HOSEA 6 – 7
Bible Study Notes Rev. Betsy Perkins
Israel’s Appeal is Rejected
- Many times a person who is convicted in a trial will appeal the conviction. On what basis might someone seek an appeal? Can you recall any examples?
Israel’s Regret (6:1-3):
- What is your first impression in reading this statement to the court by Israel?
- What does this appeal get right? What goes wrong in this appeal?
“What went wrong with this ‘confession’? To begin with, their concern was for healing and not for cleansing. They saw their nation in difficulty and wanted God to ‘make things right,’ but they did not come with broken hearts and surrendered wills. They wanted happiness, not holiness, a change of circumstances, but not a change in character. Many times in my own ministry I’ve met people in trouble who treated God like a celestial lifeguard who should rescue them from danger but not deliver them from their sins. They shed tears of remorse over their suffering, but not tears of repentance over their sin.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- What are signs of the shallowness of Israel’s repentance and request? How is it transactional rather than transformational?
Furthermore, the people of Israel thought that the remedy would work quickly: ‘After two days will he revive us; in the third day he will raise us up.’ What blind optimism! They were like the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day who offered the nation superficial remedies but never got to the heart of the problem. They were like physicians putting suntan lotion on a cancerous tumor instead of calling for drastic surgery. Expecting a ‘quick fix’ is one of the marks of an unrepentant heart that doesn’t want to pay the price for deep cleansing (Ps.51:17).” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- Are there things that you have been asking God to rescue you from without asking God if there is a deeper change that needs to happen first? Read Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, then take some time in silent prayer and/or use Psalm 51 in meditative prayer. Is there a change of heart that needs to come before a change of circumstances – in yourself? in the church? in the nation? How can you sincerely begin that process?
A False Repentance Exposed (6:4-11):
- What is God’s initial response to Israel’s appeal in verses 4-5?
- In verse 6 God tells them what He is really looking for – what is it?Read that verse in as many translations as possible.
- What are the ways in which believers today try to replace sincere, loyal love for God and a deep knowledge of God with superficial rituals? Are you ever guilty of this? How can we give God what God desires?
Israel’s True Heart Exposed (7:1-16):
- In order to be truly healed and restored, Israel’s sin and crimes against God and one another must be exposed. How does the exposure of wrongdoing in a trial help to bring healing?
- What does God expose about Israel’s true heart in verses 3-7?
“Their passion for sin was like a fire in an oven: bank the fire at night and it will be ready to blaze out in the morning. The oven was so hot that the baker could ignore it all night and know it would be ready for baking his bread in the morning. The ‘fuel’ for the fire was wine, for alcohol and sin often go together.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- What does God expose about Israel’s true heart in verses 8-10? What are the two images that Israel/Ephraim is compared to?
A half-baked loaf: “The nomadic people of the East baked their bread on hot rocks. If the dough wasn’t turned, one side of the loaf would be burned and the other side uncooked. Instead of remaining separate from the nations, Israel mixed with the nations and became like them. Because of her compromising political posture, the nations was ‘burned’ by Assyria on one side and left uncooked on the other. When it comes to our relationship with the Lord, we must be thorough and not ‘half-baked’. His gracious work must permeate our whole being so that heart, mind, and strength are all devoted to Him. Compromise with the world leads to unbalanced conduct and immature character.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
A man in arrogant denial of his aging: “By mixing with the nations and ignoring the Lord, the nation was secretly losing her strength, like someone getting older and weaker but in her pride refusing to admit it. This is the tragedy of undetected losses that quietly led to ultimate failures. Samson made this mistake (Jdg.16:20) and so did the church in Laodicea (Rev.3:17). Israel saw her political strategy failing, but the leaders still refused to turn to the Lord.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- What does God expose about Israel’s true heart in verses 11-13? What is the image this time?
- What does God expose about Israel’s true heart in verses 14-16? What are the images used to illustrate the problems?
“God had called Israel and trained them, so they should have been able to ‘hit the target’. But because they had strayed from the Lord, rebelled against Him, lied to Him (in their feigned repentance), and refused to call upon Him, they could not win the battle.” ~ Warren Wiersbe
- Do any of these descriptions fit the heart of parts of the church or nation today? Do any of these descriptions fit your heart?
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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