Mercy - Not Sacrifice

Hos. 6:6 (ERV)

This is because I want faithful love,

    not sacrifice.

I want people to know God,

    not to bring burnt offerings.

Hos 6:6 (Complete Jewish Bible)

For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices,
knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

In Hos 6:6, God is speaking.  He desires mercy and not sacrifice. Does that mean that he desires to extend to us his mercy rather than demanding from us sacrifices?  Meaning not only  the burnt sacrifices of the Old Testament but also including any good works we may do to try to impress him or to twist his arm into accepting our efforts and granting us what we are seeking: the favor of God.  It does mean that but it also means more.

Mt. 9:13 

 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.^'

  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Jesus is speaking to the religious elite of his day...showing them that  God delights in extending mercy to the worst sinners---not to those who try to earn his favor and who look down their noses at "sinners" He wants US to demonstrate his mercy to those who don't know him.  As he is merciful, so should we be.
Mt 12:7 is similar:

 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Jesus quotes this passage from Hosea at least twice in the New Testament, both times to the religious snobs of his day....and to us as well because since God spoke these words three times in Scripture, it is apparent that there is something important for us to grasp here. Yesterday a passage jumped out at me with a personal connection that I won't go into here. 

Romans 2:4 (NASB)

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, 

not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

NLT puts it like this:

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?

 Does this mean nothing to you? 

Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

It is clear from all of these passages that God does not go around with a big stick and beat people into submission or attempt to strong arm them into obedience.  No.  He delights in being merciful and kind. He first attempts to win us over with his love and compassion and by - often miraculously- meeting our needs--even before we accept his gestures of love. Just as God related to the Children of Israel in the Old Testament (Tanakh), by using metaphors such as finding them as an abandoned infant, bringing them home, cleaning them up and then loving them---only to have them reject him and  pursue other "gods."
God will not be mocked.  Nor will he woo us forever as we continue to walk in our sinful ways and to attempt to take advantage of his grace without any sign of repentance on our part.

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God....

You know that afterward, when he (Esau) wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. 

It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears. 

Heb 12:15,16 

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Heb. 10:31  

God's first approach with us is via the channels of mercy and kindness, because that is who he is.  (Scripture says "God is Love")  He blesses us again and again; meets need after need....but be careful not to presume on his grace.  If we persist in our sin without repentance...then God will take stronger measures--all with the purpose of getting us back where we belong..in a relationship with him so that he can demonstrate his love for us again, from now through eternity.