This Is the Old Testament is part of a twelve-week thematic overview of the entire Bible. Each day we’ll read a thematic selection from a different book or two of the Bible, along with supplemental passages that show how the theme of that day’s main reading is found throughout Scripture. We’ll also read a brief summary of each book and a reflection on how the book fits into the larger story of Scripture. This week, we’ll continue looking at the genres of Major and Minor Prophets.
What Is Hosea? The book of Hosea recounts how God used the prophet Hosea’s personal life as a representation of Israel’s repeating cycles of sin, repentance, and redemption. This book contrasts the relentless faithfulness of God with the repeated unfaithfulness of His people.
How Hosea Fits Into the Story: Hosea compares the relationship between God and His people to the real-life marriage of Hosea and Gomer, drawing a parallel between spiritual and marital unfaithfulness. In buying Gomer’s freedom, Hosea pointed ahead to God’s love perfectly expressed in Christ, who bought the freedom of His bride, the Church, with His own life. Like a marriage partner, God is deeply involved in our lives and pained when we go our own way. Often, God’s people have failed to demonstrate wholehearted love and faithfulness to Him, but nothing can quench God’s love for us.
Reflection Questions:
1. Look back to your reading on day 25. How does the portrayal of an ideal relationship in Song of Songs inform your reading of Hosea 6?
2. How does today’s reading shape your understanding of the story of redemption?
Take time to reflect on your responses and share what you are learning with others in the community in the comments.
Hosea is such a comfort to me as I pray every day for the Lord to continue to pursue my wayward children who have turned their backs on the Savior of their youth. My youngest daughter’s choices just break my heart every day, but I know that God is bigger and mightier than anything the World has to offer. I just love when I hear testimonies of people who say they were drawn to God and felt like they could not resist Him. Growing up in a Christian home and never being one to rebel against my Christian upbringing, I never really experienced that feeling, but instead just naturally grew into my faith. I am grateful that I was spared the sadness and regret from a rebellious life, but now that I see my own “raised in a Christian home” children turning from the Truth that they have heard their entire lives, I am so very grateful for God’s relentless pursuit of them.
That is such a comforting thought. I have a very similar experience. A daughter who is a missionary, a son who is my prodigal. Good reminder of God’s faithful pursuit of him.
Praying for your children, Laura and for you as you pray that the Spirit will give you the words to speak to God and to your children.
Song of Songs, I believe, showed faithful, unbridled love which is what my relationship with God should be. The reality? Hosea. I regularly am forgiven and then go after my own idols again and again (money, importance, saving face, etc.). Then God pulls me back and cleanses me from all my sins to give me the chance to start again…and again…and again. What a lavishly merciful Father!
Love this!
Well I talked to the guy yesterday about just being friends, and it went well! I hope I was clear enough, but I think I was…if not he can ask me later. He was really nice about it and is still down to be friends, so I’m really grateful for that. I think the Lord is teaching me how to interact with guys and not be afraid of them haha, cause I have tended to get nervous around them in in the past. It’s all a learning experience and showing me what I would want in a future spouse. Thankful that although relationships are beautiful gifts from God, Jesus is the only one who truly satisfies. Even if I only have Jesus, he is more than enough. No one can “complete” me. Jesus is enough. I know he knows my desire for a relationship, and I surrender that to him. It’s all in his hands. Thankful for a God who is always faithful and will never leave us!
Good on you!
Wonderful Sarah!
So thankful for the relentless faithfulness of God. Thank you, Father!
Such a perfect way of explaining it! I had hoped others had read that book!
So many lovely thoughts this morning in the comments.
“Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge Him.
As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.” 6:3
I love the reminder of God’s persistence. How unworthy we are that He continues to offer love and grace. He is like the sunrise and the seasons – consistent, dependable and beautiful.
Sitting outside this morning in the cool before the heat reflecting on the grace of God. Thankful for Him.
One last thing – if anyone hasn’t heard of it, there’s an incredible novel written by Francine Rivers called Redeeming Love. It’s inspired by the book of Hosea and was written after the author became a Christian. I’d recommend it with the reminder that God pursues us despite the sin patterns in our life.
Great is His faithfulness!
I would highly recommend reading Hosea then reading Francine Rivers book Redeeming Love. She captures the depth of God’s love and forgiveness and His pursuit of us in our waywardness like no other author I have ever read.
I just finished re-reading that this summer and my husband just read it for the first time. It is so powerful in its truth. I second that recommendation!
One of my favorite books!
Great recommendation, thank you Lbug!
Excellent book!
I love the description here: “ How Hosea Fits Into the Story: Hosea compares the relationship between God and His people to the real-life marriage of Hosea and Gomer, drawing a parallel between spiritual and marital unfaithfulness. In buying Gomer’s freedom, Hosea pointed ahead to God’s love perfectly expressed in Christ, who bought the freedom of His bride, the Church, with His own life. Like a marriage partner, God is deeply involved in our lives and pained when we go our own way. Often, God’s people have failed to demonstrate wholehearted love and faithfulness to Him, but nothing can quench God’s love for us.”
Such an awesome parallel… an earthly relationship and a heavenly relationship. I love how God pursues us!! It makes me want to have an even more intimate relationship with God than I do.. this also puts me in mind of a quote by T. Austin Sparks:
“It is true to our experience and true to principle, that very often God does His biggest things in the hour when the instrument is at its weakest, and consciously so.”
SO much good in today’s scriptures too!! Hosea 6:3 was probably my favorite though!
MAURA, Isaiah 50 was short but it packed a PUNCH!! The only thing I kept thinking when I read it was CONFIDENCE!!! Confidence in God, confidence in who Isaiah knew he was in the Lord, confidence in standing up to the enemy (and in some places actually challenging it to come forward and defend itself!) and the confidence of FAITH!!! Wow!!!! SO much to take in here!!! Lord, in the way You want me to, help me to have confidence like this!! Amen!
Hope all you wonderful ladies have an extremely blessed day FULL of the confidence and love of God!! He is with us all on each of our journeys!! ❤️