WHAT HAS GOD DESIRED FROM THE TIME HE CREATED US?
UNION AND COMMUNION:
FOR US TO WANT HIM TO BE OUR GOD.
FOR US TO LIVE WITH THIS IN OUR HEARTS:
I AM MY BELOVED’S AND HE IS MINE,
HIS BANNER OVER ME IS LOVE!
BUT IN TRUTH,
WE HAVE NOT WANTED HIM TO BE OUR GOD,
WE HAVE NOT BELIEVED HIS LOVE
AND WE HAVE RUN AFTER OTHER LOVERS
AND BROKEN HIS HEART.
God asked Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman as a living portrait for His people,
for His people who refused to be His people
who wanted to be free to run after their idols.
Oh how personal it sounds, when Hosea cries:
She is not my wife, and I am not her husband.
(Hosea 2:2)
What does he mean?
It is a marriage only in the legal sense.
She has broken the covenant.
She is sleeping with others lovers
and is bearing their children.
And, in fact, Hosea names the daughter, Lo-Ruhama, which means
No mercy,
And the son, Lo-Ammi, which means
Not my people.
For the broken-hearted bridegroom says:
“You are not my people, and I am not your God.”
WE CAN BE SO THANKFUL THE STORY DOES NOT END HERE.
For though reeling,
God does not give up.
He keeps His covenant.
He betroths us to Himself in righteousness and justice,
in steadfast love and in mercy
(Do you see the gospel in Hosea 2:19?)
And one day, the Lord tells Hosea:
I will have mercy on No Mercy,
and I will say to Not My People, “You are my people”;
and he shall say, “You are my God.”
Hosea 2:23
How can this be when we have been so unfaithful? I know that I can look at how I have betrayed Him and think, How could He see me as beautiful?
When Gomer’s lovers were done with her, they sold her naked on the auction block. God told Hosea to go and buy his wife back, to purchase her, and cover her. And he did.
How can we know with confidence that despite our daily failures and sin that we are His? He purchased us, not with silver or gold like Hosea, but with His precious blood. “The wrath of God was satisfied!” That means that we are fully paid for and we can be confident:
The lyric, “the wrath of God was satisfied” is from a beloved new hymn by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend: In Christ Alone. Recently a USA Presbyterian church in Nashville refused to put this hymn in their hymnal unless that lyric was changed.
They said that the idea that the wrath of God needed to be satisfied was repugnant, it would mean God killed Jesus. Getty and Townsend explained how important this doctrine was — for the word “satisfied” shows that our debt is FULLY paid and we don’t have to question whether or not we are His anymore.
Liberal churches want to throw this out. Legalistic churches want us to think we have to obey the law to have the wrath of God satisfied. As Tertullion said, “the gospel is crucified between two thieves: antinominism (against the law) and legalism. We need to cling to the gospel or we will never be confident. (If you are interested in that article and the controversy, here it is: Link)
In preparation for this week sing along with In Christ Alone. It is all about the sufficiency of the gospel to make us His. When you get to the third verse you’ll see the words “I am His and He is mine.” It is only in the context of the gospel, of the shed blood of Christ in fully purchasing us, in fully satisfying God’s wrath, that we can be confident: I am my Beloved’s, and He is mine.
Here in the song: sing along with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWiFYJMGas0
Because this week’s Bible study is longer I am going to wait for the audio from Mike Reeves until next week — for I don’t want to give you so much work that you don’t have time to listen to him. It’s a message I don’t want you to miss.
Sunday/Monday Icebreaker
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
Monday/Friday Bible Study
Staci found two great songs last week on The Song of Songs — this one is titled Song of Solomon. I KNOW it will prepare your heart. Watch and then comment.
COMMENT ON THE ABOVE SONG:
A repetitive theme of Scripture is God’s yearning to be able to say:
You are my people
and have us respond
You are my God
Before we look at it in The Song of Songs, let’s see if we can get to the heart of what He longs for by looking at the picture He painted through the life of his prophet, Hosea. Answer briefly in these fact gathering questions, and then we will contemplate.
3. Fact-gathering questions from Hosea:
A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman?
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8?
C. Hosea 2:2 contains the name “I AM” that God uses for Himself, but this time it is different. How is it different and why?
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness in Hosea 2:5? What is Hosea’s cry in the end of 2:13?
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15?
F. What promise does God make through Hosea in Hosea 2:16-20?
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen in Hosea 2:21-23?
H. What does God tell Hosea to do in Hosea 3:1-3?
4. Contemplative questions on Hosea:
A. Think about the reasons you give your soul when you give into the temptation of your idols? Are they similar to Gomer’s?
B. How are they lies? How have your idols hurt you? How has God been true?
C. How do you see the gospel in the opening of Hosea 3?
5. CHALLENGE QUESTION (SKIP IF YOU LIKE) Read Romans 9:25-26. (This is a challenging chapter about election, but it should also make us so confident that we are His Beloved and He is ours.) What point is Paul making?
6. Read The Song of Songs 2:16-17. What does the bride say?
7. On what basis can you be confident that You are His and that nothing can quench His love?
8. Read The Song of Songs 4:16-5:1. To whom does the garden belong? What parallel do you see
with Song of Songs 2:16-17?
HOW THE MARRIAGE BED ILLUSTRATES THE GOSPEL
Nancy Leigh de Moss, who believes The Song of Songs is first and foremost a picture of Christ and His Bride, asks, “Do you think God invented marriage and then said —I wonder what this could illustrate? No — first He planned the gospel and then used marriage as a mysterious illustration of the gospel. Likewise, Tim Keller says “earthly marriage is as close as we can come to comprehending intimacy — for we long for Someone wonderful to see us naked and love us to the sky.”
Despite our flaws, we are still His, and He is ours.
8. Read 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 for fact gathering:
A. What do verses 3-5 say?
B. How does this illustrate our relationship with Christ?
Jamie Lash, in “A Kiss A Day” writes: “To belong to Yeshua means we no longer belong to ourselves.” This is pictured by what God ordained for the marriage bed. Instead of thinking of our own needs, we give in glad surrender to bring joy to the other. Tim Keller tells of counseling an unhappy couple and asking them, for the next month, to just focus on the other’s needs in bed and not their own. It changed their marriage.
C. What do you think it means to “not deprive one another?” If you are married, what would this
look like for you? (You may not wish to share everything.)
GLAD SURRENDER
9. How did Jesus fully give to us, not counting His own desires? Does this help you fall in love with Him and long to give Him joy out of love rather than duty?
10. Are you growing in the area of glad surrender? Is He quickening you to step out of your comfort zone and care about what He does? If so — how?
Saturday
11. What is your take-a-way and why?
139 comments
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR MY SAFE RETURN FROM BISMARCK! I GOT OUT EARLY AND MADE MY 2ND CONNECTION FROM ONE END OF MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT TO THE OTHER IN FIFTEEN MINUTES, WITH THEM LITERALLY CLOSING THE AIRPLANE DOOR BEHIND ME. ALWAYS SO GOOD TO BE HOME AND IT WAS A GREAT CONVENTION. I KNEW I HAD PRAYER SUPPORT HERE!
So glad you are home safely, Dee, and that you had a great convention.
I am thankful too that you are safely home, I like to think of you being home! It must feel all the sweeter due to the narrow escape! And that the time in Bismarck was blessed.
When my Zach was stationed in North Dakota he was at Minot, so I felt a connection when you shared where you were.
oh Dee! So thankful you are home safe. You must be exhausted! Praying for rest!
I’m so thankful you are home safely Dee! I worried and prayed for you, as I do with my kids on a rode trip!
