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1 “Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. 2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them. 3 I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt 4 “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD. 5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. 6 When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. 7 They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate children. When they celebrate their New Moon feasts, he will devour their fields. 8 “Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven ; lead on, Benjamin. 9 Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. 10 Judah’s leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. 12 I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah. 13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them. 15 Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face— in their misery they will earnestly seek me.” 1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” 4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. 5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth— then my judgments go forth like the sun. 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 5:15-6:6 NIV Bible)
A blessed and tremendous Thursday be yours, dear Friend. May God's peace and joy be with you today. Please continue to pray for Ms. Diane Battles, whose surgery was yesterday; may the reports be reports of joy and peace. Pray for all who love her and who are praying for her.
You and I have celebrated those parties of the pity kind. For little to no reason we gather what's left of our wits and begin to whine, moan, or cry about who were are, and where we find ourselves. We try to invite others to join us and we want them to sing along with us the song of pity, "Woe is me." The lyrics only come to me when I'm actually there and there are as many stanzas as there are heartbreaks and sorrows. Yes, it's a pitiful sight and more, a pitiful place to be in. Such is the passage we read right now. The prophet Hosea is leading the regular pity party that Israel threw for themselves. Scholars call it the prophetic cycle and it kinda reminds me of me. We go to church and have a great time there and we know we were in God's presence, but as the service is ending, we notice that our best friend had the gall to go and talk to my dreaded and almost-hated enemy; and they're laughing! I won't come to this church ever again! And off we sulk and mutter to ourselves that we have been jilted and we won't darken the door of this church every again! Okay, Israel's actions were a bit more serious, like engaging in forbidden religious and sexual practices, and did I mention, forsaking God in favor of gods, with little g's, to make them the gods of Israel? And so, they were right in having the pity party for their sins were great against the Lord and thoughts of "How can God ever forgive us again," were right on target.
Israel was tempted and gave into the sex religions of the area, and no leadership from the palace or the temple spoke against it, in fact, all leaders condoned it. The prophet is voicing the consequences of their sin and the fear that may be realized; that they could not seek the Lord, for they believed that God had withdrawn away from them. They were feeling what we sometimes feel - our sin seems too grave and serious and we believe that God may not want to be near us any longer, when deep down we know it is us that have moved away from Him. God's call was for Israel to admit/confess their sin and return to God with repentant hearts. The shift to chapter 6 has the prophet saying the time to return to God is now. He knows that God will repair them, though it feels that God has torn them, and that God will heal them. And in a prophetic nod to Jesus, he says that revival will come in two days and on the third day, full restoration, enough that we can live in the presence of God. What Israel is called to do, as are we when we find our way back to God, is to acknowledge God, knowing God will appear and come to us, with His unending, glorious love. And in the last verse we read what was said, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.
The thing to remember is that God stands ready to forgive those who truly repent of their sins and make their way back to Him. That is how our God is. God is an understanding God of love, who like a great parent never condemns us for our actions and does all He can to mend our wounds, ease our hurts, and keep the doors of His heart open for us to enter back. No one is excluded nor turned away. God desires our love and fellowship, which will nurture and strengthen us. We should not stay away, but return to God.
Yes, we may still have pity parties from time to time, but the more time we spend with God the leas we will need them, for in God we will be known and loved even in spite of what we have done.
PRAYER: Loving God, we praise You for Your love and ever open invitation to be Yours. Help us share that invitation with all; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Have a celebration "party" for what God has done and is doing in you!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
