Minor Prophets

1.1.1. Sands on the seashore? What does this phrasing remind you of? (Gen 22:17)

1. This is a separate covenant that God made with Abraham
   
   1. God ALWAYS upholds His end of the deal
      
2. God made a separate covenant with Israel at Mt. Sianai
   
   1. Israel broke this one :(
      

1.1.2. Israel will be reunited under one leader.

1. It will be like the glory days again.
   
   1. Who is this? (It’s Jesus)
      

1.1.3. Great day of Jezreel. is an example of God’s unending mercy. There was a significant amount of bloodshed that happened there. Jezreel means God will sow.

1.1.4. Descendants of Israel of course refers not just to those of Jewish heritage, but will include all the Gentiles through the faith.

1.1.5. Read Romans 9:14 - 26

1. Note that Paul quotes Hosea in verse 26.
   
2. Takeaway, God is just. The people of Israel deserved the destruction they agreed to in their covenant.
   
3. However, God is abounding in mercy. He always tries to show mercy to his chosen.
   
4. That is us. Remember we don’t deserve mercy, but God shows it anyway. Pay it forward.
   

1.2.1. On the surface.

1. We see Hosea tell his children to rebuke their mother.
   
2. She is breaking her marriage vows. She also is selling her body for material things, and giving credit to her lovers for providing all she needs.
   
3. Hosea is threatening to publicy shame her, throw her out, and strip her of her posessions.
   
4. I.E. if you don’t act like a wife, I won’t act like a husband.
   

1.2.2. Hosea is like God here. God loves his people but that doesn’t mean he’s going to just ignore their idolatry and sin.

1.2.3. Israel is giving credit for the rain, harvets of fruit and olives, and abundant livestock to Baal, instead of God.

1.2.4. Ask a question - Who are the children in this metaphor?

1. We are the children. The Lord’s faithful. Our job is to call out and rebuke sin!
   

1.2.5. Second question. Is it loving to call someone out? Emphasize that in today’s time, we’re generaly criticized for being ’hateful’ and intolerant. Is this true?

1. Is it more loving to let someone destroy their lungs smoking? (No they will likely get cancer)
   
2. Is it more loving to pretend you don’t see your friend shoplifting? (No, one day they may get caught and face jail time)
   
3. etc
   

1.2.6. God calls us out on our sin rather than ignoring it. How is that loving? (Because our sin separates us from Him. Which is terrible)

1.3.1. What’s the metaphor?

1. Israel is going to be taken off into captivity.
   
   1. And they will not be able to take their false gods with them.
      
   2. God had good reason to tell them to tear down Ashera poles and destroy temples.
      
2. Luke 15:17 - The prodigal son reflects that his fathers servants were better off than he was.
   
3. They will realize that things were better off before. In Caanan, and even in the wilderness.
   

1.3.2. How does this relate to us?

1. Sometimes sins have their bitter consequences. God doesn’t always rescue us from the consequences, because they turn us back to him
   
2. We don’t often bow down to idols, so what are some examples and their consequences:
   
   1. Cheat on homework, you’ll fail the exam.
      
   2. Skip out on home practice for sports, you’ll embarass yourself on the field.
      

1.4.1. Deuteronomy 8:10 -11 Moses warns the Israelites that they’re about to inherit a very good land. It may become easy to forget that it’s not them or the land but god who provides it.

1.4.2. In typical human religious fashion, peple are supposed to do something for god and in return he does something for them.

1. This is the parallel to Gomer taking lovers to earn her rewards
   

1.4.3. Of course we know where all these goods really came from (They come from God)

1.4.4. 2 Kings 17:25 - After Israel was taking into captivity God withdrew is blessings. Lions came up and attacked the invading people.

1.4.5. Takeaway: It’s sometimes easier to remember and be faithful to God in times of trouble. In times of plenty, it can be easy to lose sight of God.

1. Which situation are you in right now?
   
2. Do you credit God for your blessings, yourself, or something else?
   

1.5.1. Verse 16. Interesting note, Baal worship had become so prevalent that people would call God My Baal. (Baal meaning master)

1.5.2. Valley of Anchor - Anchor means disaster.

1. It’s where Achan (Joshua 7) as stoned after stealing goods from Jericho.
   
2. It represented trouble as a result of disobedience, and God looks to transform something like that into a symbol of Israel’s deliverance.
   