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
My husband and I sang “In Christ Alone” as a duet in church last Sunday. Our church tends toward the old hymnbooks and does not know the newer hymns, but Aubrey and I love this one and are teaching it to them. We chose it in particular last Sunday because we had just heard how a Presbyterian church in the US had refused to put this hymn in their hymnal because Getty and Townend refused to change the lyric saying the “wrath of God was satisfied”. So very, very sad! Unless we understand the holiness and justice of God and His wrath at sin, then our salvation is trite because our God is weak and humanistic, not all powerful and Almighty. I am glad, though, that this controversy has created a bit of a furor because we need to think about theology in our worship music. Words and meanings are important.
I love the thought of you and your husband singing together and sharing this rich hymn with your congregation and one another!
Diane, How sweet that you both sang this song together! LOVED your whole post as well-how perhaps the controversy is good because solid theology in our worship music is important.. leading the body in worship to Him-words and meanings are important. It kind of befuddles me that so many worship songs with lyrics that are watered down and lackadaisical don’t raise any ires, yet one filled with truth-one I know pleases God because of that lyric does.
Diane–what amazing timing that you sung this last Sunday, and for this reason! Always thankful to see you here, praying~
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
The entire opening plucked at my heart like it had strings. The sin and shame of Gomer…me, the costly grace, the unfailing love of God…oh I am moved by this this morning.
The Tertullion quote, and the TK sermon in which I first heard it, are favorites for me, I have thought a lot about where my own heart or something I am hearing leans edges a little too far towards grace or truth.
In Christ Alone is one of my very favorite hymns. I appreciate so much how much truth the Getty’s pack into their music and how seriously they take the work of choosing lyrics.
This is all so rich.
Welcome to Stacy (who posted at the end of last week) who joined us after meeting Dee at the conference. Stacy, I imagine you’re my neighbor, i.e., from one of the surrounding states (I’m in SD now).
1. What stands out and why?
In Christ Alone — listened to it MANY times last week
Hosea:
He betroths us to Himself in righteousness and justice,
in steadfast love and in mercy
I’ve been thinking about Hosea & Gomer as we’ve been doing this study. I marvel at how God is preparing my thoughts, continuing to soften my often-hard heart, in order to draw me closer to Him. When I read this earlier today, I became more aware that God is constantly working in my heart to prepare me to draw nearer to him. During the sermon this morning, I became even more aware of how God prepared me this past week to listen to the message today.
Thanks for the welcome! Yes I am a resident of ND and would be your neighbor – Did ya’ll get much snow where you are at? We managed to get by with a couple inches and it has already melted, much to my boys’ dismay.
Stacy,
Welcome, welcome! So glad to have you here-and I love reading your posts. 🙂
Yes — welcome Stacy!
Thank you Diane and Chris for the welcome home. It would be great to see you and your husband, Diane, sing In Christ Alone.
Love how God is working in your heart, Renee.
Thanks for the welcome!
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
We were just studying this a few hours ago at church – the Isrealites were commonly known for turning back on God and then wanting his deliverance – They were basing their faith in a God that was the God of Abraham, their ancestors – instead of saying, My God – as Paul states in Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God…” In Exodus 3:13 “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?” The children of Israel didn’t have God as their God and didn’t know Him for who he was. I am confident that God loves me because I know him as my God and he knows me as His own. I have more than just a head knowledge of Him.
Yes, I am confident that he loves me. His love for me started before I was even born, He expressed his love at the cross, knowing fair well that I would sin and yet through the eyes of seeing my sin he was obedient even unto death for me. After I came to Christ at the age of 5, his love was made real to me and had a meaning in my life, and he continues to reveal his love to me everyday. His love is revealed to me in my husband, who cherishes me, in my children who are so readily able to forgive, in creation, in the moments throughout the day that get my attention and know that he cares for ME.
I am confident I am His because the Bible says, John 6:37 “….and him that cometh to me I will no wise cast out.” 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” There is nothing in me that credits me to have his love, it’s all because of the cross, and my acknowledgment of my standings, a sinner, before a holy, righteous God. So thankful for his righteousness that was imputed to me by faith in Him and Him alone.
I am confident that he will never leave me and I can never loose my salvation because Jesus paid the price ONCE and for ALL. He says in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If one ever feels like God has checked out, turn around, and know that God is there. Be still and know that I am God he says. We mustn’t be so busy that our ears are over crowded with noise that we don’t hear his voice and think that he has left us. I will never leave you or forsake you, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest, call upon me and I will answer you, I know the plans that I have for you…. all of these are the nuts and bolts of what God has to say about where he is and stands –
Lets come unto Him as he is awaiting for our voices to beckon unto Him – and know that he is ABLE.
What a great beginning Stacy — and you even got your gravatar picture so we can see your sunny face. Loved your confidence in God’s love and reasons why.
Stacy–welcome! What a beautiful post! Loved all of what you shared “We mustn’t be so busy that our ears are over crowded with noise that we don’t hear his voice and think that he has left us. I will never leave you or forsake you…” Thankful you are here with us.
Welcome Stacy! You honestly don’t look old enough to be married and have children! You are beautiful inside and out…I enjoyed your comment very much with all the wonderful, encouraging verses. You will love it here and we will love having you here!
Joyce – when I first read your comment I was happy and felt good about my looks….then I looked back at the picture, and remember that I posted a picture that is 10 years old!!! Ha I’ll have to update that. And yes at the time of that picture I was only 22 – not married and without children – so your thoughts on my looks was right!
So….here’s the updated picture 🙂
Hi Stacy…welcome to the study! I enjoyed reading your post, and this stood out to me, “His love is revealed to me in my husband, who cherishes me, in my children who are so readily able to forgive, in creation, in the moments throughout the day that get my attention and know that he cares for ME.” Love, too, all your Scripture references!
Romans 8:38-39 is one of my favorites. Welcome, Stacy!
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
Jesus, His death and resurrection and a whole bunch of promises in Scripture.
P.S. Dee, I strongly dislike that run in MSP to/from gates for smaller planes, especially when there isn’t much time. I could easily visualize your locations in the airport.
Love sympathy. I almost cheered when I got on the airplane but didn’t quite have the nerve. 🙂
Dee, I too am relieved that you made it home safely. Your story of your near-miss reminded me of a time when our family of four flew to NY for a famly wedding. We all had carry-ons and wedding presents to carry. Our challenge came at the Pittsburgh airport (back before it was renovated), and we had to run from one end to the other in a horseshoe shape. We were not familiar with the airport, and probably would have missed our connection had a skycap not come along. He learned of our plight and grabbed up two of our heaviest carry-ons. We followed him, running at top speed all the way, and just barely made it. Probably you didn’t cheer when you got on the plane because you didn’t have any breath left! 🙂
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
In the portion about God asking Hosea to marry Gomar as a portrait of His redeeming love for His wandering people, my eyes stopped on “who wanted to be free to run after their idols”. I was struck by the irony. We want the “freedom” to pursue idols, when in truth, idols steal our freedom and imprison us.
Then when I read this, I honestly felt Dee had read my journal from last week: “How can this be when we have been so unfaithful? I know that I can look at how I have betrayed Him and think, How could He see me as beautiful”. And since I know Dee did not read my prayer journal, I know the Lord wanted to give me this today, this truth, that yes, He sees me as beautiful, He loves me.
“In Christ Alone” is one of my all time favorites, one I never tire of. One of the check-out ladies at my Wal Mart hums this all day long. I always search for Irene when I’m ready to check out, just to hear her. “…For I am His and He is mine—Bought with the precious blood of Christ.No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow’r of Christ in me;From life’s first cry to final breath,Jesus commands my destiny.No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,Can ever pluck me from His hand;Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand”
This is a beautiful lesson this week. I started to say “I don’t know how you do it, Dee”, but then, we do know–and we know it is Him, and I smile all the more as I see Him here, in our study, leading it–what a gift He gives us here–Himself.
