Hosea 11:12-12:14 | Food for Thought
Questions
In one versre, God says that Judah (the southern kingdom) still walks with the him. A few verses later, God says that he has an indictment against Judah. How can this be?
Is it possible for someone to be considered a faithful follower of the Lord, and yet still have some areas in which that person is falling short of God’s ideal?
How does your answer to this question shape the way you view yourself, what you think the Lord thinks of you, and how you go about relating to him?
How does the gospel bring clarity, assurance, and room for growth here
Hosea brings up Jacob in this passage. When he does, it’s more than likely a way of referring to all of God’s people (not just Ephraim / Israel in the north and Judah in the south). Both kingdoms share a common ancestor with whom God made a promise of land and legacy. Jacob was sought by God, wrestled with family and the Lord, and had to leave the land in search of sanctuary. What does God say to Jacob in verse 6 (allusion to Genesis 28:15)?
Why would the Lord want to remind Judah of this particular part of Jacob’s story? What does this say about the indictment that the Lord might have against Judah?
Read Genesis 28:15. What promises are underneath / around / in front of this call for Judah to return home? Why would Hosea have reframed God’s words a little differently here in this context?
Ephraim / Israel to the north seems to think of itself as someone who can’t be indicted, because there’s nothing in them that could be called out. How is the way they think about themselves and the things they’ve “acquired” even worse than an oppressive merchant?
How is that different from what Hosea has shared of Jacob’s own story that’s riddled with flaws and failures?
Does being susceptible to sin eliminate the promises of God?
How is acknowledging the possibility of flaws and failures in our life actually required for us to get God’s promises in Christ?
How are we prone to see everyone else’s indictments and not our own?
Hosea wraps up this section by talking about prophets and alluding to Jacob and Moses. Their stories with God’s people both involved being forced to seek santuary elsewhere, being placed under hard labor once they arrived, and being guarded / tended / cared for all along the way by the Lord. What role did the words of God through the prophets tend to their people while they were away from home in hard conditions?
How is exposing sin and idolatry actually a way in which God might guard his people?
Why would Hosea choose to talk about these stories here, in light of Ephraim’s pending judgment and Judah’s warnings?
How has Ephraim responded to the Lord? How does Hosea hope Judah will respond?
How should we then respond to the words of the Lord? What prophetic words should we long for: the ones that probe us, or the ones that probe everyone else?
How does the gospel free us to have conversations, read the bible, relate with others, etc. in a way that makes room for honest, loving words that do both of those things?
How are we prone to think of other Christians as if we’re the “good” brother and they’re the “bad” one?