The Book of Joel: Chapter 2

Pictured is the Jezreel Valley. All nations will gather here in the battle of Armageddon (Zechariah 11-14 and Revelation 16:14-21)

Without too much introduction, this chapter almost entirely relates to us. There will be horrible destruction and war prior to the second coming of the Savior, but that day will be great and terrible. It will be great for the followers of Christ and terrible for those that chose not to follow him.

Verse 1

This verse is also talking to us. We need to "blow the trumpet" as a warning voice and in sharing the gospel. Blowing the trumpet made from the ram's horn was a warning that danger was approaching. The second coming is a dangerous event for the wicked and unrepentant. We also need to know that the "day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand". Zion and the Lord's holy mountain is where his temple is (Isaiah 2:1-3). It can also be anywhere he speaks to his people or anywhere the "pure in heart" happen to be (Instead of going into a full discussion about Zion being the pure in heart, see the following references: D&C 45:66-70; 82:14; 133:2,13,18,26-32,56).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: "Zion is people. Zion is the saints of God; Zion is those who have been baptized; Zion is those who have received the Holy Ghost; Zion is those who keep the commandments; Zion is the righteous; or in other words as our revelation recites: 'This is Zion - the pure in heart.' (D&C 97:21)

Verses 2-10

These verses describe the army coming to fight Israel in the battle of Armageddon. See also Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Revelation 9:1-10 for more information on this. I'll probably be posting the book of Ezekiel in about another month or so. In this battle the army is described as being like locusts that devour the crops and cover the land. There are so many of them that the sun will scarcely shine through. There are so many of them that the earth will quake from their march. They will be as a devouring flame to the land, leaving everything behind them desolate. In verse 4 the horses symbolize war. In verse 5 the chariots symbolize a powerful army.

Verse 6 shows the reaction to this army. The faces of the people "shall be much pained" and "all faces shall gather blackness" meaning they will be feeling fear and gloom. The next few verses explain this fear. They members of the army can run and climb like mighty men. They do not break the ranks. "When they fall upon their sword, they shall not be wounded". This can only describe the fact that any weapons used against them are ineffectual. Perhaps they also have mighty armor. They are easily able to climb the walls of Jerusalem and plunder the houses.

Verse 11

This verse is awesome. Try to imagine being in Jerusalem and seeing what the army above is doing. Seeing that nothing you do can stop them and knowing that soon they'll be here and you would most likely just be hoping for it to happen quickly. Imagine if your family was with you and how helpless you would feel in trying to protect them. Now read verse 11. "The Lord shall utter his voice before his army; for his camp is very great". There is great hope in that. For the faithful, it would be more than hope. They would know that the Lord and his great army would deliver them.

Verses 12-18

These verses are interesting because it sort of breaks from the battle description and the Lord is speaking to Israel (and us) again trying to persuade them to repent and turn to him. The custom of the day was to rend your clothes when mourning but he said "rend your hearts, not your garments". This means that true repentance was something that happens inside us, like a broken heart and a contrite spirit. After more verses explaining the mourning and repentance, verse 16 shows us that there will be a certain point where the Lord (as the bridegroom) will reclaim Israel (as the bride) and consider them once again to be his chosen people. After all of this (remember that obedience precedes the blessing) verse 18 says "Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people".

Verses 19-27

These verses describe a complete 180 from what we've seen so far in most of Hosea and Joel. Israel and Judah were both very wicked but at this time they have repented and come to the Lord and look at the blessings. No more famine. They will have satisfactory corn, wine and oil. The threshing floors would be full of wheat. He will take care of the army spoken of above, and any of Israel's enemies for that matter. He gives them comfort. He is sustaining them. After years of famine, hardship and wanting, they finally have more food than they need. They also are looking to him for protection and he is providing it. Verse 27 is great because it says "ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel". Sometimes it's hard for us to tell (our fault, not his) if he is with us. This is a great blessing to know he is there and to know the reason they know is that they are righteous and spiritually in tune.

Verses 28-32

In the JSH 1:41 we read that Moroni quoted this scripture to Joseph Smith during the night in his room. Moroni said that this had not yet come to pass but that it would soon. At this point, this prophesy is well into fulfillment. We have felt and are currently feeling this outpouring of the spirit and we are also seeing many of the signs of the latter days. When you think of this outpouring of the spirit, think of all the wards and stakes in the world and the missionaries, Sacrament meetings, Priesthood quorums, righteous prayers, etc...

