HOSEA: Persevering Love
Lessons From Hosea
- It is vital that God's people have a knowledge of Him and His Word
- Marriage is a relationship that is to be honored and kept pure
- Sin destroys one's ability to think and act morally
- Poor leadership can destroy a people
- Unfaithfulness is the starting point for all other sinful behavior
- God's love for mankind is great — but it can be refused
- Internal corruption is more dangerous than external enemies
- Righteousness, Justice, Lovingkindness, Compassion, Faithfulness describe the proper characterisitcs of our spiritual relationship with God
- Outward form of worship is not of itself sufficient to please God
Purpose:
To illustrate God's love for His sinful people Author: Hosea son of Beeri ("Hosea" means salvation) Original Audience: The people of Israel (the northern kingdom) Date Written: Approximately 715 B.C., recording events from 753-715 B.C. |
Setting:
Hosea began his ministry during the end of the prosperous but morally declining reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (the upper classes were doing well, but they were oppressing the poor). He prophesied until shortly after the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. |
Key Verse:
"The LORD said to me, 'Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another 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 Key Places: The northern kingdom (Israel), Samaria, Ephraim Key Themes: The Nations's Sin, God's Judgment, God's Love, Restoration |
Special Features:
Hosea employs many images from daily life: God is depicted as husband, lion, leopard, bear, dew, rain, moth, and others; Israel is pictured as wife, sick person, vine, grapes, early fruit, olive tree, woman in childbirth, oven, morning mist, chaff, and smoke, to name a few. |
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"Who profits by the truths the prophet delivered? Such as set themselves to understand and know these things. The ways to God's providence towards us are right; all is well done. Christ is a Foundation Stone to some, to others a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offense. That which was ordained to life, becomes, through their abuse of it, death to them. The same sun softens wax and hardens clay. But those transgressors certainly have the most dangerous, fatal falls, who fall in the ways of God, who split on the Rock of Ages, and suck poison out of the Balm of Gilead. Let sinners in Zion fear this. May we learn to walk in the right ways of God, as His righteous servants, and may none of us be disobedient and unbelieving, and stumble at the word." --Matthew Henry |