Hosea 6:1 – 7:16 Israel’s Response

Review God has laid charges of harlotry against Israel –First by illustrating their condition through Hosea’s family –Next by indicting Israel with testimony like in a trial Now Israel has a chance to respond to the charges and the calls for repentance And God will have the opportunity to respond to what Israel says

Israel’s answer Some see these verses as an additional call by Hosea to repent –But considering God’s response, it is more likely God revealing what Israel was thinking Hos 6:1-3 –Let’s go back to God –He’ll cease punishing us in 2 or 3 days –If we do this, we’ll get all the blessings

Is God a push-over? Some people think of God as easy to mislead –They sin and then think they can say “sorry” and avoid the consequences –Even worse, they think if they say “sorry” God will be obliged to forgive and restore all the blessings God has promised forgiveness for sincere repentance (1 Jn 1:7-9) –But God is not mocked (Gal 6:7-8) –Insincere repentance does not oblige God to do anything

God’s reply to Israel Hos 6:4-11 –Their faithfulness was fleeting Like morning fog or dew God knew there was no depth to their commitment –They would go back to the forms of worship –But without mercy and a true knowledge of God, the outward practice was worthless –The reality is that they have broken their covenant, they have defiled themselves with sin, and they have become harlots Even Judah had been influenced and would be punished as well

God knows our hearts We can pretend to worship God –We may even fool other people –We may even convince ourselves –But God knows our hearts (Rom 8:27; Mt 15:7-9) God wants to be worshipped in accordance with His word –That worship begins with a right heart Not with right acts Some want to start with right forms and hope either the heart will follow or will not be noticed Mt 23:23-28 –But God notices

Why Israel will still be punished Hos 7:1-10 –It isn’t that God didn’t want them to repent He tried to get them to change –While they are saying good words, their actions show it is fraud They are plotting with kings and against kings Their wickedness is like an oven left to burn all night –The flame isn’t visible, but the coals are hot and ready to flame again –Three causes of Israel’s condition They ceased praying (v 7) They compromised the truth (vv 8-9) Their pride kept them from repenting (v 10)

God’s mercy does not guarantee our forgiveness Some people want to pretend God will forgive them no matter what –While God is willing to forgive, His forgiveness requires a true repentance God sees all our actions ( 2 Cor 5:10) If we want to have the right heart –We need to spend time with God (in prayer and study) –We must not compromise the truth –We must not be too proud to confess our faults and sincerely repent

Futility of seeking other help Hos 7:11-16 –When God tried to get Israel to rely on Him, they went from one nation to another They thought Egypt or Assyria could help them –And still thought God would bless them They accused God of horrible things –And acted like God wouldn’t hear them They were upset at their trials –But never prayed to God in sincere repentance –As a result, they will be punished and have no one to blame but themselves

The discipline of the Lord God wants us to rely on Him –Heb 12:3-13 To do so, He must discipline us and chasten us –But too often we are like Israel We don’t turn to God but go running around looking for answers and help from man We get mad at God, but we don’t humble ourselves and turn to God We refuse to examine ourselves to see if we are in need of change We leave God with no alternative except to punish us

Conclusion The lessons we learn from Hosea are many –God wants sincere repentance And He isn’t fooled by what only looks like repentance –Repentance requires our heart and our actions to conform to God’s will That will require humility –We must learn to rely on God Trials should bring us closer to God –Not drive us away from God If we refuse, we leave God with no choice except to punish us