The Book of Joel: Chapter 1

This chapter describes the prophets warning voice of imenent judgements but also a sincere desire for Judah to repenet.

Verse 4

Joel used the following imagery of a famine to describe Judah's future. The following terms are used to describe the different stages of development in the life of a locust.

• Palmerworm in Hebrew for gazam, which means "gnawer"
  
• Locust in Hebrew is arbeth, which means "many"
  
• Cankerworm in Hebrew is yeleq, which means "licker"
  
• Caterpillar in Hebrew is chasil, which means "consumer"

The LDS Institute Old Testament Manual says...

"Many scholars believe that the palmerworm was a metaphor for the Assyrian-Babylonian invasions. What these two empires left, the Medes and Persians "ate" during their invasions (Locust)...Then the cankerworm would represent the invasion and suppression by Greece (Macedonia) under Alexander the Great, which leaves the caterpillar to represent the invasion and destruction of Judah by Rome. These references seem also to apply to the coming battle of Armageddon."

Verses 5-6

The Israelites were referred to as "drunkards". In fact, being drunken is the only sin mentioned in the book of Joel. However, in it's use, drunken means sin and drunkard means sinner. Or in other words, they were drunken with their own iniquities, which were many. This includes all forms of self indulgence. Telling them to "weep" and "howl" was Joel's way of telling them to show remorse, repent and cry unto the Lord for forgiveness. Joel also told them that a strong nation, without number (many people), will come upon them. He told them that their "teeth are the teeth of a lion" which means they were vicious and fearsome.

Verses 7-8

Vines and fig trees were considered symbols of goodness and choiceness. This verse says that this great nation will lay his vines waste (or lay his people waste). When the bark is pulled off of a tree, the tree usually dies. Saying the nation had "barked my fig tree" is saying it will kill many in Israel and verse 8 describes the lament because of the death, destruction and desolation.

Verse 10

Saying the "field is wasted" means that Israel is no longer fruitful, or at least fruitful to anything that is satisfactory to God.

Verse 11

The husbandmen and vinedressers are those who care for the fields. He is saying they should be ashamed for not taking care of them properly. This can apply to us when we are stewards over offices or people. How well are we taking care of the things and people the Lord puts in our charge.

Verse 14

Joel tries to convince them to not only repent and pray for forgiveness, but also to fast. Not just prayer and fasting, but a time of national prayer and fasting.

Verse 16

This verse describes the loss of temple worship. This is a loss of "meat", which is spiritual sustenance and a loss of "joy" and "gladness".

Introduction to Joel

Similar to Hosea, a main theme of Joel is that the house of Israel had become full of wickedness and would receive terrible judgements. This message is similar to that of some other prophets like Isaiah, Jonah and Amos. Wickedness brings about destruction and righteous and repentance will bring about joy and happiness. Joel was one of many prophets whose prophecies were dual prophesies. They had immediate relevance and they would have relevance at a later date, in many instances this later date is the latter days, or last days.

If you read Joseph Smith-History 1:41 you'll see that the angel Moroni quoted from Joel the night he visited Joseph in his room. He said that the prophecies would shortly be fulfilled. Many have already begun to be fulfilled.

The Book of Joel also gives some great insights into the Battle of Armageddon. The book is literally packed with all sorts of good stuff. 

It is widely believed that Joel's ministry took place during the reign of King Joash in Judah. Unlike Hosea, Joel was sending a warning voice to the people of Judah in the Southern Kingdom. 

Along with the wickedness condemned and judgements foretold, Joel also preached about repentance and salvation. Like all prophets, Joel called upon everyone to repent and come unto the Lord.

We also see that Joel does not refer to the Northern Kingdom at all. It's possible that at this time it technically does not exist anymore, meaning they've been invaded and taken captive.

At this time it also appears that Jerusalem still had walls and that temple worship was still being carried out, so it seems to have taken place either before the siege or after it has been restored.

