25 | Hosea | Study Guide

Questions 

1. Read Hosea 1:1–3. Why would God use Hosea’s marriage as a prophetic illustration? What does this tell us about how seriously God views idolatry? How might this command have felt to Hosea? 

2. Read Hosea 2:5–8. What does Israel mistakenly believe about the source of her blessings? How does God respond to her unfaithfulness? How do we sometimes credit blessings to things other than God? What are some examples of this?  

3. Read Hosea 3:1–2. What is significant about the command: “Love her as the Lord loves…”? Why does Hosea have to buy back his own wife? What does this teach us about the cost of redemption? What does this show us about the cost of our redemption in Christ? (See: Romans 5:8).  

4. Read Hosea 11:8–9. What emotions do you hear in God’s words? What does this reveal about God’s character? Do you struggle to believe God feels this way toward you?   

5. Read Ephesians 5:1–2. How should God’s love impact how we approach difficulties in our relationships? How can we draw strength from God’s love to empower us to walk through hard seasons in our relationships (marriage, parenting, friendships)? How does the gospel offer us resources to forgive, heal, repent, and reconcile?