That Jesus Culture music video spoke volumes to me! That picture of the girl looking out of the shack window looks just like me. I know because I have a picture of me with my Sunday school class at that age wearing are similar hat. Oh! How The Lord speaks! It gives me chills. That is the age at which my life broke. It was also me hiding under the covers And me cupping the living water at the end.
This morning I realized that it is impossible to love someone if you don’t love the things they love. How can I love The Lord if I dislike myself? This is what He is speaking to me about. It was mentioned in the sermon too.
i cant fully participate right now but reading comments when I can. I will share what God is doing in my life as seems appropriate. I have so far to go.
Dee I am so glad you got home safely and that the conference was good.
“How can I love The Lord if I dislike myself?” Always love your depth, your ponderings, Anne. I hope you can “check-in” here often!
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
I am my beloved’s and He is mine. I remind myself of this on a regular basis when I am down and it was a great reminder to me for this week. I got home from my holidays and this week returning to work was not fun, by the end of the week I wanted to leave again 🙂 I opened up the study this morning and felt Him right there in the words of the title of this weeks study, thank you Dee.
I also love this hymn and sang in my kitchen this morning before going to church and then I get to church and low and behold it was one of the hymns.
I am probably more like Gomer than I would care to admit and the Martin French pictures speak so much to the heartbreak I cause my Lord on a regular basis and the love that He has to be willing to restore me and that He bought me, even when I am not worthy of it and that He cover’s me from the dirt and filth that I would be without Him. There are times when this really pierces my heart and reduces me to tears when I realize the pain I have caused my Lord. But then to turn that and see and feel His love for me changes those tears from regret to tears of joy. I feel like I bounce back and forth on feeling like I belong to Him without doubt, but I am my beloved and He is mine.
Mary, so good to have you back! How neat they sang the same hymn at your church.
Oh how I love Martin French’s paintings and “The Betrayed Bridegroom” REALLY got to me as you discribed ME, by not wanting him to be my God and not believing his love and running after other lovers and breaking his heart. Oh how retchet and sinful my heart is. Praising you Lord for loving me as I am, full of sin, but forgiven through your grace.
I also love the video and song “In Christ alone” and have for awhile and am so glad they did not change the lyrics as I feel like they fit perfectly in the song. And the other video and song that Staci gave us from Martin Smith of “Song of Solomon” is just as beautiful and I’m playing them both over and over. They just fill my heart full of love for my Lord! Thank you so much Dee and Staci!
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
In Christ Alone is my favorite hymn. Especially like the part that says, “From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus controls my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.”
I need to keep in mind that what happens to me is not in someone else’s control, only Christ’s. All things no matter how painful need to be viewed in that light.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
It is says it in the bible hundreds of ways! He really wants this to sink in.
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
Okay, signs abound! This morning my son and I went to church. We have been traveling every weekend and haven’t been to our home church in awhile. We were late 🙁 and the choir was singing when we walked in. Guess what song???? In Christ alone! And, the line I came in on was “and I am his and he is mine…” wow. This is really wild.
One question though, Dee… I thought Keith Getty and his wife Kristin wrote this song a long time ago, not recently. Was there a new version released recently?
Also, I do so love the Martin French drawings. Any chance we could buy copies?
Laura– I don’t think there was a new version of the song — just a new controversy from a more liberal denomination.
People are always asking to buy Martin Frenches prints — he has a website with a contact –Martinfrench.com — so you can try. He is a dear man but like many artists, doesn’t seem too business savvy.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
I have told this story before, and it still remains. When I had just turend 13, my father lay on his deathbed in the hospital after being rushed there a few days earlier. I held his hand and knew he would die. I told him I would be fine and at that moment God told me He would always be there for me as my Father; that He would never leave me. I believed that and do believe that today. That doesn’t mean I understand everything that I go through though! And, I get frustrated not knowing what to do in certain situations. But I do know He loves me, and I do know He cares. It’s just sometimes a bumpy ride and I have to realize that I may never understand what He has planned for me. My job is to go along and not question Him who is in control. Easier said than done.
Laura, I do remember you sharing this hard time in your life with us…so amazing, how God met you there in the hospital as your father lay dying, assuring you of His father-love for you.
The song is one I have not heard before. It’s very “heartfelt” and the hearts the picture made all throughout are all reminders of His love for us. Some were natural (the leaf), and some were made by people (the hands holding the soil). Loved them all. The voice singing is one that appeals to me. Sometimes people sound monotonous in a piece of music like this, but this voice was not that way. Beautiful way to start my day!
By the way, welcome Stacy with a “y!” this is a great place to be 🙂
I’ve read all your comments and am moved by the fact The Song of Songs is moving your heart. We have fewer involved in this study, which isn’t surprising, but I am so encouraged by what He is doing in your hearts.
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
God’s relentless pursuit of us-despite us. His blood satisfying His wrath-not merely purchasing us with silver and Gold as Hosea did-but with HIS BLOOD He satisfied His wrath-He wants me THAT MUCH..oh my..
I guess more than being frustrated when I fail-how about being more frustrated that I could even dare for one minute lack in confidence that I am His?
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
Guess I answered that in 1. 🙂 ….Maybe it is more of an insult to God to lack this confidence than it is to fail? Yet the beauty is that even though we do have seasons where we can lack confidence due to our backgrounds or perhaps our failures-that doesn’t change anything on God’s end! His wrath is satisfied, period I am His and He is mine regardless of my days of doubt. This makes me NEVER want to doubt I am His-and when I do-it should break my heart because I know it breaks His.
3 A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman?
From The Message: “And here’s why: This whole country has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God.”. God used this to show them their sin of adultery against Him and the depths of its sickness.
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8?
The daughter was named “No Mercy”, as the Lord instructed, because He said He would have no more mercy on the house of Israel. The son was to be named “Not My People” because the Lord had declared them not His for their disobedience.
C. Hosea 2:2 contains the name “I AM” that God uses for Himself, but this time it is different. How is it different and why?
God puts “not” after “I AM”. He says “I am not her Husband”. Israel has been adulterous and has broken her relationship with God, He is requiring her repentance.
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness in Hosea 2:5? What is Hosea’s cry in the end of 2:13?
Verse 5, she says ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
She has decided what it is she thinks she needs, and wants, and she has decided the way to get her needs met. It used to be easy to read about Gomer and see movies of this story, and think ‘how could she act this way?!’—but now I see myself. I think I know what I need. I think I need my husband to act a certain way, to communicate with me on a certain level, or a certain amount of time…I act like my kids should have repentance figured out, and some times I worry because they are growing up without every seeing extended family, at all. Or I look at the same old problems we seem to deal with and I think ‘I need to read and figure this out and surely there is ‘a book’ that can tell me what to do to fix this situation…all of these are scenarios where I have decided there is a problem, and in my impatience I seek to find a solution. And on top of all that, I desperately seek a solution, because I fear I can never be whole without solving whatever it is that I see is wrong. That is Gomer. He has said, He is the Source. Of life, of love, of truth. In Christ alone.
Elizabeth, I so identify with your last paragraph. Trying to “fix” all of life. I remember from Idol Lies something about suffering to satisfy your idol. I suffered so to try and “make things right!” Gomer, yes. Good thoughts. It was when my all in all was truly put in Him and I let me life be what it was and focused on how He wanted ME to respond to it (rather than fixing it) that I started to ENJOY the moments that just happened, sweet freedom….=)
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
First, the opening lines…that from the very beginning when God created us, He desires us to want Him to be our God. I guess He could’ve “programmed” us to love Him, but He wants it to be our choice that we choose Him. And yet…the mystery that in and of ourselves, we cannot love Him nor choose Him unless and until He shines that quickening ray into our hearts. I have seen this in myself, looking back at my life before God, and seen it in others…He chooses us first, we then respond to Him. All a mystery. But even after salvation, it continues to be a daily struggle in whom we will choose. How many times, every day, do I do or say or think something that shows, that at that moment, I do NOT want Him to be my God? The bent that lies in my own heart is that I would be “god”. I cry “I want to be free”…to run after comfort and security, or power and control, or some other idol. Just like Gomer, who could not see the love and provision of her husband, Hosea.
