|
Hosea 1
Aug 25, 2008 18:53:07 GMT -8
Post by Josh on Aug 25, 2008 18:53:07 GMT -8
We're starting an online study of the OT book of Hosea today. Feel free and join us.
In the past we've done a chapter every 3 days or so, so I'll post the chapters one at a time every so often.
The idea is just to read the chapter, write your own responses on whatever stands out to you in the chapter, and also respond/ interact with others' thoughts.
Tally ho!
Post your comments/ questions/ discussion starters on Hosea chapter 1 as replies to this post.
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 25, 2008 19:10:50 GMT -8
Post by Josh on Aug 25, 2008 19:10:50 GMT -8
Some quick facts on Hosea: Wrote in the middle of the 8th Century BC, making him one of the earlier prophets chronologically. He wrote predicting judgment by the Assyrians on the northern Hebrew kingdom of Israel. Interestingly, he is the only one of the writing prophets who prophesied to the northern kingdom Israel (for apparently 38 yrs!). All the rest prophesied in Judah in the south. As we see in Kings and Chronciles, those Judah had mostly evil kings and a few righteous ones, Israel in the north had no righteous kings. This is why they were the first to be brought to judgment. I suspect this indicates all the more what kind of audience Hosea was facing. This kind of one: Thoughts on chapter 1?
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 27, 2008 21:49:00 GMT -8
Post by Josh on Aug 27, 2008 21:49:00 GMT -8
A couple initial impressions on chapter 1:
Talk about the ultimate object lesson. God pulled out all the stops to communicate to His people.
For Hosea, talk about willingness to be an instrument of God.
For his kids, my initial reaction is how unfair for them to get such names, but then we already get a glimpse in verses 10 and 11 of how those names would turn into opportunities for redemption. I love the "great will be the day of Jezreel".
I personally wonder about the impact of the story of Hosea's life on his own children. What did they make of all this drama that they were wrapped up in?
Lastly, I love the Messianic reference in verse 11:
The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
Not only because of the reference to "one leader" but because the timing of that leader is linked to the unification of Israel (which the exile and return brought about).
Others?
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 28, 2008 20:30:13 GMT -8
Post by Margot on Aug 28, 2008 20:30:13 GMT -8
Recently I have been doing a lot of thinking about what God requires of me and how I am measuring up to that. This is not a faith/works thing, I am thinking more along the lines of how well I do at behaving in an upright manner and "walking humbly with my God." So, what struck me in Chp. 1 was the interaction between the Lord and Hosea. "Hosea, I would like you to act out the lame way in which Israel is behaving, okay? So just go take a prostitute for a wife, let her bear your children and we'll just see how things pan out..." Basically, let me use your entire life as an example. And his response? "So he went..." (1:3) Yikes!! What would my response be? "Well, let me do some thinking about how this would affect my plan, God. What will people say about me? What if they don't understand that I am just doing it for you? What about the Godly well-run little home I've always envisioned for myself? (Not!) And besides I don't even LIKE the name Jezreel....I was thinking more along the lines of "little David." You see where I am going with this. I am struck by Hosea's single mindedness. For all I know, he did struggle with this a lot---scripture doesn't tell us. But the point was, he followed through. He was willing to let God use his life in the most literal sense. I told my husband that I am feeling a lot like Peter these days. "Oh, Lord, I'll give my life for you!" Yeah--I'm cool with dying, just not with all the stuff that comes before that... These verses are especially interesting when you contrast them with the opening of Jonah, which is essentially the same scenario. God approaches Jonah and asks him to take action. Except guess who makes for the first ship outta town? Good stuff!
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 29, 2008 9:40:23 GMT -8
Post by Josh on Aug 29, 2008 9:40:23 GMT -8
Yeah, it's the dying daily that's the hard part.
You know, reading your thoughts and putting Hosea's situation into a personal application causes me to think it's probably a little too tempting for us all to see Hosea's situation as "unique" when in reality God is asking us all daily to walk in like manner. Living out the kingdom should be as shocking as Hosea's personal object lesson.
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 29, 2008 16:29:34 GMT -8
Post by Margot on Aug 29, 2008 16:29:34 GMT -8
Agreed. I have wondered how often God has asked me to walk a more difficult way simply because that is going to be the path that blesses others. I have to remind myself that I don't exist in a vaccuum. Hosea didn't just give up his desires to God, he also gave them up for Israel.
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 29, 2008 20:16:03 GMT -8
Post by michelle on Aug 29, 2008 20:16:03 GMT -8
It's "funny" how this corresponds with this book that I am reading called the Irresistible Revolution. The guy that wrote it decided that he needed to live amount the poor in order to truly be a follower of Christ. So he moved into inner city Philadelphia with a few other people and rents this house where the poor come in and out for food, clothes, shelter, etc. Between that and Hosea (and your conversations about it) it really makes me wonder about what God will ask (or is currently asking that I am not listening to) of me.
Verse 10 stuck out to me the most. "Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'" It made me think about the change in roles of Israel between the Old and New Testament. In the OT, Israel was the "chosen people". In the NT, they are the same as the gentiles. I think this is a foreshadowing of this. It's like they went from being the only child to the big brother/sister.
Are there good arguments for Hosea being either a historical story -v- an allegory?
|
|
|
Hosea 1
Aug 30, 2008 20:59:39 GMT -8
Post by Josh on Aug 30, 2008 20:59:39 GMT -8
Amen. And the union of Jews and Gentiles into Jesus' "one flock" is the only way this prophecy can be said to have come to pass (like the sand on the seashore).
It's debated, but I don't see any good reason to see this as an intended parable (as I might argue Jonah is). If it was a parable/allegory it'd be a bit strange because it would be an allegory within an allegory, huh?
|
|