Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
1/13
THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson10,Chapters5and6
WeleftofflasttimeinHoseachapter5verse11.Thereitbeginstooutlinewhat
isgoingtooccurtotheNorthernKingdomofEphraim/Israelasaresultofher
politicalrecklessness;afollyinwhichthereligiousleadershipwerewilling
accomplices.Asbecomesexplicitinverse13,itwillbeAssyriathatGodusesas
thevesseltocarryoutHiswrathagainstHisset-apart,butnowfaithless,people.
Let’sre-readthefinalversesofHoseachapter5.
RE-READHOSEACHAPTER5:11–end
WhenreadingtheBible,weofcoursefindthatthefocusisentirelyuponthe
Hebrewpeople.Thisfocusbeginsasearlyasthe12
th
chapterofGenesiswhen
AbrahamwasselectedbyYehovehtocreateaseparatepeoplegroupthatwould
bedifferentthanallotherpeopleontheplanet.Notsuperior;justnotthesame.
TheonlydifferencebetweenthemandeveryoneelsewouldbewhomtheirGodis.
WemustrecognizefromGenesischapter12animplicationthatonlyaprecious
fewintheworld,asitwasaround2000B.C.,maystillhavebeenworshippingthe
oneandtrueGodthatcreatedAdamandEveandconstructedanentireUniverse
fromnothingness.Mankindhadturnedtohumanfabricatedgodsystems;and
thatincludedAbrahamandhisfamily.WhatwasdifferentaboutAbraham?We
don’treallyknowotherthanYehovehsomehowforeknewthatAbrahamwould
acceptthecalltoturnawayfromidolsandinsteadtohear,trustandobeythe
SupremeandHolyCreator.Somethinglike12centurieslater,afterAbraham’s
grandsonJacobhadfoundedthe12tribesofJacobcalledIsrael,wereadofhow
EphraimhadbehavedtheoppositeofAbraham.WhereasAbrahamjourneyed
fromidolatrytofaithfulness,Ephraimturnedtoidolatryfromaformer
faithfulness.
YeteventhoughtheBiblefocusisonGod’ssetapartpeople,theserepresented
onlyarelativefewamongtheearth’spopulation,andinvolvedbutatinyareaof
landontheplanetwheretheylived.TherewasmuchgoingonsurroundingIsrael
andJudahandbeyond;avibrantworldofmanyraces,ethnicities,andexotic
culturesexistedineverycornerofourglobe.Nationswereformedand
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
2/13
substantialcivilizationshaddiedoff;empireshadalreadybeenbuiltand
collapsedonlytobereplacedbyothers,bythetimeofHoseainthe700’sB.C.
IsraelandJudahdidnotexistinavacuum.Communicationwasprimitiveand
slow,buteffective.Thesenationswereknowntooneanother.I’lltakejustafew
minutestogiveyouabroadoverviewofwhatwashappeninginotherpartsofthe
world,someofwhichhadaneffectonIsrael.Idothissoastoliftusawayand
outofakindofmythologizedbrain-cloudvisionofthebiblicalhappeningsand
charactersthatismuchtooeasytofallinto;andinsteadtomakeitmorerealto
us,asitwas;becauseifwecandothis,thenwecanbettergrabholdofthe
enduringGod-patternsthatemergefromhumanhistorythathaveandwillplay
outinourpersonallives,inournationalpolitics,andinourJudeo-Christian
religiousinstitutions.
Atthemid-pointofHosea’spropheticalwritings(infactrightaboutwhenthe5
th
and6
th
chapterswerebeingwritten)RomewasestablishedandbeforeHosea
wasfinishedwithhisworkthefirstOlympicgameswouldbeheld.Egypt,sovery
ancientbynow,wasalreadyintheperiodofits23
rd
and24
th
dynasties.Ithad
finallyrecoveredfromIsraelhavingleftit6centuriesearlier,takingwiththem
mostoftheskilledlaborforcethatthePharaohsreliedupontobuildroadsand
vasttractsofmud-brickstructures,sothattheirnativeEgyptianmalescouldbe
usedtoformaformidablenationalarmy.Thepyramidswerealreadyinastateof
deteriorationaseventhenewestonewasnow1800yearsold.