A Conclusion to Hosea

The first thing to remember about the book of Hosea is that the name Hosea means "salvation". Sometimes when we here this word we think of the word "save". It should be a good lesson to us about how we can mess up very badly and still turn to the Lord, who has always loved us and always will love us. The wickedness of Israel can be seen in the symbolism used in the marriage of Hosea to Gomer. She was a harlot. This explains through symbolism that Israel had completely betrayed the Lord. This must have been a very difficult calling for Hosea to fulfill, as the prophet of a nation that would not hear his words. Despite the Lord's love and kindness for so long, they willingly chose and sought after consolation with other nations and other gods. It's painful to study this and see so many chapters of wickedness and the consequences for that wickedness. But after reading the last few chapters, we have hope again. God loves us. Even when we sin, he loves us. But he is bound to give us the consequences that our actions incur. This could be blessings for obedience, or lack of blessings and protection for not obeying. Either way we know that he loves us and will never give up on us. He will give us as much mercy as is possible. But we must realize the relationship between our actions and the blessings from those actions (or lack of blessings). Again, we can refer to D&C 130:20-21 for a wonderful description of this.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 14

After 13 chapters of the wickedness and judgements regarding the wicked nation of Israel, the last chapter of Hosea talks about an eventual repentance of Israel and a turning back toward the Lord.

Verse 1

This is a plea for Israel to turn to the Lord.

Verse 2

Saying that Ephraim will say "we render the calves of our lips" means that they will give forth their best efforts and speak righteously. Young, strong calves were considered the best sacrifices of the mosaic law. The better the calf, the bigger the sacrifice on the part of the offerer. By rendering the calves of our lips we pledge that our thoughts and words will be good ones.

Verse 3

This verse indicates that Ephraim will eventually realize their worship is idolatrous and will turn away from their idols.

Verses 4-9

The rest of the verses describe more of the healing that will take place and the course correction that Israel will take. It's important to note that their behavior will change before the Lord's treatment of them changes. Obedience always precedes the blessing.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 13

Israel's sins (and ours) bring upon us the judgements of God. This chapter also talks about the major roles that Jesus has played (and still is playing) in the plan of salvation. He is the redeemer of both spiritual and physical death.

Verse 2

This verse is pretty cut and dry. The people of Israel are very wicked. They are worshipping idols and trusting their own understandings, which are far from the Lord.

Verse 3

This verse compares Israel to four things that do not last very long. All of these things disappear quickly. The Lord was telling them that their spiritual attention span was the same. They started out righteous and quickly forgot the Lord. 

• Morning clouds
  
• Early dew
  
• Chaff that is driven in the whirlwind
  
• Smoke out of the chimney
  

Verses 4-6

The Lord reminded them of their bondage in Egypt and his deliverance. He also said that "according to their pasture, so were they filled". This basically means they only remembered him when they were needy. But as soon as they prospered they forgot him. This can also apply to us. A good question to ask ourselves is how grateful we are. Are our prayers just as fervent when we are prospering as they are when we are struggling?

Verse 9

The Lord points out that Israel brought these judgements upon themselves and that he alone is the only thing that can help them.

Verse 14

This is a great verse that describes that Christ will help us to overcome physical death and spiritual death. Saying that "repentance shall be hid from my eyes" is describing after the judgement, that repentance will no longer be necessary.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 12

This chapter has a few good scriptures about how God uses his prophets and continues to speak to Israel (Ephraim) about their wickedness.

Verse 1

Saying that "Ephraim feedeth on wind" is saying that they are believing things and putting their faith in things that have no substance. Their covenant with Assyria is also mentioned along with the tribute they pay to Assyria. Israel put their faith into a powerful nation and not the Lord.

Verse 10 & 13

Verse 10 is a great verse that describes how God uses prophets. He tells us clearly that "I have spoken by the prophets...". In verse 13, he describes actual events in which he used the prophets, referring to the Exodus and generally speaking, in preserving Israel.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 11

This is more indications of Israel's wickedness, but there are also some excellent examples of the Lord's love and mercy for us.

Verses 1-2

When Israel was righteous, the Lord knew them and blessed them. We see the proof of this in the early Bible stories...specifically the Exodus leading up toKing David. Then in verse 2 it shows that something changed. They were now worshipping false gods and idols.

Verse 3

I love verse. The Lord is saying that it was He who healed them, "but they knew not that I healed them". It's very sad for sure. It's a great lesson to us on gratitude. Do we express thanks to him every time he heals us? Do we recognize all the ways he heals us or helps us? Read also Luke 17:11-19.

Verse 4

This is a great scripture. The Lord was telling Israel what they could have. Amid everything they've done, he gave another plea. This plea is also for us. Compare this to Matthew 11:28-30, which is probably one of the best scriptures we have. The Lord will bear our burdens and nourish us. In return he asks that we bear the burden he gives to us, which is much lighter than the burden we would have if he had not been our advocate with the Father by atoning for our sins. After reading the verses in Mathew, try to use the yoke (pictured above) and liken it to the burdens we carry through this life. The ones we are inherently born with, the ones we bring upon ourselves, and the ones the Lord has born for us and the ones he asks us to bear.

