Possible questions Israel asked Hosea

Possible questions Israel asked Hosea

Totally Undeserved
• Hosea, why would a godly, upright man like you love a filthy, treacherous whore?
• You tell me, why would a holy, righteous God love a sinful, adulterous people like us?

Desperately Needed
• Hosea, do you think that whore needs your love?
• You tell me, don't we desperately need God's love?

Extremely Costly
• Hosea, why would you pay such a high price for a woman who despises your love?
• You tell me, why would God be willing to sacrifice his own son for people like us who despise his love?

Wonderfully Transforming
• Hosea, what do you get from loving this worthless woman?
• You tell me, what happens when God loves us unconditionally? That is the only way for him to change us.

Hosea

HOSEA

1. God is the great Cosmic Lover
• God is the aggressor and pursuer
• God is passionate
• God seeks you before you seek Him
• God pulls your heart towards Him
• God wants to capture your heart fully

God “wooed and married” Israel (2:19)
Hosea is commanded to marry Gomer (1:1-3)
Christ is wooing you and wants to “marry” you (you are the Bride of Christ)
[Eph 5:25-27, Rom 7:4, Rev. 19:7-9]
• Intimacy
• Union
• Love
• Partnership

2. Love grows luke-warm or cold
Gomer leaves Hosea for another man and has three children
God commands Hosea to name his children (1:3-10)
• Jezreel [punishment for Jehu’s massacre]
• Lo-Ruhamah [Not-loved]
• Lo-Ammi [Not-my people]
Israel’s love grows cold (2:1-5; 11:1-4)
Has your love for Christ grown cold?
• Initial experience wears off
• Seek the feelings instead of God
• Life happens
• Stress, needs and wants crowd in
• Materialism, hedonism, comfort, ease, excitement

3. Other things or people capture our heart

IDOLATRY (13:1-3)
What has captured your heart and taken it away from Christ?

• Job or career
• Money or possessions
• Fame or popularity
• Entertainment or diversions
• Sports or clubs
• Power or control
• Sex or romance
• Drugs or alcohol
• Friend or lover
• Spouse or children







4. God tries to win us back with His kindness and goodness (Hosea 11:1-4)
Hosea won Gomer back (3:1-2)
God woos Israel back (2:19-23)
God is trying to win you back (Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9)
• He blesses us even though we don't deserve it
• He helps us succeed even though we ignore him
• He grants our desires
• Sense of peace and fulfillment

5. As a last resort He must discipline us in order to win us back
Hosea had to be firm with Gomer (3:3)
God had to discipline Israel (3:4-5)
God may have to discipline you before you repent
• First He warns us
• Often He demonstrates on others
• He lets us suffer the consequences of our sinful and selfish choices
(4:1-13; 5:1-14; 9:11-17; 10:13-14)
- Ruined relationship
- Career failure
- Stress
- Disease
- Debt
- Downward spiral
• Finally He must act towards us
- Health
- Economic
- Relationships
- Career
- Accident
God will show compassion (11:8-11)
Repentance and Renewal
• Repentance
(8:2; 10:12; 12:6)
• Renewal
(6:1-3; 1:10; 2:14-15)

Hosea 14

Christ will restore and renew you if you repent and return to Him