Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

We're continuing our study of prophets this week, with a bit of background on Hosea's world. It's kind of cool that some of the background ends up coming from Isaiah! Slowly all those different books are beginning to come together. (13) Hosea’s World Hosea preaches throughout the reigns of several Northern and Southern Kings ( Hosea 1:1) . We know Israel and Judah were experiencing peace and prosperity at the start of his ministry, but what happened later? Did the people repent, or did God take them into the desert ( Hosea 2:14 )? Remember Uzziah/Azariah, king of Judah? He came to the throne when his father Amaziah was assassinated, and reigned 52 years. (Why do you think he might have two names in Kings and Chronicles?) 1.        Read 2 Chronicles 26:6-8, 15. What picture do you get of the Southern Kingdom – the place Amos came from? What sort of standing do you think Judah had in the world? How important is political standing? 2.  ...

Our study of prophets moves on to Hosea now. His ministry overlaps with that of Amos, so it's interesting to see a different emphasis in his preaching. I'm looking forward to sharing the study with our group, and I hope you'll enjoy it too. (12) What’s in a name? Hosea The Talmud calls Hosea the greatest prophet of his generation. He was a Northern Israelite – the only native Israelite prophet to leave a written legacy. He preached at the same time as Amos, during a period of deceptive ease as the Assyrians begin to take over the neighborhood. Amos preached mostly against oppression, injustice, poverty and other social ills. What do you remember about Hosea, and what theme do you expect to find reflected in his teaching? The characters in the book of Hosea frequently have meaningful names. Even Hosea’s name means something. Read Numbers 13:8,16. 1.        Can you imagine how Hosea is changed into Joshua? ( Hint, add Je...) 2.   ...

Coffee Break is restarting, and we're continuing a long-delayed study of the second half of Amos. It's kind of interesting to begin a new year with calls to woe, but perhaps it's relevant. See what you think. (11) The Woes of Amos Amos is a shepherd from Judea (South – faithful-ish), called to prophecy in Israel (North, unfaithful-ish). He comes from an area frequented by prophets, but not from a prophetic house ( Read Amos 7: 14 ). And he comes to fame at a time when both Judea and Israel are enjoying a period of ease after internal and external strife. ·          What might be considered modern prophetic houses? ·          Where might a modern prophet come from? ·          Is our present situation a period of ease? ·          What sort of message might we expect from God’s prophets? ·     ...