week of 10/18

Unit 14  Session 3

RECONCILIATION

HOSEA 1:2-3 ; 2:19-20, 23 ; 3:1-5 ; 14:1-4

 

Key Concept:

God in His grace reconciles with His sinful people.

Though he is often listed as a minor prophet in the Bible based on the length of his book, Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah for many decades. Through Hosea's life and message, God presented His case against Israel, stating, "There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another" (Hos. 4:1-2). God used Hosea's family as a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness to Himself, comparing their relationship with that of a husband and an unfaithful wife.

As you read Hosea 1:1-2 ; 2:19-20, 23 ; 3:1-5 ; 14:1-4:

 

✞   Contemplate the difficult call of God upon Hosea to marry a 

    promiscuous woman and his willingness to obey.

     

✞   Rejoice in the example of Hosea and the greater reality of the

    faithful love and reconciliation found in Christ.

week of 10/12

Unit 14  Session 2

REPENTANCE

jonah 3:4-10 ; 4:1-2, 6-11

 

Key Concept:

God is merciful to forgive when people repent, and He desires His people to be merciful as well.

Jonah, a contemporary of Amos and Hosea, was a prophet of Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II, who did evil in the Lord's eyes. Yet the Lord spoke graciously to Israel through Jonah in order to help them (2 Kings 14:25-27). God also commanded Jonah to go and proclaim judgment against Ninevah, the capital city of Assyria. But Jonah fled in the opposite direction. Through a series of circumstances orchestrated by God, Jonah found himself in the belly of a large fish and then back on dry land. God gave Jonah a second chance, and this time Jonah obeyed, going to Ninevah to preach the message the Lord gave him.

As you read Jonah 34-10 ; 4:1-2, 6-11:

 

✞   Recognize that because the Ninevites fasted and repented, God relented 

    in His judgment and spared the city.

     

✞   Contemplate Jonah's reason for fleeing from the Lord's mission - he knew

    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

week of 10/5

Unit 14  Session 1

RESURRECTION

2 KINGS 4:18-22 ; 24-25 ; 28-37

 

Key Concept:

God has the power to overcome death.

The prophet Elijah's ministry ended when he was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha, his successor, wen to Shunem, where he met " a prominent woman" who fed him and provided him a place to stay whenever he came that way. In response, Elisha desired to help her in some way. He learned she had no offspring and her husband was aging. Aside from the general desire to bear children, if she were to become a widow with no offspring, the Shunammite woman would be vulnerable and likely oppressed. Therefore, Elisha prophesied that in one year she would have a son, and it came to pass, just as Elisha had promised.

As you read 2 Kings 4:18-22; 24-25; 28-37:

✞   Recognize that when her son died, the Shunammite woman 

    knew to seek God through His prophet.

     

✞   Consider that both the woman and Elisha needed to persist 

    in their hope in the resurrection.