Command:
Jesus said this in response to the Pharisees who asked why he was eating with tax collectors and sinners.
This was immediately after Matthew had accepted Jesus's invitation to follow him. Matthew was a tax collector.
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[6] For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.(Hosea 6:6)
Jesus cited the saying from Hosea 6:6. Hosea said this as a warning to Israel and Judah of God's impending judgement that was going to come upon them if they did not repent.
The ancient Israelites and the Judeans were deeply entangled in idolatry, but they still offered sacrifices to God.
Therefore, God said to them, "I don't want your burnt offerings and sacrifices. I want your steadfast love, and I want you to know Me."
Neither kingdom repented and both were judged, bringing an end to them both - Israel in 722 BC by Assyria, and Judah in 586 BC by Babylon.
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Similar to Matthew 9:13, Jesus cast judgement upon the scribes and the Pharisees, and said that they were hypocrites because they offered tithes, but neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
[23] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." (Matthew 23:23)
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As we can see, it is very important to God that His people have mercy, along with justice and faithfulness.
We can learn from Israel's mistake, so that we don't fall into believing the same thing and be judged by God in the same manner as they were. Israel struggled with believing that God desired sacrifices over mercy back in the mid 750 B.C. when Hosea went to them, and they still struggled with it around 30 A.D., when the Jesus went to them. That's 780 years!
So, what does it mean for us to desire mercy and not sacrifice?
Mercy basically means to have compassion on others, and to be kind and forgiving.
When Jesus made that statement, he was eating with tax collectors and sinners.
Just prior to making the statement he said, "Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick" (Matthew 9:12).
He followed the statement by saying, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:13).
He was showing mercy to those who were sick because of sin.
What he was saying was that, those who think they are well are not in need of mercy, but those who are sick are.
And just as the sick are in need of mercy, so are sinners. In fact he came to call sinners who are in need of Jesus and his mercy.
Those who believe they are well, the righteous, do not believe they are sick or that they are in need of Jesus and his mercy. Jesus did not come to call them.
Just as Jesus came to offer mercy to those who realize that they are sick because of sin, he requires His people to do the same. (Israel was not doing it, which is the reason judgement came upon them.)
We also learn from what Hosea said, is that God desires steadfast love from His people, and that His people know Him.
As His people, we should apply steadfast love and knowledge of God to our lives.
Having steadfast love is the same thing as the Greatest Commandment of "Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself."
His people should also desire and strive to know Him.
A person can have knowledge of God by knowing about God, or they can have knowledge of God by knowing God.
Hosea is saying that His people need to know God.
We cannot know Him if we do not read His word, but only depend on someone else to teach us about Him.
We also cannot know Him if we do not pray and listen, because that is the primary way He has given us to communicate with Him.
Another thing we can learn from this command is to not offer sacrifices to God if we do not know Him, because it does not please Him.
We can not buy His love or knowledge of Him by offering Him sacrifices.
That is what Israel was doing when Hosea went to them. In response to Israel, God said, "I do not want your sacrifices, I want your love and your knowledge of Me."
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Now let's go and apply what we learned and obey Jesus by knowing God, having steadfast love, and being a people of mercy, justice and faithfulness!
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Group responses:
S- King cares about our heart and having an unconditional love for him. That's what he really cares about.
M- he had mercy on them by showing unconditional love as a physician
N - triangle - mercy (top), righteousness (left), faithfulness (right)
R- His love and sacrifice gives peace, and mercy
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