Category: BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

Welcome to AtoZMom’s BSF Blog! Learn about BSF (Bible Study Fellowship)’s BSF study People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided as we study the Old Testament and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah in 2022/2023.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 2: Hosea 1:1-2:13

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF HOSEA 1:1-2:13

Hosea 1

Hosea was called by God to marry Gomer and have children with her. Hosea prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel.

God will punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. God will no longer show love to Israel, that He should at all forgive them. Yet, He will show love to Judah and save them. God calls the Israelites not His people, but they will come together

Hosea 2:2-13

God will punish his people because they have turned from him.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 2: Hosea 1:1-2:13

3) Hosea was called by God to marry Gomer and have children with her. She was a promiscuous woman. He obeyed.

4a)

God commanded to call Hosea’s son Jezreel. God will punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

God commanded to call Hosea’s daugher Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”). God will no longer show love to Israel, that He should at all forgive them. Yet, He will show love to Judah and save them.

God commanded Hosea to call his next son Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

b) The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel. Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’

5) She will be barren. God won’t show love to her children. Her path will be blocked with thornbushes. She will be alone. God will take away blessings (grain, wine, wool, and linens). She will be exposed and not have celebrations. Her crops will be ruined, and she will be punished.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 2: Hosea 1:1-2:13

Bleak consequences for not following God’s ways.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 2: Hosea 1:1-2:13

Hosea means “salvation.” Hosea is only mentioned in this book of the Bible. He is referred to no where else. His message is that salvation is only found when you turn to God (a good message, indeed!).

The Times of Hosea

Hosea preached during the years 760 to 720 B.C. This is indeed the days of the divided kingdom of Israel (north) and Judah (south). This was after king David and Solomon. The Israelites have been in the Promised Land for 650 years.

Hosea spoke mainly to Israel (Hosea 7:5).

Hosea began his ministry during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-29). Israel was prosperous, and because of this, they turned from God.

Some Bible scholars believe Gomer became a prostitute after she was married, but we don’t know that for sure. Some believe she continued in prostitution after she was married. Others believe that this was a tale only and never really happened. Many believe that God wanted Hosea to feel how He was feeling because Israel has abandoned him. In truth, we take it at face value, and most believe Hosea’s story is true as is.

Jezreel means “scattered,” which Israel will be after they are imprisoned by Assyria. The Valley of Jezreel is where Jehu massacred all the descendants of Ahab (2 Kings 10:11).

Lo-Ruhamah means “No Mercy.” Judgment was coming from the Lord.

Note that God had no mercy to Israel and had mercy towards Judah. Judah and her kings were more faithful.

Lo-Ammi means “Not My People.” God would not have the Israelites any longer.

Yet, in God’s infinite mercy, He will restore His people.

Hosea 2:2-13

God shows Israel as an adulterous wife who is no longer worthy of His love, protection, and provision. They and their children will face judgment.

Straying from God would hurt like thorns.

People will return when the going gets too tough, and God provides always. He provides even when they turn from him during the good times and worships idols.

God will punish but will ultimately restore.

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Friday Digest BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN BSF PEOPLE OF THE PROMISE: KINGDOM DIVIDED LESSON 14

  • God always has a plan — and it’s a plan of hope
  • You can always turn back to God; He’ll welcome you with open arms
  • God restores and repairs the consequences of sin
  • God always gives us help when we need it
  • God will judge those who wrong his people
  • Suffering is wasted when we don’t surrender to God in the midst and aftermath of it all

TAKE AWAY: God judges, but offers hope to all that accept it.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 4: Joel 3

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF JOEL 3

The enemy nations of Juday and Jerusalem will be judged for what they did to God’s people. They should prepare for war. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Jerusalem will be safe and blessed. Judah will be inhabited forever.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 4: Joel 3

9) God will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where God will judge them for what they did to Israel. The enemy nations will prepare for war, but God will be victorious. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble.”

10a) Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. The mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias. Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. All innocent blood will be avenged.

b) The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. Foreigners still invade Israel, and the promises of blessings have not been fulfilled because the day of the Lord has not come.

11) It’s comforting to me because evil must see justice in this world.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 4: Joel 3

There’s something inherently comforting in the last day of the Lord — knowing that all evil and sickness will be eradicated one day soon.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 4: Joel 3

The bringing back of the captives of Judah and Jerusalem can refer to both the return from Babylonian exile and the End Times.

All nations will be judged at the End Times for their actions against God’s people. This judgment of nations lies on how people have mistreated God’s people and the church, not on belief in Christ. God cares and retaliates against those who persecute Christians.

The nations will prepare for war, but have no chance against Him.

God’s people will experience lasting abundance, restoration, and redemption.

