Hosea, kdrama and students

(Students created their own bible studies on the whole book of Hosea in 2015. This material is a modified version of what they did. The students were also big fans of kdrama so I've tried to draw illustrations from their interest.)

One of the issues faced by Uni students as they tried to approach the book by examining the themes, genre, history, motifs and structural elements of the book is that the whole bible study became too academic, more like a comprehension exercise. This revision is attempt to correct that by focusing on the question "Is the bible, the book of Hosea, relevant to life today and how?"

The importance of seeing the bible as both God-inspired(Divine) and written in real language and real history (Human) for biblical interpretation can be found here.

Mary Garvin in "Bible Study can be Exciting," writes about nine changes that occur through a small-group Bible study experience.
1. A movement from self-centredness to care for others.
2. A movement from doubt about self to trust of self.
3. A movement from irresponsibility to a sense of responsibility for self and others.
4. A movement from secrecy to sharing.
5. A movement from unfreedom to freedom.
6. A movement from mistrust to trust.
7. A movement from the need to receive ministry to a concern to give ministry.
8. A movement from a closed mind to a mind open to learning.
9. A movement from hatred of self, others and God, to a love of self, others and God.

In short, as we learn more about God through His Word, we expect to have our lives, individually and together, transformed more into His likeness. Accumulating facts, unlike in some fields of academic study, is not the main point of bible study. Yet, we need to be more familiar with the teachings of the Bible than the dramas we watch online...because God's word is what we meditate on and ponder to deepen our relationship with God, each other and the world.