15 I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me.
6 “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.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 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.”
4 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 early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with blood.
9 As robbers lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to Shechem;
they commit villainy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.
11 For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed,
when I restore the fortunes of my people.
What does it mean when Jesus says, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice"? More importantly, what does the LORD mean by, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings"? Can all the blood of beasts cleanse the sins of mankind? If the people of Israel slaughtered all the animals of their fields, they would not have been delivered from exile. They turned their backs on the Lord. In the House of Israel, they did horrible things.
The Lord desires people with knowledge. The Lord desires people who seek after his name. The Lord is going to Judge his people. But there is hope. There is a promise in his words. The Lord talks of a return to his place. The Lord says he will revive his people. The Lord also says he will restore the fortunes of his people.
But who are His people? There are many people who wish to make many and various sacrifices to the Lord. They desire to make sacrifices of money or physical material. Some even desire to make sacrifices by means of works of their own hand done to their neighbors. But in all these acts there is not enough blood or works to atone for your sins.
God desires for us to Love one another. God desires not for us to try to atone for our sins, but to share his love with other people. God showed his Love for his people through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. This son he sacrificed upon the cross at Calvary. This Son God raised on the third Day.
This is the hope God has given to his people Israel. He has redeemed them not by the blood of beasts but by the Blood of His Son. He has restored our fortunes and given us, His people, everlasting life through Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that we know true Love.
The Lord desires people with knowledge. The Lord desires people who seek after his name. The Lord is going to Judge his people. But there is hope. There is a promise in his words. The Lord talks of a return to his place. The Lord says he will revive his people. The Lord also says he will restore the fortunes of his people.
But who are His people? There are many people who wish to make many and various sacrifices to the Lord. They desire to make sacrifices of money or physical material. Some even desire to make sacrifices by means of works of their own hand done to their neighbors. But in all these acts there is not enough blood or works to atone for your sins.
God desires for us to Love one another. God desires not for us to try to atone for our sins, but to share his love with other people. God showed his Love for his people through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. This son he sacrificed upon the cross at Calvary. This Son God raised on the third Day.
This is the hope God has given to his people Israel. He has redeemed them not by the blood of beasts but by the Blood of His Son. He has restored our fortunes and given us, His people, everlasting life through Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that we know true Love.
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