Hosea: A 12-Week Study
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Hosea: A 12-Week Study
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781433548499 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Crossway |
| Publication date: | 06/30/2016 |
| Series: | Knowing the Bible |
| Pages: | 96 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d) |
About the Author
J. I. Packer (1926–2020) served as the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College. He authored numerous books, including the classic bestseller Knowing God. Packer also served as general editor for the English Standard Version Bible and as theological editor for the ESV Study Bible.
Lane T. Dennis (PhD, Northwestern University) is the former president and CEO of Crossway. Before joining Crossway in 1974, he served as a pastor in campus ministry at the University of Michigan (Sault Ste. Marie) and as the managing director of Verlag Grosse Freude in Switzerland. He is the author and/or editor of three books, including the Gold Medallion-award-winning book Letters of Francis A. Schaeffer, and he is the former chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dennis serves as the chairman of the ESV (English Standard Version) Bible Translation Oversight Committee and as the executive editor of the ESV Study Bible. Lane and his wife, Ebeth, live in Wheaton, Illinois.
Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) serves as senior pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners. Dane and his wife, Stacey, have five children.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Overview
Getting Acquainted
Hosea is primarily a love story, specifically one of redemptive love. The pain Hosea has endured in his marriage to unfaithful Gomer uniquely qualifies him for his prophetic ministry to the Lord's unfaithful people. Failing to trust the Lord, Israel has sought security in foreign powers and false gods. Yet, as Hosea is eager to show, Israel's unfaithfulness has not diminished God's love for them. Hosea paints Israel's spiritual adultery with vivid images, calling God's people with both warnings and heartfelt appeals to turn back to the Lord. Failure to repent will result in punishment, but God takes no delight in that prospect. Rather, he desires them to turn from idols to him, their true husband and the only one who can provide for their needs.
The book, primarily poetry, is dominated by oracles of judgment. The first three chapters are autobiographical, recounting how Hosea responded to the unfaithfulness of his wife, Gomer, redeeming her from the slavery into which her unfaithfulness had led. In the remainder of the book, chapters 4–14, Hosea uses his experience as a parable to depict the Lord's broken relationship with his covenant people and his intention to redeem them from their enslavement to sin. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 1619–1622; available online at www.esvbible.org.)
Placing It in the Larger Story
Hosea prophesied during a dark time in Israel's history. Worship of the Lord had been abandoned in favor of idol worship, which led to exile from the Promised Land. But in God's plan, exile became the means to eventual restoration. The book of Hosea shows the wickedness and folly of idol worship and points by contrast to the one true God, who not only can provide all that his people need but is willing to do so despite their rejection of him. Both Hosea's personal story and the overall historical context to which it points demonstrate God's way of salvation in Christ. God stands ready to forgive and restore those who turn to him, and he has provided the ransom from slavery through Jesus Christ. The marriage theme in Hosea finds its fullest expression in Christ's love for the church (Eph. 5:25–27).
Key Verse
"I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them" (Hos. 14:4).
Date and Historical Background
Hosea, one of the Old Testament's 12 "minor prophets," ministered during the latter half of the eighth century BC, prophesying primarily to Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel) in the decades leading up to the fall of Samaria to the Assyrian Empire. Israel's kingship had grown increasingly ineffective, while foreign powers, particularly Assyria, had grown in power and become a dominant threat. Worship of Baal, the weather and fertility god worshiped in Syria-Palestine, was rampant and involved God's people in open immorality at pagan shrines. Failure to repent of this apostasy resulted in Israel's downfall and captivity in 722 BC.
