Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

I find these six verses very interesting. The first verse seems like a very commendable call to repentance, and the second could well be a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The third verse is a very good call to seek the Lord, beautifully set to music in Japanese, which I was delighted to translate into English. However, verses four and five indicate God’s exasperation with people saying the right things but failing to live them out, and then we come to this verse. This sentiment is expressed multiple times in various ways throughout the Bible. You could say that the opposition of the Jewish leaders, that resulted in Jesus’ arrest and execution, was from precisely this point, because they were all about external behaviors, instead of changed hearts. The particular expressions in this verse speak strong­ly to me. The NIV says “mercy” here, but the ESV says “steadfast love,” and the Japanese agrees with that. We should understand that, because of our human pursuit of “true love,” celebrated in countless stories and songs. Human love tends to be as dependable as a spring breeze, but God’s love is as reliable as the tides of the ocean. And then it speaks of the knowledge of God. There was a song decades ago that said, “To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him, and I do.” That is certainly true of God! If you claim to know Him but fail to love Him, then you don’t really know Him, and if you claim to love Him but don’t obey Him, then you are deceiving yourself. (John 14:15)

As I think is true for every believer, I have been less than consistent in all of this. I have had times of intense emotion and devotion to the Lord, and I have had times when He was no more than a footnote to my life. I don’t think I have to say which is better! One thing I really look forward to about heaven is that there will be no more wavering, but only constant awareness of and fellowship with my Lord. As the Bill Gaither song says, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.” However, I’m not completely there yet. Meanwhile, I have the opportunity and responsibility to teach others about God and lead them to love Him as I do, or even better. Every experience of my life has been to teach me about Him and about myself, and if I can share that effectively, other people may be spared some of the trauma I’ve had in learning the lessons. I want everyone to have the steadfast love for God that He desires!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for my finally getting around to just visiting with our neighbor across the street. We’ve known each other for 25 years, but I think yesterday was the most I’ve ever expressed the Gospel to him. Thank You for his response. I pray that You would guide each succeeding meeting, that he too would come to know and love You, for his salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!