InEurope,ironworkinghadbecomewidespread.EasternEuropeand
Scandinaviaweretheouterlimitsoftheknownworld.Forthemostpartthat
regionoftheworldwaswetandcold,andsothislimitedthefoodsupply,which
wasthedeterminingfactorinhowmany,andwhere,peoplecouldlive.Butdue
tothewarmwatersoftheMediterranean,andtheambitionsoftheirpoliticians
andbusinessmen,Greecewasthrivingandexpanding.Theybegantopopulate
islandsandthecoastalareasoftheMediterranean,establishingcoloniesand
cities,andalsomovingwestwardintopartsofsparselypopulatedEasternand
SouthernEurope.TheGreekseafaringsocietysoonwoulddominatethesea
shippingroutesrangingfromNorthernAfricatoSpain.ItwasduringHosea’s
lifetimethatHomerwrotehistwoepicpoems“TheIliad”and“TheOdyssey”.
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
3/13
FarawayinNorthAmericathefirstmigrantshadlongagoarrivedintheAlaskan
region,crossingovertheBearingStraitswhensealevelswerelower.Theywere
slowlymovingsouth,nodoubtastheydiscoveredawarmerandmoreinviting
climatethere.AspreadingcultureknownastheOlmecsbeganinwhatisnow
modern-dayMexicoandCentralAmericaandtheirinfluencehadbeguntospread
north.AncientnativesettlementshavebeendiscoveredonbothcoastsofNorth
Americadatingfrom8
th
centuryBCandearlier.FromtheOlmecscamethe
Mayans,andtheyalsospawnedotherlargecivilizationstotheirnorthandsouth.
InHosea’sera,Chinaandthefareasthadadvancedculturesandboasted
enormouspopulations.TheZhouDynastybynowhadcontrolledancientChina
fornearly3centuries.SeafaringIndonesiansstretchedouttheirinfluenceand
bynowhadestablishedcoloniesinAustralia.Theiroffspringbecamewhatwe
todaycalltheAborigines.TheAborigineshadalreadysettlednotonlythecoast
ofAustraliabutalsowellinlandbyHosea’sera.Ithinkthisisenoughtopaintthe
pictureIintended.TheworlddidnotcenteraroundIsraelandJudah,exceptfor
spiritually.IsraelandJudahwerebutsmallactorsonaverylargestage.Infact,
insomerespectsIsraelandJudahwerenotnearlyasadvancedorinfluentialin
theircivilizationasothersinAsia,WesternEuropeandNorthernAfrica.What
madeIsraelandJudahatallinterestingtoothernationswasthattheyhad
developedsomeabundantagriculture,theirwesternborderwasthe
MediterraneanSeawithseveralgoodports,andacoupleofmajornorth-south
traderoutes(onecalledtheViaMarisandtheotherTheKingsHighway)wound
theirwaythroughtheirterritory.So,thiswastheworldofHosea.Hewouldhave
hadknowledgeofseveralofthesenationsandcultures,andtheyofhis.Butone
civilizationinhisregionhadbecomethecurrentsuperpower,andwasquite
aggressiveintheirempirebuildingambitions;thiswastheAssyrianstoIsrael’s
northeast.Thisisalsotheworldthatthe10tribesoftheNorthernKingdom
wouldbescatteredanddispersedinto.
Verse11ofHoseachapter5isspeakingofthattimewhenTiglath-Pileser,King
ofAssyria,wouldconquerEphraim/Israelandthepeoplewouldbeinprocessof
beingexpelledfromtheirhomeland.ThisisanotherverseofHoseathathasbeen
verydifficulttodecipherfirstbecausetheconditionoftheoldestmanuscriptsof
Hoseachapter5ispoor,andbecausetheHebrewwordschosenarethemselves
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
4/13
challengingtounderstand.Here’sjustaquicksampleofattemptstotranslate
thisversetoEnglish.
JPS
Hosea5:11OppressedisEphraim,crushedinhisright;becausehewillingly
walkedafterfilth.
TNK
Hosea5:11Ephraimisdefrauded,robbedofredress,becausehehas
witlesslyGoneafterfutility
KJV
Hosea5:11Ephraimisoppressedandbrokeninjudgment,becausehe
willinglywalkedafterthecommandment.