Verse 7

This verse describes again the stubborn nature of the Israelites, definitely not teachable. The verb "backsliding" is used to describe this.

Verse 8

This verse is a pretty tender verse. Obviously the Lord knows what to do, so these questions aren't coming from a parent that doesn't know all the answers. The phrase "my heart is turned within me" indicates a lot of pain. This is a good scripture to show we and our Heavenly parents, and Jesus are alike. His great love for Israel (and for us) makes it so that when they were "backsliding" (or when we are) he feels great pain.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 10

This chapter (and a few other scriptural references included) teaches us the relationship between reaping and sowing...obedience and blessings.

Verse 1

Remember in chapter 9, verse 10 the Lord said that Israel used to be good and choice, "like grapes in the wilderness? Here he is saying that Israel is an empty vine. Hosea also tells them that they bring fruit unto themselves. Israel was not bringing forth any fruit that the Lord approved of. They were worshipping for themselves, how they wanted to worship.

Verse 2

This indicates that the Lord will "break" and "spoil" their false idols and alters mentioned in verse 1.

Verse 12

This is a great verse that describes the relationship between obedience (or lack of) and consequences (good or bad). Basically, we reap what we sow. See also D&C 130:20-21 for an even better description of this. Also read D&C 78:7.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 9

Hosea is prophesying that Israel will be taken into captivity because of their sins. This is the result of having forsaken the Lord. There are some pretty serious consequences listed.

Verse 1

The phrase "gone a whoring from thy God" is pretty much what it sounds like. It is more symbolism using the bride and bridegroom analogy. Jehovah, the bridegroom, is married to Israel, the bride, but Israel was not faithful to the Lord. In this symbolic sense Israel is committing adultery (idolatry). But the word "whoring" sounds much worse. This may indicate that there were several gods or goddesses Israel was willing to worship. It could also indicate how quickly Israel would jump into a situation with worshipping a new god. 

Regarding the "cornfloor", however, literally speaking, the "whoring" could also represent the following. Threshing would usually be a big event after the harvest. This process was a manual process of separating the seeds from the husk or straw. It was laborious, usually only done by men, and would sometimes take days. Men would often have prostitutes during this time.

Verse 3

The prophesy that "Ephraim shall return to Egypt" means they will return to bondage...specifically Assyria. The word 'bondage' is interchangable with Egypt here.

Verse 4

Again, saying that their offerings and sacrifices are not pleasing just means that they were not doing them the right way. In most cases, they were doing them perfectly by the letter of the law, but their hearts were not in them. It was possible for them to be perfect with the physical ordinances and offerings, but at the same time they were wicked people and their hearts and minds were not centered on Christ.

Verse 7

The prophets spoken of here, that are mad and fools, are the false prophets.

Verse 10

Comparing Israel to "grapes in the wilderness" and their fathers as "the firstripe in the fig tree" meant that at one point the Lord saw Israel as good (since the images used would be described as "good" or "choice"). They used to be righteous but now they are wicked.

Verse 11

This verse describes the lack of (or decrease of) conception, pregnancy and birth that will happen, possibly during the captivity. This is a terrible judgement for a nation that was told by the Lord that their seed shall be as the sands of the sea. Obviously they forgot the part where the blessing was predicated upon their obedience to the laws given to them by God. To us, this is a potential blessing we can also have, or like Israel, if we are not obedient we could receive the same fate.

Verse 12

This verse indicates that even though they've raised some or all of their children, even those raised children will be cut off from the Lord, and feel the consequences.

Verse 15

Here we see the term "revolters" again. A revolter was someone who lured their prey to a camouflaged pit or trap. Saying that Israel's princes (or leaders) are revolters is saying that their leaders are in a sense, spiritually hunting them. Hunting is basically likened unto killing. The leaders are pushing the people further towards wickedness and spiritual death.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 8

Israel and Judah have forsaken the Lord...

Verse 3

The Lord says that "Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him". Israel declined to follow and worship the Lord, and therefore they lost his protection.

Verses 8-9

Again, Israel's stubbornness is described using a stubborn animal...a "wild ass". Israel did not want to do what the Lord wanted them to do, instead they chose their own way and followed after their own hearts.

The "lovers" described in this verse refer to Ephraim's many attempts to find friends and security through political alliances, instead of doing this through obedience to God.

Verse 13

The first part of this verse indicates that the Lord did not accept their sacrifices. The reason he didn't accept them is because they were only the shell of the sacrifice, or the physical act of completing the sacrifice. Their hearts were not in it and their spirits were not in it. This applies to the offerers and the priests.

