Hosea Chapter 6 "An Exhortation to Repentance" This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and made available with written
permission by http://www.theseason.org Hosea 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." "Hosea" in the Hebrew tongue means, "Salvation". The book of Hosea is God's plan for salvation, if man desires. It is man that must choose his path. We will see in chapter six, that the Israel of the latter days is coming to God to ask for healing. We saw in Hosea 5:13, that Israel sold out by going to Antichrist [King Jareb], the Assyrian, to help them and he could not. Satan {Antichrist} simply cannot heal anything, for only God can heal. Verse one demonstrates the terrible deception Satan will bring on God's people in the last hour, before our Lord Jesus Christ's return. When Hosea wrote this vision, he was looking far into the future, however, to our generation it is current events, and things we will witness it as it comes to pass. Hosea 6:2 "After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." We live in God's sight today; however, what this verse is saying is that God's Son, Jesus Christ, will have returned, and the whole world will see Him and know Him at his return. This is when true Israel will be revived. The "two days will he revive", are the "two witnesses", and God will revive them. We read of these two witnesses in Revelation 11:11- 12, and it tells us that these two men will be slain in Jerusalem, then God will revive them in three and a half days. When these witnesses are revived, a voice from heaven will then call them up, and the world will watch them arise or be lifted up. Hosea 6:3 "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 [that watereth] the earth." The Lord's coming is as sure as the sun coming up in the morning. Christ's coming is also sure as to where we will see Him come; "unto the earth". There is no fly away, my friend, for Christ will come to this earth and comfort His people. The "former rain" is the early rain that comes after you have planted the seed in the field. It is the watering that allows the seed to grow, and not be washed out by heavy rains. This rain falls as a soft gentle watering and results in the seed sprouting. Once the seed has sprouted, and starts to form and take root, then it needs the "latter rain" to allow the plant or tree to produce fruit in the end. The final rain is the heavy rains that totally saturate the ground and root system. All prophecies pertaining to salvation, and the winning of soul's, are the spiritual former rains of God's Word. While the meat of the word, which is the gospel armor that allows you to be unshakable in your faith, and salvation, comes from the latter rain. Hosea 6:4 "O E'-phra-im, what shall I do unto thee? O Ju'-dah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away." Ephraim is symbolic of the ten tribes of the old "House of Israel". God is asking, "What should I do with these ten tribes? They don't even know who they are." To Judah, God said, Her love is as a morning cloud, which is worthless. It is neither former nor latter rain, it just dissipates, or breaks up to nothing, under the heat of the sun. When the times get tough, both Judah and Israel scatter. They allow others to control them. God is saying both of their loves are fickle, and fair weathered. 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." "Hewed" is better translated "shown". God's Words are shown through the mouths of the prophets, and His judgments are as sure as the sun that will come up in the morning. God is telling you and I that what He has spoken through the prophets will come to pass exactly as written. You can depend on His Word, and our Heavenly Father. Hosea 6:6 "For I desired mercy [desire goodness], and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." God isn't hard on man, for man makes it hard on himself. God has love and mercy for his Children, and all He desires from us is our love and worship. Do you really want to please your Heavenly Father? He tells us here what He wants of you. God wants your love [mercy], and not your sacrifices, and wealth, for He already has that. When was the last time you told your Heavenly Father that you love Him. It is for the love and worship that you can give God, that He created you. That is the very purpose of your existence. Have you given God any pleasure through your life? Talk to Him and get to know Him, He is your friend. Hosea 6:7 "But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me." God made a covenant through Abraham, with His people. This covenant is to bring blessings and prosperity to His people, yet all His people have done is to rebel and belly- ache against Him. "Transgressed the Covenant" in the Hebrew text means to "rebel against the covenant". The word "men" in the Hebrew text is "adam", for the adam of the Garden of Eden. God's people are like Adam, and have transgressed [rebelled against] the covenant. Why do we stipulate "the adam" here? Because God told Adam and Eve to stay away from Satan, "the tree of Good and Evil", and they did not. Hosea 5:13 shows the Israelites {Ephraim] went to King Jereb, who is Satan for advise, and direction. In both cases Satan messed up those who came to him for direction. Hosea 6:8 "Gil'-e-ad is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood." "Gilead" is a city of refuge controlled by the priest. There is safety in this city for those who take a man's life in innocence. Gilead in our generation is suppose to be represented by the Church. The priests and ministers themselves bring about the wickedness today. Hosea 6:9 "And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent [toward Shechem]: for they commit lewdness." These priests and ministers wait on the souls for men, as a common thief plans and waits for a man. In this city [church] set aside for safety, they don't need robbers, for the preachers and priests themselves are the robbers. "Consent" in the Hebrew text, is "Shechem", which means "the back". While "Lewdness" is to "commit idolatry". These preachers take the shirt off your back, to get your money, then drag you into the practice of their idolatry. These idols are through the traditions of men, and their man made idols, and idolatry. The priests themselves have become beggars, and rip- off artists. Hosea 6:10 "I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Is'-ra-el: there is the whoredom of E'-phra-im, Is'-ra-el is defiled." This chapter is written as a session and warning to the people living in the latter days. These Israelites are known at this time, and in the place they reside as "the sons of the living God [Christians]". The cities of refuge [Gilead] in Hosea's day, are known ar the "churches" of today. God has another name for what is peddled today as Churches, and "defiled whorehouses, with all sorts of idolatry". Hosea 6:11 "Also, O Ju'-dah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people." This "harvest" God has set aside for Judah, is a time they will reap judgment and punishment. This time of correction will come at the seventh trumpet, for then Jesus Christ will return again, and hold all his people accountable for their actions. This is why it is so important to get right with God, and repent for all of your sins against Him. Sin is to great of baggage to carry around on your conscience. Then judgment becomes the time of rewards, when all your sin is cover by Christ's precious blood, shed on the cross of Calvary. This is how to enter the right frame of mind in these latter days. This is how the correction becomes a healing in our life. Only through our Lord Christ Jesus.
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