Outline
I. Biography: Hosea's Family (1:1–3:5)
A. Introduction (1:1)
B. Command to marry (1:2)
C. Birth of children (1:3–9)
D. Covenant renewal at Jezreel (1:10–11)
E. Legal proceedings against the wayward wife (2:1–13)
F. Covenant relationship reestablished (2:14–23)
G. Command to remarry, with the expectation of a king like David (3:1–5)
II. Hosea Spells Out His Parable with Accusations, Warnings, and Promises (4:1–14:9)
A. Legal proceedings continued (4:1–19)
B. Adultery in high places (5:1–14)
C. Appeal: return and be raised (5:15–6:3)
D. Transgressors of the covenant (6:4–7:3)
E. Four similes for unfaithful Israel: oven, cake, dove, treacherous bow (7:4–16)
F. Israel's hypocrisy (8:1–14)
G. Warnings: no worship in a foreign land (9:1–9)
H. More similes for unfaithful Israel: grapes, vine, calf, toddler (9:10–11:11)
I. Dependence on alliances (11:12–12:1)
J. Further indictment based on historical review (12:2–14)
K. Worship of man-made gods (13:1–8)
L. Rejecting the only hope they have (13:9–16)
M. Closing appeals (14:1–9)
As You Get Started
What is your understanding of how Hosea advances the storyline of the Bible?
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How does this book clarify our understanding of God's love for us in Christ?
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How does Hosea deepen our understanding of the nature and spiritual danger of idol worship?
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As You Finish This Unit ...
Take a few minutes as you begin this study of Hosea to ask God to humble your heart and open your eyes to comprehend more fully both the depth of your sinfulness and the extent of God's redeeming love for you.
Definitions
1 Parable – A story that uses everyday imagery and activities to communicate a spiritual truth. Jesus often taught in parables (e.g., Matthew 13).
2 Ransom – A price paid to redeem, or buy back, someone who had become enslaved or something that had been lost to someone else. Jesus described his ministry as serving others and giving his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
CHAPTER 2Hosea's Family
Hosea 1:1–3:5
The Place of the Passage
In this first section, God instructs Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who will prove to be unfaithful to him (Hos. 1:2). Hosea's marriage is meant to serve as a vivid illustration of the broken covenant between the Lord and Israel, as do the names of the three children Gomer bears (1:4, 6, 9), two of whom are not fathered by Hosea. The prophet then builds a legal case against his adulterous wife, which points to how God will deal with his adulterous people (2:1–23). God then instructs the prophet to go and reclaim his wife and bring her home (3:1–5), which foreshadows what God has planned for his people. Although Israel has forsaken the Lord, God will remain faithful to his covenant and restore his people to himself.
The Big Picture
Hosea 1:1–3:5 shows God's heart toward his people as that of a husband toward his beloved and likens Israel to an unfaithful spouse.
Reflection and Discussion
Read through the complete passage for this study, Hosea 1:1–3:5. Then review the questions below and write notes concerning this introductory section. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 1623–1627; available online at www.esvbible.org.)
1. Hosea's Wife and Children (1:1–8)
God instructs Hosea to marry Gomer, who will prove to be an unfaithful wife (Hos. 1:2). Hosea's broken marriage will reflect Israel's unfaithfulness to God. What does God's instruction reveal about the nature of his covenant with Israel? (See also Ex. 6:6–8; Ezek. 16:8–14.)
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"He went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son" (Hos. 1:3). Hosea was told by God to name his firstborn son "Jezreel" (v. 4), which points back to the wicked Israelite king Ahab, who murdered Naboth, a godly man from Jezreel (see 1 Kings 21). Ahab's primary evil was to promote worship of Baal as the national religion of Israel. How do the naming of Hosea's child and the story from 1 Kings 21 reveal the nature of Israel's current unfaithfulness?
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"She conceived again and bore a daughter. ... she conceived and bore a son" (Hos. 1:6, 8). The wording used to describe the birth of Gomer's second and third children suggests that Hosea was not their father, which is reinforced by the names given to the children: "No Mercy" and "Not My People." What do these names reveal about what Israel stands to lose because of her unfaithfulness to the Lord?
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"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered" (Hos. 1:10). Hosea echoes the promise God made long ago to Abraham (Gen. 22:17; 32:12), a promise God would keep despite Israel's ongoing disobedience. What do the things promised in Hosea 1:10–11 reveal about the nature of salvation?
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2. Israel's Unfaithfulness Punished (2:1–13)
"Plead with your mother, plead ... that she put away her whoring from her face" (Hos. 2:2). As if speaking to his illegitimate children, Hosea speaks God's words to Israel, clarifying where their unfaithfulness is taking them and what will happen if they refuse to repent. Why is this worded as a plea?
