the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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THE MESSAGE
Hosea 6:6
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalDevotionals:
- EveryParallel Translations
For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice, And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
For I desire and delight in [steadfast] loyalty [faithfulness in the covenant relationship], rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I desired mercie, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more then burnt offrings.
For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
For I delight in lovingkindness rather than sacrifice,And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
I'd rather for you to be faithful and to know me than to offer sacrifices.
For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I delight in loving-kindness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.
This is because I want faithful love, not sacrifice. I want people to know God, not to bring burnt offerings.
For I desired mercy and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.
Because I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.
Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.
For I desired mercie, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more then burnt offerings.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more then burnt offeringes.
Therefore have I mown down your prophets; I have slain them with the word of my mouth: and my judgment shall go forth as the light.
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
and thi domes schulen go out as liyt. For Y wolde merci, and not sacrifice, and Y wolde the kunnyng of God, more than brent sacrificis.
For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.
For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given in worship. I want people to know God instead of giving burnt gifts.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
For, lovingkindness, I desired, and not sacrifice, - and the knowledge of God, more than ascending-offerings.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.
For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings.
For I haue pleasure in louynge kyndnesse, and not in offerynge: Yee in the knowlege of God, more then in burntsacrifice.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
I desired: 1 Samuel 15:22, Psalms 50:8, Proverbs 21:3, Ecclesiastes 5:1, Isaiah 1:11, Isaiah 58:6, Jeremiah 7:22, Daniel 4:27, Amos 5:21, Micah 6:6, Matthew 5:7, Matthew 9:13, Matthew 12:7
the: Hosea 4:1, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Jeremiah 22:16, 1 John 2:3, 1 John 3:6
Reciprocal: Numbers 29:17 - General Numbers 30:5 - General Joshua 5:5 - they had not Psalms 40:6 - Sacrifice Psalms 51:16 - desirest Hosea 4:6 - for Amos 5:24 - let Micah 6:7 - pleased Micah 6:8 - to do Matthew 5:23 - thou Matthew 23:23 - the weightier Mark 3:4 - Is it Mark 12:24 - Do Mark 12:33 - is more Luke 10:37 - He that Hebrews 10:4 - not
Cross-References
But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.
"I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction.
"But I'm going to establish a covenant with you: You'll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile—two of everything so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the food you'll need and store it up for you and them."
And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.
Yes, God will judge his people, but oh how compassionately he'll do it. When he sees their weakened plight and there is no one left, slave or free, He'll say, "So where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge, The gods who feasted on the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink-offerings? Let them show their stuff and help you, let them give you a hand!
"Oh, dear people, will you listen to me now? Israel, will you follow my map? I'll make short work of your enemies, give your foes the back of my hand. I'll send the God -haters cringing like dogs, never to be heard from again. You'll feast on my fresh-baked bread spread with butter and rock-pure honey."
class="poetry"> Come, let's shout praises to God , raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns! And why? Because God is the best, High King over all the gods. In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns, in the other hand grasps the high mountains. He made Ocean—he owns it! His hands sculpted Earth! So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God , who made us! Oh yes, he's our God, and we're the people he pastures, the flock he feeds. Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks: "Don't turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising, As on the day of the Wilderness Test, when your ancestors turned and put me to the test. For forty years they watched me at work among them, as over and over they tried my patience. And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked! ‘Can't they keep their minds on God for five minutes? Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?' Exasperated, I exploded, ‘They'll never get where they're headed, never be able to sit down and rest.'"
God gave his word and he won't take it back: you're the permanent priest, the Melchizedek priest. The Lord stands true at your side, crushing kings in his terrible wrath, Bringing judgment on the nations, handing out convictions wholesale, crushing opposition across the wide earth. The King-Maker put his King on the throne; the True King rules with head held high!