I never tire of the story of the gospel as it is told through the story of Hosea and Gomer. It reads like a great masterpiece of literature…but it is not fiction! I love how Martin French’s drawings tell the story, too. The images of Hosea/the Ultimate Bridegroom, Jesus…how He was willing to suffer, have His heart broken, pursue us/me, and tenderly, with mercy and compassion, cover my shame.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
I can be confident of His love for me when I put myself in “the Story”…and Hosea and Gomer (and God) is just one of many in the Bible. I am like Gomer. I was (and can still be) the unfaithful wife, pursuing love, trying to fill-up my heart, in other wells, with other “lovers”. I have no confidence whatsoever when I look at myself…my failures, my unfaithfulness, my sin. Gomer had nothing to offer, no way to atone for her unfaithfulness and how she treated her husband. I often make the mistake of focusing on myself, and that is when doubt creeps in. I gain confidence when I look at God, and how He sent His Son, Jesus, to buy me back off the auction block. Jesus did not come with a sack of coins, but with His very life, His blood. His life for mine. If I ask myself, “Why would Jesus do that for me?” my only answer can be that it is because He loves me…not because I am so lovable, or so good-no, because He loves the unlovely, the unlovable, the one who was His enemy, “But God demonstrates His own love for me in this: While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me” and “For if, when I was God’s enemy, I was reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.” (Romans 5)
Your answers to 1 and 2 are so beautiful, Susan. You say exactly what I feel. Isn’t God amazing!
Yet he still loves me and gave His life for me, and pursues me when I run away from Him.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
I must have faith. I need to preach the gospel to myself every hour, I must listen to the promises in scripture, to the affirmation that these promises are true that the Holy Spirit brings to my heart, I must remember all the rescues, how God has shown himself in my life, I must believe that God would long for the creature his hands have made, that he wants me to trust him.
I must feed my faith, clinging to truth, allowing it to drown out my inner cynic, realizing, that voice that I listened to for so long isn’t really the true me but the voice of my enemy, the true me, my real self, has been created in Gods image, equipped to do good things, given everything I need for life and godliness.
I incline myself to hear my Shepard, to believe him and follow him, to dare to believe his words of affection are for ME, not because I try hard or deserve it, but because he is faithful and true and longs to show mercy.
What an insight! How often we believe the lies we hear in our heads!
Sunday/Monday Icebreaker
1. What stood out to you from the above and why? – To know that He is patient and does not give up on me. How wonderful is that. So many times and recently I have said, I’m done, I don’t care anymore, I need to worry about me, which comes back to me be selfish and childish. I need to strive to care, and I need to worry about others who may be having an issue that causes them to be the way they are. To be bold and not give up, but to still hold them accountable like God does for me.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you? – Oh what a sinner I am and yet God has seen me thru each and every sinful act I’ve made. He’s seen me thru the times that I was not the sinful one but because of someone’s sinfulness I was the victim and hurt, but He reached down and pulled me up out of the muck and mire and carried me thru. I know without a doubt that He is God and He is Mine.
Welcome Stacy…glad that you will be joining us here…:)
1. What stood out to you from above and why?
As others have mentioned, I too really like the Martin French pictures…I found “The Redeeming Bridegroom” especially touched me. In my mind, this is exactly what Jesus does for me…covers me; He “wraps” me with His protection, shelters and comforts me. He sees/knows who and what I am…there is no misunderstanding, but despite all that, He still draws “His cloak around me.”
“In Christ Alone”…”the wrath of God was satisifed” lyric is quite interesting. I didn’t realize that there was a liberal/conservative disagreement related to the meaning of Jesus’ redemptive work. If I view God as a God of “justice”…just and fair, that to me is why Jesus suffered as He did rather than a pin-prick and drop of His blood as due payment for sin..the Lord hates sin, but loves the sinner. I guess I fall on the conservative side…the Lord’s wrath is His intense hatred of sin; Jesus’ resurrection defeated death/sin/evil once for all…His immense love for wo/man.
I snickered when I read Diane’s comment that she and her husband sang this precisely because of the American Presbyterian decision…you rebels you…:)
The book of Hosea…I brought out my bible commentary and study bible…I need a greater understanding of this book of the bible.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God love you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
Faith/trust in His word (I will never leave or forsake you, among others 🙂 )…encouraging/enlightening moments that could only be from His hand/heart (“Kisses from the King”…God-incidences)…His past faithfulness.
What stood out to you in the above and why?
God’s wrath….hmmmm. We have been so focused on God’s love in this study that I had “forgotten” that He is, indeed, a jealous lover. This made me pause.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you? He said so. So often we let how we feel dictate what we interpret as truth, when in reality truth should dictate how we feel (there was a more academic definition of this in a previous week’s study). This is why the change in me to desire to be with Him is so important. Quiet time has become more a deep drink for my spirit than just something important to do. This speaks of belonging to someone not just maintaining a religion. Union then communion. Not communion then union. It refreshes the truth to lean on.
I also wanted to say that I LOVED when people cheered in the song. I am filled with joy when there is great response to His victory. In Christ Alone is a favorite of mine as well. =)
I loved that cheer too, Jill!
Comment on song Staci found:
First I relaxed, then I smiled, then a few tears of relief.
I THINK I’M GETTING IT! I seek Him/cling to Him when I am desperate, which is ok BUT now I’m seeing the joy of Him running to me & me running to Him BECAUSE HE LOVES ME and I am responding in love. Still needs to soak in a little deeper though because I feel as if I could switch back to “primarily seek Him in desperation” mode. It’s sorta like flipping a switch and viewing Him differently. I hope that doesn’t sound too irreverent.
And Stacy in ND: Didn’t get snow this far east (whew!); the weather was gorgeous today, cold and rainy during the weekend.
Renee — I love that you are getting it. As Luther said, our default mode is works righteousness, so we have to keep getting it.
Just ordered this by Michael Reeves because it is cheap today 🙂 and has good reviews:
The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation
Me too and and have started it and it is good!
3. A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman?
To depict the relationship of God and Israel…God is faithful and Israel is unfaithful. The spiritual adultry of Israel is portrayed in the marital adultry of Gomer; the faithfulness of the Lord is portrayed in Hosea’s marital faithfulness.
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8?
Lo-Ruhamah…not loved
Lo-Ammi…not my people
Israel strayed into idolatry and disobedience…the covenant made at Mount Sinai was broken. These were the names directed by the Lord in keeping with the actions of Israel and consequences of those actions.
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
I loved the song, In Christ Alone, and I had never heard it before. I was quite interested in all the controversy surrounding it being dropped from the Presbyterian hymnal in Nashville. I could sing either version, and it would be a “positive” for my faith. It is not surprising that Getty and Townsend would refuse to change their lyrics, as they obviously wrote what they believed.
2. On what basis can you be confident that God loves you, that you are His, and that He will never ever leave you?
I don’t want to appear flippant or too simplistic. However, my first reaction is to sing “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” As I looked through others’ comments, I noted that Stacy had come up with some of the Scripture that I had recalled as “proof.” I know He is with me now because at times I can sense His presence. Then there are all of those mysterious things that occur occasionally that take my breath away — “God-incidences.” I would add the final sentence in the Gospel of Matthew: “And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b) I have His promise that He will never leave me!