The Lord also indicates that they will return to bondage in Egypt. Egypt is used as a general term for bondage. Assyria would be the actual nation that would be involved this time.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 7

Further descriptions of Israel's (Ephraim's) wickednes...

Verse 2

I like how it says "their own doings have beset them about". For Ephraim and for us, many times we place our own sins as stumbling blocks in front of us.

Verse 7

This verse says "there is none among them that calleth unto me". It appears here that the entire Northern Kingdom of Ephraim (Israel) had turned against the Lord.

Verse 8

The Lord described Israel as a "cake not turned". Because Ephraim was so idolatrous due to mixing in with other heathen nations, they had not completely fulfilled the requisites for the conquest of Canaan. This would basically describe them as half-baked. We can all apply this to our own assignments and callings. We can't simply start out great and let the excitement fizzle. We have to be "finishers" as President Monson says. In Hosea's day, cakes were baked upon red-hot stones. The cakes would bake on one side and then they needed to be turned over to bake on the other side. If the baker forgot to turn the cake, one side would not be cooked and one side would be burnt. The Lord was telling Israel (Ephraim) that their lifestyles, due to the heathen rituals and idolatry, was causing their progression to be stopped and damage was being done to them. They did not obey the Lord's full commandment of ridding themselves of all heathen nations, therefore the idolatry found it's way into their midst and they would suffer spiritually because of it.

Verse 9-11

When the Lord says "they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria" he means that Ephraim was looking to worldly powers and worldly strength to deliver them. The would trust in worldly armies before they would trust in God. Hosea believed, and tried to convince others, that God would protect them if they trusted and loved him. Specifically, Ephraim had paid tribute to Egypt and Assyria, weakening their own economy.

Verse 14

The LDS Old Testament manual says that the people crying for corn and wine means that they would use these things to cope, or take away the hurt. They would not pray to God for help, but instead would use worldly means to try and cope.

Verse 16

The Lord describes Ephraim as a "deceitful bow". Stringing a bow can be dangerous and a deceitful bow is one that flies back or breaks during stringing, and hits the archer. This coincides with the "backsliding heifer" analogy. The archer is trying to do something constructive with the bow, but the bow reacts negatively and resists.

The rest of the chapter describes how Ephraim had turned from the Lord and nothing seemed to soften their hearts. Because of this the Lord said their princes would fall by the sword. Ephraim's hearts were set upon idolatry and worldliness therefore they would have no protection from the Lord.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 6

Chapter 6 starts with a few prophecies and also indicates a few more wicked things that Israel was guilty of.

Verses 1-3

The LDS scholars that created the institute manual for the Old Testament referenced one of the popular beliefs that one of the Lords days is a thousand of ours. This would cause this verse to be translated as "after two thousand years will he revive us (restore); in the third thousand years  he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight. This would then most likely refer to the gathering of Israel and the Millennium. Verse 3 is another interesting point. Here is the explanation of the latter and former rains. To the farmer in Israel, there are two rains that are very important to raising a good crop. The former rain softened the earth enough to plow it for planting. The latter rain gave the crops nourishment so they could grow. We are essentially told that the Lord will be to us a duel blessing also. He will help prepare us for hearing the Gospel and he will also nourish us and help us grow in the Gospel.

Verse 4

In this verse Israel's goodness is compared to the "early dew" that "goeth away". Just as dew doesn't last long after the sun comes up to evaporate it, Israel's goodness did not last long (not much of a compliment).

Verse 6

 Hosea probably was not condemning sacrifices and burnt offerings, but more likely indicating that the point of the offerings was being missed...mercy and knowledge. The Israelites had come to a point where they were only doing the outward motions of the rituals and sacrifices and were not benefiting spiritually from them. 

Book of Hosea: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 continues with the Lord pointing out Israel's sins and what the consequences would be for those sins.

Verses 1-2

The priests are compared to nets and snares used for hunting, and the mountains named (Mizpah and Tabor) were famous for for hunting. A "revolter" was someone who drove an animal into a camouflaged pit to catch it. All of these scenarios describe hunter and prey situations and the Lord is putting the priests in this same category. The priests were spiritually killing their prey.

Verse 6

This is a very sad verse that shows the consequences of ignoring the Lord. If we've done something (like Israel) to cause the Lord to withdraw Himself from us, we may have a situation where we will seek Him and not find Him. Only through a mighty change of heart and true repentance would we be able to find Him again.

