Month: <span>May 2016</span>

Obadiah

Obadiah prophesied of God’s wrath against the Edomites. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, having settled apart from Jacob and the Promised Land (Gen 36:8). Edom denied Israel passage through their land when Israel was traveling from Kadesh to the plains of Moab in preparation for the conquest of Canaan. Moses said to the descendants of Esau, “Please let us travel through your land. We won’t travel through any field or vineyard or drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway; we won’t turn to the right or the left until we have traveled through your territory” (Num 20:17). But the Edomites hardened themselves against their brothers, denying Israel passage even after Israel made a second request to travel through Edomite territory (Num 20:20-21). Edom’s affront of Israel was so severe that Isaiah (Isa 34:5-17) and Ezekiel prophesied against Edom (Ezek 35:1-4).

Edom’s geographical location in the mountainous area on the south and east of the Dead Sea was a natural defense against enemies—and a location from which they could raid the land of Judah and return quickly to their fortress if necessary (Obad 13-14). What would God do about this arrogant, fickle nation? The Lord promised to humble the Edomites, saying, “Though you seem to soar like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down” (Obad 4). The Edomites geographical location and political alliances would crumble, Obadiah announced: “Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you” (Obad 7).

Obadiah declared that the Lord had not forgotten how Edom treated Israel as they attempted to cross their territory and when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem. The prophet spoke against Edom, “because of violence done to your brother Jacob” (Obad 10). Images of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem, when Edom celebrated and mocked and grabbed their sides in laughter, filled Obadiah’s mind. The prophet declared that the Lord would settle accounts against Edom on behalf of His people (Obad 15-21).

Obadiah’s prophecy provides a window for understanding God’s wrath upon His enemies. In the storyline of Scripture, the New Testament authors described the doctrine of God’s wrath to:

(1) Comfort believers that were suffering for their faith. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians that God would repay those who persecuted them. “It is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us,” Paul said (2 Thess 1:6-7). Paul told the Thessalonians that when Christ returned, God would reward the church and exact vengeance on all who disobeyed the gospel (2 Thess 1:8-10). Peter wrote that those who persecuted the church would give an account “to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Pet 4:5). He also wrote that false teachers, those causing spiritual harm to believers, would receive God’s wrath (2 Pet 2:4-10; 3:1-7). At the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation, John heard the martyrs say, “O Lord, holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” (Rev 6:10). The subsequent visions John received describe God’s wrath upon those who oppose His people.

(2) Dissuade believers from avenging themselves. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). The prophecy of Obadiah is a pointed reminder that there is no injustice with God. Paul wrote that believers should avoid any wrathful tendencies, writing, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head” (Rom 12:20). Peter likewise wrote that if a dispute should arise in the public sphere or the household, Christians should demonstrate God’s faithfulness by entrusting themselves to God and avoiding the temptation to fight back (1 Pet 2:11-3:6).

Commentary Minor Prophets Obadiah Old Testament

Obadiah

Amos 7-9

Amos, a Judean herdsman (Amos 1:1), was called to preach a message of judgment to the northern kingdom and her king, the powerful Jeroboam II (2 Kgs 14;23-29). Amos called the nation to repent of their idolatry during a period of socioeconomic success. The prophet’s courageous sermons provide a composite of prophetic ministry: divine visions, proclamations of judgment, announcements of destruction, endurance of persecution, lament, and hope of restoration.

Amos cast a vision of hope. He proclaimed that after the Lord disciplined His people by sending them into exile, He would have compassion and restore them (Amos 9:11-15). “In that day,” the Lord said, “I will restore the fallen booth of David: I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that are called by My name” (Amos 9:11-12). Amos announced that the Lord would prosper His people to the degree that sweet wine would run down the mountains and the hills would overflow with produce. The Lord said, “I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel; they will rebuild and occupy ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink their wine, make gardens and eat their produce” (Amos 9:14).

Amos’s vision of restoration in Amos 9:11-15 sounds a note of fulfillment in the storyline of Scripture. At the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, James employed Amos’s prophecy to provide a historical basis for articulating which elements of the Jewish law Gentiles were required to practice. After Paul’s first missionary journey, Paul returned to Antioch and enjoyed fellowship with the disciples there. When a delegation from Judea came to Antioch and urged the brothers to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses, Paul and Barnabas opposed them. It was agreed that the opposing factions should go to Jerusalem and gather with the leaders there to decide what elements of the Mosaic law should govern the churches.