Have you heard Michael Card’s version of Jesus Loves Me, Deanna? He sings: “Jesus loves me, this I know, and not just because the Bible tells me so.” Sort of like your answer!
I looked up the YouTube rendition of Michael Card’s, Jesus Loves Me (“and it’s not just the Bible that tells me so.”) Thanks for pointing me to it!
Comment on the above song – the images in the song Staci found are beautiful. Every time he sang, “Here you come running…” it made me think of SOS 2, where the Bridegroom is shown as coming to her, leaping over the mountains and hills. And when we were in desperate trouble and perishing, Jesus came running…
3. Fact-gathering questions from Hosea:
A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman? – because God’s people were guilty of being unfaithful to the Lord-“guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord”.
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8? – The daughter he named Lo-Ruhamah (means “not loved”) because God said that He would no longer show love to the house of Israel. The son was named Lo-Ammi (means “not my people”) because God said “for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
I am confused a little – I thought these children were Hosea’s, because verse 3 says Hosea married Gomer…then she bore him Jezreel…then it says that she conceived again and had Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi. Are we to infer they were not Hosea’s because it is worded differently than Jezreel, where it says “and bore him (Hosea) a son”?
Susan, your confusion over whether or not Gomer’s second and third child were Hosea’s children made me check my ESV study Bible. This is what I found:
I too had not realized that the second and third children were most likely not Hosea’s children. Imagine the heartbreak for Hosea, knowing that Gomer was unfaithful to him and bore these illegitimate children.
Thanks, Diane, for looking into this for me! I had wondered b/c it didn’t say something like “Gomer was unfaithful and then conceived…” so I wondered how we are to conclude that these two were not Hosea’s children. It makes me feel sorry for these children, though.
3. Fact-gathering questions from Hosea:
A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman?
Because the woman represents Israel being adulterous. ( God is covenanted with Israel and Israel is being adulterous yet God is still covenanted to Israel-so He wants this marriage to be an example of that.)
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8?
Jezreel was the son and God told Hosea to name him that because of their idolatry? It means “God will sow”..God said he would put an end to the kingdom of Israel for the massacre at Jezreel. I wonder if the massacre was done from idolatrous motives-not trusting God..but not sure. But am for sure Idolatry is the issue-Israel basically told God by her actions she no longer wanted to identify with Him or perhaps just preferred others over Him.
Lo-ruhmah means not loved, for God will no longer show Love to Israel.
The third one-a son, Lo-Ammi-which means “Not my People”.
C. Hosea 2:2 contains the name “I AM” that God uses for Himself, but this time it is different. How is it different and why?
I am ‘not’ her husband. Not is in there-that is the difference. He was in covenant relationship with Israel-He initiated the covenant. He called them His..but they turned their back on Him running after other lovers-idolatry-and they initiated that He was not their God-so He is responding.
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness in Hosea 2:5? What is Hosea’s cry in the end of 2:13?
She is given so many pleasures-comforts by her other lovers, so she is seeking pleasure/comfort from these lovers other than from her husband Hosea..Hosea’s cry is that she forgot him.
Every time I see God’s heart in Hosea-The Gospel basically washes over me anew again..I can forget and when I do and run after other lovers-even for a moment..to get this glimpse of the depths of His love for me- how I am His-and when I turn it is me, not Him..and how that breaks His heart! This is what makes me not want to turn or forget Him for a day, or an hour or a moment! This is easy to do-when an event, something that happens in my day-can so take over my concerns-and I can lift it into a higher place than Him.
Yet what comforts my heart most is that He has me-He is my comfort..and even when I wander as I am prone to do-there is this longing for him He has given me..I know I am wandering..but He has given me that longing and I have the Holy Spirit inside to convict and help me to turn! I want Him because He wanted me first and made me His. It is truly beautiful. :)))
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15?
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
God will woo Israel back to Himself. He uses the word “allure” like a courtship. He takes her to the wilderness and speaks tenderly to her. There in the wilderness He causes vineyards to grow. He takes the valley of Achor (which symbolizes trouble and judgment because of sin, see Joshua 7:25,26) and makes it a door or hope.
This passage is pure hope to me. The wilderness and valley of Achor are places of dryness, sin and pain, but God makes these places bloom like a garden and become a place of honeymoon, so to speak. A place of joy and delight! Beautiful!
Diane,
I so resonate with you in regard to these passages being pure hope! Love how you articulated this-“The wilderness and valley of Achor are places of dryness, sin and pain, but God makes these places bloom like a garden and become a place of honeymoon, so to speak. A place of joy and delight! Beautiful!”
Oh yes indeed, a place of honeymoon-loved that! :)))))))
Hello everyone,
What a powerful study. The love of God compels me daily. He lifts me up. He holds me close and He is my all in all. I keep all my questions/answers in my journal b/c I am pondering them and writing them. Diane I loved your post whr u and yr husband sang together in Church. I will be buying some music c.d.’s for sure.
When we got to the Hosea questions I found dated May 1st 2013 beside Hosea 2 vs 14 and 15. A start of a song that I wrote. Behold I am doing a new thing…. a new thing….a new thing. I sing and dance sometimes in my worship time with Christ. This is so vivid for me b/c whn I came back to the Lord in 2010. I was like this. “In the wilderness” but Jesus is showing me that He is doing a new thing in my life. Like in Hosea 2 15….There she will sing as in the days of her youth. as in the day she came up out of Egypt….I know Father God is speaking of Israel but the scripture leapt in my heart and spirit and Father God gave me a song….Behold I am doing a new thing,…a new thing… a new thing. So what can I do but accept my Lord and Saviour’s love and forgiveness. Rest in his love and luxuriate there awhile. God is good to me and I know simply that I can never stray further than the shadow of the Cross. This picture of the Cross comforts me so.
Writing is a form of worship for me. I am asking the Lord for a banner. I can see it. It is blue (the holy colour of blue) I am holding it high and on the banner is written “Lord of Lord’s” . I know that He will bring it to me. One time years ago when I would worship( God gave me ribbons). I would worship with them. I know it is by faith that I am declaring this b/c I have not received the banner physically but I know in my spirit that it is on the way. When I see the Lord (in my spirit) I see Him striding confidently (sos 2vs17) It is a word picture that I have of the Lord.
So I do not know Dee if I answered the questions properly but I know through this bible study that Jesus has answered the questions of my heart. I wrote this Dee on Sat nite after our evening service. It fits so well with the picture of the cross featured above with In Christ Alone
We are waiting at the
foot of the cross
For Jesus
His blood cleanses
our heart
He redeems us
He lifts us high
He is the Lord God Almighty
El-Shaddai – Adonai – El Onyah
Full of grace and mercy
Reaching to the heavens
Starting at the foot
of the cross
Is the story of
God’s love
Flowing from
the foot
of the Cross
Is a gift for
all mankind – the precious blood of the “Lamb of God”
We are kneeling
We are sitting
We are straining
Forward
Reaching – seeing
a “glimmering”
of hope.
The Lamb of God
The Great “I AM”
Who has entered time
And holds eternity
in His hand
In His gaze – Redemption –
In His breath – Hope –
Behold the “Lamb of God”
who takes away the sin of the world
Behold ” The Lord of Lords”
Behold ” The Lamb of God”
The cross is the beginning and the ending of God’s love story to us/me. The picture of the cross comforts me b/c I know that Christ’s love for me was confirmed when He died for me. This great love stills within me any fear, is an answer to my fears, stills my heart, makes/allows me to rest in His love. His love is so fierce, so protective, so strong that I can run on the mountain tops with Him and fly through the valleys. I can just sigh and cuddle with Father God. I know that I am home. My heart has found it’s resting place and it is in the “palm of His hand”. I am engraved there and I trace the lines the nails have made and I kiss away the pain. I am home and I am glad.
