#DailyDevotion Jesus Is Israel Who Does What God Wants Of Israel

Hos. 5 ¹⁵“I will go back to My place until they confess their guilt and look for Me. When they’re in trouble, they will eagerly search for Me.” 6 “Come, let us go back to the LORD. He has torn us but He will heal us. He has struck us but He will bandage our wounds. ²After two days He will revive us. On the third He will raise us to have us live before Him. ³Let us earnestly seek to know the LORD. He will come out as surely as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rains that water the ground.” ⁴“What will I do with you, Ephraim? What will I do with you, Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like dew passing away early. ⁵That is why I cut them down by the prophets and kill them by what I say. Your punishments are a light coming to you. ⁶I want mercy and not just sacrifice; I want you to know God and not just bring burnt offerings.

The LORD had withdrawn from Israel and perhaps some from Judah in the context. They were no longer wanting or desiring the ways of the LORD or the LORD. He was removing His graceful presence from them. His hope is they would confess their sins and look for Him. Because He removes His graceful presence, that allows evil and wicked people to come in and oppress them. His hope is when they are in trouble, they will remember Him and eagerly search for Him where He put His name. Where has He put His name? On Jesus. (John 17:11, 21, 22; 10:40; 14:20)

The Israel He is speaking to is no longer those who inhabit the land but the One who becomes Israel for the people of God. Again, that One is Jesus. Matt. 2, “¹⁵He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what the Lord said through the prophet was to come true: ‘I called My Son from Egypt.;” Who was taken out of Egypt that the LORD calls His son if not Israel. At Jesus’ baptism the Father says of Jesus, “^17.. . .This is My Son, Whom I love and delight in.” In Matt. 17, the Father speaks again, ““This is My Son Whom I love and delight in. Listen to Him!” Jesus is this Son who is Israel. As Israel and God’s Son, He does as Israel what Israel would not do and could not do. He goes back to the LORD for Israel when He is baptized. He is torn and struck for Israel in His innocent suffering death. He is healed, bandaged, revived and raised on the third day in the place of Israel and for all of us who through baptism and faith in Him are joined to Israel and become the promised children of Abraham. It isn’t the physical descendants of Israel who fulfill this. It is Jesus. In verse 3 then, in Christ Jesus we earnestly seek to know the LORD. In Jesus we know the LORD because we know in Him there is forgiveness of sins. It is in forgiveness we know the LORD. (Jer. 31:34)

The LORD cries out to Ephraim and Judah in frustration, “What shall I do with you?” He constantly is sending the prophets to cut them down and kill them with the word of His mouth calling them to repentance. What is really horrifying is when the Jews, who by all appearances are worshiping the LORD in Jesus’ day Jesus quotes to them this passage, “⁶I want mercy and not just sacrifice; I want you to know God and not just bring burnt offerings.” They sought to gain God’s favor with their sacrifices, but they did not come to Him with circumcised hearts. They did not have mercy on people like God had mercy on them. They did not know God’s forgiveness, did not forgive others, and therefore didn’t know God. Do you have mercy on people? Do you forgive people? Do you know the LORD?

Merciful Father, circumcise our hearts so we may know Your forgiveness in Jesus and have mercy and forgiveness for others showing we know You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.