‘I desired mercy and not sacrifice’ (Hosea 6:6, KJV).
This saying is a little odd, coming from the same Lord who prescribed a good deal of sacrifice in the covenant with Israel made through Moses at Mt Sinai (see Leviticus, passim!). But he has become impatient with the practice! ‘Sacrificing’ can become a fault: a calculation of life in terms of cost and gain; an attempt to force God and the earth to yield their bounty.
‘Mercy’ is first a quality of God that overwhelms even his requirement of human obedience. In human beings, it entails both receiving life as a gift, and a disposition to seek the good of others, beyond personal interest or due.
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