Amazing love how can it be that u my God would die for me? I rest in the knowledge of His love and I accept His love and forgiveness.
Blessings to all,
Mellany
“B’s” diagnosis is Congestive Heart Failure, she has an enlarge “right side” of her heart. Her valve/aorta is not working. she is on oxygen. At one time she the oxygen level was in the low 70’s (near death) now with oxygen it is in the 90’s. Normal is 98. But most disconcerting is her undiagnosed mental illness. (we in the family wld just call her eccentric -but now we know better-) Her stubborn refusal to accept help. God has been so good to me, to her, to my household. Her decisions are killing her. I pray that God gives me more love. Love like He has but instead He floods me with peace and keeps me separate. So I pray that others will be able to meet her needs. I have to step out of the emotion and trust Father God. I am being obedient to His leading. Thank u for praying. Mellany
Hi Mellany, thanks for the update on “B”…will keep praying for her. You wrote about a banner and it made me remember the first Christmas concert I attended at my former church, after I became a Christian. In this church, the ladies who are so talented in creating and sewing made beautiful banners that were mounted on poles, and at the start of the evening concert, in candlelight, they were carried into the worship center, lifted high. Each one had a name for Jesus, like “Lamb of God”, or “Prince of Peace”, and then each was beautifully sewn – different colors, different pictures-symbols…they made me cry to look at them.
Mellany you are unique and we love it. Beautiful song!
Mellany, love your worship song to the Lord of Lords. Thanks for updating us on “B”. Will keep praying.
It is Thanksgiving here in Canada and we are going to visit our son’s family in Nova Scotia for a few days. I am not sure how much I will be able to be on here. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone.
Diane, may you enjoy your visit with your son’s family in Nova Scotia and a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you, too! I hope this will be a time of peace and making good memories with your family.
Happy Thanksgiving, Diane!
I’ve been pondering Hosea. I definitely can see the Gospel. In 2:6-7, it appears that some of the punishment even is designed to draw Gomer back to Hosea:
But I’m also confused because some of the punishment does sound so human, i.e., sounds like punishment either to get even or just to “punish.” And even if the children aren’t Hosea’s, punishing them for their mother’s sin sounds so human. Even some human fathers show love to children of unfaithful spouses.
I’m wondering if I’m reading too much into this. I do see redemption, as well as punishment which is designed for redemptive purposes. God is holy, and we do see His anger at sin in Scripture. But I’m just not grasping the mixture of the anger and the love together in this passage. Not sure, but maybe it’s making me a little fearful; I LIKE the idea that punishment might serve the purpose of pointing me to Him, and I love the redemption, God’s consistent and faithful pursuit. (Not that the purpose of Scripture is for me to LIKE it). What is troubling me is that some of the descriptions of punishment remind me of abandonment. I can’t quite explain myself! Maybe I’m interpreting this as punishment OR redemption rather than punishment that leads to or is followed by redemption. Anyhow, I’m kinda confused by SOME of the punishment parts.
Renee — it helps me to see this as representing Israel and her unfaithfulness, and how now she has led the next generation astray. God must discipline even that generation to woo them back for they are not listening. He must discipline both the mother and her children. I think it is important to remember this is a mural of how God’s people are breaking His heart, but also, how He is concerned about them, for His great love kows they are hurting themselves. What do you think?
Diane, enjoy your long weekend visiting your son…and Happy Thanksgiving to you. Have a safe trip both Nova Scotia and back home after.
Oh, I just loved the Song of Songs video. Staci found a good one!! Such a beautiful song! I kept thinking that I want to memorize it, as it would be very comforting at a time of crisis or struggle.
I agree Deanna. The words and images keep playing in my mind. I really think The Lord is speaking to us in that video. There are images of people at so many stages of life. A little girl. Men alone. Women alone and a married couple. it covers many of the stages of life where people can suffer trauma. What I mean is that it seems like it could speak to a lot of different people who need healing.
3. A. Why did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman? To demonstrate God’s people’s unfaithfulness.
B. what did Hosea name them and why? Lo-Ruhamah which means “not loved” and Lo-Ammi which means “not my people”. For He will not show love to the house of Israel and they are not His people. This was more of an analogy, a point made, because all along He intends the lesson to be “I will love you anyway”.
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness? She goes to her lovers because they give her the things she needs and wants. She makes no effort to find an alternative that would align with God’s will or laws. (1cor 10:13 ….But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.) What is Hosea’s cry in 2:13? ‘I will punish her’.
E. what will God do to bring her to her senses? He will ‘allure her’. Win her back and give her back her vineyards, these are blessings? Fruit in her life? He will make her apparent desert into a ‘door of hope’. I love that God made relationship with Him ‘alluring’. He could have made it anything and, indeed, we could all just have been bound for hell, but He made it appealing…..desirable. It sheds light on those who are tormented by legalism. True relationship with God is not something that would scare away away (provided we understand it, that’s the kicker!) but rather allure.
F. What promises does God make through Hosea? Union. “You will call me husband” (I would be very interested in the original language here), God will remove infidelity from Israel. “Remove the names of Baals from her lips”, safety, a forever covenant, love, compassion, righteousness, justice (I am not sure I want justice!), faithfulness, rightness of relationship “you will acknowledge The Lord”.
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen? He will forgive and show mercy. “I will show my love to the one I called Not my loved one, I will say to those called ‘not my people’ you are my people.”
H. What does God tell Hosea to do? To redeem Gomer. To buy her back, even though it was by her choice that she was where she was (she put the price on her own head). And also to demand fidelity. “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”
I am off to the CCEF conference in Texas, I have been so sporadic here recently, but have been blessed by the study in spite of that. I doubt I will have time to participate much the rest of the week.
I am pretty excited that I am going to this conference! Pray if you feel led, that my ears and heart will be ready and open to what God would have me take in while I am there.
Love you girls!
I’m sure that will be a great conference. I wonder if Leslie Vernick is there? If so, greet her for me!
Chris, I just looked it up-it looks wonderful and Powlison and Fitzpatrick will be there-wow! Will be praying-love you.
Hope your conference goes well, Chris. It’s great that you have the opportunity to go. I’m curious what led you to decide to go to this particular conference. Are you involved in CCEF on a regular basis? I will pray that you will be open to what God has for you.
oh Chris, just before your post in my email was the link to watch the conference! I will pray for God to use it–I am so excited for you!
Chris, I too hope your conference goes well. I too have been sporadic here but have also been blessed by the study anyway. Enjoy the conference and I hope and pray for whatever the Lord has prepared for you during this time.
A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman?
He says that the land is like an adulteress wife, unfaithful to the Lord. He was angry with Israel.
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8?
The daughter was called lo-rumahah (not loved) because He was angry and did not want to show love to her. The son was called lo-ammi meaning not my
people because He rejected the people saying they were not His and He was not theirs.
C. Hosea 2:2 contains the name “I AM” that God uses for Himself, but this time it is different. How is it different and why?
My version, NIV, doesn’t use the “I Am” name. I have been pondering this for about 24 hours now. I even went to my study bible to see if I was missing something. I went to look for what I Am meant. It reminded me of the burning bush. I also thought of “the alpha and omega” the beginning and the end. Since my bible in hoses doesn’t refer to I Am, I’m not sure what you are asking here. I went to the message and to the esv as well as another, and found no mention of I Am. It only speaks of Israel being a whore and God refusing her because she is refusing Him. Maybe He is cutting her off from his love? He won’t be there because He is “all set” with her unfaithfulness?