The fountain is mentioned in Ezekiel 47  and Zechariah 14:8

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 3: Joel 2:18-32

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF JOEL 2:18-32

God took pity on his people and their cries. “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.” Joel says to not be afraid for the Lord will now bless the land and protect them from their enemies. The Lord will pour out his spirit during the day of the Lord on the people who will be saved.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 3: Joel 2:18-32

6) That the Lord took pity on his people. That he would sendgrain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy them fully; never again will He make them an object of scorn to the nations. Joel says to not be afraid for the Lord will now bless the land and protect them from their enemies.

7a) God gave all people the Holy Spirit to be with them always. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord and Jesus will be saved.

b) I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

c) God is faithful. He cares for His people. He forgives them when they turn from sin with the right heart. This is encouraging for me in my sin, too.

8 )

John 16:7-15: The Holy Spirit guides us in the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Jesus because it is from Jesus that he will receive what he will make known to you. He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.

Acts 1:8:  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Romans 8:9-16: the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. You will have eternal life because the Spirit is living in you. The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. We have freedom and glory because of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. The Holy Spirit allows us to bear these spiritual fruits. The result of the work of the Spirit in a believer’s life is these attributes.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 3: Joel 2:18-32

I love how God always is there to provide us with our needs and how the gift of the Holy Spirit is something none of us should take for granted.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 3: Joel 2:18-32

God promises to provide for his repentent people and protect them from their enemies. God will restore His people fully, promising to bring rain and restore what the locusts ate.

Then there will be ultimate restoration and blessing and God’s Spirit will be poured out onto the people after Jesus dies. During Old Testament times, only certain people had the Spirit come upon them.

Joel’s prophecy would be fulfilled at Pentecost when 120 believers were the first to receive the Holy Spirit with signs from heaven.

All are eligible to come to God and to pray for Him to come into their lives.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 2: Joel 1:1-2:17

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF JOEL 1:1-2:17

Joel reports the word of the Lord, which is a prophecy of the locusts coming. A nation has invaded and destroyed the land. Everyone should mourn, fast, and cry out to the Lord.

The day of the Lord is coming, so all should tremble. Nothing will escape and everything will be destroyed. An army comes with the Lord at the head. God calls his people to return to him for He may relent. Fast, gather, and pray for the Lord to spare His people.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 2: Joel 1:1-2:17

3a) “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.” Basically, everything will be eaten and laid to waste, and the people’s joy will wither.

b) The day of the Lord is coming where everything besides the fields will be devoured. Everything will be a desert waste. The earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. All is dreadful.

c) It’s not too late for God’s people to turn to him, repent, and be saved. Declare a holy fast, offer grain and drink offerings, and come together to pray. Have the priests ask for forgiveness. Cry out to God.

4a) He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

b) 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that if people humble themselves, pray, and seek God, as well as turn from their wicked ways, God will forgive their sins and heal their land. True repentance is with the heart. Turn to God and away from sin. False repentance is saying the words but you don’t mean it. Your actions don’t change as you seek to be like Him.

5) Wow. Lots. Many financial struggles, health concerns, injuries, and moves. Yet, He is still with me throughout it all.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 2: Joel 1:1-2:17

I liked this passage because it’s not just gloom and doom. It’s gloom and doom with the message of hope of forgiveness.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 14, Day 2: Joel 1:1-2:17

Joel prophesied to Judah. He does not date his book with the names of kings, so Bible scholars believe the book was written around 835 B.C. He also never refers to the two kingdoms of Israel.

Joel is therefore believed to be one of the earliest prophets and was prophesizing while both Judah and Israel were still free. Only Obadiah is believed to have been before Joel. Jonah, Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, and Micah were of this time period, too.

Remember, this was the time of Queen Athaliah at the beginning of the reign of King Joash.  (2 Kings 8:26, 2 Chronicles 22:2) She was the one who killed all her heirs except Joash who escaped.

Fun Fact: Joel means “Jehovah is God.”

Judah will experience famine and crisis. Judah should mourn. The priests should repent for the nation.

Drought is coming. The day of the Lord means on God’s timing. It means God’s judgment and His restoration of those who turn to Him.

In Joel 2, Joel predicts an invasion of the land. The invasion never happened because the people repented. We see Joash take the throne. (2 Kings 11:4-21)

God has sent the army, but the people can still repent.

Tearing of the clothes is a symbol of mourning.

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Friday Digest BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN BSF PEOPLE OF THE PROMISE: KINGDOM DIVIDED LESSON 13

  • God alone gives the strength and gifts to work hard and do His will
  • God shows mercy in judgment
  • God cares about how we treat others
  • We truly live when we follow God
  • We should love what God loves; hate what He hates
  • No one can hide from God
  • Jesus is our salvation
  • You are here for a reason; what is it?

TAKE AWAY: God is a God of many chances.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 4: Amos 7:1-9:10

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF AMOS 7:1-9:10

Amos 7

The Lord prepared judgments against Israel (locusts, fire, and a plumb line) but Amos asked the Lord to forgive, and He did. Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, tried to kick Amos out of Israel and send him back to Judah, so he would quit prophesying there. Amos told him God sent him to Israel to say they will be exiled from their native land.