Someofthesedon’tmakealotofsensetouswhenwereadthemandthisis
becausesomeoftheHebrewwordsused,andthesentencestructureitself,are
uncommon.IthinkfrommyresearchtheJPSTanakhversionisprobablycloser
totheintent.H.L.Ginsbergrenderstheversethisway:“Ephraimwasdefrauded,
robbedofredress,becausehe(meaningEphraim/Israel)hasbeenafool;hehas
followeddelusion.”Thisfitsverynicelywherethesamewordsareusedina
similarsentencestructure,orexpressingthesimilarthought,inLeviticus5,
Deuteronomy28,1Samuel12andAmos4.So,whatdothosewordsactually
meanthen;thatEphraimwasdefraudedandrobbedofredress?Itmeansthat
whenthetimecomesthattheyareexiled,theywillnotbetreatedjustly,andas
anexpelledpeoplelivingasforeignersingentilenationstheywillnothavethe
samelegalmeansandprotectionstohavetheirgrievancesheardaswouldthe
citizensofthosevariousnations.Andwhyisthissituationcomingaboutfor
Israel?The2
nd
halfoftheversesaysthatEphraimhasbeenafoolbyfollowinga
delusion;thedelusionnodoubtreflectingtheirtrustintheBaalstoprovidefor
them(thewayGomersymbolicallytrustedherlovers).Andthisduetothe
hybridizedreligioussystemIsraelhadadopted,whichtriedtomixpagan
elementswiththeirHebrewfaithandtheBaalswiththeirHebrewGod,Yehoveh,
andthinkitgoodandrighteous.
Verse12says:
CJB
Hosea5:12ThereforeIamlikeamothtoEfrayimandlike
rottennesstothehouseofY'hudah.
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
5/13
Thistranslationistechnicallycorrect.However,inmodernEnglishwhatdoesit
meantobelikeamothtoEphraim?Beingamothisanexpression;amothfeeds
onweakenedfabric.So,forabetterwordpictureforusinthe21
st
century,this
wouldbebetterrendered:“ThereforeIamlikerottoEphraim”.Whenspeaking
ofJudah,adifferentHebrewwordisused:raqab.Itmeansdecay.Becausethis
verseiswrittenusingthecommonHebrewliterarytechniqueofcouplets,which
usesslightlydifferentwordstoexpressthesamethoughtintwodifferentways
forthesakeofdramaandthusmakingitmorememorable,thenthebestwayto
renderthisverseisprobably:“ThereforeIamlikerottoEphraim,andlikedecay
tothehouseofJudah”.Personally,Ithinkthere’saproblemwiththewaythis
versehascomedowntous,inthesamewaythatthisproblemalsoappearsin
thenextverse.
Verse13,whichisconnectedinthoughttoverse12,says:
CJB
Hosea5:13When
EfrayimsawhissicknessandY'hudahhiswound,EfrayimwenttoAshurandsent
envoystoawarringking;buthecan'thealyouorcureyourwound.
Theeventsofthetimeframethatisbeingenvisionedoccurredabout740B.C.
Thereisanimmediateandnoticeableproblemwiththisversethatalsodirectly
affectstheprecedingverse.ItspeaksofEphraimANDJudahtogethergoingto
Assyriaforhelp.Somewherealongthewayanancientcopyistmadeamistakeor
misunderstoodandinsertedthewordJudahwhereoriginallythewordIsraelwas
written.So,Idon’tthinkthewordJudahbelongsineitherverse12or13.Byno
meansdidJudahapproachAssyria;onlyEphraim/Israeldidthat.Bothofthese
versesaredealingwithIsraelrunningtoAssyriaforassistance.So,inyourBibles,
inverses12and13,crossoutJudahandwritein“Israel”,whichIamquite
convincedwastheoriginalwayitwaswritten.
Thetermssicknessandwoundinverse13areconnectedinmeaningtorotand
decayinverse12.There’sacoupleofkeystograspingthegravityofthisverse.
FirstisthatthekingofEphraim/Israel(atthattimeprobablyPekah)wenttothe
kingofAssyriaandaskedtoallywithhiminordertoattackJudah.TheCJBuses
thetermAshurinsteadofAssyriaandthisiscorrect.Ashurwasnotthenameof
thenation,butratherofitsgod.AshurandAssyriaaredirectlyrelatedbutnot
thesamethings.Anationanditsgodwereseeninthateraasoneorganicentity.
