Reflections on Hosea 11-14

God will judge Israel for their sin.

Judgment – God will judge Israel for their sins. Assyria will come against them, and Israel will fall. God hates sin. Do you? Do you take it seriously? What sin in your life is God calling you to turn away from?
Return to the Lord – In chapter 14, God calls for Israel to return. If they do, God will restore them. Are there ways you need to return to the Lord? God calls them to walk in his ways. Are you?

Reflections on Hosea 8-10

Hosea is called to illustrate in his own life Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s love.

Righteousness or Iniquity – Hosea calls Israel to sow and reap righteousness and love, but instead they sow and reap iniquity and injustice (10:12-13). What are you sowing and reaping? How do you need to repent?
Eating Lies – Israel is eating the “fruit of lies” (10:13). What lies do you see in our culture? How is our culture eating the fruit of those lies? How are you tempted to do the same?

God wants Israel to seek and know Him, but they have turned away and refuse to return.

Sin – Hosea recounts some of their sin in 4: 2. They swear, lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery. The latter three you may avoid in practice, but what about your heart: do you hate or get angry, covet, or lust (Matthew 5:21:30)? And how do you use your tongue? Do you swear or curse? Do you lie or deceive? Is there sin in your life for which you need to repent?
Know God – God wants his people to love him, to know him in a real relationship (6:6). But Hosea makes clear that they do not know God (4:1, 6; 5:4). How well do you know God? Not about God – how well do you know him? Are you seeking to grow in your relationship with God? Will you press on to know Him (6:3)?

Hosea is called to illustrate in his own life Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s love.

Unfaithfulness – Hosea marries a wife who is unfaithful – a vivid picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. In what ways can we be unfaithful to God? How does this picture reveal the horror of our sin?
Redeemed – Hosea redeems his wife and brings her back home. God will judge his people, yet he promises restoration. Jesus redeems us from our unfaithfulness. A day is coming when peace and righteousness and faithfulness will reign, and we will know the Lord (2:18-20). Praise the Lord for his incredible love for us!

Jonah goes to preach to Nineveh, and then is angry when the people respond to his message.

Obedience – God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah ran the other way. After God got his attention, Jonah finally went even though he didn’t want to. Are you currently acting in disobedience? Are you obeying only because you feel like you have to? Or are you obeying out of love for God and people?
Mercy – Jonah is a story about mercy. God shows mercy first to Jonah, and then to Nineveh. But Jonah doesn’t think God should show mercy to Nineveh, and so he is angry. What about you? God has shown you great mercy. Are you willing to extend that mercy to others?

God called Jonah to preach to Nineveh, but Jonah runs the other way.

Salvation – Jonah tells the sailors to sacrifice him to the sea to calm the storm, but the sailors try to save themselves. Many people today try to save themselves instead of looking to the sacrifice of Jesus. Where are you looking for salvation?
Hope – From the belly of the great fish, Jonah prays with hope that God will yet save him. At the same time, he recognizes that there is no hope for those who worship idols (v8). Where do you look for hope? Are you looking to God with hope in the “belly” of your great trial?

Amos sees five visions of judgment, and then closes the book with the promise of restoration.

Word of God – God tells Israel that soon there will be a famine of hearing the Word of God (8:11-12). God has spoken again and again, but they would not listen. Soon God will stop speaking. What a terrible judgment! Do you listen when God speaks? Are you seeking his Word?
Booth of David – God promises that he will raise up the fallen house of David and usher in a great time of blessing (9:11-15). God has raised up Jesus, a descendent of David, and when Jesus returns, these blessings will arrive. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

God is sending judgment upon the nations, and especially Israel, because of their sins. He calls Israel to return to Him.

Oppression – Israel was condemned for their oppression of the poor. They were violent; they robbed, they oppressed, they crushed the poor. All the while, they were getting rich (3:10-4:1). Are there ways that you oppress the poor? How might you help them instead?
Religion Game – God also condemned the people for playing the religion game. They continued to offer sacrifices and keep feasts and sing praises, but they were not walking with God. God called them to walk in justice and righteousness (5:21-24); without these things their rituals are empty. Are you walking with justice and righteousness? Or are you just playing the religion game?
Return – Again and again, God disciplined Israel, but they refused to return to him (4:6-11). God called the people to seek the Lord that they may live (5:4-6). He told them to seek good, rather than evil, that they might live (5:14-15). But they refused to listen. How has God disciplined you? Are you listening? Are you seeking the Lord? Are there ways you need to change?

Three pretty good kings reign, followed by one evil king. Consider:

Prone to Wander – Amaziah did what was right in God’s eyes, but later he set up and worshipped Edom’s gods. Uzziah did what was right in God’s eyes, but later grew proud and entered the temple which he was not supposed to do. Are you persevering in your walk with God, or have you started to wander?
Need for Instructors – Uzziah set himself to seek the Lord and had Zechariah instruct him in the fear of God (26:5) – in the same way Joash had had Jehoida to instruct him. Are you seeking the Lord? Whose instruction are you seeking?

Kings and kingdoms come, and kings and kingdoms go. Note:

The Summary of Your Life – King after king comes onto the scene, reigns, and dies. And this book summarizes each one by only one standard – did he do right in the eyes of the Lord or evil in God’s sight? What matters most is your how you live in relation to God. How will your life be summarized? Even the kings who did right often had exceptions noted. Are there exceptions in your life you need to deal with?
Sin and Consequences – According to chapter 17, God dispersed the nation of Israel because they sinned against the Lord. Sin has consequences. Are you taking sin in your life seriously?