MY BEST RESPONSE

1. MY BEST RESPONSE How does a person in this present age guard his/her mind so that evil and corrupt things are not becoming a part of his/her life?

2. WEEKEND JOURNAL #7 • Left Column (must be completely filled): What did you do this weekend? • Right Column (make comments concerning…) When, where and how was God involved in your weekend?

3. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=6&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblestudyinstitute.org%2Fwebcasts%2Farchive%2F04072007%2FQuikStudy%2520of%2520Hosea.ppt&rct=j&q=book%20of%20hosea%20Bible%20insti&ei=pguuTOikK4mssAPR8eH6Cw&usg=AFQjCNF_90BJB6xlAWkXmgbJYOCqxFfdgw Adapted from the Bible Study Institute’s Presentation of The Book of HOSEA

4. Worksheet 1 • Author? • Hosea (“Salvation”), son of Beeri • Audience? • Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and God’s people everywhere • Others? • Gomer, Hosea and Gomer’s children • When written? • Approximately 715 BC

5. The BIG Picture • When it happens? • Records events from about 753-715 BC • Where it takes place? • The Northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, Ephraim • The Writer’s Purpose? • To illustrate God’s love for His sinful people

6. Worksheet 2 • Hosea’s Wayward Wife (1:1-3:5) • God’s Wayward People (4:1-14:9) Summarize the book by tying together the main headings of the Book Outline into one sentence. In the Hosea’s case: “Hosea parallels his relationship with his wayward wife and God’s relationship with His people, Israel.”

7. Outline of Hosea • Hosea’s Wayward Wife (1:1-3:5) • God’s Wayward People (4:1-14:9) To target a passage for study, tie together the key words––the words that are different––in each main heading of the book outline In this case, the key words are: • Hosea and wife, in the first main heading • God and people in the second

8. Outline of Hosea Study Bibles normally give a brief outline of a book in the main Introduction In Hosea’s case, the outline divides a 14chapter book into two parts: • The first part is 3 chapters in length • The second, 11 chapters in length This outline helps you to see a Big Picture of the book, but you need more detail to zoom in on passages for a closer look

9. Worksheet 2 • Hosea’s Wayward Wife (1:1-3:5) • Hosea’s Wife and Children (1) • Israel Punished and Restored (2) • Hosea’s Reconciliation with His Wife (3) To target Chapter 1 • How does the book leads up to and preparesthe way for it? • How does Chapter 1 leads up to and preparesthe way for what comes after it?

10. Target the Passage • Hosea’s Wife and Children (Chapter 1) • Starts the book. So, the circumstances behind writing the book, in the Big Picture, leads up to and prepares the way for it • Chapter 1 (Hosea’s Wife and Children) leads up to and prepares the way for Chapter 2 (Israel Punished and Restored) Hosea primes us forIsrael Punished and Restored in Chapter 2, by telling us first, about his Wife and Children in Chapter 1

11. Worksheet 2 • The Lord (through Hosea) • Who wrote or speaks in it? ___________________________________________ • Who does he talk to? ___________________________________________ • Who or what is he talking about? __________________________________________ • Anything special said about them? ___________________________________________ • Israel (Northern Kingdom), God’s people everywhere • Hoseas highlights parallels between his relationship with his wife Gomer and God’s relationship with the nation of Israel • Israel made a covenant with God, yet went after false other gods • In the same way, Hosea married Gomer, knowing ahead of time that she would leave him

12. MY BEST RESPONSE Are you aware of your own personal sins? How do you deal with that awareness?

13. A Snapshot of Chapter 1 • Where it takes place? ___________________________________ • When it happens? __________________________________ • What is its purpose? _____________________________________ • The Northern Kingdom (Israel) • Around 753 BC, during the end of the prosperous but morally declining reign of Jeroboam II of Israel • To show that God was merciful toward the people of Israel despite their sins, as Hosea dealt tenderly with his wife in spite of her sin

14. Color-Tag the Text As you read the text: • Apply the Rule ofRepetition The Rule ofRepetition Writers usually repeat what is most important to them • Look for the same, similar, or parallel terms • Circle or highlight anything that HOSEA mentions morethanonce in the text • Assign a different color to each set of terms • Assignment: Highlight/underline the word “LORD” in Chapter 1 of Hosea • Highlight/underline the word “Hosea” in CH 1.

