Posted: November 18th, 2022

Preachers of Israel’s monarchal and exilic period

The Prophets are the preachers of Israel’s monarchal and exilic period. They interpret the Torah, they interpret the covenant, they interpret their own day’s events, and they speak/write boldly to address the people of God’s issues. One of the most striking is Hosea. Read Hosea 1-3. After reflect on the various aspects of the story by answering the following questions:
1. God commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute; to look beyond her past and make a covenant with her. Based on your Bible reading, how does this reflect the way that God choses his people? 2. Hosea and Gomer’s marriage reflects the relationship between God and his people. Gomer cheats on Hosea, like Israel cheats on God. Is God justified in feeling hurt when his covenant partner is unfaithful? How would you feel? 3. At the end of the story (Hos 3:1-5), God commands Hosea to go back and love his wife. Hosea has to pay a price to get her back. Read John 3:16-18. Do you see any parallel? What is the significance of this OT to NT connection?

Discussion for Week Three
God told Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer, and to look beyond her past to make a covenant with her. How does this reflect the way God chooses his people, according to your Bible reading?
God commanded Hosea to marry Gomer as a symbolic message to demonstrate the Israelites’ broken relationship with God. God instructs Hosea to marry Gomer in order for Him to demonstrate His love, grace, and forgiveness despite the Israelites’ sin. It’s critical to understand that, despite being described as a promiscuous woman who had extramarital affairs, God chooses Gomer to enter into a holy union with Hosea. In this story, the parallel is between Gomer and the Israelites, where God had compassion and love for His people despite their sinful actions. Gomer was able to experience forgiveness and redemption time and again through this marriage. Hosea specifically asks God why he would have him marry Gomer, expressing his reluctance with every fiber of his being, but he obeys because he recognizes that there is a purpose. God instructs Hosea to name their three children Jezreel (God sows), Lo-Ruhamah (she is not loved), and Lo-Ammi (she is not loved) (not my people). According to Garrison (2015), these were unusual and unusual names, but they served a purpose because “these names expressed God’s frustration with the Northern Kingdom, for they had forsaken the Lord through their worship of other gods and disobedience to God’s law” (Garrison, 2015, p. 113). In essence, this story serves as a powerful reminder that God used a Gomer to show his love for his people. Anyone can be used by God to demonstrate his love, power, forgiveness, and grace.
Hosea and Gomer’s marriage exemplifies God’s relationship with his people. Gomer deceives Hosea, just as Israel deceives God. Is God justified in being hurt when his covenant partner betrays him? What would your reaction be?
This story in the Bible is a correlation of how the people of Israel continued to disobey God, as we see Gomer cheating on her husband. Gomer remained unfaithful to Hosea throughout their marriage. However, God used this marriage to demonstrate to the Israelites their relationship with God. Even though the Israelites were unfaithful to God, he continued to show love, mercy, and forgiveness. Gomer cheated numerous times and rekindled her relationships with numerous men during her marriage. This is how the Israelites behaved. They had made a covenant with God, but they continued to live in sin over and over. We have made a pact with God. When we choose to turn away from Him and do things that entice our sinful nature, I believe it hurts Him. If my husband was consistently unfaithful, breaking our vows and breaking the promise we made on our wedding day, I would be heartbroken and betrayed. We have to imagine that this is how God feels. We have a moral responsibility as Christians (the bride of Christ) who enter into a relationship with Christ (marriage with her husband) to obey his commands and live in righteousness until we can meet Him again in eternity.
At the end of the story (Hos 3:1-5), God tells Hosea to return to his wife and love her. Hosea must pay a price to reclaim her. Examine John 3:16-18. Do you see any similarities? What is the significance of this OT-NT link?
Hosea returns to redeem Gomer from her lover. In this story, there is a parallel to God’s faithfulness to the Israelites. God promises to mend the Israelites’ broken relationship. Just as Hosea returns to get his wife, this reminds us that God will return to get us. He never abandons His people. God has an unending love for His people. In John 3:16, we see the sacrifice made to bring about restoration. This scripture is quoted by Christians. “For -God loved the world so much,9 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The New Testament emphasizes the power of redemption and the ultimate sacrifice that occurs. God continues to show redemption in order to restore His people until He returns.
B. Garrison (2015). Leadership according to the book: Every book of the Bible contains leadership lessons. Faith should be elevated.

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