CARE Sheet 2/13/11, Falling In Love...with God Again! Hosea

ICE BREAKER What initially attracted you to your spouse/fiancé/girl (boy)friend?   What helped you “fall in love again” after your first major argument?

Title: “Falling In Love…with God Again”

Text: Hosea

The prophet Hosea preached during the reigns of the following Kings.  Read Hosea and these texts to get a complete picture of what things were like back then.  Judean Kings, Uzziah – 2 Ki 14 – 15 & 2 Chr. 26; Jotham, 2 Ki 15:5 & 2 Chr. 27:1-9;  Ahaz, 2 Ki. 15:38 & 2 Chr. 28:1-27;  Hezekiah, 2 Ki 16-20 & 2 Chr. 29-32;  Israelite King, Jeroboam – 2 Ki 14:23-29 To see the corresponding  Chronicles & Kings passages for each King download this file. Hosea Kings of Judah & Israel

CONNECTING TO THE TEXT:

  1. Remember the questions we were challenged with last Sunday as you read these Scriptures:
    1. What did the Kings do?
    2. What was God’s response?
    3. What were the people’s responses?
    4. What would you have done? (use your imagination)
    5. What will you do now? (Based upon similarities between today’s popular lifestyles and the lifestyles of those found in Hosea what should you do now?)
  2. What were the “sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat?” 1 Kings 14:7-16
  3. What did God say “the land” was guilty of? Hosea 1:2
  4. What was Hosea to do? Hosea 1:2-8
    1. Marry an __________ ________ whose name was ___________
    2. Name his son ________________ which means _______________________
    3. Name his daughter _______________ which means ____________________
    4. Name his other daughter _______________ which means ________________
  5. What are the characteristics of Israel’s lifestyle that God saw as being adulterous-like? Hosea 1:2-8
  6. How did those sinful characteristics play out in the day to day actions of Israel? Hosea 4:1-19; 10:2-4; 13-14; 12:7-8
  7. What was resulting from Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s reaction to their unfaithfulness? Hosea 4:1-19 & 2:1-23
  8. What was God’s ultimate desire or goal he longed for Hosea’s message to accomplish?  Hosea 2:23; 1 Pet. 2:9,10

CONNECTING TO OUR LIVES:

9. Tim Keller defines an idol. "What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give."

10.  Mark Driscoll describes an idol as things that make us happy, helps us feel productive, safe, important, takes precedence in our wallet, day-timer, and attention other than God.

11. What are common things do people give attention to for the purpose of gaining happiness, peace, security, productivity, and pleasure? In other words…what are our idols.

CONNECTING TO THE CHURCH:

12.  How can a church subtly promote idolatry?

13.  Do you think it is possible for people to truly understand idolatry in their culture and reject it without shocking messages that expose subtle deceptions along with painful consequences of sin, before hearing the good news of God’s grace through Jesus?   Hosea 7:10-12; Romans 9:25,26; 1 Peter 2:9-12

NEXT SUNDAY:

Title: “The Eyes of the Lord…”

Text: 2 Chr. 14-16, 1 Kings 15:9-24; Good King Asa

  1. What did the King do?
  2. How did God respond?
  3. How did the people respond?

Good resources for “digging into” Hosea

For a good summary of Hosea and it’s implication you can spend some time on this website.

A great resource to help you understand who the Kings of Israel and Judah were along with their corresponding prophets spend some time reviewing this website.

If you want to spend some time reading the texts that describe the histories of the Kings that reigned during the ministry of Hosea open this file.  Remember that Hosea was specifically sent to the northern ten tribes of Israel.  The Book of Hosea is the only writings we have of Hosea who had nearly a 60 year ministry.  This file has a side by side presentation of  the Kings texts and the Chronicles texts of the Judean and Israelite Kings during Hosea’s ministry.

Fair disclosure requires me to mention that there are about three different perspectives through which Hosea is typically interpreted.

  1. It’s all figurative:  Hosea’s wife Gomer was a figurative person. (How could a moral God demand a prophet to marry an immoral person?)
  2. It’s real but symbolic:  Gomer was very much a part of her Israelite culture but not really a wayward wife running away from home.
  3. It is a real story with a literal application:  Gomer was either an immoral woman when Hosea married her or she was a woman that God knew would become immoral after they were married.
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