1.5.3. God shows an illustration of a husband ’winning back’ his unfaithful wife.

1. God doesn’t just demand it
   
2. He meets the people where they’re at
   
3. He is always looking forward to when we repent.
   

1.5.4. Takeaway: God is just, but is always joyfully looking forward to when we return to Him.

1.6.1. Sin has caused disharmony

1. Between man and nature (Ask for examples)
   
2. Between other humans (Ask for examples: War, injustice, violence, etc)
   
3. Between man and God (Examples: )
   

1.6.2. God will bring an end to all this disharmony one day( Judgement day )

1.7.1. God represents a reversal of Israels fortunes by renaming his children

1.7.2. Gos promises Israel better fortunes in a physical sense:

1. Should we expect the same for us (No, Jesus is not an earthly king. His blessings are spiritual)
   
2. God will still provide, but he does not promise to make us rich.
   

1.8.1. Apparently if a man’s wife leaves him and marries another, according to old testament law (Deuteronomy 24:1-5)

1.8.2. But God illustrates love again by showing how He is willing to be unreasonably faithful.

1. He not only takes them back but continues to provide for them during thier unfaithfulnesses
   

1.8.3. Hosea purchases Gomer back. What parallel does this draw? (Jesus purchasing us back from the devil)

1.8.4. In verse 4 what is being said?

1. The Israelites will be unable to sacrifice at all. TO either God or Baal.
   
2. Now they can’t partake in worshiping the true God. Why might He do this?
   
   1. To demonstrate the true nature of worshiping Him.
      
   2. It’s about your heart, not the sacrifices or even your own good works.
      
   3. God saves freely regardless of what we do to try and ’earn it’
      

1.9.1. All of Israel is being held accountable.

1.9.2. THey failed to love God

1.9.3. They failed to love one another.

1.9.4. Leviticus 26: 14-16, 19, 20

1. I’ll make the sky like iron and the ground like bronze
   
2. Your efforts will be spent in vain
   

1.9.5. God sets forth moral and physical laws

1. Nature obeys HIM first and foremost
   
2. Which is ironic since the fertility gods were supposed to control things like weather
   
3. Do we often forget these things in our daily lives. We often think things like good weather are just a given (cause and effect) rather than a blessing
   

1.10.1. 4-5 Are hard to understand

1.10.2. 6-9 are clearly aimed at the priests

1. Malachi 2:7
   
2. The priests, as sprititual servants of the Lord bear a special responsibility
   
3. When the people of Israel live immoral lives, they are to blame. But it reflects badly on the spiritual leadership for leading them astray.
   
4. The other spiritual leaders are the prophets.
   
   1. Though at the time quite a few of the prophets and priests were preaching false doctrines
      
   2. Jeremiah 2:8
      
5. THey have clearly lost / forgotten much spiritual knowledge. Forgetting is no excuse, especially since they once had the truth and let it slip.
   
   1. Am I guilty of doing this as well? We have Bibles, how often do I read mine?
      

1.10.3. On the other hand. Faithful pastors / teachers tell us what is true.

1. They call us to repent.
   
2. They call us to remember God’s grace.
   
3. THey call us to spread the news of forgiveness.
   
4. We should be on our guard and hope that God gives us good teachers so we don’t lose sight of what’s important.
   

1.11.1. The people gain no satisfaction from indluging in eating and drinking, since it is done as part of Baal worship.

1.11.2. They feast, sacrifice to idols, and have intercourse as part of this religion.

1. God will not ’answer these prayers’ since they’re doing detestful things, and worse yet offering to a false god.
   
2. (personal note) There seems to be a few common themes among man-made religions.
   
   1. They’re contractual. I do this thing, in exchange you do this other thing. The attitude in false religions is that I must do something good enough to please god so that he blesses me.
      
   2. God demanded sacrifices as well. But it’s never in exchange. It’s meant to offer self-reflection. God has ALREADY blessed me with these things. Sacrificing to Him is an act of trust that He is already willing to continue to bless me. God never says that he blesses us BECAUSE we sacrifice.
      
