Turning Away from God

            Turning Away from God               
Hosea 11:1-11

You've probably had the experience of being nice to someone who did not appreciate it. It can result in a wedge in the relationship you were trying to nurture. But what about the reverse? Has there been a time when someone was nice to you, but you didn't realize it until much later? Your response to that kindness was probably much less than it should have been. Unfortunately for Israel, their response to God was horrible. God had nurtured them for years, but they gave their love to other gods.Warming Up to GodWhen is it hard for you to experience God's love for you as his child? Ask God to make his love more than head knowledge for you.Read Hosea 11:1-11

Discovering the Word
What emotions do you sense as you read 11:1-11?
How ddi the Lord treat Israel (vv. 1, 3-4)?
Why does Israel respond to the Lord as she does (vv. 1-7)?
What do you make of God's anguish as he wrestles with treating Israel like the sister cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (vv. 8-9; Gen 14; Deut 29:23)?
Why will the Israelites finally respond to God's call(vv. 10-11)?
Applying the Word
How is your experience of God like the Israelites'?
What does it mean to you that the Lord is not human?
How are you affected by the descriptions of God's emotions
Pray that God will keep you from being determined to turn away. Ask him to help you realize the depth of his love and to give you the same love for him.