This was for the ETB SS lesson of Dec. 2, on Hosea chapters 1-3. (Sorry it's late, but the Christmas mail was slow :>)! God sets up an awesome object lesson in Hosea's life, relating to Israel's unfaithfulness to him (idolatry, adultery, you-name-it) and how faithfully He loves them despite of it all. It's interesting to see how God uses and chooses names to show what's going on in the culture that claims to -- but refuses to -- be faithful to Him. The parallels with our modern American "Christendom" are many -- may we not hesitate to seek Him and apply these lessons into our own lives!

3. Exposing a Broken
Relationship
Lesson Passages:
Hosea 1:1-2; 2:2-5; 3:1-5
Background Passage:
Hosea 1:1–3:5

4. 1. Something’s Not Right Here
(Hos. 1:1-2)
2. Your Sins Will Come Out
(Hos. 2:2-5)
3. Redemption Carries a Price
(Hos. 3:1-5)

6. Background of Hosea
..
Thru Hosea, God
was preparing
Israel to reflect on
His Love for them,
despite their lack
of Love toward
Him.

7. Background of Hosea
..
From Biblical Illustrator article “Introduction to the Book of Hosea”, Winter 1992

8. What God was preparing to do..
..
Hebrews 12:11 (LEB)
11 Now all discipline seems for the
moment not to be joyful but painful, but
later it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness for those who are trained by
it.

9. 1. Something’s Not Right Here (Hos. 1:1-2)
1
The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the
reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of
Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel. 2 When the LORD first spoke
to Hosea, He said this to him:
Go, marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for
the land commits blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the LORD.
God designed marriage to unite 1 man + 1 woman = 1 person
With creative identity, purpose in Him: 2  1, Plus Progeny to serve God
Prostitution or promiscuity is a ‘childless union’, not full-filling
Sex outside of marriage is a stagnant substitute for Love (true marital
relationship). Marriage without true relationship (love) is difficult.
Satan created artificial marriage, sex, relationships in ‘religious prostitution’,
which says: “People are free to do what they want, if ‘dedicated’ ”.
The ‘god’ in Satan’s ruse is Baal: productive, powerful but Person-less!
Israel, fooled, dived (diva’d) into ‘Baal’s’ false self-security & purposes
How hard would Hosea’s calling be, as estranged father to ‘fallout kids’?
Why did God choose this parallel?

10. 2. Your Sins Will Come Out (Hos. 2:2-5)
1
[Hosea,] call your brothers, ‘My People’ and your sisters, ‘Compassion’.
2
Rebuke your mother; rebuke her. For she is not My wife and I am not
her husband. Let her remove the promiscuous look from her face and
her adultery from between her breasts. 3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked
and expose her as she was on the day of her birth. I will make her like a
desert and like a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst. 4 I will have
no compassion on her children because they are the children of
promiscuity. 5 Yes, their mother is promiscuous; she conceived them and
acted shamefully. For she thought, “I will go after my lovers, the men
who give me my food and water, my wool and flax, my oil and drink.”
What are some fallouts to children of adulterers /prostitutes’ faked
love?
How should a loving spouse react to adultery in the house?
Here Hosea announces God’s call for His children (as his own, literally)
to confront their sins of bearing children for hire – faking ‘love’ for bread.
Historically, children would ‘intervene on’ their mom, if she was so Vain.
What is confession? Why is it vital to each man’s relationship to God?

11. 3. Redemption Carries a Price (Hos. 3:1-5) (HCSB)
1
Then the LORD said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is
loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the LORD loves the
Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I
bought her for 15 shekels of silver and five bushels of barley. 3 I said to
her, “You must live with me many days. Don’t be promiscuous or belong
to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.” 4 For the Israelites
must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred
pillar, and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward, the people of
Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king.
They will come with awe to the LORD and to His goodness in the last
days.
:3 Why does God say just “a woman”?
God sought Israel, though she was NOT faithful to Him
(This foretold post-exile deafening silence until Christ would come...).
Deafened Silence confronts apostate/ sleeping churches today (Rev.2-3)
Then Christ, by God’s will, served Israel FIRST, to bring her back to Him
What price was paid by Hosea? By Christ?
This tells the future return of Israel to HIM, with true believers’ Love.

12. (Backups)

13. Background of Hosea
..

14. 3. Redemption Carries a Price (Hos. 3:1-5)
1
Then said the Lord to me, Go again, love a woman who is beloved of a
paramour and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of
Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins [in sacrificial
feasts of idol worship]. 2 So I bought her for 15 pieces of silver plus 1 1/2
homers of barley [a slave]. 3 And I said to her, You shall be [betrothed] to
me for many days; you shall not play the harlot, and you shall not belong to
another man. So will I also be to you [until you have proved your loyalty to
me, and our marital relations may be resumed]. 4 For the children of Israel
shall dwell and sit deprived many days, without king or prince, without
sacrifice or [idolatrous] pillar, and without ephod or teraphim (household
gods). 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their
God, and [from the line of] David, their King [of kings]; and they shall come
in [anxious] fear to the Lord & His goodness & good things in the latter
days.
Why “a woman”? “No longer…” Yet God seeks her, even though she is as
‘just another person’, un-committing to any relationship with Him.
(This foretold post-exile deafening silence until Christ came...).
Then Christ, by God’s will, served Israel FIRST, to bring her back to Him
It also foretells the future for Israel’s return to HIM. Deafened Silence
confronts apostate/ sleeping churches today(Rev.2-3)