The Apostasy and Restoration of Israel- A Commentary on Hosea 3-4

Hosea chapters 3-4 begins a prophesy the coming judgment and restoration on Israel and Judah. Ch 3 gives us the summary while 4 gives us some details. We see in these chapters that the ancient Israelites used relativism and spin as means to evade the truth so that they could pursue their selfish desires.

In chapter 3, God commands Hosea to buy back Gomer. She had committed harlotry, left Hosea, and ended up as a slave on the market. The history of Gomer parallels that of Israel. As Gomer left Hosea for a season, ended up in slavery and then was redeemed, so Israel would become dispossessed from the land, the temple, and her King for a season, and then become redeemed. Israel has twice been scattered from the land. The first was under the Babylonians and lasted only 70 years, the second was the Roman occupation. The temple was destroyed in 70 and in 135 most of the Jews were evicted from their land. There was no more Jewish state until 1948. Both times, God restored the Jews to the land He promised them.

Chapter 4 begins by laying out the issues that are the grounds for His judgments. These are developed into three layers: relativism, spin, and party-party. These are intertwined in a systematic rejection of the truth. (Isaiah 59;John 3:18-21; Romans 1:18-32)

We see in verses 1-3, the harbinger of moral relativism. The text reads “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery they break all restraint ” They throw off moral norms by simply taking what they wanted, whether it by money or sex, and then using deception and murder to cover it up. The Ancient Israelites rejected the moral absolutes of God's Word to accommodate their selfish nature.

In verses 4-6, we see the spin cycle in full motion. God admonished no one to rebuke one another “For your people are like those who contend with the priest. ” Because ancient Israel rejected the “knowledge” of absolutes of God's Word (v6), they stumbled “Day” and “night” (vs5), and perished. God was going to reject them. This people's heart were set upon iniquity(vs8) to the degree that they actually fed off of it. The spin, the lies, and the harlotries was practiced by both the leaders and the people.

From verse 11 to the end of the chapter a dark picture is painted of people devoted to debauchery, from spiritual adultery to physical adultery to ritual sex. In verses 16, the Lord gives them over to a reprobate mind. “ He lets them “forage like a lamb in open country ”. He admonishes people to leave Ephraim alone, because he is “joined to idols.”

Are the Recent Storms an Escalation of God's Judgment

As I write this I am drying out the basement at my house due to flooding. Over the past week, there have been over four storms. According to one meteorologist, there have over 1600 reports of weather emergencies. Couple this with the pandemic earthquakes in Japan and one can only conclude that 2011 has gotten off to a rocky start.

About three weeks ago, I shared a dream I had with the small group I lead. I had a dream that there would be massive flooding in the local area where I live, which is in the Greater Louisville Metropolitan area. This dream has come about. I also had a dream that a tsunami will ravage Florida. This has not happened yet, but I believe it will in the not too distant future.

The one thing no rational person can deny is that there is an escalation of tribulation. I believe that God is entering into judgment against the whole world for wickedness. We need to gather our congregations together for prayers and supplications to repent of sins ask God for mercies.

The Call to Solemn Assembly - A Commentary on Joel 2

Joel 2 begins with a dire warning that I believe is relevant today. I believe that God's judgment on the whole earth is very near and that disasters and distress we are experiencing are just the beginning of birth pains.

The Day of the Lord is at hand.

Joel 2 begins with a warning that the Day of the Lord is very near. The people are warned to blow the trumpet and sound an alarm. The watchers are to warn the people of danger (Ezekiel 33). Joel 1:3-11 give a vivid description of this army. Vs 10-11 speak of the darkening of the sun and reddening of the moon as signs coinciding. This places this battle in the end-times.

Call to Solemn Assembly

In vss 12-17, there is a call to repentance- specifically a call to what the Bible refers to as a Solemn assembly. While solemn assemblies were instituted under the Mosaic law, the application of it's key component, the solemn assembly, transcends the limitations of the Mosaic law. The solemn assembly was critical to the Feast of Tabernacles. Seven days of observance is followed by a solemn assembly on the eighth day (Lev 23:36).

When the temple of Solomon was dedicated (2 Chr 5-7) it was at the time of then Feast of Tabernacles. They observed seven days and had a solemn assembly on the eighth day. During that solemn assembly, fire came down from God and the priests fell under the power of God. (2 Chr 7:1-9)

We know from the passion narratives that on the third day after Christ died, He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven 40 days later. the apostles were commanded to abide in an upper room. The apostles stay in the Upper Room where they engaged in “prayer and supplication”; this was engagement in a solemn assembly.

In Zech 14:16-21, which speaks of the time after the Day of the Lord judgment, that the Feast of tabernacles was both a regular and international Feast day.

The call to solemn assembly or sacred assembly is applicable to all legal contexts, not just the Mosaic Covenant. The call to seek God in solemn assembly for public and collective repentance is for today. We are to make prayers and supplication for redemption and revival in the context of impending doom for God to glorify himself by reviving us.

Physical Restoration

Vss 18-27 promise physical restoration, including deliverance from our adversaries. In context the adversary is the Gog coalition that surrounds Israel and breathes out murders against God's people ( Ezekiel 38-39).

Spiritual Restoration – End Time Revival.

The other promise is that of great revival. Vss 28-32 are also recorded in Acts 2 as the prophetic basis of Pentecost. In the context of Joel, this revival occurs before the End-time Day of the Lord judgments. That is why Joel's prophecy includes the darkening of the sun and reddening of the moon as signs accompanying the revival. The revival in Acts was the initial, but not complete, fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The complete fulfillment occurs just before the Return of Jesus Christ.

The initial awakening resulted in a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit. The end-time revival will see both a continuation of the this mighty move and great manifestation of the Sovereignty of God: The sun darkening and the moon reddening followed by judgment on the nations and great deliverance of His people.

Commentary on Joel 1

The book of Joel was written to both warn of coming judgment and give promises of revival. Chapter 1 sets the stage for what is happening. Joel definitely speaks of the end times. Joel speaks of events happening today.

In vss 2-3 Joel proclaims that what is about to happen is something that has never happened before. He asks this rhetorical question as the introduction to the book “Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? ” The im plied answer is that what is about to happen is unprecedented. What follows appears to be ordinary disasters, but Jesus comments on the use of seemingly ordinary disasters as signs of the end. He likens them to birth pangs. Birth pangs start slow, but steadily increase in both frequency and intensity until childbirth. As we near the end, we will see disasters increase in frequency and intensity. In just the past ten years we have seen disasters escalate: 911, Hurricane Katrina, Tsunamis devastate Indonesia and Japan, Another hurricane devastate Haiti, so this is relevant to us.

We see the same escalation of frequency and intensity in vs 4 “What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.” One disaster is followed by a more extreme disaster until destruction is complete.

Vss 5-13 speak of economic and political ruin. Drunks are told to weep because there is “no new wine” given that people drink aged wine first, it speaks of a total loss. This loss even affects the church. Vs 9 tells us “The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the LORD; The priests mourn, who minister to the LORD. ” The church has been ruined, unable to fulfill her mission. Those ministers who care grieve. Folks, this is happening today before our eyes. We are witnessing a political, economic, and moral collapse of Western Civilization. What are we to do as things go from bad to worse?

In vss 13-20, We are instructed to seek the Lord in solemn assembly. There is precedent for it in Lev 23:33-36. The solemn assembly, or sacred assembly, was about seeking God in repentance. The solemn assembly has transcended it's Mosaic context, having been a part of the practice of God's people throughout the centuries. Even today, we are to seek God in repentance as repentance is taught throughout Scripture. I will have more on this in the next installment which will be commentary on chapter 2.