NOTES for Hos 6:1-11

God reveals His heart: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." This may be the summit of the revelation given through the prophet Hosea. Sacrifices, good works, keeping the commandments - all of this has meaning only if behind it stands our love not for ourselves, but for another: for God, for another person... Not a "striving for great achievements," not "doing one's duty," but love that "does not seek its own" (1 Cor. 13:5) and that leaves no room for lawlessness.