HOSEA 12 – 13
Bible Study Notes Rev. Betsy Perkins
God’s Discipline
- How might a parent discipline a child who has broken an important agreement? Give some examples. What is the goal of discipline?
Need for Discipline (11:12-12:2):
- What does it looks like if someone “feeds on the wind” or “pursues the wind”? What does it mean the nation of Israel is doing? (See Ecclesiastes 1:14)
- How do people in our society “feed on the wind” or “pursue the wind”? What are they actually hungry for? Are there ways to help them recognize this?
- What is the problem that God is focusing on in these verses? (Can you recall what the name ‘Jacob’ means?)
- The words ‘punish’ and ‘repay’ sound harsh and vindictive. How are we to understand what God is going to do to Israel? (Read Hebrews 12:6)
“’For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives’ (Heb.12:6 NKJV). Chastening isn’t a judge inflicting punishment on a criminal in order to uphold the law. Rather, chastening is a loving parent disciplining his or her child in order to perfect his character and build his endurance. Punishment has to do with law, which is important, but chastening has to do with love, which is also important.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- What are examples of loving chastening/punishment that you have received?
An Example of Discipline (12:3-6):
- What were Jacob’s failures?
- How did God chasten/discipline Jacob?
- What does the story of Jacob have to teach the people of Israel in this moment?
- The name for God used in verse 5, El Shaddai or “God Almighty”, was the name revealed to Jacob after he had returned to Bethel, repented and recommitted himself to God – Read Genesis 35:9-15. What is the new name Jacob is given?
- In what ways is God inviting you to “struggle” with Him?
Reasons for Discipline (12:7-14):
- What sins does God point out in verses 7-8? Why is it a serious sin?
- What name for God is used in verse 9? When did God use that name in the past? What might God be reminding them of?
- What is the parable God is telling through Hosea’s life (verse 10)?
- What are the examples of God’s discipline given in verses 11-14?
- What prophet is Hosea referring to in verse 13?
- How can we stay away from the apathy, dishonesty, pride, idolatry and other terrible sins that brought the Israelites down? What do we have that they did not?
Correction for the Guilty (13:1-6):
- Compare Hosea 13:4 with Exodus 20:2-3. In what ways have the people broken the most basic agreement they made with God, the Ten Commandments?
- God concludes by explaining the path that led Israel to its downfall (verse 6). What were the steps on the way to their fall? How is this path still a problem today?
- How are the consequences in verse 3 fitting for those who have “pursued the wind”?
Discipline Measures (13:7-16):
- What analogies from nature does God use to describe what will happen to Israel in verses 7-8?
- Who would normally protect sheep from these predators? Who should be protecting the people of Israel?
- What analogy describes the tragic situation Israel finds itself in verse 13? How it that fitting?
- Hosea 13:14 reminds us of how Paul quotes this verse in 1 Corinthians 15:55. What is the difference between what Hosea meant and what Paul uses the words to explain?
The next statement, “I will have no compassion” supports our interpretation that Hosea 13:14 refers to judgment and not victory over the enemy. This doesn’t suggest that God no longer loved His people, because God’s love for His people is the major theme of this book. But the time had come for God to discipline the nation, for they had rejected every other manifestation of His love. “For I will not relent!” is the way The Living Bible states it. God revealed His love to Israel in His past mercies and now in His present disciplines.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- What will be the consequences for Israel breaking the covenant agreement with God (vs.15-16)? How does that make you feel? What is the lesson in this story for us?
In light of this passage and our discussion, what one truth about God and about yourself stand out as something to “take to heart” this week?
Are there steps you will take, by God’s grace, to more fully apply it to your life?
Resources: NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2015
J. Gordon McConville, Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets, Volume 4, 2002
Warren W. Wiersbe, BE Amazed: Restoring an Attitude of Wonder and Worship, 2010
Tim Mackie, The Bible Project, How to Read Hosea (RightNowMedia)
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