September 22, 2011
WHEN HE TEARS, HE FAITHFULLY BUILDS
Hosea 6
Shayla Coker
Central Truth
The Lord is not afraid to allow us to experience the pain that comes from seeking false gods. In fact, He patiently anticipates our return, ready to build on top of the destruction caused by our idolatry. He is faithful to heal in its place with the person of Christ.
Key Verse | Hosea 6:1–3
"Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD."
(Hosea 6:1-3a)
Hosea 6
Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant
1
“Come, let us return to the LORD;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
2
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”
4
What 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 early away.
5
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6
For I desire steadfast love
1
6:6
Septuagint mercy
and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7
But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8
Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with blood.
9
As robbers lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to Shechem;
they commit villainy.
10
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
Ephraim's whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.
11
For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.
When I restore the fortunes of my people,
Dive Deeper | Hosea 6
Messiness. Who likes it? To clean up a mess usually requires an even bigger mess. Take the closet, the demolition of Texas Stadium, the BP Oil Spill, or that moment in your life when the bottom fell out and hope was lost. Messes are unpleasant, frightening, and costly in many ways.
The Israelites were chasing tangible idols to satisfy their longings, and it was making a mess. They sought idols made of wood and gold to meet their deepest needs and longings. They were meant to find significance in God alone, but they outsourced their hope to false gods. Do you recognize yourself in their story? I see myself doing the same thing. Countless times, I forget that Christ alone deserves the throne of my heart, and I put other people or material things in His place. When I do that, inevitably I find pain. Such pain has purpose because it makes me long for my Lord, who should have had my focus all along.
We can take encouragement in the fact that our Lord is a faithful builder. He allows us to endure the pain and brokenness that comes with seeking fulfillment from sources other than Him. When He breaks and tears with His discipline, He intends to build and restore. He's not afraid to let us experience crumbling circumstances. Sometimes, we don't even realize we are clinging to something so broken, until it is removed from our hands and replaced with Christ Himself.
Verse 1 calls us to put away our false gods and return to the Lord. He has a solution for our broken relationship with Him, and that is His Son Jesus. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our relationship with the Lord Himself is restored. The brokenness of Christ allowed a way for the Lord to build and reconcile us to Him if we put our hope in Jesus. When we do that, we can expect the Lord to faithfully rebuild into our lives something of eternal significance.
Discussion Questions
1. What are your false gods? How have they failed you?
2. Have you traded in your false gods for Christ?
3. Read Psalm 107. Can we ever experience healing for the pain in our lives?
4. How is the Lord building into you today? Take a moment to praise Him for His work in your life as a faithful builder.
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
HOSEA 3-7 (SEPTEMBER 19-23)
Read Hosea 6:1-7.
ACTIVITY: Go on a scavenger hunt looking for things in your house that have been broken before, but you or your family did something to "restore" it. When you have found several items, talk about how the item was broken, how it made you feel when it was broken, and what you/your parent(s) did to help "restore" the item.
The story of all the books of the prophets in the Bible talk about the nation of Israel and their disobedience towards God. The book of Hosea is no different. One of the visual images Hosea uses is idolatry, which means a believer in God breaking his covenant/promise to love the One True God.
In the middle of this book, Hosea talks about what it would look like for Israel to repent of its disobedience and return to the Lord.
Have you ever disobeyed your parents? How did it make you feel? How did it make them feel? Do your parents still love you even when you have disobeyed and broken their trust?
Was does it look like to disobey God, to break your covenant with Him? When we disobey God, how do we restore our relationship with Him? What does it mean to repent and ask for forgiveness?
If you have never "repented" of your disobedience, follow Hosea's encouragement and return to the Lord, seeking healing from Him.