Hosea 6:5: “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

 

“Action speaks louder than words, but nearly as often.”  Mark Twain

 

This is a very curious passage.  On the surface this passage means exactly what it is saying:  God would rather we show mercy or kindness than offer sacrifices and that a knowledge of God is desired more than burnt offerings.   Based upon this passage the Jews are able to continue their worship of God even though the temple no longer exist to offer up their sacrifices and burnt offers.   This is why you find so many Jews involved in the field of medicine, medical research, law, government, humanitarian pursuits because showing mercy and kindness to others is considered a form of worship.

 

The word mercy here is chasad. This word itself means kindness, but the spelling of the word which is Chet, Samek and Daleth tells us that this is a kindness which comes from joining yourself with God to offer comfort and shelter as a doorway to worship. Thus, just simply being nice to someone, offering a helping hand, feeding the hungry or any one of the numerous acts of mercy and kindness we perform each day would not be considered a form of worship unless is it offered in the name of God.  For God seeks a human vessel to carry out His acts of mercy and when we perform these acts in connection with God we are carrying out His heart’s desire.  The word desire here is chapas which carries the idea of pleasure.   God receives great pleasure in performing acts of kindness and pleasure in seeing us carry out these acts of kindness in His name.   His pleasure is only that much greater when he has you at His side and He is watching you go about His business.  God takes great pleasure in watching us care for the ones that He loves.  To bring pleasure to God is really the main reason for worship.

 

He mentions two things which brings him more pleasure than temple worship.  The first is showing His mercy to those He loves and the second is to have a knowledge of Him.  The word for knowledge is yadah.  This is an intimacy.  Yadah is the same word used for Cain knowing his wife.   It is a relationship that a man and woman share that they will share with no one else. Should they share that intimacy with anyone else, it would result in great pain and heartbreak.

 

We can go to church and offer up great sacrifices of praise and worship, sing beautiful songs to God, tell him how much we love him, but if we have a bone to pick with another believer, or we go out in the world showing a lack of mercy to others, God get’s no pleasure from our little songs and words of love.   We can pay our tithes, and help build and support a church, but if we are not intimate with God, He will take no pleasure in any of that for as Mark Twain said: “Actions speak louder than words but not nearly as often.”  Not when those actions are not followed with mercy and intimacy with God.

 

In the 19th century there was a very beautiful, wealthy young woman who had many suitors.  These suitors lavished her with expensive gifts and praises as to her great beauty and character.   None could win her hand in marriage.  One day  a young man came to her, not as a suitor but as one who was seeking her financial support for a mission he was trying to establish.  The young woman visited the site where the gentleman hoped to establish his mission to reach out to the poverty stricken children.  She found her true heart’s passion in reaching out to those who were so unfortunate and before long fell in love with the man who established the mission.  He could not afford to buy her expensive gifts, he was too pre-occupied to lavish her with compliments but he won her heart because he cared for those who were on her heart.

 

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord God with all your heart, and the second is like unto the first, love your neighbor as yourself.”  You’re neighbor is just as much on God’s heart as you are.

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