Are there things that you don’t need to be reminded to do? For instance, I no longer need my parents to tell me to comb my hair or brush my teeth. These things come naturally to me, whether because I follow a consistent pattern of daily activities, or because a bad taste in my mouth and a glance in the mirror confirms to me that I missed something.
On the other hand, there are things that I forget. If I don’t check the family calendar, I’m likely to be surprised when there’s an evening activity scheduled. My wife sometimes has to remind me to not get too loud in certain environments. In these cases, the fact that I need a reminder is usually a confirmation that I forgot something in the first place.
The following verse is part of a larger prophecy (or group of prophecies) in the book of Hosea, running from chapter 4 to the end of the book (chapter 14).
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 NIV
This is a verse that is sometimes read out of context. Unlike some verses, I think that this one stands OK on its own (so, if you have it posted or printed somewhere, I’m not judging you). However, if we read (or even just skim) the rest of the chapter, there is more to it than just this verse. Hosea 6 begins with a reminder to return to God, but around verse 4 it starts into some severe condemnation of Ephraim and Judah.
In that context, verse 6 here accentuates the fact that there is a real lack of mercy and human compassion (and even respect for human life, it seems) in the nation of Israel at this time. The reminder was given because the reminder was needed.
Just presenting God with the appearance of worship (or, as has been discussed elsewhere on this site, worshiping Him as just one God among many gods), well, that’s not what it meant for the Israelites to truly follow God and be His people. Their sacrifices weren’t particularly meaningful when the people’s actions were so far away from God’s instructions: actions that proved that they didn’t really have God in the right place in their lives. As Mark Scott wrote in the Lookout study guide (cited below), “No amount of hoop jumping would get God to like the people more.”
As a side note: Where the NIV has “mercy” here, the NASB has “loyalty”, instead. I think that this is a good reminder that merely claiming that we are God’s people isn’t the same as making Him the one and only God of our lives.
In the same way, if we can’t even find basic mercy in our hearts, we shouldn’t expect that bringing gifts to God will make up for a heart that isn’t right. Like the Israelites, if our behavior is far from God, we should probably expect that He – being a holy God who loves us – will discipline us to help us get back to a healthy relationship with Him.
As the Lookout says, “People who have been unfaithful need mercy…”, and we need to remember that this applies to us, as well as to other people around us.
Let us live like Jesus, and show mercy to other people, even when it comes at a cost to us. At the same time, let us remain faithful to the God who shows us mercy, and lean on His strength to help us become more and more like Jesus Christ. I hope that we will not have to wait for a reminder to point out that we’ve forgotten something important.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 12, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, March 12, 2023, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Minor Prophets Volume 1 – Hosea-Micah, by Harold Shank. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 