Divine Love – SS2 Citizenship & Heritage Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

Divine love is God’s faithful love for his people, even when they turn away from him.

• Source: the book of Hosea (chapters 1 to 4).
• Picture used: Hosea’s marriage to Gomer shows God as a husband and Israel as an unfaithful wife.
• Main message: God punishes to correct his people, and he forgives them when they genuinely repent.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Describe Hosea’s marriage to Gomer.
2. State the names of Hosea’s three children and their meanings.
3. Explain how Gomer’s unfaithfulness symbolises Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.
4. State the lessons to learn from the love of God in Hosea 1 to 4.

Who was Hosea?

Hosea was a prophet who delivered God’s message to the northern kingdom of Israel.

• Call: God used his own family life to teach Israel about divine love.
• Time: he preached when Baal worship was common in Israel, as in the days of Amos.
• Message: Israel had broken faith with God, yet God still wanted her back.

What does Hosea’s marriage to Gomer teach about the love of God? (Hosea 1 to 4)

Hosea’s marriage teaches that God keeps loving his people even when they are unfaithful.

• The command: God told Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman of unfaithful character (a harlot).
• The purpose: the marriage was a living sign of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.
• The result: Hosea’s experience in the marriage was painful.

What were the names of Hosea’s children?

Hosea had three children, and God gave each one a name that carried a message to Israel.

What happened when Gomer left Hosea?

Gomer left Hosea and ran after her lovers, and Hosea later took her back.

1. Gomer gave birth to the three children.
2. She went away, leaving Hosea with the children, and ran after her lovers.
3. Hosea pleaded with her and tried to bring her back, but his attempts failed.
4. He sent the children to plead with her, but she refused to come home.
5. Hosea, not knowing what else to do, divorced her.
6. Eventually, he reclaimed her to himself (Hosea 3).

How did Gomer’s unfaithfulness symbolise Israel’s unfaithfulness?

Gomer’s adultery is a symbol of Israel’s adultery, because Israel made sacrifices to Baal instead of worshipping God alone.

• Baal worship: it thrived in Israel at this time, as in the days of Amos.
• God’s pleading: several times God asked Israel to forsake Baal and worship him, but they refused.
• God’s hope: God hoped to bring them back to himself one day.
• The warning: just as Gomer’s husband divorced her, Israel would face total ruin if she failed to repent.
• God’s expectation: as a husband, God expects Israel to show the faithfulness a wife owes her husband.

How does the marriage picture match God and Israel?

Each person in Hosea’s family stands for someone in the relationship between God and Israel.

What do Amos and Hosea have in common?

Amos and Hosea both taught that God will accept his people back if they repent genuinely.

• Same audience: both spoke to Israel at a time of false worship.
• Same warning: both said Israel would suffer if she did not repent.
• Same hope: both showed God’s readiness to forgive a genuine change of heart.

What lessons can we learn from the love of God in Hosea?

Hosea’s message gives five main lessons about God’s love.

1. God loves even sinners: as Hosea tried to win his wife back, God also tries to win Israel to himself.
2. Punishment is corrective: God punishes to discipline his people, not to destroy them.
3. God keeps his covenant: no matter how much they sin, once they repent, God will surely forgive them.
4. God expects faithfulness: God is like a husband, and he expects his wife (Israel) to be faithful to him.
5. God is merciful: in spite of our sins today, he is still willing to take us back if we repent.

How can a Nigerian student apply these lessons?

Students can show faithfulness to God and forgive others in the way God forgives.

• Turn back to God: repent sincerely after wrongdoing and avoid repeating it.
• Be faithful: keep your promises and your commitment to God.
• Forgive others: take back a friend or family member who truly says sorry.
• Accept correction: see discipline from parents and teachers as a sign of care.

Evaluation

1. Why did God instruct Hosea to marry Gomer?
2. Name Hosea’s three children and give the meaning of each name.
3. What did Hosea do after Gomer left him and refused to return?
4. How did the worship of Baal show Israel’s unfaithfulness to God?
5. State two lessons to learn from Hosea’s message.

Assignment

Explain how Hosea’s marriage to Gomer shows the love of God for Israel. Give three lessons Christians can learn from it.