Mercy or Sacrifice?

[Broncos1982]

I have a question. I'm reading through the bible for an online sermon, and i've come upon something that has stumped me.

In Hosea 6:6, God says "I desire mercy, not sacrifice"

Which differs greatly to this:

"Numbers 15:32-36 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses."

Now God is obviously good, but this shows absolutely no mercy, unless I am missing something here. Can someone who is wiser in the Word explain this to me?

 

[james g]

If a person does not come to Christ and instead relies upon works – they act presumptuously against the Lord’s Grace and a far worse fate awaits them than did the man who broke the Sabbath.

Through Christ, we are now forgiven, and thus no longer deserving of death for our sins.

Matt. 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 

[HisFollower]

Christ repeats this twice:

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(Mat 9:13)
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
(Mat 12:7)

He is emphasizing God´s will that we be merciful to other´s, and not suppose that ceremonies, formalism, and rituals are sufficient.
We are called to be merciful as He is, and as for Him, He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil; what about us?

 

[agua]

God was infinitely merciful towards Israel during their history of frequent disobedience and unfaithful conduct. He put in place laws for them to follow and made the punishment harsh to deter them from disobedience. God's laws were for their good and it was imperative they learned this.

Fortunately when we sin/break God's laws now we have a mediator who has paid the price. Thank You Jesus. Love You Lord.

 

[Broncos1982]

God was infinitely merciful towards Israel during their history of frequent disobedience and unfaithful conduct. He put in place laws for them to follow and made the punishment harsh to deter them from disobedience. God's laws were for their good and it was imperative they learned this.

Fortunately when we sin/break God's laws now we have a mediator who has paid the price. Thank You Jesus. Love You Lord.

But how could Jesus get on to the pharisees for getting onto the pharisees for taking the sabbath so seriously? I mean, if God had a man stoned to death for just picking up sticks, why wouldn't he do that to a man who picks up a cattle that is fallen into wire?

It makes absolutely no sense. How were the pharisees wrong for questioning Jesus about the sabbath after God had the man stoned to death for something that simple?

 

[will]

But how could Jesus get on to the pharisees for getting onto the pharisees for taking the sabbath so seriously? I mean, if God had a man stoned to death for just picking up sticks, why wouldn't he do that to a man who picks up a cattle that is fallen into wire?

It makes absolutely no sense. How were the pharisees wrong for questioning Jesus about the sabbath after God had the man stoned to death for something that simple?

Because Lord Jesus knew the heart of the Pharisees. They kept the law so they can uplift themselves. They are ultimately self-seeking, not God-seeking. That's why He got on their case.

In the same case, the Lord said He didn't come to abolish the laws, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He said that because He is the only person that can do the job, and that's what He did on the cross.

So under this new covenant (grace), we are not told to honor Sabbath day, rather to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37).

In effect, this is a more serious command than even the law, for we are supposed to love God *regardless* of whether it's Sabbath or not. And that's why we are given two gifts: the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit so we can do what was commanded above.

Therefore Christians who do not embrace these two gifts cannot grow into maturity in faith and love for God.

 

[agua]

How were the pharisees wrong for questioning Jesus about the sabbath after God had the man stoned to death for something that simple?

Jesus was showing these particular Pharisees where their accusation of breaking the Sabbath was flawed. They were once again attempting to catch Jesus in sin which as we know is impossible and even blaspheme.

Mat 12:1-6 NKJV At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. (2) And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" (3) But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: (4) how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? (5) Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? (6) Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.


Jesus didn't break the Sabbath at all and made it clear it is ok to do good deeds on the Sabbath. : )

Mat 12:11-12 NKJV Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? (12) Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."


The reason God was very strict with the Israelites was because of their frequent disobedience and lack of faith.

