1 Come, and let us return to the I AM, for He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us. He has injured us, but He will bandage our wounds.
Hosea is now begging the leaders of his nation to go back to God. If Israel had repented and turned back to God at this point their punishment would have been much less severe.
2 It will seem just like two days and He will revive us; in the third day He will raise us up, and we will live in His sight.
Hosea is saying that if they submit to God, their punishment will be quick and their nation will live again.
Hints here of Christ’s resurrection. After three days in the grave, He rose up and made us to live in His sight.
3 Then will we know, if we continue obey the I AM, that He is all ready to act just like the sunrise, and He will arrive just like the rains that water the earth in planting time and just before harvest .
God will bless those who turn to Him.
The latter and former rains were necessary to grow crops in Israel and were always quite refreshing after the long dry spell of summer. So God’s love will be to any who turn to Him.
4 O Ephraim, what will I do to thee? O Judah, what will I do to thee? For your devotion is like a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goes away.
Israel and Judah used to be good and serve God but that devotion had evaporated away, just like the morning mist.
5 That's why I have I cut them into pieces by the prophets' words. I have killed them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments against you strike like lightning.
6 Because I wanted you to show mercy, not make endless sacrifices. I wanted you to know your God more than I wanted burnt offerings.
Though God instituted the ritual sacrifices of the Mosaic Law, He also decreed mercy to the poor and down trodden. Israel had more or less kept up the sacrifices and rituals but they were oppressing the poor, taking advantage of them and abusing them. If they were only going to obey one part of the Law, God would rather they had shown mercy.
7 But just like Adam did, they broke our covenant. They betrayed Me.
Jesus said that whatever we “do to the least of these My brethren” we do it to Him. Israel had treated the poor horribly and thus they had treated God horribly.
8 Gilead is sin-city, and is polluted with blood.
9 And in the same way that robbers lie in wait to ambush someone, the priests commit murder. They intentionally sin!
10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel! Ephraim commits prostitution and Israel is defiled.
Israel had not only been bowing down to idols, they had sacrificed their babies to these idols in fire. They had adopted the practice of temple prostitutes. They enslaved the poor through charging interest. They cheated each other in their financial dealings. They were horrible people.
America sacrifices her babies too. We just do it in the doctor’s office through abortion instead of with fire in the arms of an idol. The only difference between the way the common American treats sex and the temple prostitutes is that the prostitutes were smart enough to demand payment. We cheat and abuse and fight no different than the ancient Israelites.
11 And Judah, I have set a harvest of punishment for thee, too, when I return thee to captivity.
Judah was on the same path and would suffer the same fate if they didn’t change their ways.