So,AshurwasthegodandAssyriahisnation.WhenweseethisfromYehoveh’s
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
6/13
viewpoint,itofcoursewasthegodAshurthatEphraimwasgoingtoseektohelp
himagainstJudah.So,whiletheCJBhasthatpartoftheversecorrect,thenext
words“sentenvoystoawarringking”arenotcorrect.Noticeagaintheuseofa
couplet:“EphraimwenttoAshur,sentenvoystoawarringking”.Thefirsthalfof
thecoupletspeaksofthenation’sgod,thesecondhalfofthenation’sking.The
problemintranslatingisthattheHebrewtermmelekhyarebisn’tsomuchabout
awarringkingasitisaboutakingbeingachampion.Thatis,thekingiswilling
tobeapatronwhochampionsthecauseofsomeone…usuallyforprofit.Might
warbeameansofchampioningacause?Certainly.Butthatisincidentaltothe
meaning.Thebetterrenderingis“andsentenvoystoapatronking”.Let’s
reconstructthisverse,then,usingmodernEnglishmeaningtoextractitsintent.
“WhenEphraimbecameawareofhissickness,andIsraelofhisdisease,Ephraim
wenttoAshur…hesentenvoystoakingwhomightchampionhiscause,butthe
kingwasnotabletohealyou,norcanhecureyouofdisease”.
ThereisaHebrewexpressionnahlamakkatekathatliterallysays“yourwoundis
sick”.Whattheexpressionmeans,however,isthatwhetheritisawoundora
disease,itisofaveryseverenature.Thisiswhatisintendedwithverse13.
Israel’sproblemsareofthemostseriouskind,andnohumankingcansolve
themnomatterhowgreatachampionthatkingmaybetoIsrael’scause.And
whyisthis?Verse14addresseswhytheKingofAssyriacan’tcureIsraelofwhat
ailsthem.
CJB
Hosea5:14FortoEfrayimIwillbelikealion,andlikeayoungliontothe
houseofY'hudah-Iwilltearthemupandgoaway;Iwillcarrythemoff,andno
onewillrescue.
Beforewegetintotheparticulars,thecruxofthisverseisthis:thereasonthe
KingofAssyriacan’tcureIsrael’sdiseaseisbecauseonlytheGodofIsraelcando
itbecausetheGodofIsraeliscausingit.Herewegetsomethingthatsogreatly
bothersChristians.GodissayingthatonthesurfaceitmayappearthatHeis
allowingAssyriatoattackIsrael(bysteppingaside),butinrealityHeismaking
itclearthatHeisdirectlyandactivelycausingEphraim’sdemise.Thatis,itis
possibleforthosewhoclaimtoworshipHimtoeventuallybecomesodeludedin
ourbeliefsandworshippracticesthatGodwillactseverelyagainstus.Believers:
Yeshuadidnotchangethis.Indeed,therearetimeswhenGodstepsasideand
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
7/13
allowsbadthingstohappentous;buttherearealsotimesthatHedirectly
causesbadthingstohappentous.Thatsaid,whenGodcausessomethingbadto
happentous(thisiswhatwecanrightlycallGod’swrath),itisalwaysattheend
ofaverylongroadofaseriesofcorrectionsthatwe(asanindividualorasa
nation)haverefusedtoacknowledge,repent,andchange.Althoughitisonlymy
opinion,IthinkthisGod-patternshowsusthatonlyintherarestofoccasions
doesGodpouroutHiswrathonanindividual,andmoreoftenthatHedirectly
poursitoutonanation,communally.Butbeware:Hosea’sprophecyisrevealing
aninvisiblelineinthesandthatcanbecrossed,whichresultsinwrath.IfIknew
exactlywherethatlinewas,I’dtellyou.WhatIcantellyou,however,isthat
manyyearsagomydeardepartedwifeandIbeganthisTorahClassministry
partlybecausewesensedsomethingsickandwoundedinthemodernChurch,of
whichwecountedourselvesaspart,andIstilldo.Itdidn’ttaketoomuchstudy
toquicklyrealizehowfaroffcoursemuchofthemainstreaminstitutionalChurch
hadstrayed;mostlybydoingexactlywhatEphraim/Israelhaddone.Wehave
intentionallyincorporatedpaganworshippracticesintoourmidst,thinkingthatif
weweretore-purposethesepracticesintoworshippingYehoveh(anddoingitin
thenameofJesus),itwouldsomehowbecomeacceptabletoTheFather.We
havealsoinstitutedabeliefsystembasedmostlyonafewletterswrittenbyPaul,
butthatthrowsoutthecontextforthem,whichistheTorahandtherestofthe
OldTestament.Neithersciencenorgovernmentnorsocialtoleranceisgoingto
saveuswhenGodfromHeavensays“enough!”
