Thursday Bible Study

After all the promised punishments that God made in the first half of chapter 2, what would you expect God to say in this second half? "I'm going to destroy you now"? "I'll wipe you off the face of the earth"? But that's NOT what God says. Instead, what do we read in verses 14-15? "Allure" and "lead" and "speak tenderly" and give her back" ALL culminates in the promise to "make the Valley of Achor a door of hope." "Achor" means "touble"... what do you make of this verse? The 'desert experience' will be hard, but it could be an opportunity too. How does this idea translate into the situation we all find ourselves in today? Next, in verses 6-23, we are told what God intends to... Verses 6-7 can be linked to a part in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:16-17). How? Take time to dig into each of these topics and ask yourself how God is addressing them within this passage...

Chapter 2 opens with God, like an aggrieved husband, giving evidence and filing for divorce... Here is Hosea speaking on behalf of God (something not that uncommon for a prophet) but why doesn't God just speak to the people personally? What do we see being described in verses 2-3? Why is God so angry? Why, specifically, are food, water, wool, linen, oil and drink mentioned in this passage? The first section of this warning addresses humanities pride and arrogance. How? To counter this, in verses 9-13, God (the real provider) allows all  of this to be taken away. How? Notice the choice of language used in both verses 8 and 13. How does God feel about spiritual adultery? [Activity] Moses warns the people of some very specific things in Deuteronomy 8:10-14 & 18-19. What are these warnings? How do we see them playing out here, in Hosea? When WE enjoy material comforts, it's easy to think that WE are in control and that we don't need God anymore... In what ar...

Many other books in the bible are concerned with communicating what God thinks, what God demands, and what God expects. But here, in Hosea, the primary concern is to tell you how God FEELS. Hosea is a shocking book, from the opening verses, but it is also a love story. Here's a link to a helpful overview video... https://youtu.be/kE6SZ1ogOVU Or this one might be more you're style?... https://youtu.be/MY05XI67ets [Read Hosea 1:1-11] The opening verse may feel like a "so what?" moment, but why is this important? This information gives us a date / time period in Israel's history. 760-715 BC. The nation of Israel has been torn in two (Israel and Judah). Israel is living in a time of peace and prosperity, but the people have forgotten God and turned to Baal. How can our OWN comfort and complacency mirror the situation in Israel at the opening of this book? Verse 2 is shocking. Can God REALLY be saying this?! Have you ever thou...

In the opening line of this passage, we're told that Mordecai recorded these events. What are 'these events' that Mordecai wrote down? The description of the turn around in the Jews predicament, sounds very similar to Psalm 30. Why might this be significant? The two-day celebration is a new festival that is decreed to be observed and remembered every year. This is a big deal! Why? How are the Jews expected to celebrate this two-day festival each year? What is the name of this new celebration and how does it connect to the story of Esther? What can we glean from the fact that Mordecai is included in King Xerxes' recorded history within 'The Book of the Annals of the Kings of Media and Persia'?