Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Senior Secondary School 2

SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE

CLASS:  SS 2

DATE:

TERM: 3rd TERM

REFERENCE

• Essential Christian Religious Knowledge for SS 1-3. By Edmond Ugochukwu.
• Comprehensive Christian Religious Knowledge for SS 1-3. By Martins I. Amaechi, RSV Bible (Compulsory)

 
WEEK NINE

TOPIC: DIVINE LOVE

CONTENT

(a)  The love of God

(b)  Lessons to learn from Hosea’s marital experience, the Divine love of God and the significance of Hosea’s marital experience.

THE LOVE OF GOD HOSEA 1,2,3 AND 4

God instructed Hosea to go and marry a harlot by name Gomer this was to show the unfaithfulness of Israel to God. Hosea’s experience in the marriage was horrible. Gomer gave birth to  a son and named him ‘’Jezreel’’meaning God will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel. Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter named ‘’Not pitied’’ which meant God will no longer have pity on Israel. The third child Gomer gave birth to was a son named ‘’Not my people’’ meaning God had rejected Israel as his people just as they had rejected him as their God. It was after giving birth to these three children that Gomer went away leaving Hosea with the children and ran after her lovers. She was unfaithful. All attempts made by Hosea to plead with her and bring her back failed. Hosea sent her children to plead with her but she refused to come back home.

At last, Hosea not knowing what else to do divorced her. Eventually, however, he reclaimed her back to himself. At this period, just like the days of Amos, the worship of baal thrived in Israel. Several times God pleaded with Israel to forsake baal and worship him: they still refused. God had the hope of bringing them back one day to himself.

Hence, Gomer’s adultery is a symbol of Israel’s adultery. They were making sacrifices to Baal. The messages of Hosea portrayed God as Israel’s husband and Israel as the unfaithful wife Just as Gomer refused to come back to her husband and her husband decided to divorce her, Israel would as well face total ruin if they failed to repent. As a husband, God expects Israel to show that faithfulness which a wife owes her husband, failure of which, she will be divorced finally (she will be ruined).

One striking similarity in the message of both Amos and Hosea is God’s willingness and readiness to accept his people back, if they repent genuinely.

EVALUATION

1. Describe  Hosea’s marital experience?
2. How does it demonstrates the love of God for Israel?

LESSONS TO LEARN

1. Hosea’s message emphasizes the love of God for Israel when she forsook the Lord. As Hosea tries to win his wife back, God also tries to win Israel to himself.
2. God’s punishment for Israel is meant to be corrective or to serve as a disciplinary measure.
3. God’s covenant with Israel is unchangeable. No matter how much they sin, once they repent, God will surely forgive them. He is a covenant keeping God.
4. Hosea’s marital experience symbolizes God’s love for Israel. God is like a husband and He expects his wife (Israel) to be faithful to him.
5. The God we serve is a merciful God ; in spite of our sins today, He is still willing to take us back if we repent.

EVALUATION

1. According to Hosea, what should be the nature of Israel’s true response to God’s love?
2. Outline the various ways some Nigerians respond to God’s love today? 

GENERAL EVALUATION/ REVISION QUESTIONS

1. Describe Hosea’s marital experience?
2. How does it demonstrate the love of God for Israel?
3. Describe the protection of God over the Israelites.
4. Discuss the effect of the Red Sea event on the Israelites.

READING ASSIGNMENT 

Comprehensive Christian Religious Knowledge for SS 1-3 by Martins I Amaechi pages 102-104

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. Gomer’s  second child was named – (a)  Icabod (b)  Jezreel  (c) Not my people (d) Nimshi
2. According to Hosea, Israel’s response to God was (a) a very genuine repentance (b) a very non- challant

repentance (c) a brief repentance (d) true love

1. Hosea divorced his wife because___. (a) she was a harlot (b) she refused to come back (c) she was unfaithful (d) she was wasteful
2. Gomer  was the daughter of – (a) Isaiah  (b) Amaziah (c) Diblaim (d) Ammon
3. Hosea’s wife was a (a) diviner (b) harlot (c) prophetess (d) witch

THEORY

1. How does the story of Hosea and Gomer in respect of Israel portray the nature of God?
2. What lessons can we learn from the story of Hosea and Gomer?