Verse 7

The "strange" children in this verse refer to those ungodly children born of wicked Israel. They do not know the Lord and He does not know them. Obviously He knows them but the scripture means that they arw wicked and not His people.

Verses 10-11 (Landmark example pictured above)

The princes (or rulers) of Judah were likened to "them that remove the bound". For the explanation of this phrase see Deuteronomy 27:17.  During that time in Israel, property boundaries were marked by using landmarks. These could either be natural landmarks or man made landmarks. An evil practice in the day was called removing the bound. This would be the equivalent of moving the fence that separates you and your neighbor closer to them, making your own property bigger. This was considered the same as stealing. The Lord was saying that the princes and rulers of Judah were altering the spiritual boundaries involving the worship of Himself. The rulers were condoning and encouraging the worship of baal and other false gods and goddesses, making it confusing for many to know what was right and what was wrong. Just like a moved boundary would be confusing for some to know what belongs to who. However, the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim is specifically pointed out in verse 11 because they willingly walked after these false commandments, making their punishment more severe.

Verse 13

The Lord gave the reminder that at one point Ephraim tried to pay tribute to the Assyrians (Tiglath-Pileser III) but it only worsened the problem. The Lord says "yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound". When the root of the problem is sin (sometimes we may think the problem is something else) the only person to go to is the Lord.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is a series of consequences foretold by the Lord for Israel. We should understand that these are consequences brought upon Israel by themselves, just as we sin and bring upon us those consequences. The Savior will be as merciful to us all as He possibly can be, but justice will also need to be served.

Special Note: Often when Judah and Ephraim are the only two tribes mentioned, the reference is to the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim or Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Though all of the tribes are involved they are often referred to as two groups because the line was naturally drawn this way when each tribe took sides.

Verse 3

Hosea tells Israel because of their wickedness "the land shall mourn and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish". We can also see this when we read Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28. The Israelites were told that their wickedness would come back to haunt them in the form of spiritual and temporal hardships. This is also the case for us. It doesn't mean that bad things won't happen to good people, and vice versa, but generally speaking there is a relationship between sin and consequences. Consequences not felt in this life, whether good or bad, will be had in the next life.

Verse 8

In this verse the Lord says that the priests "eat up the sin of my people and they set their heart on their iniquity". This means that the priests delighted in the iniquities of the people and hoped they would do more sinning. They did this because in Leviticus 6:26 we see that the priests were commanded to eat the flesh of the sacrifice to wipe away the sins of the people. The priests delighted in the sin of the people because they hoped to be continually fed by the good sacrificial meat.

Verse 12

Stocks and Staffs: The Lord points out that the people ask council of the stocks and staffs. Stocks were small wooden idols used in idolatrous worship and staffs were diving rods used to see the future. They did not pray for guidance. They did not search the scriptures. They did not fast to get themselves more in tune with the spirit. Instead, they sought these other methods and other gods for counsel.

Verse 13

The sacrifices "upon the mountaintops" is describing pagan alters.

Verse 16

Hosea first calls Israel a backsliding heifer. This is easy enough to understand since it is literally like a stubborn heifer that refuses to follow when led. The heifer pulls back and digs in her feet to make pulling her difficult. Israel was doing this with the Lord by resisting His gospel and His righteousness. "A lamb in a large place" is symbolic of Israel. A lamb in a large place is unprotected and prone to predators. Israel would be left alone and also prone to conquering armies because of her transgressions.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 3

Chapter three explains the symbolism of Hosea buying a woman. In Middle Eastern cultures at the time, a woman was considered a man's property so they could be bought and sold. Keep in mind that the woman represents Israel and Hosea represents the Lord. Hosea is freeing the woman from her bondage just like the Lord would eventually suffer through the Atonement for all mankind thus paying the price of our slavery to sin. Verse 3 describes Hosea telling Gomer to abide with him and not play the harlot. This is the price she must pay to him now that he has paid the price to take her out of bondage. Similarly, Jesus paid the price for our sins. We need to abide with him and repent to pay our price to Him. He paid the price of our sins so we are indebted to Him. The price we must pay Him is a broken heart and a contrite spirit, through repentance. 