Tested in the Furnace of Affliction "And now listen to this, family of Jacob, you who are called by the name Israel: Who got you started in the loins of Judah, you who use God 's name to back up your promises and pray to the God of Israel? But do you mean it? Do you live like it? You claim to be citizens of the Holy City; you act as though you lean on the God of Israel, named God -of-the-Angel-Armies. For a long time now, I've let you in on the way I work: I told you what I was going to do beforehand, then I did it and it was done, and that's that. I know you're a bunch of hardheads, obstinate and flint-faced, So I got a running start and began telling you what was going on before it even happened. That is why you can't say, ‘My god-idol did this.' ‘My favorite god-carving commanded this.' You have all this evidence confirmed by your own eyes and ears. Shouldn't you be talking about it? And that was just the beginning. I have a lot more to tell you, things you never knew existed. This isn't a variation on the same old thing. This is new, brand-new, something you'd never guess or dream up. When you hear this you won't be able to say, ‘I knew that all along.' You've never been good listeners to me. You have a history of ignoring me, A sorry track record of fickle attachments— rebels from the womb. But out of the sheer goodness of my heart, because of who I am, I keep a tight rein on my anger and hold my temper. I don't wash my hands of you. Do you see what I've done? I've refined you, but not without fire. I've tested you like silver in the furnace of affliction. Out of myself, simply because of who I am, I do what I do. I have my reputation to keep up. I'm not playing second fiddle to either gods or people. "Listen, Jacob. Listen, Israel— I'm the One who named you! I'm the One. I got things started and, yes, I'll wrap them up. Earth is my work, handmade. And the skies—I made them, too, horizon to horizon. When I speak, they're on their feet, at attention. "Come everybody, gather around, listen: Who among the gods has delivered the news? I, God , love this man Cyrus, and I'm using him to do what I want with Babylon. I, yes I, have spoken. I've called him. I've brought him here. He'll be successful. Come close, listen carefully: I've never kept secrets from you. I've always been present with you." And now, the Master, God , sends me and his Spirit with this Message from God , your Redeemer, The Holy of Israel: "I am God , your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go. If you had listened all along to what I told you, your life would have flowed full like a river, blessings rolling in like waves from the sea. Children and grandchildren are like sand, your progeny like grains of sand. There would be no end of them, no danger of losing touch with me." Get out of Babylon! Run from the Babylonians! Shout the news. Broadcast it. Let the world know, the whole world. Tell them, " God redeemed his dear servant Jacob!" They weren't thirsty when he led them through the deserts. He made water pour out of the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed. "There is no peace," says God , "for the wicked."
But they turned on him; they grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned on them, became their enemy and fought them.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice,.... That is, the one rather than the other, as the next clause explains it. Sacrifices were of early use, even before the law of Moses; they were of divine appointment, and were approved and accepted of by the Lord; they were types of Christ, and led to him, and were continued unto his death; but in comparison of moral duties, which respect love to God, and to our neighbour, the Lord did not will them, desire them, and delight in them; or he had more regard for the former than the latter; see
1 Samuel 15:22; nor did he will or accept at all of the sacrifices ordered to the calves at Dan and Bethel; nor others, when they were not such as the law required, or were not offered up in the faith of Christ, attended with repentance for sin, and in sincerity, and were brought as real expiatory sacrifices for sin, and especially as now abrogated by the sacrifice of Christ. And as these words are twice quoted by our Lord, at one time to justify his mercy, pity, and compassion, to the souls of poor sinners, by conversing with them, Matthew 9:13; and at another time to justify the disciples in an act of mercy to their bodies when hungry, by plucking ears of corn on the sabbath day, Matthew 12:7; "mercy" may here respect both acts of mercy shown by the Lord, and acts of mercy done by men; both which the Lord wills, desires, and delights in: he takes pleasure in showing mercy himself, as appears by his free and open declarations of it; by the throne of grace and mercy he has set up; by the encouragement he gives to souls to hope in his mercy; by the objects of it, the chief of sinners; by the various ways he has taken to display it, in election, in the covenant of grace, in the mission of Christ, in the pardon of sin by him, and in regeneration; and by his opposing it to everything else, in the affair of salvation. And he likewise has a very great regard to mercy as exercised by men; as this is one of the weightier matters of the law, and may be put for the whole of it, or however the second table of it, which is love to our neighbours, and takes in all kind offices done to them; and especially designs acts of liberality to necessitous persons; which are sacrifices God is well pleased with, even more than with the ceremonious ones; these being such in which men resemble him the merciful God, who is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil;
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings; which were reckoned the greatest and most excellent sacrifices, the whole being the Lord's; but knowledge of God is preferred to them; by which is meant, not the knowledge of God, the light of nature, which men might have, and not him; nor by the law of Moses, as a lawgiver, judge, and consuming fire; but a knowledge of him in Christ, as the God and Father of Christ, as the God of all grace, gracious and merciful in him; as a covenant God and Father in him, which is through the Gospel by the Spirit, and is eternal life, John 17:3; this includes in it faith and hope in God, love to him, fear of him and his goodness, and the whole worship of him, both internal and external. These words seem designed to expose and remove the false ground of trust and confidence in sacrifices the people of Israel were prone unto; as we find they were in the times of Isaiah, who was contemporary with Hoses; see Isaiah 1:12. The Targum interprets them of those that exercise mercy, and do the law of the Lord.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For I desired mercy and not sacrifice - God had said before, that they should “seek” Him “with their flocks and herds, and not find” Him. So here He anticipates their excuses with the same answer wherewith He met those of Saul, when he would compensate for disobedience by burnt-offerings. The answer is, that all which they did to win His favor, or turn aside His wrath, was of no avail, while they willfully withheld what He required of them. Their mercy and goodness were but a brief, passing, show; in vain He had tried to awaken them by His prophets; therefore judgment was coming upon them, for, to turn it aside, they had offered Him what He desired not, sacrifices without love, and had not offered Him, what He did desire, love of man out of love for God. God had Himself, after the fall, enjoined sacrifice, to foreshow and plead to Himself the meritorious Sacrifice of Christ. “He” had not contrasted “mercy” and “sacrifice,” who enjoined them both.
