2025.10.12 Hosea: What Does He Want?
Notes
Transcript
11 “Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning!
12 Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them.
13 The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.”
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Hosea: What Does He Want?
Hosea: What Does He Want?
Not finished!
Just like the others, God is riding Israel’s back for being unfaithful … yada yada yada
But … what does God really want out of the Israelites?
What does God really want out of you and me?
4 “O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. “For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.
5 I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces— to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light.
6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
Regardless of their unfaithful hearts ...
Regardless of their playing with other gods ...
Regardless of their disregard for Yahweh ...
Regardless of all of that ...
6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
It appears that the rituals actually SEPARATE us from God, unless we come with a relationship already in development! “Israel has forgotten their Maker…” (8:13)
When we talk about love and God, we usually focus on God wanting to SHOW US love, and that’s a solid truth. But it’s only one side of the coin. The other side is that God wants US TO SHOW HIM love!
Our acts of obligation aren’t what he wants. [Psalm quotes here]
Approach like a Children’s Message:
We sit down and ask our kids these questions fairly often, but what about us adults? How can we show love to God?
He wants us to KNOW HIM!
How do we get to know God?
