Study 2: Hosea's contribution to our understanding of God (chapter 4 to 14)

Divide the students into 3 groups.
Get everyone to listen to Hosea chapter 4 to 14 here.
As they listen, get each group to pick out what Hosea says about the following themes:
1) the lack of the knowledge of God- no real knowing/intimacy.
2) the folly/ foolishness of ingratitude- in the face of unchanging love.
3) the futility of mere religion- compared to right relating. (Outward shows of religious practices)
(Taken from Old Testament Survey published by William B Eerdman)
Get the groups to discuss and summarise what they have learnt about each theme.
Get them to present what they have learnt and include the key points from these (1), (2) and (3) posters.

How does what we think about God affect our everyday behaviour?

Kdrama illustration
In the kdrama Secret, Kang Yoo-jung sacrifices her future by going to prison in place of her then-boyfriend, Do-hoon after he kills a woman in a hit-and-run accident. But in exchange for her devotion, he shows extreme ingratitude and abandons her. The pain that she goes through, in some respects, illustrates the grief God experiences when we worship idols. But unlike her, who hurts because she has lost something, God hurts because we have lost something when we abandon Him.

To go further consider this video, 

How has Ravi Zacharias used the story of Hosea to challenge our thinking about God? Click here for part 2.