NOTES for Hos 6:1-11

God reveals His heart: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Perhaps this is the summit of the revelation given through the prophet Hosea. Sacrifices, good deeds, and keeping the commandments have meaning only if they are grounded in our love not for ourselves but for another: for God, for a human being... Not the "pursuit of high achievement," not the "fulfillment of duty," but love that "does not seek its own" (1 Cor 13:5) and leaves no room for lawlessness.