He has torn us, that He may heal us (Hosea 4-6; Psalm 58; Matt 17)

Yesterday we saw the heart of God, the pain we cause by forsaking Him. God is like a faithful husband to an unfaithful wife. After warning of discipline and judgment, Hosea urges people to return to the LORD.

“Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that he may heal us.” (Hosea 6:1)

Those are wonderful words. God’s discipline may seem painful, but it is always for our good. God has had to discipline Israel, he warns them of judgment in graphic terms. They will be carried off into exile. God’s judgment is fair and yet, He continually holds His hands out to disobedient people. Hosea tells us that God has torn, so that he may heal. God’s intention is always for the good of His people.

This doesn’t mean that every form of suffering we face is always God’s discipline. Sometimes we face suffering because we live in a fallen world and are affected by that. Sometimes it’s persecution because we are followers of Jesus. Other times it may be because of our own sin. But whatever it is, what a comfort to know that if we belong to Jesus, God’s purposes are for our good. If you don’t yet belong to Jesus, He may be using some temporary suffering to draw you to Jesus to spare you from eternal suffering. Would you see God’s gracious hand, drawing you to Him? When you are in the middle of being torn up, it may be hard to see. But there’s a place we can look.

Look at Jesus on the cross, being torn apart for you. He was torn so that you could be healed. He was torn so that you ultimately don’t need to be. Your sin, my sin, means we are the ones who deserve to be torn apart. We deserve God’s judgment for forsaking Him time and again, yet He is such a faithful lover that at great cost to Himself, He allows himself to be torn so that we can be healed.

So Hosea encourages the people to press on to know the LORD, reassuring them that God will restore and refresh them.

Tragically we see how they respond, their love is like the morning mist, they say they love God one minute, but then they are off loving the world the next (Hosea 6:4).

This morning, see the love of Christ in being torn open for you, and ask for His help to press on to know the Lord.