False Repentance

Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; we follow you, O Benjamin! Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of punishment; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. The princes of Judah have become like those who move the landmark; upon them I will pour out my wrath like water. Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth. But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me. “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 5:8–6:6
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False Repentance
Of all the powers in the world, there is none that exceeds that of the Lord God. Many have claimed to be more powerful. We are lured away to the enticement of those powers. Kings have come and gone that have asked, “who is the god that will deliver you out of my hand?” The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is that God. He is the living God. It is by him that all other power is derived. When he wants you to see him and know him, he shows you the Son. The Lion of the tribe of Judah kills and makes alive again. He tears down to heal; he strikes down to bind up. By the preaching of the Law, the Word of God accuses and kills. Return to the Lord. There is no place where the power to heal is present, except in the Lord Jesus. It is the Lord Jesus that revives us and raises us up to be like his glorious body. He showers us with the water of life flowing from his pierced side. In his steadfast love, he has redeemed you and made you his own.