 

[eddieb]

hosea 6:6 is one of my most favorite scriptures. God started me in the book of hosea around a decade ago. a better translation for the word mercy would be "covenant love." its the transliterated word hesed in hebrew. not to harp, but you didnt finish the scripture. the second part reads "and the knowledge of God more then burnt offerings." what this scripture (hosea6:6) is saying is he wants a relationship with us. he desires us to desire him. he wants us to have a covenant love with him. he wants us to know him. and not to turn and go after our own ways.our part of the covenant is to obey. We are commanded to first love God and then our neighbor. outside of that we have no purpose.

 

[RJ]

I have a question. I'm reading through the bible for an online sermon, and i've come upon something that has stumped me.

In Hosea 6:6, God says "I desire mercy, not sacrifice"

Which differs greatly to this:

"Numbers 15:32-36 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses."

Now God is obviously good, but this shows absolutely no mercy, unless I am missing something here. Can someone who is wiser in the Word explain this to me?

This is such a good question and such a good example to explain the difference between the law of the Old Testament Covenant and that of the New Testament Covenant.

The Old Covenant was for the Jews. In the begining of the Exodus from Egypt God problem wasn't getting them out of Egypt, it was getting 400 years of Egypt out of them.

We don't fully understand but God was a God of wrath and this was in part do to the fact that, at this time, God referred to the Jew as a hard hearted people....I believe that also means..hard headed as well. If you think about it, you can see that this was true due to their..day and times, education, no Bible as we know it, Egypt's 400 year influence and so on.

Also, God being perfect and the Jews being so stubborn he would have been justified in letting them all die in the Red Sea but, instead he show mercy! He continued to be merciful with striking water from a rock, quail and manta and then the promised land of milk and honey!

In your example above the man had to die because he broke the Sabbath by performing work on the Sabbath which had the penalty of death. Sounds harsh, but in early man's developement, I can see no other course of action.

Under the New Covenant that Jesus ushered in with his death and resurrection, there is no law or requirements that we are under. LIke St. Paul said, we are no longer under the curse of the law. With the New Covenant there is no wrath and all mercy, in that, God did it all and called it a gift to us.

 

[brakelite]

What you have overlooked here is the fact that the incident the OP was referring to took place at least 3 months before the law was given at Sinai. Before the giving of the covenant, and before Israel agreed to it.
God takes the Sabbath very seriously. He had just told Moses what He expected of His people...this man didn't believe and disobeyed...just like Adam and Eve...their lack of faith in God's word was the bottom line cause of their fall, and so also with this man who collected firewood. God needed to make this man an example, otherwise Israel would never learn. That is merciful. Either teach Israel that obedience is essential now, and the cost being one life, or teaching it slowly over a period of time with the cost perhaps of the entire nation desecrating the Sabbath and paying the ultimate price.
Sadly, Israel even then didn't learn...their history is riven with disloyalty particularly over the Sabbath issue...the result was captivity in Babylon. Even that was merciful...captivity was better than destruction...in Babylon the Jews had it good...they lived well planting vineyards and having their own homes...at the end of the 70 years many didn't want to go home.
After Babylon, those who did make it home went out of their way to honour the Sabbath. (read Nehemiah) so much so that 400 or so years later by Jesus' time the Sabbath had become so much the focus of attention by the Pharisees and scribal legalists that many man-made additions had been planted on top of the commandment that hid as it were the real intent and benefits and blessings that God intended for it. Jesus came to free people from those additional burdens and 'make the law honourable'.
Isaiah 42:21 The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable

 

[Kit Carson]

Not so hard.

Remember Job?? Remember his friends that came to comfort him but ended up accusing him? In the end God told them to go make a sacrifice so he would not view them in a way of sin.

God wanted them to show mercy to their friend, to try to understand all and to comfort him, not to accuse him and make him feel bad. To increase his suffering.


Now the deal with the sticks was a man who was disobedient to God. This man did not just pick up a stick or two and put on a fire, he was out deliberately gathering sticks in arrogant disobedience to God. So God killed him. Actually had Moses order it to be so.

One story shows how God wished Jobs friends had shown understanding and mercy to a good man. The other shows that if you challenge God, you will lose. There was no mercy as the man picking up sticks was in deliberate disobedience.

Kit