A Call to Repentance

In chapter 6 Hosea calls the children of Israel to repentance. Remember in 5:14 God is likened to a lion going after a meal. It says, "I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off and no one shall rescue." vs. 15 goes on to say that, "I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me." This is what Hosea is telling the Israelites to do. In vs. 1 it says, "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."
Israel is far from God at this point. Their love has been compared to morning dew. In vs. 4 it says, "Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away." They have quickly forgotten how good God has been. Their love for God was once there, but it has dissipated and dried up. This is the root of Israel's trouble. We see that in vs. 6 that God says, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." They had no love for God. They had no knowledge of God either. I don't want to downplay repentance at all, but God does not desire sacrifice like he desires steadfast love and knowledge of him. If we come to God in true repentance it is because we acknowledge our guilt and seek God's face earnestly. It should make us aware of God. We should not fall into sin as easily again and again. We should feel the guilt of our transgression and it should compel us to please God. This ties in with the way Paul spoke of grace in the book of Romans. Romans 6:1 says, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" The grace of God does not warrant sin. Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Be mindful of God.
vs.7, " But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me." 9 and 10, "As robbers lie in wait for a man, so the priests band together; they murder on their way to Shechem; they commit villainy. In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's whoredom is there; Israel is defiled." I don't know what it will take to get Israel to repent, but I know that it is nothing I have done that has brought me to the place where I am at. It must be God's kindness, forbearance, and patience. I can think of no other explanation.