Hosea 6

6:1  Come, and 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 will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
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.

This chapter starts out with men giving men instructions to themselves.  These are not men of inspiration with words from the LORD.  They are men that have a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude.)  They are the forerunner of the current "Name It and Claim It" group. 

Can you hear the voice of a father pleading with his children in this verse?
6:4  O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

The morning clouds seem to dissipate as the days go on.  The early morning dew is heavy when we go out to get the morning paper, but by 10:00 am there is no evidence of the dew.  That is what "Our Goodness" is in the sight of the Lord. 

It reminds me of the days when my sons and daughters were in the teenage years.  No matter how much I tried to persuade them that the path that they were on would harm them, they stopped their ears and ran on until they fell and got hurt.  Hurt enough to come home to dad and say, "fix it daddy."  The problem was there were times when "IT" was beyond repair.  But the Lord is not beyond resources or answers.  Whereas I am human and run our of solutions to life's situations

Hosea 6:5  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.

The word hewed here means that the Lord had to split to engrave, much like carving an indelible mark in wood or stone; something that would not go away except after a long time of erosion or deterioration.  Look at what the Lord used to do this horrible and painful work; The Prophets.  This is exactly why it is so important that we have someone that we are accountable to; someone whom we SUBMIT ourselves to.

The God Almighty is not interested in a sacrifice that is done by habit; or because someone else did it so we wanted to do it and get the same results.  Jesus wants us to bring a clean and pure sacrifice. 

Read what we are instructed to do here:
Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

David had a beautiful insight into how the judgment and mercy of the Lord worked, even at the point of one of his greatest sins
Psalms 51: 16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

From what I read throughout the Bible, the thing that the Lord Jesus Christ wants is not the form of giving, or formality of prayer, or the dutiful habit of offerings or sacrifices.  He wants us to be sincere, be honest, and to have an open and pure heart.  He has prepared us for better things.  The final reward is ours to choose.  The Lord is a gentleman and will force no one to do what their will would not allow them to do.  We have a free will and it is entirely our choice.

Let us as REAL men realize that when we are instructed and corrected, it is just evidence that our God and Creator is truly interested in our welfare and well being both now and for eternity.

David DeTar