"Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
Hosea 6:1-3
Some of the Bible commentaries talk about the language used in the first verse as being borrowed from medical science, and I really like that idea. A doctor sometimes has to perform surgery... or in other words, "tear" or harm us, in order to be able to later heal us. It is similar to analogies in other areas of the scripture where the Lord talks about himself as a gardener, who needs to prune and dig about us so we don't grow wild and bad fruit.
The second verse, timing-wise, seems similar to the resurrection of Christ, but it also reminded me of the two prophets that it talks about in Isaiah 51:20 and in Revelation 11: 3-12, although the timing seems off. Either way, the symbology seems to carry the idea of renewal and healing, even if it isn't a literal resurrection... perhaps a baptism image, but maybe also just carrying over from the verse before the idea of needing to recover from our healing and live "in his sight" renewed, and perhaps in heaven.
I like the rain part as well. It seems very poetic, but also conveys the passage of time... that if we follow the Lord we will learn to know him, and he will come to us as the rain, which I take to mean in a gentle and welcome way, as part of our lives rather than there needing to be lightning and drama. :) ... But of course this is rain we are talking about, so I could be wrong about the storm part. Overall though, I think it is another image of renewal and growth and new life.
Today, come... let us return unto the Lord. :)
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
Hosea 6:1-3
Some of the Bible commentaries talk about the language used in the first verse as being borrowed from medical science, and I really like that idea. A doctor sometimes has to perform surgery... or in other words, "tear" or harm us, in order to be able to later heal us. It is similar to analogies in other areas of the scripture where the Lord talks about himself as a gardener, who needs to prune and dig about us so we don't grow wild and bad fruit.
The second verse, timing-wise, seems similar to the resurrection of Christ, but it also reminded me of the two prophets that it talks about in Isaiah 51:20 and in Revelation 11: 3-12, although the timing seems off. Either way, the symbology seems to carry the idea of renewal and healing, even if it isn't a literal resurrection... perhaps a baptism image, but maybe also just carrying over from the verse before the idea of needing to recover from our healing and live "in his sight" renewed, and perhaps in heaven.
I like the rain part as well. It seems very poetic, but also conveys the passage of time... that if we follow the Lord we will learn to know him, and he will come to us as the rain, which I take to mean in a gentle and welcome way, as part of our lives rather than there needing to be lightning and drama. :) ... But of course this is rain we are talking about, so I could be wrong about the storm part. Overall though, I think it is another image of renewal and growth and new life.
Today, come... let us return unto the Lord. :)
Thank you
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