Hosea (Part 1) | Resources
Introduction to Hosea
Hosea is one of the most autobiographical of the Prophetic Books in that the opening account of Hosea’s own marriage and family form a vital part of his unique message. God’s word of grace and his call to repent are dramatically portrayed and punctuated by Hosea’s scorned but constant love for his wife Gomer and by the odd names of his three children. Apart from this information about his immediate family, hardly anything is known about Hosea. His divinely commissioned marriage to the promiscuous Gomer, which brought Hosea such heartache, seems to have been the beginning of his long career. But rather than ministering in spite of personal sorrow, Hosea found that his troublesome marriage was the foundation stone of his ministry.
E. Ray Clendenen, “Hosea,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1349.
Memory Verse
“Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from me.” Hosea 14:8 (CSB)
Bible Reading
Take time to engage with God’s Word this week. Answer these questions: What is the main idea of this passage? What’s something that stood out? How does this passage point to Jesus? How can I live out what I read?
– Day 1 — Hosea 1–2
– Day 2 — Hosea 3–4
– Day 3 — Hosea 5
– Day 4 — Hosea 6
– Day 5 — Hosea 7
Discussion/Reflection Questions
1) Summarize the story that is being told.
2) Put yourself in Hosea’s shoes. How would you have responded to the command he received from the Lord in Hosea 1:2?
3) How had the people of Israel failed to fulfill their promises to God? For answers, look at Hosea 4.
4) What does this book teach us about God, ourselves, or the gospel?
5) How is the Holy Spirit prompting you to repent or obey?
Devotional
Have you ever been told that God will never give you more than you can handle? I’ve heard that from people that I respected as strong Christians. However, God will only complete our sanctification by continually giving us many things we can not handle without Him. If we feel like God has only given us things we can handle on our own, we either miss God’s work in our lives or have very little faith in God to handle more significant things. In reality, we are not meant to handle everything on our own.
If you like to feel in control, like most any human, then it’s hard to believe that people and circumstances are not meant to be “handled.” Sometimes, God will direct us to people or situations we may not understand. Handling these well often implies that we persevered or got our way. In truth, God allows us to experience challenges for His purposes, that He plans to accomplish in His way. He is continually teaching the whole world, including us, about Himself as we go about each day doing either common or, at times, uncommon things. We get to be a part of that as we faithfully allow God to direct our lives in ways that honor Him.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Whether those works seem like big challenges or more like everyday responsibilities at home, God is working through you to glorify His name. He will never give us more than He will accomplish in His time, choosing to work through us.