(1.) Women and Children First? Why? “Enough! You’re here to defend the defenseless, to give justice to the weak and fatherless, to maintain the rights of the oppressed and the needy. Your job is to rescue the powerless and stand up for them, to deliver them from all who exploit them!” (Psalm 82:2-4). Why? The Short Answer. We are living …
The Gospel of Hosea, Extended: Baal 2.0 “I, Lord Yahweh, am your God. You shall not have any other gods besides Me.” (Ex. 20 and Deut. 5). The Antidote: Before we discuss the poison of blending other gods with The God, let’s make sure we’re aware of the good news, that we have the option of …
The Gospel of Hosea: A Sequel with Ezekiel. A Hundred Years after Hosea, around the year 600 BC, we see the infinitely patient and gracious Yahweh wooing His unfaithful covenant bride once again, only this time in the southern kingdom of Judah. Yahweh doesn’t give up on His bride, because His mercy endures forever. “Then …
The Gospel of Hosea: A Prequel with Elijah. Two hundred years before Hosea, around the year 900 BC, Baal had developed a fatal foothold in the northern kingdom of Israel. King Ahab, along with his Canaanite queen Jezebel, brought Baal worship to Israel, and once it was established it proved impossible to expel. The trap of …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 14: Grace and Wisdom. “Return, O Israel, come back to Yahweh God (‘Elohim’), for you have stumbled because of your iniquity (‘avon’). Your sins have been your downfall.” (Hosea 14:1). In Other Words. God is making His last-gasp effort, His final passionate appeal to Israel for their repentance. Please, I beg …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 13: The One and Only. “In the past, when the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the other tribes of Israel trembled in respect; they looked up to Ephraim. But the people sinned by worshiping Baal, and for this they will die.” (Hosea 13:1). Ephraim. Since Hosea referred to Ephraim as a synonym …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 12: Return and Wait! “And you, to your God you must return (‘shuv’)! With the help of your God, maintain mercy (‘hesed’) and stand guard (‘shamar’) over justice (‘mishpat’)! And keep putting your trust in Him as you wait (‘qavah’) patiently for your God.” (Hosea 12:6). Hosea in a Nutshell. This …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 11: The Heart of Father God. “When Israel was a child, I dearly loved him…” (Hosea 11:1a). From Husband to Father. The prophet Hosea, inspired by the mind of Yahweh, gives us another peek into God’s compassionate heart. There are two great love chapters in Hosea, and they are very different. In …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 10: Sowing and Reaping. “Israel was once a lush, luxuriant grapevine that bore a bounty of grapes as it spread out, but then it emptied itself as it brought forth fruit for himself and has become barren. The more his fruit increased, the more pagan altars he built. The more …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 9: Eviction Notice! “O people of Israel, do not rejoice, neither make merry as other nations do. For you have gone a-whoring in unfaithfulness to your God. Like prostitutes, you have hired for yourselves other lovers, worshipping other gods on every threshing floor.” (Hosea 9:1-2). Threshing Floor. The people of Israel were …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 8: Sound the Alarm! “Put the shofar to your lips! A huge bird of prey is circling above the house of Yahweh, because My people have broken the covenant and rebelled against My Torah!” (Hosea 8:1). Hosea didn’t exactly need to gradually warm up to his topic sentence here. He …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 7: On Israel as an Oven, a Pancake, a Dove and a Bow. “Whenever I long to make my people prosperous again, whenever I desire to heal Israel, I am confronted by Ephraim’s guilt, and all I can see is Samaria’s sin.” (Hosea 7:1; Ephraim and Samaria represent Israel because Ephraim …