex society such as ours, religion can only mute and cloud the mind. Religion blurs and distorts important details and information, interferes with important decisions, and promotes bigotry and prejudice. Now is the time for humanity to discard this mental blindfold. This may startle you, but I agree with what that man wrote; I wish that we could get rid of religion. Someone answered this letter, and his reply was also published. He expressed it so much better than I could: In response to the April 26 letter entitled “Religion Termed Mental Blindfold,” I agree with Mr. __________ about the effects of religion, for religion is man’s attempt to reach God through his own efforts. I have never been a religious man, but about four years ago, something happened that has really changed my life. I invited Jesus Christ to take control of my life and accepted the fact that I cannot reach God by myself, but that He has made a relationship with Him possible through His Son Jesus Christ. Since that commitment, I have grown increasingly aware of my social responsibility and have grown to love and accept myself and other people regardless of age, race, creed, or color. Today many are saying, “Out with religion,” and I say, fine, let’s sweep it out the back door, and let’s invite Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, to come in. The Israelites were religious, but their goodness was like “a morning cloud"just form and ritual and ceremony. “As the early dew it goeth away"that is all their religion amounted to. Many people wear religion like you would wear a loose-fitting garment; it is something they can put on or off at any time. God condemned these people because they were religious, but they did not know Him, and they had never had a transforming, life-changing, experience with Him.
Hosea 6:5
In other words, God says, “I skinned them alive by the prophets.” I appreciate the many letters I receive that commend us for giving out the Word of God as it is, for hewing to the line and letting the chips fall where they may. I have always tried to do that throughout the years of my ministry, and I have found that the folk who sincerely want to hear the Word of God will appreciate it. Others will oppose it, and I expect to hear their criticism also. God says to His people here, “I’ve skinned you alive by the prophetsthey have been faithful in telling it like it isbut you have not listened to them.” And in our day, although there is a great interest in and turning to the Word of God, we wonder how much of it has really transformed the hearts and lives of those who hear. “I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.” They were not sinning because of ignorancethere was no lack of information. God had sent the prophets to them, but they had turned their backs on God and His Word.
Hosea 6:6
The people were merely going through a form. My friend, you can go to church on Sunday and be as fundamental as you can be. You may criticize the preacher, criticize the choir, criticize everybodymaybe they deserve it, I don’t knowbut God’s desire is that you put His Word into shoe leather, that you allow it to get down where the rubber meets the road, and that there be an evidence of mercy in your own heart and life. Don’t think that going to a church banquet is somehow a substitute for truly eating the Bread of Life or of enjoying a big porterhouse steak from the Word of God. No church function is a substitute for really studying the Word of God.
Hosea 6:7
“The covenant"that is, the covenant which God had made with this nation.
Hosea 6:8
The city of Gilead is best known to us for the “…balm in Gilead …” (Jer_8:22, italics mine), which was an aromatic gum or resin used for medical purposes. However, in Hosea’s day only iniquity came out of Gilead.
Hosea 6:9
In other words, the priests in refusing to give the people the Water of Life and the Bread of Life were actually committing murder. To be honest with you, I think that a minister who stands in the pulpit and does not give out the Word of God is guilty just as it is stated right here. I did not think that upit is the Word of God which says that.
Hosea 6:10
This is a warning to Judah that their day of judgment is also coming. “When I returned the captivity of my people"there is a future day when God will bring the people back to the land, but at that time He had to judge them for their sin.