Hosea 6:1 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea was a prophet used by God in a rather peculiar way. Being asked to marry a prostitute to represent how God’s loved one, Israel, has defiled herself, Hosea ministered to Israel in lovingly harsh as well as unique ways.
In Hosea 6, he writes as a prophetic declaration to the nation to return to God, and in the first three verses, it was a demonstration of hope and affirmation by the Lord. He acknowledges that Israel has been disciplined by God and yet in the discipline, the love of God was present so that there is restoration and not destruction of the nation.
This is the faithfulness of God that we can look to as well. When God disciplines us for our faults, He will heal and bind up our wounds. We need to grasp His objective behind godly discipline – that it leads to our return to His presence. Our mistakes create a wedge between us and His presence but restoration is always in the heart of the Father. Our repentance is our acknowledgement of our errors to Him and this act bridges the gap between us and God, and brings us back to His presence.
I like the last part best as it is a promise to us. That as surely as the sun rises, He will appear. It is like rain coming to flood out the dryness and bring the much needed moisture that will lead to flowers and fruits.