Speaker discusses themes of mercy in Hosea (Part 3)

Ever done. You bring it in writing and I will still choose to win you over. And, and that verse that I love so much in chapter two, I will. If you don't come back, he says, then I'm going to come find you. I. In chapter two, the alluring. And then in chapter three, when at great, at great cost to him, Hosea was not paid back for the harm that was done to him, he pays to rescue her. And that's, that's a picture of what mercy, his atoning grace and forgiveness are, are all about. It's no wonder that in chapter six, Hosea says to all the people at the beginning, 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. Come back everyone, because this is what he's like. One other awesome part of Hosea, but before we get there, there's this verse 6 Hosea 6:6. And I just want to point it out because he says this, these are the words of the Lord, I desired mercy. If you've done a study of the word mercy, chesed that covenant love. That's what he's saying in this verse. I desired covenant love with you. And it's interesting, he says, not sacrifice or burnt offerings. Like, I don't want you to be religious. I don't want you to do all the, I'm not asking you to like, do all the things that you're supposed to do and obey me and I'm your master. I want covenant loving, loyalty relationship with you. That is what I am most interested in. Jesus actually quotes this, and one of the times he quotes this verse, if you know it's going to make the story, you're going to love the story so much more is when he's sitting at the table with the tax collectors and, and the sinners and people come to him and they say, I can't believe that you're eating with them. And he quotes to them, Hosea 66, he says, because I desire mercy and covenant love with, with them and, and says to the Pharisees, I need you to learn that. I need you to see people here and not programs and rules and, and procedures. I did. And, and I think it's beautiful that.