At the council, Peter recounted his proclamation to Gentiles (Acts 10), noting that the Spirit came upon them just as it did upon the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2). Paul and Barnabas addressed the council with a similar report, describing God’s work through them to the Gentiles during their missionary journey recorded in Acts 13-14. The council reached a climactic moment when James addressed the assembly from Amos 9:11-12. In James’s view, although the Jewish nation was yet subject to Roman rule, the Jews had enjoyed restoration to “David’s tent” (Acts 15:16). James interpreted Amos’s prophecy as a description of how God would fulfill the purposes of the Jewish nation: the advent of Jesus opened the door for Gentiles to experience God’s blessings to Israel apart from the law of Moses. At the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, James saw in Amos 9:11-12 the justification of the Gentiles in the church and proposed that they were free from adopting the identity-markers of natural Jews. “In my judgment,” James said, “we should not cause difficulties for those who turn to God from among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:19). Gentiles thus needed only to avoid items associated with idolatry, abstain from immorality, and decline any food strangled and yet having blood (Acts 15:19-20). For Paul, James’s verdict was such good news that he set out on his second journey to report to the churches what the council, in accord with Amos 9:11-12, had decided (Acts 15:36).

Amos Commentary Minor Prophets Old Testament

Amos 3-6

Amos had the difficult task of preaching a message of judgment to upper-middle-class folk who were enjoying a period of political stability. During the reigns of Jeroboam II in Israel (2 Kgs 14:23-29) and Uzziah in Judah (2 Kgs 15:1-7), the Lord was merciful, granting socioeconomic success despite the unfaithfulness of His people. During Amos’s short ministry, this layman turned prophet (Amos 1:1) confronted God’s people for their lack of faithfulness to covenant standards; they claimed to be the people of the Lord but did not practice righteousness. The people ignored Amos’s messages as the ranting of a fanatic because they were secure and at ease. Could anything really harm such a prosperous people, they wondered. Amos countered that the Day of the Lord was at hand.

Amos confronted the hypocrisy of his audience. The people practiced temple worship while simultaneously participating in idolatry. Instead of pure religion and righteous relationships, Israel went through the motions of temple life, made idols to the gods of the nations, and took advantage of one another. Amos warned his audience that if they remained in their hardened state, the Day of the Lord—which they hoped would bring them permanent victory over their enemies and establish them above the nations—would actually “be darkness and not light. It will be like a man who flees from a lion only to have a bear confront him” (Amos 5:18b-19). On that Day, the Lord would reject empty adherence to temple ordinances. Amos spoke the word of the Lord, “Even if you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle” (Amos 5:22). Rather, the Lord would be pleased to see justice flowing like water and righteousness like an unfailing stream (Amos 5:24). Because of Israel’s hypocrisy and idolatry, Amos announced that the Lord would send His people into exile even beyond Damascus (Amos 5:27). Israel’s failure had been predicted by Moses (Deut 31:24-30) and in time the Lord would remove His people from the land because of their idolatry (2 Kings 17).

Amos’s condemnation of Israel contributed to the storyline of Scripture. When Stephen defended himself before the Jewish leadership in Acts 7, he cited Amos 5:25-27 as evidence that Israel consistently rejected God’s messengers. Stephen quoted multiple Old Testament passages as he reviewed Israel’s history. He began by noting God’s call on Abraham (Acts 7:3; Gen 12:1) and the covenant God made with the patriarch (Acts 7:6-7; Gen 15:13-14). Stephen reminded his Jewish opponents that an Israelite rejected Moses because Moses killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew (Acts 7:27-28, 35; Exod 2:14). Moses then fled to Midian and in the desert, the Lord appeared to Moses and commissioned him to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt (Acts 7:32-34; Exod 3:5-15). When Moses wrote the law, he prophesied that the Lord would raise up a prophet like him and that the people should listen to him (Acts 7:37; Deut 18:15). But Israel had rejected Moses—as evidenced by their idolatry with the golden calf in the wilderness (Acts 7:40; Exod 32:1, 23). And Israel’s spiritual character had not changed during the intervening period from the exodus to the time of Amos’s ministry. When Amos indicted his audience for their idolatry in Amos 5:22-23, he was condemning God’s people for demonstrating the same spiritual dullness that led their ancestors to worship idols in the wilderness. By the point that Stephen took up Amos 5:25-27 in Acts 7:42-43, Stephen’s thesis was just rising to the surface: Israel had consistently rejected God’s messengers and that is why they resisted the Holy Spirit and rejected Jesus Christ as the true temple of God.

