In Hosea 6:1–3 we read, “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.”

 This passage confronts us with a paradox: the Lord wounds us, yet His purpose is to heal us. He tears, but His goal is restoration. The prophet Hosea reveals that divine wounding is never arbitrary. It has purpose, it is redemptive, and ultimately life-giving.

 People who know me, know that I have had two knee replacement surgeries. Major surgery, such as knee replacement, illustrates the truth the Lord’s redemptive work, wounding to bring healing, vividly. The procedure is invasive, even brutal to the untrained eye. Bones are cut, tissue is removed, and foreign material is implanted. The body is wounded in ways that seem excessive. Yet the surgeon’s intent is not harm, but healing. The “brutality” is precisely measured, only to the extent necessary to restore mobility, relieve pain, and bring long-term wellness. I can attest to the seeming brutality, but also to the long-term benefit of healing from the wound. Prior to my surgery, the bone-on-bone pain was a sign of continued destruction, but after surgery, the pain was a sign of constructive healing. 

 So it is with the Lord. His wounds may feel overwhelming, His discipline severe, but His wounds are never without purpose. What seems excessive is exactly what is needed to restore us to Him. His wounding is not destruction, it is life-giving surgery for the afflicted soul.

 Sin has wounded humanity deeply, and created a chasm too broad for us to cross (Lk. 16:19-31). Still, Isaiah prophesied, “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). Yeshua/Jesus bore the brutality of the ultimate “surgery” of the cross, taking upon Himself the wounds of our rebellion. His suffering was not random cruelty, but the precise, necessary act to heal the wound of sin, and give eternal life to those believing (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:8-10).

 The brutality of the crucifixion mirrors the brutality of surgery: both are invasive, both involve pain, and both seem excessive. Yet in Christ’s case, the wounds were not His own, they were ours. He took them willingly, so that we might be restored to God. His resurrection on the third day fulfills Hosea’s promise: “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.”

 The Lord’s wounding is always restorative: Discipline: He tears down pride so He can rebuild humility. Correction: He exposes sin so He can cleanse and forgive. Healing: He allows brokenness so He can bind us up with His grace and mercy.

 Like surgery in the natural, His work may leave scars, but those scars testify and give witness to healing. They remind us that what once was diseased or broken has been restored. The work of my surgeon and his team was so precise that the healed scar is hardly visible. In light of the brutality of the surgery and the excessive swelling in the weeks following, all that remains is a slight scar. His surgery in the moment may seem excessive, brutal, too much for us to bear, but in the recovery, we see just how precise He was, and that not one wound was beyond the purpose of bringing healing. 

 Hosea concludes with a call: “Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD.” Healing is not the end; it is the beginning of deeper relationship with the Living God. 

After knee replacement surgery, recovery involves icing and working the new joint, getting up to walk even with the pain and instability in order to regain strength and mobility. So we must press forward in discipleship after the Great Physician wounds in order to heal, then living in the restored relationship Messiah has secured. We must now walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). 

 The wounds of the Lord are not signs of His cruelty, but of His love for us. They are the surgeon’s incisions, precise and purposeful, meant to bring life. Yeshua/Jesus bore the ultimate wound so that we might be healed eternally. And now, every wound we endure under His hand is a step toward restoration, a scar that testifies to His mercy, and a reminder that His coming to us is as sure as the dawn. May He come speedily, even in our days. 

 Maranatha. Shalom.