2. A Harlot, a Fish, and the Mercy and Judgment of God
Memorial Presbyterian Church Sunday School – Winter 2017

3. Three Overarching Questions
How does God view his relationship with us and the world?
What are some metaphors that Scripture uses to describe God’s relationship with us?
How does God act in that relationship?
What is our role in that relationship and what actions are required of us?

4. Four Questions What is sin really like?
What are the consequences of sin?
How do we respond to our sin?
What does true repentance look like?

5. 1. What is Sin Really Like?
Sin is the rejection of God’s presence (4:1).
Sin is the rejection of God’s authority (4:2, 4- 9).
Sin is the rejection of God’s power (4:12-14; 5:13).
The categories of presence, authority, and power (control) describe the nature of God’s Lordship over us (See John Frame, Doctrine of the Christian Life, 22-23).

6. 1. What is Sin Really Like?
Sin is the rejection of covenant relationship with God (6:7).

7. 2. What are the consequences of sin?
Sin brings destruction and suffering to…
Society (4:2)
Creation (4:3)
Those under our care (4:6a)
Our children (4:6b)
Our deepest desires (4:10-11)
Our conscience and ability to repent (4:16; 5:4)

8. 2. What are the consequences of sin?
Sin brings the judgment of God:
Through His removal of blessings (4:6-7, 10)
Through His silence (5:6, 15)
Through military destruction (5:8-11)
Through His action as a moth and rot (5:12)
Through His action as a lion (5:13-14)

9. 3. How do we respond to our sin?
We glory in it (4:16-5:2)
We point to the sin of others (4:13-14)
We try to fix it ourselves (5:3-7)
We turn to others to fix it for us (5:11-15)
file:///Users/josiah/Desktop/Wizard%20of%20Id%20by%20Parker%20and%20Hart%20for%20Jan%2026,%202017%20%7C%20Read%20Comic%20Strips%20at%20GoComics.com.webarchive

10. 4. What does true repentance look like?
It is…
Turning from sin to the Lord (6:1a)…
In confidence in His faithfulness to graciously restore the relationship (6:2-3)…
That results in persistent love towards and knowledge of God (6:4, 6)…
That transforms our lives and actions.

11. 4. What does true repentance look like?
“… confessional orthodoxy and sincerity alone do not constitute knowledge of God… Loyalty to YHWH requires a commitment to justice and righteousness for one’s neighbors, as evidenced in 6:7-7:2… True knowledge and loyalty involve a commitment to a politics of peace rather than one of violence and oppression… In Matthew [9:13; 12:7], as in Hosea, the knowledge of God and the morality God requires inevitably carries social and political implications.”
(Bo H. Lim and Daniel Castelo, “Hosea,” Two Horizons Commentary on the Old Testament, 135.).