Amos Commentary Minor Prophets Old Testament

Amos 1-2

While dating some Old Testament prophecies is a difficult task, Amos does not leave the reader at a loss. His prophetic writing begins, “The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders from Tekoa—what he saw regarding Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1). Amos was one of the earliest writing prophets sent to Israel. He preached during a period of relative strength for Israel under Jeroboam II (2 Kgs 14:23-29) and while Uzziah reigned in Judah (2 Kgs 15:1-7). Called from an agronomical background as a sheep breeder (Amos 1:1), Amos’s prophecies contain metaphors of rural life. Amos’s proclamations against the nations imply that he was educated and knew the world situation of his day. The prophet demonstrated rhetorical skill with a repeated introductory statement when he announced the word of the Lord: “I will not relent from punishing…for three crimes, even four, because they…” (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6).

In the first two chapters of Amos’s prophecy, the nations in and around the land of Canaan were in the prophet’s purview. The prophet announced the Lord’s intention against these nations by first addressing those furthest from Jerusalem. He then announced the Lord’s intention against Israel and Judah. Thus, Amos’s sermons against Damascus, Gaza, Edom and the like preceded his condemnation of Israel and Judah. Amos indicted God’s people because though they had enjoyed the benefits of a special relationship with the Lord since the Exodus, Israel had failed to maintain covenant loyalty in their behavior. In Amos 1-2, the prophet condemned both the nations surrounding the Promised Land and those living in it.

Amos described the Lord’s wrath against Israel for their failure to keep the demands of the law. Amos pictured the Lord as a lion, roaring against the nations and even those dwelling in the Promised Land (Amos 1:2). Throughout Amos 1-2, the prophet announced that the Lord would send fiery judgment against those that dishonored Him (Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5). Even though God had given His people the land promised to Abraham, had removed their enemies from before them, and had even allowed them to prosper under Jeroboam and Uzziah, they were unfaithful to the practical socio-economic demands God gave to Moses. Judgment was in order. The author of Hebrews recognized that the failure of Israel and Judah was part of the schema of the storyline of Scripture. He wrote that:

(1) God found fault with His people, annulled the Mosaic covenant, and instituted a new covenant in Christ. In Heb 8:7-8, the author noted that God had found fault with His people in the first covenant. The new covenant in Christ, prophesied in Jer 31:31-34, was thus God’s word of grace to Israel and Judah (Heb 8:8-12; 10:16-17). In the new covenant, God said He would put His law on the minds of His people and write them on their hearts so that they would all know Him. God promised that in the new covenant He would finally deal with His people’s sins. The author of Hebrews wrote that God has forgiven His people through Jesus’ sacrificial death (Heb 1:3). In Jesus’ incarnation, suffering, and death, He defeated the Devil (Heb 2:10-15) and through the offering of His own blood, fulfilled the role of a high priest (Heb 2:16-18; 4:14-16; 7:26-28; 10:19-22; 12:22-24; etc.).

(2) God will judge those who partake in the benefits of the new covenant but fail to endure in their profession of faith. The warnings of Hebrews are no less severe than those written by Amos or Israel’s other prophets. The author warned his audience, saying that if the Mosaic covenant was binding and those who turned away were punished, how much worse punishment would God exact on those who would reject God’s Son (Heb 2:1-4)? The author of Hebrews urged his audience to remember God’s judgement against the wilderness generation lest they fail to enter God’s rest, namely, fully identifying with Christ (Heb 3:7-4:12). In light of the dangers of falling away (Heb 6:1-8; 10:26-39; 12:14-17), the author urged the participants in the new covenant to be faithful and to persevere in Christ (Heb 11:1-12:13; 13:13-15).

Amos Commentary Minor Prophets Old Testament

Joel

Joel spoke of the Day of the Lord, a time when God’s people would understand His justice. The prophet employed agricultural, militaristic, and religious metaphors to persuade God’s people that they should recognize the signs of the times and get right with God. The first portion of Joel was aimed at the prophet’s initial audience, perhaps suffering in the siege ordered by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kgs 24:10-25:30). Joel then spoke of a future day, when God would send His Spirit upon His people and bring victory to them.

Joel’s brief prophecy had a disproportionately large effect on the storyline of Scripture. Peter and John employed Joel’s prophecy to describe the ministries of the Spirit and Jesus.

(1) The presence of the Spirit confirmed Christ’s resurrection and signaled the beginning of the last days. Joel prophesied that in the day the Lord would become jealous for His land, He would spare His people and send His Spirit upon them (Joel 2:18-32). After Joel urged the people to repent and turn to the Lord, saying, “Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, so you can offer grain and wine to the LORD your God” (Joel 2:14), he turned to announce that the Lord would indeed restore the fortunes of His people that they would no longer be a disgrace among the nations (Joel 2:18). Joel announced that the Lord would restore His people and then pour His Spirit upon on all peoples: young, old, male, female, and slaves would testify to God’s presence among them (Joel 2:28-32). When the Holy Spirit descended on those gathered in the temple for Pentecost, various people groups heard in their own language what the apostles were proclaiming about Jesus. Peter explained that the anointing of such a diverse crowd as had gathered in the temple could be attributed to none other than the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:17-21). Peter proclaimed that the presence of the Spirit among them pointed back to the resurrection of Christ and signaled the dawn of the last days.

