2. 11:1-11 God’s Redeeming Love
Hosea
11:1-11
God’s Redeeming Love

3. Review An outline of Hosea This final section is the climax
1-3 – Illustrating God’s relationship to Israel
4-7 – God is holy – Israel indicted for sins
8-10 – God is just – Israel’s punishment
11-14 – God is love – The restoration
This final section is the climax
“Hosea” means “salvation” and here is where God offers salvation
Had been illustrated in chapter 3 with Hosea taking Gomer back
Now we begin to hear about salvation

4. God’s Love Hos 11:1 At first glance Matt 2:14-15
A historical reference to Israel leaving Egypt
But nation usually referred to as female
Beginning in verse 2, Israel is referred to by plural pronouns (some exceptions later in the chapter)
So is the “him” and “my son” referring only to Israel?
Matt 2:14-15
Hosea 1:1 was a prophecy about Jesus
Putting it together in Hosea 11:1
When Israel was just beginning
God already loved Jesus and had a plan for Him

5. God’s Plan Eph 1:4-14 A plan from before the creation
A plan to save through His Son and in Him
A plan that required faith and obedience
A plan that made it clear salvation was a gift from God
A plan that had been kept a “mystery” until it was carried out
1 Cor 2:6-9
The plan was hidden before the cross
After the cross it was revealed and the prophecies made clear as proof of God’s plan and wisdom

6. God’s Love Hos 11:2-4 From the beginning Israel followed other gods
Yet God was always the one who helped Israel
Let them walk
Made them into a kingdom
Healed their wounds
Destroyed their enemies
Guided them forward
Enlarged their borders, made them powerful
Took away their yoke and fed them
Kept them from being conquered while they grew
And they didn’t acknowledge God’s efforts

7. God’s gifts Do we do any better than Israel? James 1:17
All gifts have come from God
How much in our lives do we take for granted?
Food, health, family, houses, jobs, friends
Often we get angry at God when these are taken away, but were we grateful for them when we had them?
Or do we have an attitude like Job?
Job 1:20-22
Thankful for what God provided
Not angry when the gifts no longer provided

8. Israel’s stubbornness
Hos 11:5-7
Despite God’s love seen in His plans and gifts
They refused to repent (v5)
They were bent on backsliding (v7)
Nobody truly exalted God (v7)
So God would punish them, but with Assyria rather than Egypt
But they had brought the punishment on themselves

9. God’s redeeming love Hos 11:8-11
Despite their sins, God didn’t want to destroy them
Here we have the crossroads where God’s holiness and justice meet God’s love and mercy
A man might have to give up something
But God is not a man to be thwarted, even by man’s own sinfulness and stubbornness
The answer was God’s plan to call all men to Him through His Son (“He will roar like a lion”)
“They will walk after the Lord”

10. A plan for all We can see the fulfillment of the plan
Where holiness and justice meet love and mercy
Rom 5:6-11
At the cross
Rom 3:21-26
For all people
Rom 6:1-7
By repentance, baptism, and obedience in a new life

11. Conclusion God has always had a plan to save man
He demonstrated His love for Israel like a husband for a wife, or a father for a child
Despite Israel’s rejection of Him, He still had a plan that would offer them salvation along with all other people
It is that plan that is still offered today
He has roared like a lion
Won’t you walk after the Lord?