Verse14againdealswiththisissue,withoutdoubt,ofanancientcopyist
replacingthetermIsraelwiththetermJudah,likelysometimeafterJudahwas
invadedandexiledtoBabylon.Thesubjectclearlyremainswhatisgoingto
happentotheNorthernKingdomforitsidolatryandforgoingtotheKingof
Assyriaforanalliance.Butwhatofthelionandthentheyounglionremark?
Allowmetode-mythologizesomethingforyou.Thereareafewplacesinour
EnglishBiblesthatwe’llseetheEnglishtermslionandyounglionusedtogether.
Here’sthething:Hebrewhasatleast6wordsforlion.Infact,Jobchapter4uses
5ofthem.ItwasDavidKimchiinthe13
th
centurywhoinventedthisstructurefor
thevariousmeaningsof6lionterms.Heclaimedthateachwordclassifiesalion
accordingtoitsageandsize.Thus,thekepirislargerandolderthanacublion
(agur),theyoungestandsmallestlion.Andthearyehisbiggerandolderthan
thekepir.Thelabiismoredevelopedthanthearyeh,andthelayisistheoldest
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
8/13
andmostdevelopedlion.Thisiscompletelyartificialandhasnobiblicalor
historicalbasis;butithasbeenadoptedandcanbefoundinnearlyeveryEnglish
Bibletranslation.Whenwegetridoftheterm“Judah”andreinserttheterm
“Israel”,thenonceagaintheHebrewliterarycoupletappearsasitisconstantly
usedinHosea.Andwhenweunderstandthatbecausethetechniquewastouse
twodifferentwordswithessentiallythesamemeaningtoformacouplet,thenwe
canbetterrenderthefirsthalfofverse14as:“NowIshallbelikeabiglionto
Ephraim,likeagreatliontotheHouseofIsrael”.Bigandgreatarenotmeantto
betakenasmeaningacertainsizeandthenanevenlargerlion.They’rejusttwo
termswiththesamemeaning,butthecouplettechniquedemandsthattwo
differentHebrewwordsbeusedtopullitoff.
Thesecondhalfofverse14beginswithanemphaticimperative:ani,ani.In
basicHebrewanimeans“I”.Yehovehisessentiallydoubling-downonHis
declarationthatIsraelisnottolooktobadfortuneforwhatwillsoonbefallthem.
RatherYehovehisactivelycausingit;He’stakingcreditforcausingtheirmisery.
Indoingthis,HelikensHimselftoalionthatattacksitspreyandcarriesitoffto
devouritathisleisure.Andwhocantakethispotentialmealawayfromahungry
lionandsurvive?Noone.WhatwillsoonbefallIsraelisdisaster;itisunavoidable;
Godisbringingitabout.Nomereearthlykingispowerfulenoughtothechange
theoutcomethatYehovehordains.Thesearepowerfulwordsandmeantto
terrifyitsIsraelitehearers.
Verse15completeschapter5.Itis:
CJB
Hosea5:15Iwillgoandreturntomyplace,tilltheyadmittheirguiltand
searchforme,seekingmeeagerlyintheirdistress."
Thisisakindoftransitionalverse.Itsitsinthemiddlebetweenthejudgments
we’vejustbeenreading,andtheinvitationtorepentthatwefindthatopens
chapter6.OnecouldalmostsaythatYehovehisrevealingHisstrategytoreturn
HispeopletoHim,sincerestorationhasalwaysbeenthegoal.Thepunishments
havebeenpreviouslylaidout,andhavingdonethat,Godwillnow“go”.Thatis,
HewillnolongerbepresenttohelpIsraelasanationalgodisexpectedtodoat
alltimes.Instead,HesaysHewill“returntoHisplace”.WhereisHisplace?There
aredifferentthoughtsaboutthis.PerhapsitmeanstheTempleinJerusalem;I
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
9/13
thinkitismorelikelymeaningHisthroneinHeaven.Buttheideaisseparation.
Insomanyways,thenextstepisuptoIsrael.Godisnowcontenttositbackand
waitforthem.Israelmustdo2things:1)admit(oracknowledge)theirguiltfor
alltheoffensesHehasaccusedthem.2)TheymustworktosearchforHim,
doingsoeagerlyeventhoughtheyhavefoundthemselvesindirestraits.
