Advent 2024 – Promises – Study Questions #2

Kyle Bartholic   -   December 5, 2024

Advent #2 – God’s Love Heals (Love)

Hosea 14:1-9 / Rom. 9:25   (CGS#2)

INTRODUCTION:  Advent is a season where we take time to both remember the coming and birth of Jesus and look forward to his second coming. We’re doing that this year by looking at promises of salvation that God made in the OT.

 

One of the things that we see in the larger pattern of the OT is the unfaithfulness of the people, which results in pain and suffering. Then they cry for help, and God meets them with mercy and salvation. This is cyclical in that it happens over and over again. It is especially pronounced in the book of Judges and throughout the Prophets. Hosea is one of those prophets who was given a specific ministry calling to call back God’s people who had turned to worshipping idols, particularly in the cult of Baal. Here is a brief overview of the book of Hosea. “He sees its (Cult of Baal) theology as wrong—giving credit to the Baals for what are gifts of Yahweh, who alone has the power to spark fertility (2:5, 8–9). He brands its sacrifices as futile, offered to the wrong gods in the wrong places for the wrong reasons (4:19; 5:7). He rejects its means of revelation as lifeless instruments that can discern neither the will nor word of God (4:12). He deplores its sexual acts, brazen blends of lust and magic (4:13–14). He denounces its leaders—priest, prophet, and king (4:4–5; 5:1). He mocks its hollowness—people kissing calves (13:2), adoring the products of their own craftsmen (8:6). He decries its savagery—the vicious sacrificing of little children (5:2). For all this he holds no-one but his own people responsible. No mention is made of Canaanite corruption; no blame is placed on foreign enticement. Both prophet and people had ample background in their covenant traditions to know that the cult was wrong.” [1]

Their issue is that of misplaced and disordered love. They looked to everything other than God to fulfill them and to protect them. The tragedy is that they will instead experience suffering and pain instead of hope and joy. Hosea’s message is clear, sin and idolatry bring brokenness, but the Lord brings salvation and love. In fact, that is how the book ends. Hosea implores the people to turn from idolatry and back to God, who loves them and is able to restore them. The truly beautiful thing in Hosea’s larger message is that God makes a promise to restore and redeem his people despite their current unfaithfulness. It is out of the lavishness of his love that this promise is made and kept. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, connects Hosea’s message to the reality of Jesus and God’s fulfilled promise through his Son. In Romans chapter 9, Paul talks about the beauty and depth of God’s grace and love that is offered for the Jews and, ultimately, for all people through Christ. God made a promise through the prophet Hosea, and he kept it through Christ. And that promise of rescue still stands today. We are a lot like ancient Israel in that we are drawn to follow the gods of our hearts and cultures. We look to insufficient things for sufficiency, and they never deliver on their promises. During Advent, we take time to remember God’s promise of salvation, and we realize that when we follow Jesus, our disordered love is reordered. And reordered love leads to a reordered life.

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What things are put in front of us this time of year that promise love, hope, and joy?  Many of those things are good but insufficient. Has there been a time in your life when you realized that truth?

 

IN THE WORD –   Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.

First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)

Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.

 

 

Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?

 

 

Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?

 

 

Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.

  1. What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
  2. Hosea’s message is about God’s faithful love in the face of our idolatry. What stands out to you about God’s love where he is patient with us but does not affirm or condone sin? Which direction do you tend to lean?
  3. The people during Hosea’s time worshipped a god named Baal. You won’t find that in Ames, but what are the other gods of Ames? What do we worship in our city?
  4. We all have idols in our lives. It isn’t just a “them” thing. What are some of the insufficient gods that linger in your heart and life?
    1. Take time to examine your life along the lines of how you spend your money, what do you invest your time into, or what is at the bottom of your biggest fears and uncontrolled emotions?
    2. Again, many of us will identify socially good and acceptable things like family, sports, careers, politics, etc. Those things don’t have to be idols, but they quickly become objects of worship.
  5. How might you rejoice in the joy of your salvation this week? As we rejoice in our salvation, our hearts are reordered as we remember God’s love that we’ve experienced through Jesus.

 

 

 

[1] David A. Hubbard, Hosea: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 24, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 29–30.