A Quick Look at Baal

I don't want to go into too much detail here, but just enough to get an idea of what the Israelites were doing with reference to their worshipping of Baal. The name Baal basically means lord, which explains the importance they placed upon Baal. Baal was seen as a god of weather and fertility, both of which were very important at the time (and are still both important). Hosea 2:5 indicates that the people considered important things such as food, water, wool and linen as coming from Baal. Israel was tempted by the rites and rituals, the titles of those conducting the rituals, the shrines, the focus on earthly idols and treasures, etc... In addition to the sins of idolatry, they were also involved with rituals that included cultic tattoos, self-laceration and forms of ritualistic prostitution. The worst part is that the Israelites didn't see the differences between Jehovah and Baal. In fact, many considered themselves worshippers of both and didn't understand (or perhaps some did) that it was impossible to truly follow both at the same time. Often people would actually carry small idols, such as the one pictured, with them everywhere they went.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 2 Metaphors

Here are some explanations of some of the metaphors used in chapter 2. These explanations come from the LDS institute Old Testament manual.

v1) Ammi is "my people"

v1) Ruhamah is "having obtained mercy" or "those who have obtained mercy"

v2) your mother is the nation of Israel

v3) wilderness is the captivity of Israel

v5) lovers are the priests, priestesses and idols of the Canaanite temples or any one person that someone loves more than God

v5-9,13) bread, corn, wool and jewels are worldly valuables and treasures

v9-10) her nakedness and her lewdness refers to Israel's sin

v11-14) allure her means that Jehovah still cares for Israel and will try to win her back

v15) Valley of Achor, near Jericho means the Lord will restore Israel to great blessings

v16) Ishi is Hebrew for "my husband" eventually Israel will accept God as her Lord and Savior

v16) Baali is Hebrew for "my master"

v19-20) betroth thee unto me forever means the fullness of the new and everlasting covenant will be restored to Israel in the last days and eternal blessings will result from Israel's faithful marriage to Jehovah

v22) Jezreel means "God will sow" or "God will scatter"

I think it is important to note that Israel will eventually see the error of their ways and the Lord will take her back. This has already begun to be fulfilled. I think it is also important to note in 2:14 where Jesus says "I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her". I think this is good insight into how Jesus feels about us. Adultery was one of the few justifiable reasons for divorce. However, Jesus did not divorce Israel. It's possible for us to sin, be horrible people and even betray him significantly, and he won't give up on us. He'll still love us and try to help us.

The Book of Hosea: Symbolic Names

The symbolic names given to the children in chapter one are important. It's also important to understand that just like the symbolic marriage of Hosea to his harlotrous wife would result in unfavorable judgements, the things we set our hearts upon, if evil, will also result in unfavorable judgements for us. This applies to us as individuals or as nations.

Hosea's symbolic children represent the judgements that are to come to Israel for their wickedness and betrayal. 

Jezreel (Pictured Above)

The first child was called Jezreel. "Jezreel" means "God will scatter" or "God will sow". Jezreel is a valley that has seen many bloody battles. It is also the future sight of the Battle of Armageddon. The scattering and sowing could mean two things (and possibly both). 

1) The scattering of the tribes of Israel for wickedness

2) When a crop is sown and then nourished, it grows into a fruitful plant. This prophecy could be talking about both the negative immediate future of Israel and the positive future state of Israel.

Lo-ruhamah

The second child is called Lo-ruhamah, which in Hebrew means "not having obtained mercy". The justice of God must always be met. The Lord would eventually pay the price for the sins of mankind, but the price we then must pay is repentance, a broken heart and a contrite spirit. The Atonement was as effective then as it is now, but Israel was not taking advantage of it. They were not repenting and not forsaking. Therefore, they would not receive the mercy they could have received.

Lo-ammi

The third child is called Lo-ammi, which in Hebrew means "not my people". This sounds pretty harsh but we know that the Israelites were not acting in a manner that made it seem like Jehovah was their God. In fact, they were openly worshipping other gods. A great parallel to this is found in Matthew, chapter 25, verses 1-12, the parable of the Ten Virgins. The 5 that were wise took oil from their lamps and the 5 that were not wise did not take oil. This is representative of being prepared to meet God. Realizing they didn't have any oil, and after unsuccessfully trying to get oil from the 5 wise virgins, they went away to buy oil and while they were away the bridegroom came and the door was shut. Then in verses 11 and 12 it says "Afterward came also the other virgins (unwise) saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Unfortunately, the Lord will not consider us His people or His children if we don't serve Him in our lifetimes.