Good work, Laura-dancer. It’s hard to see the I AM name. In most versions he says I AM not your husband — which is the negative of the great I AM. In the Hebrew it is double, the same name as, as you said, at the burning bush. But it is negative here — and later he reverses. It certainly shows the seriousness of breaking the marriage covenant, of his broken heart — and yet he comes back. Don’t take it too literally, but use it to see God’s broken heart. He Himself will never leave us or forsake us.
I appreciated the discussion between Susan and Diane on the naming of Hosea’s children. Yes — so painful. I remember Kathy Troccoli quipping when we were speaking, “Can you imagine naming a child, “I never wanted you anyhow?” But it wasn’t that — it was the broken heart — the broken covenant — see my answer to Laura-dancer.
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15?
He is going to take her into the wilderness and there He will draw her to Him and powerfully captivate her to Himself by speaking tenderly to her, giving her back her vineyards and giving her hope in the midst of pain. SHe will respond to Him as she did when He took her out of Egypt. So He is going to captivate her with His love.
F. What promise does God make through Hosea in Hosea 2:16-20?
Israel will call Him her husband-no longer calling Him her master. He will remove Baal from our lips totally-so no idol worship anymore. There will be no more fear, no more war, no more fear of even animals. We will all lie down safely. We will be betrothed to Him forever in righteousness, justice, love, compassion and faithfulness, and we will acknowledge the Lord.
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen in Hosea 2:21-23?
That He will respond and will show His love to those He called not His loved one. He will say You are my people to those who were called not my people and we will respond back with You are my God. What blows me away is that He loves them, pursues them and rescues them even though they are immersed in Idolatry and have offended and hurt Him so.
I see here that because there will be no idolatry there will never be doubting His love! Jesus is our identity and yes we can walk in surety of His love now but because of our natural bend toward idolatry and because we live in a fallen world-stressful life seasons happen and satan can come in and hiss and we can doubt His love. We can have a higher view of other things over God and go after them like a camel in heat. The beauty in this passage is that we will no longer have this temptation-and He loves us and will never leave us even though we struggle with Idolatry!
H. What does God tell Hosea to do in Hosea 3:1-3?
LOVE this: God tells Hosea to Love his wife even though she is an adultress. LOVE HER AS THE LORD LOVES THE ISRAELITES. :)) Hosea bought her and told her she will live with him and needs to be faithful to Him and he will be the same to her.
I love that too Rebecca. Reminds me of Brennan Manning’s words: He loves you as you are, not as you should be.
I would appreciate your prayers as I go away for a few days. I am finding it hard to go. Not sure why. Perhaps I am worried that there will be some new crisis while I am away. I know I need this time away, but am struggling to take it.
Diane–I will be praying–for peace in leaving, and for the time to be good and restoring for your weary soul–love to you!
Diane I will be praying for you while you are away. I know it must be hard leaving right now. I hope you will be able to rest and feel relaxed and at peace even just for a few days.
3. Fact-gathering questions from Hosea:
A. Why, according to Hosea 1:2, did God ask Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman?
Because Israel had been living in an adulterous way, seeking other lovers than God, and God wanted Hosea to be an object lesson for Israel.
B. When Gomer bore an illegitimate daughter and son, what did Hosea name them and why according to Hosea 1:6-8?
The daughter was named Lo-Ruhamah (not loved) and the son was named Lo-Ammi (not my people). This was God’s reaction to Israel’s unfaithfulness.
C. Hosea 2:2 contains the name “I AM” that God uses for Himself, but this time it is different. How is it different and why?
He says “I am not her husband.” Normally God’s name was used in terms of what He is, but this time it is in terms of what He says He is not.
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness in Hosea 2:5?
She said it was becuse they provided for her (food, water, wool, linen, oil and drink). Supposedly she had to run to these lovers in order to have the basics of life.
What is Hosea’s cry in the end of 2:13? “She forgot me!”
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15?
Draw her out into the desert, talk to her, make up with her.
F. What promise does God make through Hosea in Hosea 2:16-20?
When Israel gave up its idols, the covenant would be renewed, and He would be Israel’s God and they would be His people.
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen in Hosea 2:21-23?
He would show his love to the one called “Not loved,” and He would say to those called “not my people” that “you are my people.”
H. What does God tell Hosea to do in Hosea 3:1-3?
He told Hosea to go back to his unfaithful wife and love her.
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15?
This has to be one of my very favorite verses. He takes her away. He will draw her near to Himself, and personally lead her into the desert. When she is in this land void of water and other life, free of all distractions, He will speak to her, and He will do it tenderly. He will giver her back her vineyards. He will make the Valley of Achor, the place where Achan had sinned against God, and He will make it a “door of hope”, and she will SING, as she did before.
F. What promise does God make through Hosea in Hosea 2:16-20?
He will be our Husband, all idols will be removed. He will make a covenant with us, He will bind us to Himself, forever.
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen in Hosea 2:21-23?
He will respond. He will bring restoration. He will show mercy and call us His own.
H. What does God tell Hosea to do in Hosea 3:1-3?
To go and show love to Gomer, again, though she was an adulteress and unfaithful.
4. Contemplative questions on Hosea:
A. Think about the reasons you give your soul when you give into the temptation of your idols? Are they similar to Gomer’s?
My (primary) idol is control. I think when I am tempted to control, there is usually a root of fear. I am afraid the other person is going to do something that will (emotionally) hurt me—and I want to prevent it. I want to have the “upper hand” and direct this person so they have less power over me. I think Gomer was a hurting, wounded woman. She did not believe she was loved or even loveable. In response to her pain, and fear of ongoing rejection, I think she sought out other men…because she did not trust the Hosea, or God, would provide what she needed. Fear, doubt…then guilt sets in and that only escalates the doubt of being loveable, and the fear of more pain of rejection. So the cycle continues.
B. How are they lies? How have your idols hurt you? How has God been true?
The lie is that I have to be the one to protect myself. The lie is that I’m going to be overrun without a Defender, a Rescuer, so I think I have to fend for myself. It can even be tiny things. If my husband is going on a business trip and I start to fear that I can’t handle home on my own, so I guilt him into as short as possible (bad example because he hates to go!) My idols have hurt me because they hurt relationships. I know what it feels like to be in relationship with a “controller” and it’s suffocating. I know that I have been that in my marriage, in parenting, in friendships. It steals life from the relationship.
The truth is that I have a Defender, a Rescuer, a Redeemer. He has promised to give me everything I need for whatever He calls me to. When I first developed my neuropathy a few years ago now, (and it’s in waves currently), on bad days there was much physically I could no longer do. Frustrating. But great, too. God used it. I had no choice but to stop monitoring every thing around me. Since that time, I have become much more aware of when I start to control. Before, when Rebecca would talk about “red flags” that warned her of her idols—I couldn’t sense it. Dee talked about body signals, and I just didn’t get it. I think I was so incredibly used to being a Controller, it was just part of my blood! Thankfully, now, I notice—and it feels really gross, and leads me to repentance a lot faster.
C. How do you see the gospel in the opening of Hosea 3?
God loved me while I am a sinner. He initiated that love relationship. He pursued me, rescued me, and promised His love to me—knowing that I am an adulterer. Such amazing grace.
Ugh! Just did it again. I posted in some way that post ended up with a response I made yesterday. Suggestions on how to prevent this?? (or how to know that I’m doing it). The empty box was at the bottom of the page instead of where it is when I am responding to someone else’s post.
Renee–sorry, I don’t have a clue. It’s funny because your post isn’t a reply, but I see what you mean, it’s way up there and by the time stamp I can see it should be below mine. Now THIS last one you did, is at the bottom–so maybe you just have to refresh your page before posting? sorry–no help!
