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Join us as we study through Hosea 11 verse by verse. Our discussion questions, verse by verse commentary, and applications can help you or your small group get the most out of this book as you grow in understanding and obedience.

Hosea 11 Bible Study and Questions – Loving Father and Reluctant Judge

Outline

I. God takes care of Israel like a child (1-4)
II. God’s justice and compassion (5-9)
III. Israel will finally be regathered (10-12)

I. God takes care of Israel like a child (1-4)

Discussion Questions

• When was Israel like a “child?”
• What insights does this Father/child dynamic in these verses give us into God’s character?
• Where is this phrase “out of Egypt I called my son” quoted in the New Testament?
• So, is this referring to the Messiah, the nation, or both?
• What character quality is revealed in the Israelites in verse two?
• Have you ever seen a person like this who grows increasingly stubborn and rebellious the more correction he receives?
• How can we understand the allegorical language in verse 3?
• In what ways does God treat us as His children?
• How did God ease their yokes? How does he ease our yokes?

Cross-References

1 John 3:1 – See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 Corinthians 8:6 – Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Psalm 103:13 – As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Romans 9:8 – This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. When Israel was a child I loved him – God uses the image of a father caring for his child to describe His relationship with Israel. “When Israel was a child” points at the time when they were young as a nation group. The next phrase puts this time period as the time of the Exodus when they left Egypt. They were childlike in many ways. At that time, they didn’t know much about God or His commands. In some ways they were naive. Certainly, they hadn’t intermingled with the nations and plunged head over heels into idolatry yet.

God loved the nation of Israel like a father his child. This verse does not mean that God stopped loving them when they “grew up.” Even earthly fathers very rarely stop loving their children. But Israel no longer reciprocated this love. Coming back to the father/child analogy, before you could imagine Israel running into God’s arms like a child greeting his father after he returns from work. But this loving, intimate relationship which had existed for so long is no more. The child has grown and wants no part of it.

We will see this in verse 2.

2. Out of Egypt I called my son – Matthew quotes this in Matthew 2:15. Hosea does not directly prophecy about the Messiah here. He is referring back to the time when God called Israel (His son) out of Egypt in the time of the Exodus. Then why does Matthew quote it? Is he misquoting Scripture?

Matthew, led by the inspiration of the Spirit, sees a parallel between these two events, and rightly so. The Old Testament is filled with events and people which God uses to foreshadow His plan of salvation.

The Exodus points to the time when God would call His son out Egypt to save His people. And Jesus would fulfill all of God’s plans for the Israelite nation, bringing blessings to all the nations of the earth. Jesus would do what they could not, fulfilling the whole law and shining the light of God to the world.

Isaiah 49:6 – He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

3. The more they were called, the more they went away – As mentioned above, God loved Israel as a child, but when they grew up, they wanted no part of it. His love for them was not returned. He called them with prophets, sending them “letters” of love or warning, but they did not listen, instead killing or abusing His messengers.

In fact, His words had the opposite effect. The more He reached out to them, the more they “went away.” You can almost see them digging their heels in, setting their jaw, eyes steeled with stubborn pride as they spurn God’s message and reject Him in favor of the Baals.

The imagery here reminds us of the Prodigal Son. Like Israel, the son in that story hates his father and loves the world. He runs away from his father’s goodness in pursuit of happiness, but finds only grief.

What do you learn about people from this verse?

4. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim how to walk – Here the picture we see is one of a father reminiscing about the sweet childhood memories he has with a now rebellious teen. Did God really do the things mentioned in this verse? Not literally. He uses figurative language because the images it invokes in our minds are powerful. Those images give us a deeper understanding of God’s love for His people.

It is not hard for us to understand the deep love and affection a father has for his child. We can also understand how a father whose child has grown up and is living as a prodigal may look back on better days, fondly remembering teaching his toddler how to walk or holding his sweet little boy in a loving embrace.

Thus, we see that God still loves them just as He did before. If His feelings had changed, then He would have mentioned sleepless nights or whining tantrums, but He mentions the “good memories.”

Like a faithful parent, God’s love will never grow cold. He wants the Jews to know that if they would only turn back that their relationship could be restored again. At the same time, He knows that they will not. So, in a sense, all that is left are those bittersweet memories.

5. They did not know that I healed them – A child doesn’t have even close to a full picture of what his parents do for him. Parents may toil for countless hours to provide for their children and the kids know nothing about it. Kids expect that food will just appear on the table magically at mealtime. They don’t think about rent, mortgages, taxes, vaccines, paperwork, or tuition fees. They don’t see the sleepless nights or the time put into prayer on their behalf, yet parents do it anyway. Serving their children is their job, and it’s also a way they show love to their kids.

Most of these things never even enter into children’s thoughts. More likely, they would complain about the food served, rather than they understand what went into serving it.

This is what we see about the Israelites here. They did not know that God healed them. Like ignorant children, they did not appreciate God’s goodness and enduring care for them.

Application: How can we be more grateful children towards our heavenly Father? Share a way that you would like your children to show gratitude to you, and a way you can show gratitude to your Heavenly Father.

6. Verse 4 – In this verse we see God’s compassion and gentleness toward His people. He did not lead them as a slave driver with heavy chains of oppression, but rather He led them with “cords of kindness” and “bands of love.” He directed them. He did not allow them to run free, but they were not slaves treated with ill-will. His treatment of them did not leave a mark as prison chains would do. He led them with kindness, caring about them.

Note that this is very different than how Satan would do it. Satan promises freedom. He promises no chains. You can do whatever you want. You are free to live your life as you see fit. Satan would then accuse God by saying that God has “cords” and “bands,” but follow him and you will have none.

Yet the person who follows this licentious “free” lifestyle becomes chained to sin, living as a slave of his own worldly passions. Ask a person who lived his life in pursuit of alcohol, drugs, or sex how free they felt. Ask them if those bonds were gentle or oppressive. Satan and the world promise freedom, but only offer chains.

God’s “cords of kindness” are the way to truly enjoy the wonderful life He has prepared