ThereisanongoingimplicationthatfornowGodisunavailabletoIsrael.Butitis
moreexplicitthatevenifHoseaimmediatelytransmittedthisprophecyand
Israelimmediatelybegantorespondwithcontrition,thatGodwouldstillnot
forgiveorcall-offthecomingcatastrophe.Onlyafterthepunishment…onlyafter
theyareexiledandintheclutchesofthegovernmentsofthemanygentile
nationswherethey’llbesent…willGodfinallyturnalisteningeartotheirplight.
Theideaisthatavoidanceofdisaster,nomatterhowrepentantIsraelmightbe
atthemoment,isnotanoption.Thelinehasbeencrossedandnoamountof
remorsewillstoptheimpendingdoom.
CJB
Proverbs1:22-28
22
"Howlong,youwhoseliveshavenopurpose,willyou
lovethoughtlessliving?Howlongwillscornersfindpleasureinmocking?How
longwillfoolshateknowledge?
23
RepentwhenIreprove-Iwillpouroutmyspirit
toyou,Iwillmakemywordsknowntoyou.
24
BecauseyourefusedwhenIcalled,
andnoonepaidattentionwhenIputoutmyhand,
25
butinsteadyouneglected
mycounselandwouldnotacceptmyreproof;
26
I,inturn,willlaughatyour
distress,andmockwhenterrorcomesoveryou-
27
yes,whenterrorovertakes
youlikeastormandyourdisasterapproacheslikeawhirlwind,whendistress
andtroubleassailyou.
28
Thentheywillcallme,butIwon'tanswer;theywill
seekmeearnestly,buttheywon'tfindme.
Let’sreadHoseachapter6.
READHOSEACHAPTER6all
“LetusturnbacktoYehoveh”.Thisisacalltorepentsinceturningiswhat
repentanceamountsto.Howeversincerethisrepentanceactuallyis,isabithazy
todetermine.EssentiallythisisIsrael’sresponsetoallthesoberingwordsthat
haveprecededthisverse.But,thisresponsethatisspokenofintheformofa
songprobablybelongstothetimeoftheLatterDays;agenerationfarbeyond
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
10/13
Hosea’sandperhapsmightbereferringtoourcurrentgenerationsincetheexiles
arereturninghome.EssentiallythisiswhatYehovehhasbeenwaitingtohear.
NotallBiblecommentators,however,seethisasasongoflegitimatepenitence.
Rathersome(likeWilliamR.Harper)seethisdeclarationofverses1-3as
impulsive,insincereandfullofprideandhubris.IadmitthatIcanseehow
someonecouldcometothatconclusion.Yet,inthelargerpicture,knowingthat
God’spurposehasalwaysbeentoreturnHispeopletofellowshipwithHimself,I
thinkitmightabittooharshtoseetheirstatementofrepentanceasprideand
hubris.
UsingthemetaphorthatGodhas“tornus”connectstothelionmetaphorthat
YehovehusesforHimselfofstalkingandkillinghisprey.Yes,Godwilltear,but
heisalsofullycapabletohealthattear.GodhasstruckIsraelhard…notjust
allowedbadthingstohappen…butwithrepentanceshowntoHim,Hecanalso
bindthewoundthatresultedfromIsrael’sidolatry.
Whatismoreinterestingtomeisverse2:
CJB
Hosea6:2 Aftertwodays,he
willreviveus;onthethirdday,hewillraiseusup;andwewillliveinhispresence.
MostanyBeliever,nomatterhownewormatureinfaith,nearlyinstantlythinks
ofChristdyingandthenbeingraisedtolifeonthe3
rd
day.Fascinatingly,though,
nearlyeveryscholarlylevelcommentaryIconsultedonthisversedeniedthis
connectiontoJesus.Instead,theyinsistedthatitwasmerelyaHebrewsaying;
itwasawayofexpressinganindeterminateamountoftime,andshouldnotbe
takenliterally.Yet,theJewishscholarMayerGruber(notaBeliever)wrotethis:
“…acloserreadingofHosea6:2shouldrevealthatthetwoparallelnumerical
termsarenot‘intwodays’time…inthreedays’time’…butrather‘aftertwodays
andonthethirdday’.Itfollows,therefore,thatinHosea6:2wefindoneofthe
instancesofsynonymousparallelisminthemostliteralsense,whichmeansthat
‘aftertwodaysandonthethirdday’areliterallysynonymousadverbialphrases
fullyadumbratingtheliteralusagereflectedinthetwoNewTestamentcitations
quotedbyStuart”.
