Return to the Lord (Hosea)

What is love?

The Bible has much to say in answer to this deceptively tricky question, but perhaps few biblical perspectives on love are more startling or more confronting than the picture offered by the prophet Hosea. It’s here that the God of the universe is depicted as a scorned, betrayed husband—one whose selfless love has been thrown aside by a spiritually adulterous people.

We might wonder how we would respond to being treated this way, but what about the holy, righteous God? How will he respond to his perfect, steadfast love being spurned by an ungrateful bride? What does he demand from his people, and how can they return to him? How will he continue to show his love?

Hosea, the 8th–century ‘minor prophet’—minor in length but major in message—answers these and many other vital questions. Presenting us with God’s holiness and unending love, it’s an ancient book with an urgent message that speaks compellingly to us today.

9 studies. Leader’s notes included.