Think of the closest relationship that you have.

If someone betrayed you, or left you, how would you make that

person understand the hurt they had caused?

The Lord said to the prophet Hosea:

“Go, marry a whore, and have children by

her”

What do you think his reaction was? Why might the marriage be difficult?

To explain action prophecyTo give examples of action prophecy

To evaluate the impact action prophecy

Hosea: Action Prophecy

1. What did God tell Hosea to do in Hos1:2 ? God told Hosea to..

2. Why were Hosea’s children’s name important?• By calling the children’s names

“unloved” and “no people of mine” God was giving the message that…

3. What did Hosea’s marriage to the whore symbolise about the country?

**Do you think Hosea’s “prophetic action” of marrying the whore, and naming the children, made more impact on the people, than just preaching about unfaithfulness?

“Go, marry a whore….”

Hosea Ch. 1

What is action prophecy?

• Doing exercises for God• God’s message preached

through action rather than words

• Something Moses did when he parted the Red Sea

Ezekiel 5 Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

• The LORD said, “Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your head and your beard. Collect up the hair, and weigh it. Divide it into three parts. Take one third, and burn it up. Take another third and chop it up with your sword. Take the last third and scatter it to the wind”.

• I did so. Then the LORD said to me, “Say this to my people: because you have polluted my religion with all the evil, disgusting things you have done, I will cut you down without mercy. A third of you will die from sickness and hunger in the city; a third will be cut down by enemies’ swords; and the last of you, I will scatter away from here. When this happens, you will know that I, the LORD, have done this, because I am outraged at your behaviour and your unfaithfulness”.

Jeremiah 13-23: The Ruined Loincloth

• The Lord sais to Jeremiah, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist”. After some time, the word of the LORD came to me a second time, “Take the loincloth around your waist, and go to the river, and hide it there in a crack in the rock.” I did as the LORD commanded me.

• And after many days the LORD said to me, “Arise, go and take the loincloth that I commanded you to hide.” I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was rotted and spoiled; it was no longer good for wearing.

• Then the word of the LORD came to me: “Tell the people this. Since you refuse to hear my words, and stubbornly follow your own desires and follow other gods to serve them and worship them, therefore you will be like this loincloth to me, which is good for nothing. I had hoped that you would cling to me as closely as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, and be my pride and my glory, but you would not listen”.

1. Read about your “prophetic action”

2. Answer the questions in your books.

**Share with your partner. Decide which of your prophets actions would have the most impact, and why.

Ezekiel

Isaiah

Ezekiel

Jeremiah

What prophetic actions could your parish priest do, to have more

impact in preaching the Word of God?

HW Homework Look up the following reference - Matthew 5:44Create a poster to explain how we can teach others this message through actions rather than just words.