Isaiah
56-59: We start in Third Isaiah here, though that is more a thematic division than anything else. After the middle section speaking comfort, we return to the dire warnings. Foreigners are invited to participate in the covenant, while wild animals are invited into Judah. Remember a place returning to the wild was a sign that civilization was lost. While there is some consolation in this section, the primary theme seems to be one describing a rift between God and God's people.
60-62: Again this section should sound familiar, especially around Christmas time. Here is a long hymn singing of the renewal of Jerusalem and the light that returns to it. This is the good news that people were looking forward to.
63-66: Again a return to warnings. There are two sides and two peoples in this section, one who God will deliver and one who will be destroyed. Loyalty to Yahweh is the focus of this section.
Hosea
Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom, Israel, not long before it was destroyed and the people taken away by the Assyrian invaders. He uses metaphors from nature, agriculture and family structures (Father/Son/Wife etc.). He refers to Israel often as Ephraim (the largest tribe) and Samaria, which was it's capital.
1-3: The "biographical" information on Hosea. Hosea did not just speak prophecy, he lived it, much in the same way that other prophets did, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, etc. Hosea is told to marry a prostitute, to name several children (likely not his and born while they were married). He puts her away and the woos her back, renaming the children as he goes. The point is that Israel has acted the whore to God's faithfulness, and while God is angry, his anger will not last forever, and he will call her back.
4-8: A long diatribe and judgment on Israel primarily for chasing after other God's and disloyalty to Yahweh. There is little hope given here, at the beginning of chapter 6, but it is unclear if it is to be taken seriously.
Romans
10-11: What then of the Jews? Are they lost? No! Paul says. They are under the covenant they made through Moses and grace is still available to them. God will save all Israel, and it is through them that we are saved, so don't become proud.
12: Here through 15:13 is a long discourse a living this new, transformed life spoken of in 12:1-2. What does this transformation look like: acknowledging the gifts of others, living peacefully even in an oppressive setting, welcoming those who do not agree with us, doing no wrong to one another, not abusing our freedoms, even if it means curtailing them. That pretty much sums it up.
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