15. Worksheet 3 Hosea mentions the LORD, _________in Chapter 1 • He stands out from everything and every-one else in the text. You can sum up what the Lord does in Chapter 1, two ways: • He tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and to love her no matter what • He also promises to love his unfaithful bride, Israel, no matter what • In a single sentence you might say: The Lord tells Hosea to demonstrate toward his wife––the same unshakable love He has for Israel 8x vs 4x

16. Pre-Worksheets 3, 4 People learn by asking questions • As you read the text: • Questions will naturally come up as you struggle to grasp what the passage means • The text will answer some by itself • The Text will need help from your Notes (definitions and descriptions) to answer others • This is when you put two-and-two together

17. Worksheets 3, 4 Here are some of the questions that came up as I read the text: • Why would God tell a godly man like Hosea to marry an adulteress? • Did Hosea’s wife have children with other men while married to Hosea? • Why did God call Israel, “Jezreel”? • Why did God choose such odd names for Hosea’s children?

18. Worksheets 3, 4 • Why did God threaten to punish the house of Jehu? • Wouldn’t a name like “unloved” harm a child’s self-esteem? • What did God mean when He promised to reunite Israel and Judah? • How could “Jezreel” mean something good? • Who is God referring to when He says that Israel and Judah will appoint one leader?

19. WEEKEND JOURNAL #8 • Left Column (must be completely filled): What did you do this weekend? • Right Column (make comments concerning…) When, where and how was God involved in your weekend?

20. MY BEST RESPONSE The warning goes this way: “Be careful when you stand that you do not fall.” What does that mean?

21. Worksheet 6 Bringing God’s Word to life is a process called Application, in 6 steps… • Divide the passage into events, ideas, or arguments • Ask: Is the writer for or against what he says? • Ask: Does the writer inform, educate, or persuade? • Ask: Does the writer expect you to adopt, adapt, or adjust to what he says? • Reexamine old thoughts on the subject in the new light • Develop an actionplan to carry out the writer’s goals for you

22. Lo-Ruhamah 1:6, 7 1. We have learned how to divided the passage into events. Now, in vv.6, 7 talk about Lo-Ruhamah’s birth & naming 2. Hosea is obviously for what he says, because God told him what to say 3. When writers: • Report or describe events––they inform • Instruct or explain ideas––they educate • Reason, plead, or coax––they persuade Hosea reports Lo-Ruhamah’s birth; so he informs Hosea also explains the idea of her name; so he educates

23. Worksheet 6 4. When writers: • Inform, they expect you to adopt what they say • Educate, they expect you to adapt to what they say • Persuade, they expect you to adjust to what they say When Hosea informs us of Lo-Ruhamah’s birth; he expects us to adopt it as a fact, period! When Hosea educates us about Lo-Ruhamah’s name, he expects us to adapt to what he explains about it: – To modify our views of God’s love based on what he says

24. Worksheet 6 5. When I reexamine my old thoughts about God’s love in the new light Hosea presents about it: • I must adapt to the idea that I cannot earn His love • Hosea still loves “Unloved” (probably an illegitimate child) • Unloved (undeserving) Judah still gets loved, only because God chooses to love them • I must adapt to the idea that God shows love in a personal way, not through force, circumstances, etc. • He will personally rescue His undeserving people without help from their armies or weapons

25. Worksheet 6 • I must pray for divine guidance, support, and strength: • To carry out this action plan • To make Hosea’s goals for me––my dreams • Hosea expects me to accept God’s love, unconditionally • But I am still trying to earn God’s love • I am a performer who has always lived by report cards • I must start accepting the fact that God loves me, in spite of myself • I need to pray whenever I think I can make God love me and spendmore time with Christ as my Savior who loved me before I was born, as my High Priest who loves me in spite of my sins, and as my King who loves me enough to come back for me

26. Worksheet 6 6. Develop an action plan in 7 simple steps: • Always make prayer for divine guidance and support, a part of your plan • Let the writer/Holy Spiritreset your goals; make his expectations for you––your dreams • Plan the journey step-by-step, asking: • Where does he want me to go? (Spell out his goal for you) • Where am I now? (Be honest with yourself about how close you are to reaching the goal: near or far from it)

