Hosea 6:4-11  "What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah?"   Do you hear the heart of God calling out to His rebellious children?   They not only rebelled against the Lord, but they revolted.. they broke every Law and filled their land with wickedness and bloodshed. Even the priests had murder in their hearts.. 

Verse 10 "In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's harlotry is there, Israel has defiled itself."  Their transgressions seemed to increase even as the Lord sent prophet after prophet to warn and chastise them.. "I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and the judgements on you are like the light that goes forth. " (v5) They spurned every opportunity to repent. 

 Israel was unfaithful..  they had no lasting loyalty to their God.  It wasn't that the Lord was asking for the impossible.. He makes it clear in verse 6  "For I delight in loyalty ( mercy) rather than sacrifices, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."  The Bible Knowledge Commentary states this.. "God's people had failed to understand His true desire.  He longed for devotion and loyalty expressed through allegiance to covenant demands.. Unless offered in the context of obedience, sacrifices were meaningless and even offensive." God wants our hearts to be fully His.. not just brief acts of religious rituals that have no real love. 

What happened in Israel and Judah is what happens in every nation.. and every individual who rebels and revolts against the Lord.  Where there is no loyalty and devotion to the Lord.. there is no mercy.. no compassion.. no righteousness.  We defile ourselves and our nation. There is lawlessness and bloodshed. There is every kind of evil.  

O come  "let us return to the Lord"!

Father, You call us by name.. You speak to our hearts.. You desire our love and devotion.  We want to know You more and to be fully Yours from the depths of our beings.  Thank You for making us Your own by the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.. who willingly suffered so that we might be forever Yours. Fill us Spirit of God that we might show forth the light and love of Jesus Christ to a world walled in  by the darkness of sin. Let today be a day that the world remembers that Jesus came.. that He died.. and that He rose again! To God be the glory! Amen.