Unit 1 LESSON 6

April 6, 2025

STUDY TEXT: Hosea 11:1-11; Joel. 2:12-27; Zechariah 1:1-17

             Central Truth: God is love.

KEY VERSE: Jeremiah 31:3 Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee (KJV).

 "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. with unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself" (NLT).

LET'S GET STARTED

Most of our best memories are connected to feelings of being safe, loved, and cared for. Maybe your grandmother would rub your bank when you were sick as a kid. Maybe your spouse took care of extra chores while you were struggling at work. Maybe a friend sat with you and listened while you poured out grief or frustration. There are many ways people can make us feel loved. Alongside all the judgment and destruction foretold in the Minor Prophets, there is also a strong message of God's faithful love. Even though His people repeatedly betrayed Him. God could not bring himself to break His covenant with them. Instead, he called them again and again to return to Him and be completely restored by his love.

PART 1- The Father's Compassion

Heartbroken and Angry         Hosea 11:1-7

Hosea 11 likely was written just before Israel fell to the Assyrians, when Baal worship was a regular practice in Israel. In the first seven verses, God described the past, present, and immediate future of His relationship with Israel. God's profound heartbreak and anger were evident as He compared His selfless love with Israel's rebellion and indifference. As a loving Father, He had called Israel out of Egyptian slavery and into freedom. But instead of coming toward Him, Israel moved farther away from Him to worship false gods. God had stooped down to teach Israel to walk, leading them with the Law. But Israel ignored God, apparently thinking they had learned to walk on their own. Since the people refused to return to Him, they would "return to Egypt" in the sense that they would again be enslaved--this time by the Assyrians. Because of Israel's lack of reverence and love for God, judgment was coming.

Discuss? What words or phrases in this passage show that God is heartbroken? angry?

Moved with compassion                         Hosea 11:8-11

In words of love, God recommitted himself to Israel. He would not allow His people to be destroyed like Admah or Zebolim, neighboring cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. after the immediate judgment via the Assyrians, He would give Israel another opportunity to be restored to relationship with Him. The reason for His decision is found in verses 8-9. The Father's heart was broken at the thought of Israel's destruction. He was moved by compassion. God is the Holy One--as merciful as He is just; Yes, the people would be exiled, but one day a portion of their descendants would return to the Lord. He would "roar like a lion" to call them back to himself. Hosea 11:11describes the repentant Israelites as "trembling like doves" when they approach God after their exile. This attitude of humility and penitence was much like that of the prodigal son in Luke 15. When we humbly return to our Heavenly Father--no matter how long we've been gone or how far we've wandered--we will receive the same loving welcomer.

Discuss? Why do we sometimes let shame keep us from returning to God? How can Hosea 11 and Luke 15 help us overcome that tendency?

Part 2-- The Call to Repentance

"Return to Me"                         Zechariah 1:1-6

Zechariah's lineage indicates he was descended from priests, but he is called a prophet in Zechariah 1:1. Verses1-6 set the stage for the visions he would record. Zechariahs

's first oracle began with a reminder of the Lord's anger against Israel's ancestors (verse 2). The new generation was given the same message. "Return to me, and I will return to you" (verse 3). Because of His love for them, God implored the people to learn from the examples of the past and listen to him (verse 4). The people would be wise to realize that God always means what He says. Verse 6 indicates that the people did repent and serve the Lord. Like the Israelites, we also have been given models of spiritual fruitfulness and spiritual failure. As we follow Jesus today, we should learn from the good and bad examples of the people who came before us.

DISCUSS? What are some spiritual examples we should learn from--whether in the Bible, in history, or in the present day?

          " Give Me Your Hearts"                  Joel 2:12-17

Up to this point, the Book of Joel contains cycles of lament, warning, and calls to repent. Joel 2:12 marks the end of the end of the second cycle as the Lord again calls His people to return to Him. Joel pleaded with the people to remember God's nature. He is "merciful and compassion, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." This  loving relational God was looking for some more than outward signs of repentance. He would settle for nothing less than people's whole hearts, Although God is unchanging, He can alter His decisions. in case God might choose to relent, Joel called the people of Jerusalem to gather and repent. No one was excused from this appeal. The priests were to lead the people in repentance. The call to repent in this passage 9verses 12, 14-17) is based on a renewed understanding of God's character (verse 13). Still today, we are drawn to repentance when we reflect on the love and goodness of God (Romans 2:4).

DISCUSS? How can, we be sure we have a proper understanding of God's character?

      Part 3- The Promise of Restoration

The Plague Will End       Joel 2:18-21

Joel 2:18 marks a turning point in the book. The passive judgment of locust, fire, and drought would draw to a close as God's active compassion took center stage. Not only would God replenish the supplies of His people, but He would also restore their dignity (verse 19). Israel's enemies were on their way out. Next, Joel declared a four-line praise poem--a classic style in which the last line closely echoes the first 9verses 20-21).  This emphasis indicated the miraculous reversal would not be gradual, but immediate. The land that had once mourned (1:10) would now rejoice at the goodness of God (2:21). God's faithful love should cause us to rejoice too! Yes, we will have trouble in this world--sometimes because of our sin and other times simply because the world is broken. But at just the right time, God will make things right again.

Discuss? How can we keep rejoicing in God's goodness even if our "plague" season has not yet ended?

The Land Will Be Fruitful Again                   Joel 2:22-27

Building on the praise poem in Joel 2:20-21, the prophet launched into a description of the bounty the LORD would pour out on His people. The animals would again graze in the pastures. The trees and vines would again bear fruit (verse 22), The harvest of grain, wine, and oil would pour in again (verse 24). Theses staples appear repeatedly in the Old Testament to signify the Lord's provision. Vere 25 strengthens the argument that the invading army from the north was indeed locusts. god declared an end to this destruction. This section ends with a double reminder in verses 26 and 27: "Never again will my people be disgraced." God would again set them apart as His beloved people. After all these other acts of love and kindness, God promised to pour out His Spirit on all people (verses 28-29). We are recipients of this promise.

Discuss? What are some areas where you need God to restore what has been destroyed?

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US?

The minor prophets were not just messengers of judgment and doom. They also spoke of the faithful, steadfast love of God the Father. Time and again, God called His people to leave their sin and turn back to Him. He pleaded with them to be faithful, to love Him as devotedly as He loved them. He wants the same from us. And when we repent and commit ourselves completely to Him, we experience blessings we never could have imagined. "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1, NIV).

 LIVING IT OUT

         Think of a friend who is far from God. Strike up a conversation this week to.

            remind them of God's love and encourage them to return to Him.

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               DAILY BIBLE READING

                   Monday: God's compassionate Love. (Psalm 78:34-38).

                  Tuesday: God's Everlasting Love. (Jeremiah 31:1-6:)

                   Wednesday: God's Life-Giving Love. (Ezekiel 16:1-6)

            Thursday: God's Abiding Love. (John 15:9-17) 

           Friday. God's Sacrificial Love. (Galatians 2:17-21) 

                      Saturday: God's Gracious Love. (1Timothy 1:12-17)

Gospel Publishing House. 1445 N. Boonville Ave. Springfield, Missouri 65802 Volume 106 Number 3. Mar. Apr. May 2025