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The nature and results of idolatry are uncovered in this section, first in the words of Gomer/Israel (2:5) and then in God's response (2:6–13). Based on this passage, how do idols deceive their worshipers, and how does God's judgment increase in intensity when idolaters refuse to repent? Where do we see these patterns in our culture and our own lives?
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"I will hedge up her way with thorns" (Hos. 2:6). Israel is determined to pursue her lovers (v. 5), but God will prevent her from succeeding. As a jealous husband who has been wronged by the infidelity of his people, he desires them to come to their senses and return to him. How are his actions here — hedging with thorns, building a wall, obscuring Israel's idolatrous paths — actually merciful? What does this reveal about the nature of godly jealousy?
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God will destroy the vines and fig trees, which Israel has attributed to Baal (Hos. 2:12). Unlike the salvation the Lord holds forth — an unearned gift of grace — idols always exact wages from their worshipers. In their unbridled pursuit of Baal, God's people have forgotten him (v. 13; see also Jer. 3:21; 18:15). Review the warnings Moses gave to Israel before they entered the Promised Land: Deuteronomy 5:15; 8:2–3, 18; 15:15; 16:3, 12; 24:18. Based on his warnings, what specifically have the people forgotten?
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3. The Lord's Mercy on Israel (2:14–23)
Although God will punish Israel for covenant unfaithfulness, his intention is restorative, not destructive, which is made clear in 2:14–15. What characteristics of God's love are seen in this passage, and how is such a love conducive to repentance? (See also Rom. 2:4.)
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"In that day, declares the LORD, you will call me 'My Husband'" (Hos. 2:16). The remainder of Hosea 2 presents a description of what life will be like when the marriage between God and his people is restored. Through a series of "I will" statements, God paints an enticing picture to woo Israel. How is the nature of true repentance, meaning "to turn around," reflected in the promises God makes in these statements?
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4. Hosea Redeems His Wife (3:1–5)
God commands Hosea to redeem his wife and bring her home. The fact that Hosea has to purchase Gomer shows the desperate situation into which her adultery has brought her. In like manner, God will redeem his unfaithful people, after which they will undergo a forced separation from all that has fueled their idol worship. What effect will this forced separation have upon God's people, and what outcome does he intend?
Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to consider the Personal Implications these sections may have for you.
Gospel Glimpses
DIVINE HEDGE. By erecting barriers along the path of sin, God frustrates the efforts of Israel to run from him. In mercy God will not give his people up to their sinful desires (Rom. 1:18–25) but will intervene to keep them from destruction. Divine hedges are specific and personal, as the psalmist notes in wonder: "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me" (Ps. 139:5–6).
TENDERNESS. Adulterous Israel deserves to be cut off in anger from God's love; they have broken the heart of their divine husband. Yet far from the typical response of a wronged husband, God woos his people with terms of endearment. This tenderness is reflected in Jesus, who spoke with compassion to guilty sinners and gently wooed them to embrace life in him.
BETROTH. The old covenant God established with his people was designed to reflect the love, fidelity, and exclusivity of marriage. This finds its fulfillment in the new covenant in Christ, the husband of his bride, the church. He "loved the church and gave himself up for her" and "nourishes and cherishes" his bride (Eph. 5:25–28).
Whole-Bible Connections
NAMING. As instructed by the Lord, Hosea gives Gomer's children prophetic names (Hos. 1:4, 6, 8). The names are meant to serve as symbols of covenant breaking and coming judgment. Isaiah also used naming prophetically (Isa. 7:3; 8:1–3, 18). In the Old Testament, naming was authoritative. At creation God instructed Adam to name the animals, signifying man's dominion over all creatures as God's vice-regent (Gen. 1:26; 2:19–20). Additionally, the name given to a child, or the renaming of an adult, often pointed to some distinguishing characteristic or epoch in the life of the one being named (see, e.g., Gen. 17:4–5; 32:28). Names were also signs, most especially in Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah: "The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14), the significance of which is made clear at the birth of the Messiah (Matt. 1:20–23).
