9 March 2024

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgement goes forth as the light.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.

From Hosea 5:15-6:6, NRSV

Through the prophet Hosea, God speaks in the way an exasperated and heart broken parent might speak of a child who persists on a self destructive path. As a loving parent, God had tried over and over to set the people back on the right path but nothing, including the warnings of the prophets, had worked. Earlier in the reading, Hosea revealed that the people were aware of their need for healing but not of their need for repentance. Here Hosea sets out unequivocally what God does and does not want from the people. God wants a genuine relationship with the people. Their love has to be steadfast, not fleeting like the morning dew, or insincere. Their reliance on sacrifice and offerings will not save them if their actions in their daily lives continue to be unjust and uncaring.

• • Why do you think the people relied so much on sacrifice and burnt offerings to show their faith?
  • What do you think steadfast love looks like?

Reflect on how you can use these remaining days of Lent to deepen your relationship with God.