Amos 8

The Lord told Amos he will spare his people no longer, as he sees a vision of a basket of ripe fruit and the Lord standing by the altar.

Amos 9:1-10

God will kill all of the sinners amongst his people. No one will escape.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 4: Amos 7:1-9:10

10)

7:1-3: Amos saw locusts, but asked the Lord to relent against Israel, and he did.

7:4-6: Amos saw fire, but asked the Lord to relent against Israel, and he did.

7:7-9: Amos saw a plumb line, but asked the Lord to relent against Israel, and he did.

8:1-3: Amos saw a basket of ripe fruit, but the Lord will spare his people no longer.

9:1-10: Amos saw the Lord standing by an altar, and God will kill all of the sinners amongst his people. No one will escape.

11) Amos faithfully obeyed the Lord’s calling to prophesy against Israel.

12a) God gives everyone plenty of chances to turn to him, but he’ll judge at the end. People never change; they are sinners at heart.

b) I should always be looking for God and turning to him.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 4: Amos 7:1-9:10

Gloom and doom here. The people sin; God judges. This is the entire story of the Old Testament (and the New Testament) except that God gives us Jesus to save us.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 4: Amos 7:1-9:10

Amos 7: Amos sees the judgment of Israel with locusts, fire, and a plumb line. Prayer is powerful, as Amos saves the people here. A plumb line helps to build straight walls. God’s people must be straight against His standards.

Bethel was the center of Israel’s idolatry, and Amos was faithful in delivering God’s warnings to His people.

Amos 8: The ripe fruit has turned sour. Israel is dishonest and cheats the poor, so God will judge.

Amos talks about the famine of not hearing God’s word. God grants us the ability to hear his word and to benefit by it.

Amos 9: All of God’s people will face judgment.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 3: Amos 3-6

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF AMOS 3

More pronouncements of judgment against Israel and how they will be punished for their sins. An enemy will overrun Israel, and the foreign altars will be destroyed. But a remnant would be preserved.

SUMMARY OF AMOS 4

Israel has been warned, yet they still continue to sin.

SUMMARY OF AMOS 5

God warns his people to seek him and live or they will perish.

SUMMARY OF AMOS 6

God warns those who are complacent and says they will among the first to go into exile. The cries against the pride of Israel. He says a nation will oppress them as punishment.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 3: Amos 3-6

5a) The Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to the prophets. God has spoken just like the lion has roared, the bird has swooped, and the trumpets have sounded. Disasters the Lord has caused.

b) Because the people have sinned and turned away from God, God sent prophets to warn his people of his judgment if they don’t turn back to him. Israel needs to turn back or they will be judged.

6) The sins are how Israel does not do right and they plunder and they loot. The consequences are that an enemy will overrun the land and plunder them. The Israelites living in Samaria will be rescued. The altars of Bethel and houses will be destroyed when Israel is punished for her sins. The women will be taken away and cast out. God punished them periodically such as with little rain and food, but still they did not return to him. God sent plagues and killed young men with no one returning to him.

7a) “Yet you have not returned to me.” Amos 4:6; 8; 9; 10; 11  God gives his people chances to repent before he judges them.

b) Any type of calamity, whether a natural disaster or a personal disaster.

8 )

4:12: “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.” If you sin, you will suffer the consequences.

5:4: “Seek me and live.” God is a God of second chances. He gives life to those who seek him.

5:14: “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.” Be good, and God will be with you.

5:15: “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” Do good, and the Lord will have mercy.

9)

5:18: “Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord.” You should live each day as if the day of the Lord is here, but most of us don’t because the day of the Lord brings judgment, so we should be prepared.

6:1: “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come.” This is an indulgent ease for comfort and luxury. It is easy to get comfortable and complacent in life, but we must always be seeking God and His ways.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 3: Amos 3-6

Long reading with lots of warnings here. At the end of the day, God just wants us to choose Him.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 13, Day 3: Amos 3-6

Amos 3: Israel rejected God despite the privileges they had of being with him. Thus, God enacts judgment.

God revealed to the prophets the judgment so people would turn to him. Israel would be overrun by Assyria in less than 30 years after Amos prophesied.

Amos 4: Bashan was known for its cattle.

Women of Israel indulged, so God would judge them. Their sacrifices were in vain. God would judge by withholding rain. He would send a plague. They would meet him.

Amos 5: God invites his people to seek him once again. He will save, but he will also judge.

Because they treated each other terribly, they would be judged. There would be wailing and woe on judgment day. Their sins would end in captivity.

Amos 6: Those who are comfortable should take heart as woe is coming. Those who are high-standing will be brought low. Israel will be destroyed.

Israel is too full of pride and injustice.

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