Hosea, chapter 13, delivers four of the prophet’s sayings just before the death of the nation in 722 BC. Last week, we looked at two of these sayings, which dealt with the worship life of the people.
We begin looking at the other two, which are also permeated with the stench of death. The third saying deals with the institution of the monarchy.
Read Hosea 13:9-11
– What is God implying about whom the people of Israel are trusting?
Read Hosea 13:12-16
– Israel’s iniquity is compared to childbirth. Like a mother’s child leaving the womb, what is Israel not doing in relation to its sin?
– Verse 14 reveals God’s ultimate will is for His people. What is that?
– What is God’s answer? Why?
New Testament Tie-In
Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
Hosea 13 and 1 Corinthians 15 both deal with the theme of death, and Paul links the two chapters by his quotation from Hosea. At first glance, it would be difficult to find two more contrasting chapters, for the imagery in Hosea 13 is violent while in 1 Corinthians 15 we find calmer, farming metaphors. Yet, even within the violent imagery of Hosea 13, God reveals that He would rather redeem His people and take away the sting of death.
However, in the last two verses of Hosea 13, we find out that God will, instead, bring about His people’s defeat (vs. 15-16). When Paul speaks of the sting of death being removed, we find a different end: The victory through Christ Jesus (vs. 57). Hosea 13 ends with the sounds of defeat and dying; 1 Corinthians 15 announces the victory and resurrection through Jesus Christ.
What accounts for the differences between these two chapters that both mention death being defeated? After all, those words of redemption are in both chapters! In Hosea, the people refused to repent and be brought back into God’s covenant for them. In 1st Corinthians, Paul moved his hearers from repentance toward the mystery of life they have in Christ Jesus.
Jesus has dealt with the problem of the sin: He died because of our sin and won the victory over sin’s power (1 Corinthians 15:3, 56-57). And so Christ has even defeated death. Jesus’ resurrection is the “first fruits” that bring life out of death and bring about the resurrections yet to come (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Faith lives in that reality; unbelief does not.
The Way to Wellness
Read Hosea 14:1-3
– Again, what is God calling the people to do? Why do you think God is so repetitive?
God not only calls the people to repent. He even gives them the words to say.
– The first words are for forgiveness. What does forgiveness make acceptable?
– What does this say about good works done apart from faith?
– Why are “our gods” and the “work of our hands” of no value before God? Discuss.
How will God react to such a confession of sin and request for forgiveness that He had given to His people to say? Verses 4-7 answer that question.
Read Hosea 14:4-7
– God will be like “dew to Israel.” In that verse, what does the dew provide? Discuss.
– Dwelling beneath God’s shadow is a metaphor for what?
Read Hosea 14:8
– God being like an “evergreen cyprus” describes what about God’s nature?
– What does this say about God in relation to idolatry and faithfulness?
Read Hosea 14:9
– What are the “things” that someone who is wise will understand?
– What is the difference between how believers and unbelievers will view the Lord’s ways?
– Discuss any final thoughts on the book of Hosea.
