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Lesson OneAn Introduction to Hosea5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoRevelations for the Wise5 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-upCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 59
Discussion Questions
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How did the Holy Spirit inspire biblical writers like Hosea to write down what he wanted them to say?
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8 Replies
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The spirit spoke to them and they obeyed.
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Holy spirit led them to write down what God was showing them and to be a witness to others.
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By telling them the consequences that they were about to face due to disobedience of God.
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God spoke to them.
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The Holy Spirit as part of the Holy Trinity has the same attributes as God, i.e. He is unchanging. I believe the way the Holy Spirit relates to Christians today is very similar to the way He guided the Old Testament believers, including the biblical writers.
For the Holy Spirit to inspire the biblical writers, they had to have faith in God. This faith as the “receiver” made them sensitive to what the Spirit was communicating or transmitting. The faith of the writer exercised in a life of devotion to God enabled the writer to hear the message he was to communicate to his people. Because he wrote down the words from the Holy Spirit, future generations would be blessed by the message given to him.
The Holy Spirit is a person. He is a spiritual person and as a spirit, he communicates to the spirit of the believer in intangible ways. Though these ways are intangible they are no less than real. Hosea 1:1 says, “The word of the Lord which came to Hosea”. The following verse says, “When the Lord first spoke through Hosea.” I doubt that the voice Hosea heard was audible, but I’m not ruling that out. The creator of the universe can communicate in whatever way He chooses.
Believers today can evaluate everything they believe God has spoken to them against the written word. By the time of Hosea and the prophets, they had the written law that God had given to Moses. They also had writings from David, Solomon, and others. These written sources served as a plumb line for the message a later writer received from God.
The Holy Spirit inspired the biblical writers through their receptive spirits. He spoke as they focused on Him in prayer. He spoke through dreams and visions. He spoke through circumstances and through other believers. He communicated to the biblical writers like He does to believers today.
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Why does the Old Testament refer to Israel and Judah as two different kingdoms or nations of God’s people?
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10 Replies
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Because they broke apart and one was considered the southern kingdom while the other was the northern kingdom.
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because one part was rebellious and full of idiolatry, and one stayed with the commandments of God which was considered the remnant.
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Because they started as one and through one’s rebellion, the others that didn’t were considered as a separate nation.
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They were split between two kings, David and Solomon.
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They began as a single kingdom but became two after the death of Solomon. Nevertheless, God regarded both as His people and demanded the same loyalty to the same covenant.