But, for a more positive end to the post, see Hosea 1:7 & 10 for some promised blessings to Israel, not blessings they'll receive in their sinful state, but blessings they'll receive after they have become righteous.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 1

When you read the book of Hosea you may be surprised to see in chapter 1, verse 2, the Lord commanding Hosea to "go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms". As mentioned in the Introduction to Hosea, infidelity was a sensitive subject with the Lord. He had made a covenant with Israel to be their God and they would be His chosen people. Again, we are reminded of the bride and the bridegroom relationship. Only, this is the perfect bridegroom we're talking about. The one bridegroom in all of history that does not deserve to be neglected. He had done so much for Israel yet they still sought other gods. So was Hosea really commanded to marry a wife of whoredoms? 

Sidney B. Sperry said "The Lord's  call to Hosea to take a harlotrous woman to wife represents the prophet's call to the ministry - a ministry to an apostate and covenant-breaking people. The evil children of this apparent union represent the coming of the judgments of the Lord upon Israel, warning of which was to be carried to the people by the prophet. 

So I think it's pretty clear the Lord would never give instructions for His prophets to do things that are immoral. Symbolically, Hosea's wife represented the disloyal and harlotrous Israel that he saw in his day and he was called to be the voice of warning to them.

Introduction to Hosea

In the KJV of the Bible Hosea is the first minor prophet. The name 'Hosea' means "help", "deliverance" or "salvation". He lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and most likely ministered there between the years of 755 BC to 725 BC. Since I like to compare times in the Bible to Book of Mormon times, this would be about 125 to 155 years before Lehi left Jerusalem. He was a prophet "in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel". Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos and Micah. During this time the Israelites were greatly influenced by the ways the Canaanites were worshipping their gods and goddesses. Many of the rites and rituals were lewd and immoral, and all were forms of idolatry. Some were involving fertility rituals. Israel covenanted with God on Sinai to become a righteous people so His anger is understandable as Israel was seeking after other gods and goddesses. All throughout the scriptures the Lord uses a marriage to describe His relationship with Israel. He is the bridegroom and Israel is the bride. Just as an unfaithful bride commits adultery with a person other than her husband, Israel committed adultery by choosing other gods. 

Bruce R. McConkie said "In a spiritual sense, to emphasize how serious it is, the damning sin of idolatry is called adultery. When the Lord's people forsake Him and worship false gods, their infidelity to Jehovah is described as whoredoms and adultery. By forsaking the Lord, His people are unfaithful to their covenant vows, vows made to Him who symbolically is their Husband" (Mormon Doctrine, pg. 25). 

Israel was in this wicked state during the life of Hosea. Baal was worshipped more than Jehovah and the religious rites and rituals were immoral and sometimes even murderous. Hosea delivered his message to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Ironically, it wasn't until after the fall of Samaria (the Northern Capital) that Hosea's prophesies were transcribed to scrolls and considered prophecy.

The Minor Prophets

The "Minor Prophets" can be seen in the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Old Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, all of the Minor Prophets are located in one book, but the Old Testament gives them each their own book. Also in the King James Version of the Holy Bible, they are the last twelve books of the Old Testament. They're called "minor" prophets because the size or length of the books, not because of their importance. A few of them have more than ten chapters but most have around one, two or three chapters only.

The Minor Prophets are as follows:

• Hosea
  
• Joel
  
• Amos
  
• Obadiah
  
• Jonah
  
• Micah
  
• Nahum
  
• Habakkuk
  
• Zephaniah
  
• Haggai
  
• Zechariah
  
• Malachi
  

Although this is the end of the Old Testament, this is the beginning of my blog. I'll start with each of the Minor Prophets in turn and then go from there. The posts will very likely be in a different order than the books of the Old Testament. I chose to do this for personal study because these books are the ones I know the least about, excluding Jonah. I figure I've started reading the Old Testament about ten times and only finished a few. So why not start at the end.

New Scripture Study Blog

I often like to talk with Raechal about things I study in the scriptures, specifically things I learn or insights I have that I've never had before (or that I've had but forgot). The other day after sharing some of these thoughts with her, she told me I should make a blog about my scripture study. After discussing it with her and thinking on my own about it, I think it is actually a good idea. Even if nobody else reads it I'll hopefully learn a little more by putting my thoughts into words after my scripture study (since teaching helps you learn). If anyone happens to read it and wants to get involved with a discussion...even better. Another bonus is that I can use labels to describe the categories that a particular post fits under. So when I have to give a devotional or a talk...I've already done some of my research. I just have to search for it on my site. I think I'll enjoy the process and if anyone wants to join in the discussion, ask questions or answer my questions, I think it will be much more enjoyable. Once I get the blog set up, I'll start posting.