Pursue – Week 3

Prophets had 3 jobs: 

1. Preach 
2. Predict 
3. Perform 

Hosea’s story is really best broken up in three ways: 

1. The assignment 

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” Hosea 1:2

2. The Heartbreak 

“For this reason I will fence her in with thorn bushes.  I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way.7 When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Hosea 2:6-7

Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’ 8 She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has—the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal. Hosea 2:7-8

3. Redemption and reconciliation 

3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.” Hosea 3:1

2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. 3 Then I said to her, “You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me.”Hosea 3:2-3

4 This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols! 5 But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king Hosea 3:4-5

Next Steps 

• Return to God 
• Make Jesus your Savior 
• Devote yourself to Him