The Study of Hosea הושע
Today, we continue our journey through the Bible with today’s study of Hosea. May God show us what He wants us to learn?
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
As we study the Bible alone or in a group setting, there are several questions we can ask ourselves to help us dig deeper. The five questions are:
- What does the scripture say about God
- Then what does the scripture say about me
- Does something in this passage challenge me
- What gives me hope in this passage
- Is anything unclear to me
I hope these questions help you as much as they help me.
Book of Hosea
- Author: Hosea, son of Beeri.
- Audience: The northern kingdom.
- Date Written: Approximately 715 B.C.
- Length: 14 Chapters.
- Keywords: Return.
- Key Verses: “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’” (3:1).
- Key People: Hosea, Gomer, their children.
Summary of Hosea:
Hosea is a prophet whom God uses to portray a message of repentance to God’s people. Through Hosea’s marriage to Gomer, God shows his great love for his people. He compares himself to a husband whose wife has committed adultery as a metaphor of the covenant between God and Israel.
Sections of the Book:
The book of Hosea contains three significant themes, which are:
- Superscription (1:1).
- The Unfaithful Wife and the Faithful Husband (1:2-3:5).
- The Unfaithful Nation and the Faithful God (4-14).
Messages in Hosea:
The book of Hosea looks at the relationship between a faithful husband (Hosea, God) and compares it to an unfaithful bride (Gomer, Israel). The presence of Christ permeates the Book of Hosea as the Lover and redeemer of His people, just as Hosea acted as the redeemer of his wife, Gomer. Hosea also depicts Christ’s position as Savior of his people: “And you shall know no God but Me; for there is no savior besides Me” (13:4).
Hosea saw failing to acknowledge God as Israel’s basic problem. God’s relation to Israel was that of love. The husband-wife relationship illustrated the intimacy of the covenant relationship between God and Israel in the first part of the book. And then later amplifies it by the father-child relationship. Disloyalty to God was akin to spiritual adultery,
Final thoughts:
And like so many other books in the Bible, we see God’s character on display in this book. They are:
- Accessible–14:2.
- Good – 3:5.
- Kind – 2:19.
- Loving – 11:4.
- Merciful – 2:23; 14:3-4.
- Provident – 2:8-9.
All Lessons from the Bible
Each book of the Bible contains lessons for us to learn and historical information. We must study God’s Word to see what to do and what not to do in life. Paul reminds us of the importance of the words within the text in 2 Timothy 3.
2 Timothy 3:14-17; “14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Prayer
Please grant me the understanding and knowledge of You and Your word. As I open my Bible to read the scriptures, it gives me wisdom and discernment. And even as I sit and listen to the pastor, preacher or apostle reveal what Your Holy Book is speaking into my life, help me see and understand. Help me know Jesus Christ and how He lived His life so I can follow in His precious footsteps.
Grace and Peace to you,
Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/
Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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