Today’s passage: Hosea 7
Helpful thoughts:
- God sees sinfulness all around Israel, even to the point of the royalty inviting more “mockers” in (Verse 5).
- Israel has become characterized by sin.
- Even as they see themselves struggle or suffer, they continue to head straight into their sin.
- It is possible to cry about hardships (To feel sorry or to be saddened by consequences) without any true repentance (Verse 14).
- Verse 16 – They return…but not to the the Most High God. They are like a bow that doesn’t shoot the arrow where it was directed.
Question to consider:
- What did Israel do in response to their hardships in ways that might have looked like religion or change, but wasn’t?
- Why would anyone be willing to go so far as to cut themselves for a false god instead of worshiping the true God? What is it that they would want to keep, that they would be unwilling to give up, in order to serve the one true God?
- What would genuine repentance look like? (2 Corinthians 7:10-12)