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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 5: Hosea 14

SUMMARY OF HOSEA 14

Hosea entreats Israel to repent and return to God. God will love them freely if so. His anger will be turned away, and they will blossom. Let them understand that the ways of the Lord are right.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 5: Hosea 14

12) God commands a certain prayer: Say to him:
    “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”

God promises:

“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,  his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom like the vine—   Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim, what more have I[c] to do with idols?I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper, your fruitfulness comes from me.”

13) Israel’s restoration will be complete. It will be flourishing and splendid.

14a) We will be righteous if we walk in God’s ways.

b) Choose Him every day. Put Him first every day. Pray every day.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 5: Hosea 14

I love how Hosea ends with hope. You can always come back to God no matter your sins. Always. Never forget that.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 5: Hosea 14

God tells the Israelites exactly what to say in repentance. We take his words humbly and declare His greatness. God will then restore them abundantly.

Israel will be free from idols and wise. Even after sin, God awaits to restore.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 4: Hosea 4-13

SUMMARY OF HOSEA 4-13

Hosea begins to warn the Israelities of their sins and how they must repent to God. They are rejected as God’s priests and will not have enough to eat. They are unfaithful to the Lord and will face consequences.

Israel does not repent of their sins despite the warnings. They will be punished for their great sins, no longer loved, and rejected.

Yet, God loves Israel and will have compassion on them. He will rescue them.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 4: Hosea 4-13

9a)

4:1-3: There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.

5:4-6: “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord. Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.

7:11-16:“Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria. 12 When they go, I will throw my net over them.  I will pull them down like the birds in the sky. When I hear them flocking together,  I will catch them. 13 Woe to them,  because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them,  because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them   but they speak about me falsely.14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves,[a] appealing to their gods  for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me.I trained them and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me.16 They do not turn to the Most High;they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent words. For this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.

8:1-5:“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law. 2 Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’ 3 But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. 4 They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. 5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity?

10:1-2: Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones. 2 Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.

13:2-3: Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, “They offer human sacrifices! They kiss[a] calf-idols!” 3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.

b) Each time I sin, I realize it now and come to him and repent. I catch myself sometimes before I sin, too. It’s great to know that God accepts me in the midst of it all no matter what.

10a)

6:6: “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.” God restores us no matter our sins.

7:13: “Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely.” God always longs for us no matter how far we have strayed.

9:10: “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.” We are beautiful in God’s eyes and He only wants our hearts.

13:4: “But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.” God has been with us always no matter our sins.

b) When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again.

c) It’s comforting knowing God loves me and everyone else and this world, especially when there is evil in this world. He never stops pursuing me and everyone. He loves us even when we do not love him. Very comforting, indeed.

11) This is a tough one. You can always say natural disasters. Yet, God punishes in other ways, too. He shows us His love, too. He punishes us individually for our sins

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 4: Hosea 4-13

I LOVE this! I love how God is great even we aren’t. He always roots for us, and most of us need that on a daily basis.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 4: Hosea 4-13

Note: Israel is referred to as Ephraim.

We start Hosea 4 with the charge of sins against Israel. Even the priests are corrupt and ineffective. Judgment will come, especially in the midst of idolatry. Judah is warned, but God will remedy.

In Hosea 5, Israel continues to sin with idolatry, and Israel’s leaders are rebuked. Israel will be desolate. Israel wrongfully looks to man for restoration. God judges, hoping to bring His people back to Him.

In Hosea 6, Israel is called to return to the Lord in faithful trust. They should walk in confidence. The people realize how much they have missed God. Still, the sin of idolatry hangs on.

In Hosea 7, we see Israel willfully blind to their sins as they chase after idols. They are prideful and stubborn. They fly about to the other nations like a dove. They run away from God in doing so.

In Hosea 8, Israel casts off God and embraces other idols. Israel is judged and regathered. God rejects their offerings because Israel does not understand His words. Because of this, there is no refuge.

In Hosea 9, Israel will be exiled in judgment. We read about their punishment in Egypt. God then sends barrenness, dryness, and bereavement as judgment to a wandering Israel.

In Hosea 10, Israel is still in sin like an empty vine and throne. God warns Israel to acknowledge their sin and submit to His cleansing. He tells them to break up the hard ground of their hearts and to quit resisting Him.

In Hosea 11, we see God’s love for His people as He calls them back to Him. Yet, their actions are chastened. Yet, God takes compassion on Israel and calls them back.

In Hosea 12, Israel still makes alliances with foreign nations like ancient Jacob did. God will judge them.

In Hosea 13, the Israelites will be scattered due to their sins. They will be torn apart by a lion. The king will be rejected, and they will be judged.

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BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 3: Hosea 2:14-3:5

SUMMARY OF HOSEA 2:14-3:5

The Lord will bring her back to Him and give her back her vineyards. She will worship him again and there will be peace. You will be betrothed to the Lord forever. They will be God’s people again and they will say “You are my God,” again.

God told Hosea to go to his wife and love her again. Love her as He loves the Israelites even though they worship other gods. He bought her for bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. The Israelites will live many days without a king or a prince, and they will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 3: Hosea 2:14-3:5

6a) verse 14: I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. you will call me ‘my husband’;  you will no longer call me ‘my master.
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips Bow and sword and battle
    I will abolish from the land,
    so that all may lie down in safety.
19 I will betroth you to me forever;
    I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
    in  love and compassion.
20 I will betroth you in faithfulness,
    and you will acknowledge the Lord.

I will plant her for myself in the land;
    I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;
    and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

b) Same. He brings us back to Him always when we have sinned. Gives us peace. Embraces us as His betrothed.

