Study 5: Hosea in the New Testament

In pairs look at these passages from Hosea in context and look for the equivalent passages in the New Testament (examine the context in the New Testament) Distribute one verse per pair:

*"Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him." (Hosea 6:1-2)

*"Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes." (Hosea 13:14).

* "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6)

*Paul continues with a quote from Hosea 1-3, backing up what he just said. As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'" "And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'" (Romans 9:25-26) Click here for a possible reading.

*"And the altars of On, the sins of Israel, shall be taken away: thorns and thistles shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us." (Hosea 10:8)

(For more Old Testament verses found in the New Testament click here)

Share what you have learnt from each verse. 
Discuss as a group:
What does this reveal about God's love through the ages?

What have you learnt about Jesus?

Kdrama Illustration

The kdrama Secret Garden, is a Cinderella story between Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-Won) a stuntwoman and Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin) a high-end department store CEO (a modern-day prince charming). They do a body-swap whenever there is a thunderstorm. When Ra-im falls into a coma because of an accident on a filmset, Joo-won sacrifices his life for hers. He is the epitome of love when he induces a body swap with her comatose state by purposely driving into a thunderstorm. The story of Hosea is a story of God's love and the epitome of His love is evident in Christ's sacrificial love.