Hosea 5:15-6:6 (NRSV)
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Verse 15I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face. In their distress they will beg my favor:
Chapter 6"Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. Verse 2After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Verse 3Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth."
Verse 4What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. Verse 5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. Verse 6For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Devotion
I’ve used force instead of gentleness in my dealings. My Lord and I look in opposite directions. Things are bleak. Is it back to church for me? Maybe so, but it can’t be just a matter of ritual. It’s more a matter of the heart.
It’s that way, too, when you think about the world and its sickness. “They hate us. We must defend ourselves. We will need force.” No, ultimately what we need is a lot of changed hearts. Is that naļve?
Think of yourself as eight years old. “Oh boy. Look what I’ve done. Mom told me not to touch it and now it’s broken. She’s coming. But wait. She seems more concerned about me than about what I’ve done. She truly loves me. I’ll do my best for her.” That’s a heart being changed by love.
“My love for you is steady. It will change your heart.”
Prayer
O Lord, you know that I deserve no mercy and yet the cup of your mercy overflows for me. As we come together in prayer, I ask you to shape me. Set me free to serve your saving purpose without holding back. Use me in the marvelous enterprise you have undertaken to replace fear and hardness with your kind of tender mercy. Let joy fill my heart. Amen.