Yeah, it’s confusing 🙂 I’d even restarted the browser because my computer kept freezing today.
Dee, I have a question about Hosea…sort of implied in my confusion in a post that I somehow posted as a reply “way up there.” In Hosea 2, there seems to be a difference in tone in a couple places. Is that because, in some of his statements about punishment, Hosea was writing what he was thinking both before and after God told him what to do? Or am I just imagining a difference in tone? (because I only looked it up in one version!!!)
Editing now: So, this one is showing up as a response, too, and I did refresh the screen right before I posted. Using Firefox right now…what do the rest of you use?
Your question about Hosea is thought provoking. It is the mystery of allowing the human personality and yet it all being the inspired Word of God.
Could you send your tech questions to David? Thanks.
5. CHALLENGE QUESTION (SKIP IF YOU LIKE) Read Romans 9:25-26. (This is a challenging chapter about election, but it should also make us so confident that we are His Beloved and He is ours.) What point is Paul making?
Not sure if this is really the answer you were looking for, but I’ll give my thoughts. I love the preceding verses 22, 23 “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory…”
He shows us the depths of God’s love for us-His plan all along to redeem, restore. Our wretchedness, the depths of our adulteress hearts, redeemed by His holiness, reveals a love and mercy so great. None of His children are beyond his mercy. Our deepest sin, saved by His mercy, only magnifies the depth and height and power of His love.
6. Read The Song of Songs 2:16-17. What does the bride say?
She claims Him as her Beloved. She knows that He belongs to her—and, she belongs to Him. She is confident enough to state her claim.
7. On what basis can you be confident that You are His and that nothing can quench His love?
He has called me His own. Sometimes, in my own sin, I doubt that He is “pleased” with me. I feel like I am failing Him. That is where it is hard to feel like he does really love me. And yet, I am blessed by a dear, loving husband. Yesterday, as I was telling him this, and he knows the area I struggle in—he reminded me that he (my earthly husband) deeply loves me, yes, even knowing my greatest area of weakness—and I do believe he does love me despite my sin. How much greater, must my Lord, the Perfect Lover of my soul, love me, in spite of my great sin? I said this before, but I used to believe that at some point in the Christian life I would finally “arrive”; I would live without idols and not struggle to believe His love. But recently I was reminded of the verse to offer myself as a living sacrifice, and it occurred to me, that living means-as I breathe. It is an ongoing, never ending act of displacing self from the inner throne of my heart, and enthroning Him.
3. Fact-gathering questions from Hosea:
C. Hosea 2:2 contains the name “I AM” that God uses for Himself, but this time it is different. How is it different and why? – It says, “…and I am not her husband”. In other places of Scripture, as in John’s gospel, there are references to “I AM” and then it is a positive statement, like “I am the bread of life”, or “I am the good shepherd”. In John 18, when Jesus is arrested and they are looking for Him, He answers “I am He”, and they all fell to the ground, for in truth, He said, “I AM”.
But here in Hosea, if this is the same “I AM” word used for God, it is attached to a negative…”I AM not”. God is saying to them that He is not their God. I’ve been reading everyone’s comments and many have helped me to understand what God is saying here. Jill said that while God made His point, He really intended to love them anyway. And Dee said that it wasn’t the point-giving those children those names like “not loved” but that God was expressing His broken heart.
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness in Hosea 2:5? What is Hosea’s cry in the end of 2:13?
Gomer believes it is her lovers who provide for her-giving her food, water, clothing, and oil – and so she pursues them. Hosea cries “she forgot me!”
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15? – He will lead her into the desert, where He will “allure” her with tender words, restoring her vineyards, making her desolation into hope, coaxing her to sing as in the days when she came up out of Egypt.
F. What promise does God make through Hosea in Hosea 2:16-20? – the promise of a renewed relationship with Him – one not of servant-master, but one of wife-husband. He will remove the names of the Baals from her lips and establish peace in the land. He will betroth His people to Himself forever and HE promises to remain faithful, loving, and compassionate.
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen in Hosea 2:21-23? – God will show His love to the people He called “not My loved one” and they WILL be His people, and they will respond to Him by saying, “You are my God”.
H. What does God tell Hosea to do in Hosea 3:1-3? – To keep loving his wife even though she is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites even though they are adulterous. Hosea buys Gomer back with silver…a foreshadowing of how God bought back His bride.
4. Contemplative questions on Hosea:
A. Think about the reasons you give your soul when you give into the temptation of your idols? Are they similar to Gomer’s?
Yes, now that you mention it, they are similar. I can rationalize that I need to have things my way, in fact, persuade myself that God doesn’t really intend that I should give up my idols. Gomer thought that she was justified in taking extra lovers because they would provide the things she wanted/needed.
B. How are they lies? How have your idols hurt you? How has God been true?
I don’t know how they are lies. I just admit that they are lies. My idols hurt me by getting between me and God, and my behavior disappoints God. However, God is true, as He keeps pulling me out of the mire and rescuing me again and again.
C. How do you see the gospel in the opening of Hosea 3?
Perhaps I should mention that I am having a few slight problems when posting. In the previous post, the quotation marks did not end up where I was telling it to put them. It included more than my quote into the block. And for a long time I have noticed that I have to submit my post twice — the first time it tells me I am in error. I don’t do anything but wait a few seconds a click on “submit” again, and that time it will go through as it should. Not wanting to sound whiny — but I thought I should mention these things. 🙂
5. CHALLENGE QUESTION (SKIP IF YOU LIKE) Read Romans 9:25-26. (This is a challenging chapter about election, but it should also make us so confident that we are His Beloved and He is ours.) What point is Paul making?
Verse 25 is a quote from Hosea 2:23, and verse 26 is a quote from Hosea 1:10. Hosea had told of God’s plan to restore the Israelites as His people. Perhaps Paul was trying to apply Hosea’s message to God’s intention to bring the Gentiles into His family after the Jews had rejected that plan.
6. Read The Song of Songs 2:16-17. What does the bride say? “My lover is mine and I am his.”
7. On what basis can you be confident that You are His and that nothing can quench His love? I can’t improve on what I wrote for question #2. I am feeling a bit of deja vu here 🙂
8. Read The Song of Songs 4:16-5:1. To whom does the garden belong? What parallel do you see with Song of Songs 2:16-17?
They are in His garden.
I may be really stretching to connect these two passages. The commentary concerning SOS 4:16-5:1 in my Life Application Study Bible indicates that in 4:16 the girl accepts her lover’s proposal and in 5:1 he responds to her acceptance. I will be honest and say I have a hard time seeing that myself. However, assuming that is correct, it would parallel nicely with 2:16-17 in which the bride says “My lover is mine and I am his.”
I think it does parallel Deanna. It sounds like the Life Application Bible has the contemporary perspective that it is primarily about marriage. And so the way they phrase it might make it a little harder if you have the other perspective.
D. What reason does Gomer give for her unfaithfulness in Hosea 2:5? What is Hosea’s cry in the end of 2:13?
Idols. The Lord says He will punish her in verse 13. I don’t see that Hosea declared anything?
E. What will God do to bring her to her senses according to Hosea 2:14-15?
He will allure her to the wilderness and speak kindly to her. He will give her hope.
F. What promise does God make through Hosea in Hosea 2:16-20?
He will make her His by removing the idols. He will betroth her with righteousness, faithfulness, justice, love and compassion. He will make her His forever.
G. What does God show Hosea will one day happen in Hosea 2:21-23?
That He will connect the heavens to the earth by planting and the earth will respond. The two siblings will also respond to His love by loving Him back.
H. What does God tell Hosea to do in Hosea 3:1-3?
To go live with her as if she never was a prostitute. To love her. Be kind to her.