Here'swhatthisHebrewBiblescholarsaid:thetwodaysandonthethirddayis
meanttobetakenliterallyandnotsymbolicallyorindefinitely.And,itis
undeniablethatthesewordsvaguelyforeshadowYeshuaofNazarethdyingon
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
11/13
thecrossandbeingresurrectedonthethirdday.Onehastoworkawfullyhard
nottomakethisconnection,whichiswhyIappreciatetheworksofscholarssuch
asMayerGruber.HeisanintellectuallyhonestJewishman.So,whilehecannot
bringhimselftoacceptthatYeshuaisHisSavior,Hecanacceptthatthis
prophecyofHoseaprobablycarriesadirectreferencetotheNewTestament
Yeshuaand,interestingly,italsoisexpansiveenoughtoincorporatetheideaof
allthe10tribescomingtorepentanceandthenbeingrevived(resurrected)as
well.
READEZEKIELCHAPTER37:1–12
EzekielprophesiedalittleoverahundredyearsafterHosea,andhismain
assignmentfromGodwastodealwithJudahandtheirBabylonianexile.Andyet
thisEzekielpassageisspeakingaboutbothhousesofIsrael:JudahandEphraim.
So,theideaofdeathandresurrectionisclearlypresentinHosea6:2asitisin
Ezekielchapter37.HowsomanyChristianBiblescholarscandenythis
connectiontoIsraelandatthesametimetoJesusisbaffling.
Thefinalwordsofverse2thatare“wewillliveinHispresence”havebeen
variouslyinterpretedbutitseemsquiteplaintome.Fromthevantagepointof
the8
th
centuryB.C.,whenthebeliefwasthatYehovehwasIsrael’snationalgod,
andthattobeexiledfromthelandmeanttheywerenolongerinHisjurisdiction;
andalongwiththecommentin5:15that“IwillgoandreturntoMyplace”,then
clearlyseparationwastheintent.ButthentoliveinHispresencemeantthat
YehovehhadreturnedtobeingthenationalGodoverthelandofIsrael,andwith
Ephraim’sreturntotheirland,nowtheyarebackintheterritorialjurisdictionof
Yehoveh.Thisisn’t,ofcourse,whatGodnecessarilymeant,butthetailoringof
thewordscouldmeannothingelseto8
th
centuryB.C.Israelites.But,verse3
actuallyaddstowhatitmeanstobeinGod’spresence;anditinvolvessomething
thatyoumayfindabitsurprising.Thefirstwordsofverse3are:
CJB
Hosea6:3Letusknow,letusstrivetoknowADONAI.
I’mgoingtoteachyousomethingthatIwantyoutowriteinthemarginsofyour
Bible,dogearthepage,andthenrefertoitoften.Biblically,to“know”Godorto
“haveknowledge”ofGoddoesnotmeanwhatitsoundsliketoour21
st
century
ears.Tous,toknowsomethingistobeawareofsomethingbymeansofour
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
12/13
observationorinquiry.Itmeanstohavesomeinformationaboutsomething;or
tobeabletoidentifysomething.IfIaskyouifyouknowJerry,I’maskingifthis
personisrecognizabletoyoutosomedegree.Tohelpgetmypointacross,I
wanttoreadtoyousomethingwithwhichmostChristiansarefamiliar:itisfrom
Jeremiahchapter31.
CJB
Jeremiah31:26-33
26
"Here,thedaysarecoming,"saysADONAI,whenIwill
sowthehouseofIsra'elandthehouseofY'hudahwiththeseedofhumansand
theseedofanimals.
27
Atthattime,justasIusedtowatchoverthemwiththe
intenttouproot,breakdown,overthrow,destroyanddoharm;so,thenIwill
watchoverthemtobuildandplant,"saysADONAI.
28
"Whenthosedayscome
theywillnolongersay,'Thefathershaveeatensourgrapes,andthechildren's
teetharesetonedge.'
29
Rather,eachwilldieforhisownsin;everyonewhoeats
sourgrapes,hisownteethwillbesetonedge.
30
"Here,thedaysarecoming,"
saysADONAI,"whenIwillmakeanewcovenantwiththehouseofIsra'eland
withthehouseofY'hudah.
31
ItwillnotbelikethecovenantImadewiththeir
fathersonthedayItookthembytheirhandandbroughtthemoutofthelandof
Egypt;becausethey,fortheirpart,violatedmycovenant,eventhoughI,formy
part,wasahusbandtothem,"saysADONAI.