      1. There seems to be a common idea among false religions that again focuses on the person giving. Better outcomes follow better sacrifices. So it “logically” follows that the greatest sacrifice you can make is a human
         
   3. An easy rule of thumb to judge whether someone is a false teacher is to look at how well (or rather how poorly) they deny earhly pleasures:
      
3. The common practice was that families would travel to the Baal shrines. The children would see their bad examples and become temple prostitutes. Exodus 20:5 doesn’t mean that if the father sins, the children pay for it.
   
   1. It’s a warning, that parent’s will lead their children astray by their actions.
      
   2. How is this applicable in your everyday life?
      

1.12.1. The Lord’s message is for the Southern Kingdom as well as the Northern one. Like father’s leading their children astray, the nations have an impact on how the other behaves. God is warning them, do not follow their example.

1.12.2. Several formerly Holy Places are now places of idol worship

1. Gilgal, where the first passover after coming to Caanan is now a place to worship idols.
   
2. Bethel (meaning house of God) is apparently where God appeared to Jacob where he saw angels coming up and down from Heaven.
   
   1. This is now one of Jeroboam’s places he selected for the calf shrines.
      
   2. Hosea calls it Beth Aven (House of wickedness)
      
3. These shrines are on the border of the northern kingdom to entice people from both lands to worship. Hosea warns both kingdoms not to do so.
   

1.12.3. The children of Israel no longer have the right to swear oaths in God’s name, since they hardly even know who He is anymore.

1.12.4. The children of Israel are like a stubborn cow. Their rituals are failing to produce the intended effect. Instead of giving up on it and realizing the futility of their ’worship’, they double down.

1.12.5. Judah (the souther kingdom) will fail to learn from the demise of the northern kingdom.

1. The assyrians will destroy the country, and later after their fall, the Babylonians will do the same to the Southern Kingdom.
   

1.12.6. They failed to learn from history. Are we so foolish as to do the same?

1. Question: What are some similar forms of idolatry in our church, country, world, etc.?
   

1.13.1. God wants to restore Israel, but the people refuse to turn to Him.

1.13.2. They do not address the crime riddling their cities. Instead they seem to take pride in it

1.13.3. Lesson: Be careful not to becomes bored of teachings about sin. You hear it all the time, but it is a serious problem.

1.13.4. The law is important, we must repent of sins before we turn to God for forgiveness.

1.14.1. Imagery of bread. They burn on the bottom, where it is unseen.

1. Similarly, Israel appears outwardly to be like any other nation, which is completely against their calling to represent the Lord on earth.
   
2. Lesson: Does that sound like us at all?
   

1.14.2. Israel also turns to Assyria and Egypt rather than God, their true deliverer.

1. Israel is paying a ridiculous amount of tribute to Assyria for protection.
   
2. It isn’t going well, but they continue doing it.
   
3. They try giving tribute to Egypt instead, Assyria punishes them for it by taking land.
   
4. Later they stop paying tribute, Assyria then invades Israel and deports all the Israelites as slaves.
   
5. verse 14, gather together could also be they slash themselves (Baal worship)
   

1.15.1. Blowing the horn illustrates similar to a watchman

1.15.2. Eagle is the same word as vulture elsewhere. It is a bird of prey ready to swoop down on Israel.

1.15.3. Calls out disobedience. Setting up kings aside from God’s appointed lineage. ANd worshiping idols

1. Idols are anything you turn to first in a time of need. (Is it always God?)
   

1.17.1. Sacrifices with no faith.

1.17.2. Also sacrifices on Baal altars

1.17.3. God will punish them by figuratively sending them back to Egypt.

1. Note the parallelism
   
2. Egypt line 1. Assyria line 2
   

1.17.4. 1 Corinthians 10:11-12

1. Let the example serve asa reminder. Do not be too sure of your footing lest you fall.
   
2. Satan tempts us to follow the morality of the world around us.
   
3. Satan tempts us to rely on other things than God.
   

1.17.5. 1 Corinthians 10:13-14

1. God doesn’t tempt beyond what you can bear.
   
2. Flee from idolatry