Hosea, Hosanna!

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3 ESV.)

Besides the obvious allusion to the cross and the prophecy of the Christ, Hosea 6 warns us to make sure we understand our God and the necessity for true obedience.

"for he has torn us, that he may heal us" Hosea tells us that we must trust in the love of God, even in correction. We know rebellious children will complain that their parents do not love them. Of course, the parents do love the child, but in their rebellion and lack of submission to the rules of the parent, they can’t receive or respond to that love. We are like that in our rebellion against God. In our rebellion and lack of submission to our creator, we are unable to respond or receive His love.

"After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up," Hosea spoke these words full of confidence in God’s love and power to restore. God does raise us up. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are raised up from the world in control of the prince of the power of the air and receive eternal life. We have passed from death to life, resurrected by the sacrifice and blood of Christ. In this verse, we also see the allusion to Christ. A messianic prophecy made by Hosea shadowing the death and resurrection of Christ.

"he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" God never changes; He is constant. Hosea's words tell us that we should be like a farmer waiting for rain to water crops. We must have confidence and understand the assurances we have in Christ and in our salvation through His sacrifice. We must understand our God having total faith and trust in His sovereignty.

Hosanna!, Hosanna!, Praise be to the Lord!