When then they were contrasted, it was through man’s severing what God united. If we were to say, “Charity is better than Church-going,” we should be understood to mean that it is better than such Church-going as is severed from charity. For, if they were united, they would not be contrasted. The soul is of more value than the body. But it is not contrasted, unless they come in competition with one another, and their interests (although they cannot in trust “be,”) “seem” to be separated. in itself, “Sacrifice” represented all the direct duties to God, all the duties of the first table. For Sacrifice owned Him as the One God, to whom, as His creatures, we owe and offer all; as His guilty creatures, it owned that we owed to Him our lives also. “mercy” represented all duties of the second table. In saying then, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice,” he says, in effect, the same as John, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar, for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20.
As the love, which a man pretended to have for God, was not real love, if a man loved not his brother, so “sacrifice” was not an offering, to God at all, while man withheld from God that offering, which God most required of him, the oblation of man’s own self. They were, rather, offerings to satisfy and bribe a man’s own conscience. Yet the Jews were profuse in making these sacrifices, which cost them little hoping thereby to secure to themselves impunity the wrongful gains, oppressions, and fulnesses which they would not part with. It is with this contrast, that God so often rejects the sacrifices of the Jews, “To what purpose is the multitude of your oblations unto Me? Bring no more vain oblations unto Me; new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; iniquity and the solemn meeting” Isaiah 1:11-13. “I spake not to your fathers, nor commanded them, in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people” Jeremiah 7:22-23. And the Psalmist; “I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings, to have been continually before Me. Offer unto God thanksgiving, etc. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do, to declare My statutes, etc.” Psalms 1:1-6, Psalms 8:1-9, Psalms 14:1-7, Psalms 16:1-11.
But, further, the prophet adds, “and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.” The two parts of the verse fill out one another, and the latter explains the former. “The knowledge of God” is, as before, no inactive head-knowledge, but that knowledge, of which John speaks, “Hereby we do know that we knew Him, if we keep His commandments” Ephesians 2:3. It is a knowledge, such as they alone can have, who love God and do His will. God says then, that He prefers the inward, loving, knowledge of Himself, and lovingkindness toward man, above the outward means of acceptableness with Himself, which He had appointed. He does not lower those His own appointments; but only when, emptied of the spirit of devotion, they were lifeless bodies, unensouled by His grace.
Yet the words of God go beyond the immediate occasion and bearing, in which they were first spoken. And so these words, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice” Matthew 9:13, are a sort of sacred proverb, contrasting “mercy,” which overflows the bounds of strict justice, with “sacrifice,” which represents that stern justice. Thus, when the Pharisees complained at our Lord for eating with Publicans and sinners, He bade them, “Go and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” He bade them learn that deeper meaning of the words, that God valued mercy for the souls for which Christ died, above that outward propriety, that He, the All-Holy, should not feast familiarly with those who profaned God’s law and themselves. Again, when they found fault with the hungry disciples for breaking the sabbath by rubbing the ears of grain, He, in the same way, tells them, that they did not know the real meaning of that saying. “If ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” Matthew 12:7. For as, before, they were envious as to mercy to the souls of sinners, so how they were reckless as to others’ bodily needs. Without that love then, which shows itself in acts of mercy to the souls and bodies of people, all sacrifice is useless.
“Mercy” is also more comprehensive than “sacrifice.” For sacrifice was referred to God only, as its end; “mercy,” or love of man for the love of God, obeys God who commands it; imitates God, “Whose property it is always to have mercy;” seeks God who rewards it; promotes the glory of God, through the thanksgiving to God, from those whom it benefits. “mercy leads man up to God, for mercy brought down God to man; mercy humbled God, exalts man.” mercy takes Christ as its pattern, who, from His Holy Incarnation to His Precious Death on the Cross, “bare our griefs, and carried our sorrows” Isaiah 53:4. Yet neither does mercy itself avail without true knowledge of God. For as mercy or love is the soul of all our acts, so true knowledge of God and faith in God are the source and soul of love. “Vain were it to boast that we have the other members, if faith, the head, were cut off” .
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Hosea 6:6. I desired mercy, and not sacrifice — I taught them righteousness by my prophets; for I desired mercy. I was more willing to save than to destroy; and would rather see them full of penitent and holy resolutions, than behold them offering the best and most numerous victims upon my altar. See Matthew 9:13.