32
"ForthisisthecovenantIwill
makewiththehouseofIsra'elafterthosedays,"saysADONAI:"Iwillputmy
Torahwithinthemandwriteitontheirhearts;IwillbetheirGod,andtheywill
bemypeople.
33
Nolongerwillanyofthemteachhisfellowcommunitymember
orhisbrother,'KnowADONAI';forallwillknowme,fromtheleastofthemtothe
greatest;becauseIwillforgivetheirwickednessandremembertheirsinsno
more."
Yousee,wehavealwaystakenthatmentionaboutamemberofthecommunity
sayingtoanotherperson“knowAdonai”(knowGod)asmeaningacquiringan
awarenessofGodorperhapssomeinformationaboutHim.Thatisnotatallwhat
itmeans.Inthebiblicalera,toknowyourmasterortoknowyourkingmeantto
beobedientandloyaltohim.Thewayweallareto“know”Godisbeobedient
andloyaltoHim.Otherwise,mostofuscouldsaywe“know”Allah,GodofIslam,
becauseweareawareofhim.Toputayetfinerpointonit,toknowGodorto
haveknowledgeofGodisawayofsaying:“LetusobeyYehovehbyobserving
Hismorallawcode”.God’smorallawcodeexpressesGod’scharacterandnature.
Yehoveh’smorallawcodebiblicallygoesbythenamesTheTorah,theLaw,and
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
13/13
theCovenantofMoses.Israel’sabilitytohavearelationshipwithGod…andso
theabilityforaChristianrelationshipwithGod…ispredicatedononethingalone:
covenant.Hosea6:3offersaprogramabouthowknowingGodcancomeabout.
Jeremiahmakestheprocessevenmoreclear:Godwillputthedesirewithinour
heartstostriveforadeeperdevotiontotheLawCovenant(theTorah)asour
standardofmoralityandobedience.This,andnothingelse,iswhattheBible
meansbythecallto“knowGod”.
SomehowwithinChristianitywemustrecoverexactlythesameaswhat
Ephraim/Israellost.ItisanunderstandingthattheLawandtheLawGiverare
organicallyandforeverconnected.Ifwewantanintimaterelationshipwith
Yehoveh,thenwemustknowthetermsofHisCovenantofMosesandusethose
termsasthestructureforourmoralityandourobediencetoGod.LovingGodis
notawarmfeelingtowardsHim.LovingGodisnothavingtearsrunningdown
ourfacesatthewordsandmelodyofaparticularlyimpactfulandinspiring
worshipsong.LovingGodisbeingobedienttoGod,asexpressedbyHis
covenant.
Itissoveryupliftingwhenwereadthefinalwordsofverse3thatIsraelknows,
deepdown,thatGod’sre-appearance(thatis,IsraelagainlivinginHispresence
intheonlyplaceitcanhappen,theHolyLand)isascertainasdaybreak.Nothing
canstoptheearthfromturningandthesunfromrising,andthatishowcertain
itisthatGodwilltakeIsraelback.GodcomingagaintoIsrael(andIsraelcoming
againtoGod)islikenedtorain,andtothelatterrain.InHebrewthere’s3stages
ofrain;themostspokenofintheBiblearethe1
st
and3
rd
stagesthattypicallyare
translatedastheformerrainandthelatterrain.OrinHebrewyorehandmalqos.
Theserainsmustcomeattheappropriateseasonalmoments,orcropyieldswill
besmall.JusttofurthermaketheconnectionthattoknowGodmeanstofollow
HisTorah,thepromiseofrainsatthepropertimesismadeinanticipationof
repentanceandareneweddevotiontoHisTorah.Thisrefersdirectlytoa
Covenantcommandment.
CJB
Deuteronomy11:13-15
13
"SoifyoulistencarefullytomymitzvotwhichI
amgivingyoutoday,toloveADONAIyourGodandservehimwithallyourheart
andallyourbeing;
14
then,[saysADONAI,]'Iwillgiveyourlanditsrainatthe
rightseasons,includingtheearlyfallrainsandthelatespringrains;sothatyou
Lesson10-HoseaChapters5&6
14/13
cangatherinyourwheat,newwineandoliveoil;
15
andIwillgiveyourfields
grassforyourlivestock;withtheresultthatyouwilleatandbesatisfied.'
We’llpickupwithverse4nexttime.