Hosea 11:1-9

Together for Good

Connecting Questions

What is something that makes you angry?

Is it okay to be angry?

Prayer for Illumination

Let us pray, Loving God, we pause today grateful for this next breath. We are grateful for the chance to connect with others today for we all carry such hurts and hope. Open your Word to us. Open our hearts to let your word speak to us and change our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Context

We are “Together for Good”; God is good! Our fall season we are exploring the way God builds relationships through the stories found in scripture. Come explore the many opportunities to grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus Christ at Easter. So glad you are here!

Sermons can be found at Easter.org/worship.

From Pastor Rolf Jacobson at EntertheBible.org:

The messages of Hosea announce sharply that God’s relationship with human beings includes judgment–and also that this relationship continues on the other side of judgment, because God is faithful. Hosea teaches that to know God is to have one’s entire life transformed in faith and obedience. God’s anger was provoked because the people both worshiped other gods and oppressed their neighbors, sins that Hosea sees as related.

Look at the Book

Open to the book of Hosea 1:1. What do we learn about Hosea?
The first chapter uses marriage as a metaphor...between whom?
Hosea is divided into two main sections, and our passage is from the end of the first section. In it, God accuses Israel of idol worship and faithlessness. But, chapter 11 has a change in direction to what?
In 11:1, how is God and Israel pictured? How does that speak to you?
In 11:3 what is the image we are given? What is the assumption made by God about the people?
The verses alternate between affection and accusation. How might the pattern of these verses reflect our own journey of faith?
Google Luther’s Explanation of the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed. It speaks about Jesus—the God who wants to be in relationship—what does Jesus life respond to in our lives? How is Jesus the answer to our lukewarm faithfulness?
Hosea marries a prostitute. Why? How does that inform why God is speaking like this in chapter 11?
Verse 8 is an emotional appeal in God’s own heart. Why might Hosea want to show us this?
Jesus’s own guts “churned” like God’s guts churn in verse 8. Read Mark 6:34. What makes Jesus feel this way?
Underline verse 9. It’s the core verse of this passage.
What does God say God will not do in verse 9? Why is that powerful?
Why is this good news for people who live in a world short on grace?
What might God want a reset with you about?
What do you want to talk about that has not been brought up yet?

Taking it Home

What does “tough love” look like to you? Is that what God is doing here? Why or why not?

What are you free to do this week, knowing that God has chosen to be faithful to you?

Grow Guide | Nov 12, 2023