Hosea 6:1-7:16

Half-Hearted Faith

In this message, Pastor Lloyd examines Hosea 6?7, where the Lord exposes Israel?s shallow repentance. Though the people spoke words of return, their hearts remained far from God. Pastor Lloyd emphasizes that God hates empty words and vain promises that are not followed by obedience or true transformation. Israel sought relief from consequences rather than the restoration of the relationship. Through Hosea, God makes clear that He desires steadfast love and the knowledge of God, not hollow repentance, ritual without reverence, or faith that stops at words instead of a genuinely changed heart.

  1. 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.
  2. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
  3. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
  4. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
  5. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
  6. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
  7. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
  8. Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
  9. And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
  10. I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
  11. Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.
  1. When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.
  2. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.
  3. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
  4. They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
  5. In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.
  6. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.
  7. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
  8. Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
  9. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
  10. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.
  11. Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
  12. When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
  13. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
  14. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.
  15. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.
  16. They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.