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| Hosea 12:5-6 |
That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name. So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually” (Hosea 12:5-6).
Hosea makes his remarks to the tribes of Israel. He is speaking to an Israel who is no longer walking with God. They have relied on their hand-made gods and their own wisdom and it has taken a toll on them as a nation. Hosea calls them to remember the God of Hosts by name and remember all He has done for them in the past. He then encourages them to return to the God they remember and to become the people He made them to be. He calls on them to be strong in the Lord.
Hosea begins with the name of God used most in the Old Testament by the prophets, the Lord God of Hosts. This name literally means God of Angel Armies. Who could be more powerful than the God who commands armies of angels. He is omnipotent – all powerful and fully able to accomplish whatever He purposes to do. If He is God of angel armies; He is also God of the heavens and the earth. There is no one like Him; there is none besides Him. He is the one true God. Hosea, by reminding Israel of this name of God is reminding them the idols they have been relying on are worthless in comparison.
Israel was troubled after years of carving, adorning, and then praying to these idols of theirs. They had set up the golden calves and called them their gods as soon at Israel split from Judah as a nation. They did not serve the Lord their God and Hosea knew this was the core of their problems. He encouraged them to remember His name.
Whenever we think of the name of a person we have known it is associated with memories. Likewise, when Hosea reminded Israel of the name of their omnipotent God, they would have memories correlated to His name, too. They had memories of God’s miracles and provisions from creation until their current time. He was Creator, Provider, Healer, Deliverer, and more. He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God Who Sees, Redeemer, Law Giver. He was the God who brought them out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness and brought them into the Promised Land where He led them in victorious conquests. He was a God intimately involved with His people, for and not against them.
He makes these remarks to a rebellious nation, one which had slid backward away from the God they once served. Hosea says, remember Who He is; remember how He is. Then he invited Israel to repent, to turn back to God in faith remembering He is a merciful and just God. His mercy is everlasting kindness and love. His justice is to make a way for repentant ones to return to Him (2 Samuel 14:14). He will not reject the heart which is fully and vulnerably turned to Him in repentance. Hosea is telling Israel their salvation is a sure thing, if only they will turn from their wicked ways and repent.
Hosea exhorted Israel to “observe mercy and justice and wait on [their] God continually” (Hosea 12:6). We can only come to God because of His mercy and justice toward us. We are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). It was Israel’s purpose to be exemplify the characteristics of God as a light and an example to those nations around them. We, too, are to be Christ’s ambassadors. We are to express kindness and love (mercy) to others as well as justice so His light will shine through us into dark places, as well.
Jesus’ mercy and justice required sacrifice. He gave it all for us to extend His mercy and justice to us. His justice paid the price of our guilt for us to make the way for us to return. Hosea said in verse six, “by the help of your God”. We cannot repent and turn to Him without His help. Without Jesus’ death and resurrection there is no way for us. Our returning and repenting are completely reliant upon His help. He did all the real work, it is merely for us to accept His mercy with true repentance.
Hosea said to “observe mercy and justice”. It seems to be a directive to behave with these characteristics in our lives. However, a further study of the word observer reveals a little more understanding. To observe mercy and justice is to guard them. Strong’s says it is “to hedge them about with thorns”. Jesus wore a crown of thorns to guard our mercy and justice. Whether we look at it as guarding our understanding of God’s mercy and justice for us, or ours for our fellow man, we must guard them with the same resolve. We need to be assured of the perfect work Jesus did on the cross and we must be His ambassadors extending the same characteristics into a lost and broken world. We must hold onto our new life in Christ with vigor and determination.
Finally, Hosea says once we’ve done all of this to wait on our God continually. We are to persevere in our faith not so easily giving up when things become difficult or the cares of this world tempt us to distraction. Wait means to bind together, such as with a strand of cord. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “A threefold cored is not quickly broken.” This suggests more than waiting for the Lord like we wait for a phone call. We are not called to wait for God to show up, we are called to completely entwine our lives with His. We are called to wrap our faith and hope fully in Him with expectancy. Our waiting is not passive, but active! We are all in and we are expecting Him in the fullness of His revelation to us to show up and take part as we completely surrender to Him and His ways. This is the waiting upon the Lord we want to know; the place where we are so entwined with Him we cannot help but live as His children and His ambassadors. This is where the adventure lives!
Hosea said to wait continually. Paul wrote to the Ephesians one of my favorite sayings, “when you have done all to stand, stand therefore” (Ephesians 6:13, 14). When you have found your place of faith in God’s mercy and justice in your life, refuse to be moved. When you have found the place to offer His mercy and justice to others stand in it. Sink your feet into your firm foundation and stand therefore, because there is no greater place in Jesus than in the fullness of surrender.
“Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD” (Psalm 112:6-7).