27. Worksheet 6 • How did I get here? (Think about what you have done up to now, to get where you are) • How can I get where I should go? (List course corrections [changes] you need to make in order to reach the goal) • Where do I go from here? (Plot the moves you must make in order to pull off these changes and reach the goal)

28. Worksheet 6b Bringing God’s Word to life is a process called Application, in 6 steps… • Divide verse 4 into an event, idea, or argument… Hosea’s son being named JEZREEL.. “God Scatters” • Ask: Is the writer for or against what he says? • Ask: Does the writer inform, educate, or persuade? • Ask: Does the writer expect you to adopt, adapt, or adjust to what he says? • Reexamine old thoughts on the subject in the new light • Develop an actionplan to carry out the writer’s goals for you

29. Worksheet 6c Bringing God’s Word to life is a process called Application, in 6 steps… • Divide verse 9 into an event, idea, or argument… Hosea’s son being named Lo-Ammi.. “not my people” • Ask: Is the writer for or against what he says? • Ask: Does the writer inform, educate, or persuade? • Ask: Does the writer expect you to adopt, adapt, or adjust to what he says? • Reexamine old thoughts on the subject in the new light • Develop an actionplan to carry out the writer’s goals for you

30. MY BEST RESPONSE Think about this carefully: Can there be accuracy without full truth? Give an example how there can or cannot be.

31. http://www.slideshare.net/chronicwriter/hosea Hosea – The Book formation • The first 3 chapters is the foundation of the book • How many times is the word “I” used in Chapters 4-14 of Hosea? • 84 times • Who is “I”? Why is this important to me? • The LORD YHWH. • It is YHWH who works out our salvation • Sins of Israel – 4,6,7,12 • Punishment – 5, 8 (famous proverb found here—What is it?), 9, 10,12,13 • God’s Hope – 11 (Agape Love) • Repentance brings blessings - 14

32. http://www.slideshare.net/chronicwriter/hosea Hosea – The Tragic Love • When Gomer leaves Hosea and sleeps around with other men of the city • Hosea would be prophesying in the morning to the people of Israel and in the evening he searches for Gomer in the brothels • He was ridiculed because he was attempting to guide the nation with his prophecies but couldn’t even control his wife

33. http://www.slideshare.net/chronicwriter/hosea Hosea – God’s Love • When men started ridiculing Hosea because of his wife by asking him the question, “ How can a holy man like you, love an adulterous woman like Gomer?” • Hosea answered them by saying, “ I love my wife, the same way God loves an adulterous nation like us”

34. http://www.slideshare.net/chronicwriter/hosea Hosea – In brief • Gomer, like Israel, was looking for love in all the wrong places. • Gomer had the love of her husband and Israel the love of her God. • Israel had begun to worship the pagan god Ba’al ( בּעל) which was a Phœnician diety and also is the common word meaning husband, master, owner(with a modification). • Just as Hosea was Gomer’s husband, God was Israel’s husband.

35. http://www.slideshare.net/chronicwriter/hosea Hosea – Why Israel? • We might ask the question, “Why did God choose Israel and why did he have such a compassion towards the nation of Israel?” • Why not Greece?- with great philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. • Why not Rome?- the majestic city of the Caesars. • Why not Babylon? –The city of scientists. • God chose a tiny nation Israel , because it was mocked by Greece, Rebuked by Rome and enslaved by Babylon. God cares for the meek and Humble

36. http://www.slideshare.net/chronicwriter/hosea Hosea- God’s Love • God takes his love to the undeserving little nation of Israel and calls them, “You are the apple of my eye.” • The book of Hosea stresses on one thing- The one word that defines Christian faith is the word Forgiveness. • God gives us a chance to start again, start afresh. We might have sinned big time. But God is a forgiving God and he cleanses our sins when we ask for forgiveness in complete submission

37. MY BEST RESPONSE The Law of Non-Contradiction means: a statement cannot be true if that statement contradicts something that is true. Give an example of a discovery that would help you believe or not believe something is true?