WHOREDOM. "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD" (Hos. 1:2). Whoredom in the Old Testament is typically linked to idolatry, a common temptation that took hold after God's people entered the Promised Land; the people did not obey God's instructions to destroy the idols and idol worshipers who dwelt there (see Ps. 106:34–39). Idol worship frequently involved illicit sexual practices, and participating in such practices, involving both heart and body, constituted unfaithfulness to the Lord and covenant breaking. The whoredom of idolatry is described in the prophets with much pathos and often with graphic sexual imagery (see Jer. 2:20–24; 3:1–2; Ezekiel 16; 23).
KING DAVID. "Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days" (Hos. 3:5). Hosea's prophecy of future restoration to the Davidic kingship signifies that God's people — both Judah and the northern kingdom — will one day be reunited under one headship, which at the time of Hosea's prophecy had not been the case for two centuries. Hosea's words find ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah, who will come from the royal line of David and will bring all things together under his divine kingship.
(Continues…)
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Table of Contents
Cover Page,
Title Page,
Copyright,
Series Preface: J. I. Packer and Lane T. Dennis,
Week 1: Overview,
Week 2: Hosea's Family (1:1–3:5),
Week 3: Legal Proceedings (4:1–19),
Week 4: Punishment Coming (5:1–6:3),
Week 5: Transgressors of the Covenant (6:4–7:16),
Week 6: Israel's Hypocrisy (8:1–14),
Week 7: No Worship in a Foreign Land (9:1–9),
Week 8: Unfaithful Israel (9:10–11:11),
Week 9: Misplaced Dependence (11:12–12:14),
Week 10: Rejection of Hope (13:1–16),
Week 11: Final Appeal (14:1–9),
Week 12: Summary and Conclusion,
What People are Saying About This
“This Knowing the Bible series is a tremendous resource for those wanting to study and teach the Bible with an understanding of how the gospel is woven throughout Scripture. Here are Gospel-minded pastors and scholars doing Gospel business from all the scriptures—this is a biblical and theological feast preparing God’s people to apply the entire Bible to all of life with heart and mind wholly committed to Christ’s priorities.”—Bryan Chapell, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church in America
“Mark Twain may have smiled when he wrote to a friend, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long letter.” But the truth of Twain’s remark remains serious and universal, because well-reasoned, compact writing requires extra time and extra hard work. And this is what we have in the Crossway Bible study series Knowing the Bible—as the skilled authors and notable editors provide the contours of each book of the Bible as well as the grand theological themes that bind them together as one Book. Here, in a 12-week format, are carefully wrought studies that will ignite the mind and the heart.”—R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois
“Knowing the Bible brings together a gifted team of Bible teachers to produce a high quality series of study guides. The coordinated focus of these materials is unique: biblical content, provocative questions, systematic theology, practical application, and the gospel story of God’s grace presented all the way through Scripture.”—Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College
“These Knowing the Bible volumes introduce a significant and very welcome variation on the general run of inductive Bible studies. Such series often provide questions with little guidance, leaving students to their own devices. They thus tend to overlook the role of teaching in the church. By contrast, Knowing the Bible avoids the problem by providing substantial instruction with the questions. Knowing the Bible then goes even further by showing how any given passage connects with the gospel, the whole Bible, and Christian theology. I heartily endorse this orientation of individual books to the whole Bible and the gospel, and I applaud the demonstration that sound theology was not something invented later by Christians, but is right there in the pages of Scripture.”—Graeme Goldsworthy, Former Lecturer in Old Testament, Biblical Theology, and Hermeneutics, Moore Theological College
“What a gift to earnest, Bible-loving, Bible-searching believers! The organization and structure of the Bible study format presented through the Knowing the Bible series is so well conceived. Students of the Word are led to understand the content of passages through perceptive, guided questions, and they are given rich insights and application all along the way in the brief but illuminating sections that conclude each study. What potential growth in depth and breadth of understanding these studies offer. One can only pray that vast numbers of believers will discover more of God and the beauty of his Word through these rich studies.”—Bruce A. Ware, T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary