Thursday Bible Study

 We have reached one the most poignant scenes in the Hebrew bible... Hosea shows us God alone, talking to himself. Like a broken-hearted Father grieving over His wayward child, Israel... In verse 1, what do we see God doing? With the kind of 'parenting' that God offers, you would expect God's 'child' to turn out brilliantly, but what does verse 3 tell us? How could knowing that, God understands what the pain of rejected love feels like, affect how we think about God and our relationship? Re-read and review Hosea 11:1-4 and think about how God is your heavenly Father, in Christ. Is this how you view God? How could this alter how you relate to God? To sin is to turn your back on the God who loves you. It is to hurt and grieve God. How helpful is it to see sin in such personal terms? [Activity] Read Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:13-18. How does Hosea anticipate Jesus? 

 It could have been so different for Israel. Terrible judgement was on it's way because she had refused to learn from her past. Just as in Hosea 9:9, what horrific incident is referred to again here in Hosea 10:9? Now that the same things were happening again, God would have to send the army in once more. But this time it was different. How? In verses 9-10, what is described as being the cause of all this trouble? Over and over again in the Hebrew bible we're told about how God's people sow seeds of righteousness and reap the harvest of God's covenant love. But in verse 13 what are we told that people have 'planted' this time? In God's eyes it is always better to be right than to be strong. How do you see this playing out in verses 13-15? What does Hosea say in verse 12 and how does it speak to us today? [Activity] Read Revelation 6:12-17. How does this passage pick up the same themes from Hosea 10:8? What terrible and terrifying scene does John depict here?...

 Some people think of God as this grandfather-like figure, up on a cloud somewhere, looking at old photos of all his grandkids... a Being who would never do anyone any harm. Like God is just there to smile at us, pat us on the back and give us a Werther's Original!  But the bible gives us a very different picture... in it's pages we discover a God who is utterly good and who burns with love, but is passionately committed to eradicating evil and who cares enough to act. We are told that God is a jealous God... This section is all about God's judgement of Israel. But first, we get told about three things that led to this judgement... Firstly, was their WEALTH. How is this described in verses 1-2? How can this theme be applied to today's world? Secondly, was their LEADERSHIP. How is this described in verses 3-4? How can this theme be applied to today's world? Thirdly, was their WORSHIP. How is this described in verse 5? How can this theme be applied to today's worl...

 God is looking back, remembering the days when He first found and chose and called Israel. What is the experience like? How is it described? How is God feeling here? What does that tell you about God? Look back at Numbers 25 and see how that chapter describes how first love quickly evaporated, and the 'grapes turned sour'. What happened in the Numbers 25 story? How do we see it happening all over again here in Hosea 9?  What is the punishment described in verses 11-12? How is God's passion revealed inverses 15-17? There's a quote, "When God loves, He loves with intensity and for keeps." How do you see this playing out in Hosea 9? How do you see this playing out in your life? [Activity] Read Revelation 2:4-5. What had the church in Ephesus done? What would Jesus do if they did not repent? What important lessons can you learn from this?

 We read at the beginning of chapter 9 that there were times when God didn't want the people to rejoice. Israel's worship of Baal meant that they were "two-timing" God. Their songs of praise to God were empty. But God wasn't just sickened by their compromised worship, verses 7-9 show us another reason why God insists they shouldn't rejoice... Hosea's marriage to Gomer the prostitute was meant to be a sermon to the nation. How has the nation of Israel responded to this 'sermon'? In verses 7-9 who is it that gives the prophet the most hassle? What does that tell you? How would you apply that today? What is "at hand" in verse 7? What is Hosea supposed to do with that knowledge? As far as the people are concerned, what's the problem with Hosea's message in verse 7? What horrific thing happened in Judges 19 and what does Hosea say about the people's behaviour here and now? In verse 8, what 'role' is Hosea said to be sent as...