7) He commanded Hosea to take his wife back and to love her as He loves the Israelites. He was undoubtedly blessed by doing so.

8a)  He bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then he told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

b) Same. God takes us back despite our sins and loves us the same. He asks us to obey his commands as conditions for doing so, and we do or try to do so and then ask for forgiveness when we fail.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 3: Hosea 2:14-3:5

Great message of hope and picture of forgiveness when we are broken.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 15, Day 3: Hosea 2:14-3:5

God will restore Israel to Him once again. The renewed relationship will be one of love and not fear. This relationship will never be broken again.

We begin to want what He wants, and He answers. God will provide us abundantly. We will be restored completely in love.

Hosea 3:1-5

Though Deuteronomy 24:1 and Matthew 19:7-8 permit divorce, it is not required as we see her. Hosea is commanded to love Gomer, which he does. Love is more than a feeling or what we want in a marriage. It’s a command to love.

Hosea seems to have bought Gomer out of prostitution. This was not necessary, but it shows he can provide for her and he is serious. Some Bible scholars say Gomer was a slave bought out of prostition, but there is no evidence of that.

Israel will seek the Lord once again, too.

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

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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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 15, Day 2: Matthew 14:1-12 Along With Mark 6:12-29

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 14:1-12

Herod heard about Jesus and thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead. Herod had arrested John and put him in prison because John had told him taking his brother’s wife was unlawful. He wanted to kill John, but he was afraid.

Herod was tricked by Herodias’ daughter. She danced for him on his birthday and he liked it so much he promised to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. The king had to acquiesce since he took an oath and so many people were there. The girl took the head to her mother, and John’s  disciples buried John’s body and then they went and told Jesus.

SUMMARY OF MARK 6:12-29

Jesus had sent out his disciples to drive out demons and heal the sick. King Herod thought that John the Baptist had risen from the dead because of this. Others said he was Elijah. Herod had arrested John and thrown him in jail because he was saying it was unlawful for him to marry his brother’s wife. She did not like John and wanted him killed, but Herod feared John and protected him. He liked to listen to John.

On Herod’s birthday, he gave a banquet for his high officials. Herodias’ daughter dance for him, and he promised her he’d give her whatever she asked up to half his kingdom. The girl asked her mother what to ask for. She asked for the head of John the Baptist. The king could not back down. He immediately had John the Baptist beheaded and his head brought. The girl gave it to her mother, and John’s disciples buried John’s body.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 15, Day 2: Matthew 14:1-12 Along With Mark 6:12-29

3) He thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Because he knew John to be a prophet and genuinely believed this could happen. He was superstitious, and he felt guilty over killing him. Plus, scholars say John the Baptist looked a lot like Jesus.

4a) Herodias did not like how John said her marriage to Herod was unlawful. She wanted him dead so she concocted a scheme to do so.

b) She used her to dance and lure the king into promising her whatever she asked for.

c) He wanted to save face. He could not back down fearing he’d appear weak and his word would not be trusted.

5) Sin breeds sin, and it’s best to stop it as soon as possible rather than keep sinning when you know it to be wrong.

6) That they took John’s body to bury it, as was appropriate and that they told Jesus. This could have been because they knew how close they were or they wanted to Jesus to know becuase he may be in danger, too

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 15, Day 2: Matthew 14:1-12 Along With Mark 6:12-29

The saddest part of this story is how a mother uses her daughter to commit murder essentially. This obviously is not how a good parent should act. Also, Herod is very superstitious.

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End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 15, Day 2: Matthew 14:1-12 Along With Mark 6:12-29

Matthew 14:1-12

A tetrarch was a ruling of four people. In this case, when Herod the Great died, each of his four sons received a portion of the territory. This was a title, but Herod wanted to be called king. Herod (known as Herod Antipas) asked Roman Emperor Caligula for the title but was denied. He ruled over Galilee and therefore had heard a lot about Jesus. He thought Jesus might be John the Baptist reincarnated. John has been killed a year ago when this story is being told.

Herod had illegally divorced his first wife in order to marry his brother’s wife. No one said anything about this out of fear of death except John the Baptist. Later, the King of Petra would declare war on Herod since his daughter was Herod’s first wife.

Herod feared what the people would do if he killed John.

Herodias’ daughter was a teenager, and the dance would have been inappropriate to say the least. Why a ruler’s daughter would dance is unknown here.

Herodias knew Herod would promise her daughter anything. She knew immediately she wanted John’s head.

Herod did not want to kill John, but he gave in to societal pressure. He pleased people rather than God.

Both Herodias and Herod end up disgraced later in life all due to this sin, and they both commit suicide. Herod was accused of treason, and he was banished.

Mark 6:12-29

Jesus was taken as Elijah by some because it was prophesied Elijah would come before the Messiah did (Malachi 4:5). Jesus was also thought to be the Prophet whom Moses said would come after him (Deuteronomy 18:15).

No doubt Herodias’ daughter was hoping she could request something she wanted.

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Friday Digest: BSF’s Study of Genesis Lesson 15

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN GENESIS CHAPTER 24:

  • We should all serve God like the servant served Abraham
  • Seek God in all things in your life through prayer and guidance
  • All true Christians are led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14).
  • Ask, seek, and you shall find with prayer and petition (Matthew 7:7)
  • Pray for God’s will in Jesus’ name. Then expect God to show up.
  • “I will go” should be your answer once you receive confirmation of God’s will

Take Away: When you have a servant’s heart and seek God’s will in your life, He will answer.