Book of Hosea Chapter 5 Vs. 6

 Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. Hos. 5:6

They shall go... And seek to make their peace with God and to induce him to be favorable to them by a multitude of sacrifices; but they shall not find their expectations answered. This is spoken of the people of Judah, mentioned in the latter part of the foregoing verse. Who, though they attended the temple worship, yet did it without any true sense of religion, for which the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah particularly reprove them.

With their sheep and their cattle they go about to seek Jehovah, and shall not find Him; He hath drawn off from them.

to seek the... The prophecy seems to look forward to the times of Hezekiah and Josiah, declaring that the attempts of those God fearing kings to reclaim the people from idolatry, and to restore the true worship of God, would fail of any durable effect, and would not avail to reverse the doom pronounced upon the guilty people.

but they shall... Whilst he might have been found they would not seek him, now as a punishment, and to leave them remediless, God will not be found of them; he will not either accept a sacrifice, or pardon their sin, or return to save them.

he hath withdrawn... All of the sacrifices they would make now would be totally unacceptable to God. God warned them of the danger of worshipping false gods, and they had not taken heed. Now, it is too late.

The Lord’s punishment of His people would be expressed in two ways: withdrawal of aid and blessing (Hos. 5:6-7, 5:15), and active warfare (Hos. 5:8-14). In the days ahead Israel in desperation would seek the Lord through sacrifices of flocks and herds. However, this hypocritical ritualism, devoid of genuine covenant loyalty, would be ineffective (cf. Hos. 6:6; 8:11-13; Isa. 1:10-17).