(2) The promise of a victory for God’s people will be realized at Christ’s return. Joel announced that many would be saved “before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2:31). When that day arrived, Joel said, the nations who opposed Israel would be gathered for destruction. The themes of the prophet echo in the words of John in Revelation. In Joel 3:13, the prophet proclaimed the Lord’s wrath against those who opposed Israel, saying, “Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample the grapes because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is great.” John says the same thing concerning the great day of battle when the Lord would return and execute vengeance upon His enemies, that is, when the Son of Man comes to reap the earth’s harvest (Rev 14:14-15; 19:11-16). In Joel 3:16, the prophet wrote concerning the future Day of the Lord, the day of victory, “The LORD will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will shake. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the Israelites.” Similarly, John reported news of a great earthquake (Rev 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18), and the preservation of the elect (Rev 13:8-9; 14:1-5). In Joel 3:17, Joel prophesied a day of restoration, saying, “Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, and foreigners will never overrun it again.” John witnessed these themes in his vision of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, when he wrote, “Look! God’s dwelling is with men, and He will live with them” (Rev 21:3a), and “Nothing profane will ever enter it: no one who does what is vile or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 21:27).

Commentary Joel Minor Prophets Old Testament

Hosea 12-14

Hosea preached to Israel during an era of sharp spiritual and national decline. Despite the rampant idolatry in the land during the early days of Jeroboam II, Israel enjoyed a measure of God’s kindness, resulting in national prosperity and military prowess (2 Kgs 14:23-29). God’s kindness would not be out of step with justice and holiness; in time the Lord handed Israel over to Assyria (2 Kings 17). Yet, Hosea concluded his message with exalted words of hope. Although the Lord would discipline His people, He promised restoration. The Lord’s final word to the penitent is always one of hope.

Hosea indicted Israel for their deceptive ways (Hos 12:1-13:6). Even though God had spoken to His people through the prophets, God’s people did not respond faithfully to Him but made alliances with Assyria and Egypt (Hos 12:1; Deut 7:2; 17:16). Israel’s deceitful behavior matched that of their forefather, Jacob, who “in the womb grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God” (Hos 12:3). Israel’s merchants used false scales for their own gain (Hos 12:7-8; Lev 19:36). And Israel persisted in idolatry in spite of God’s demonstrations of powerful love for Israel ever since the exodus (Hos 13:4-6).

As a result of their idolatrous, deceptive behavior God announced a plan of destruction for the nation (Hos 13:7-16). “Compassion is hidden from My eyes,” the Lord said (Hos 13:14). Hosea announced that restoration could thus be enjoyed only through thorough repentance, a return to covenant faithfulness (Hos 14:1-9). The prophet cried out, “Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled in your sin. Take words of repentance with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, ‘Forgive all our sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips’” (Hos 14:1-2).

In Hosea 12-14, the prophet announced that the Lord would both judge and restore Israel. Hosea emphasized that the latter would come only after the nation was destroyed in the exile. In fact, words of hope do not begin until Hos 14:4. Thus the phrase, “I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes” (Hos 13:14), was in Hosea’s mind pejorative. Israel would die, experience the barbs of death, the sting of Sheol, and only then be ransomed.

Paul understood Hosea’s prophecy as part of the storyline of Scripture, pointing forward to the days of fulfillment in Christ when God would finally deal with the sin of His people. Paul employed Hosea’s phrase in 1 Cor 15:55 in his doxological statement about the believer’s future hope in the resurrection. Naturalism had begun to have an influence in the Corinthian church. Some proposed that there is no such thing as resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12). The Corinthians thought that the human condition could not continue into the afterlife, no power could re-animate a corpse that had come to an end on earth. Paul went on to note that such a position would have to deny the resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor 15:13).

But since Christ was raised from the dead, Paul took the opportunity through the remainder of 1 Corinthians 15 to articulate the relationship between Jesus’ bodily resurrection and the bodily resurrection of all who believe in Jesus. Paul noted that Jesus’ resurrection defeated death itself. In 1 Cor 15:23, Paul described Jesus’ resurrection as the kind of resurrection that all believers will experience at the final judgement. Near the end of his argument in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul stated that human corruptible flesh will put on incorruptibility and mortal human bodies will be made immortal. Then Paul turned to Hos 13:14, writing, “O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Cor 15:55-57).

Commentary Hosea Minor Prophets Old Testament

Hosea 6-11

Hosea was a pre-exilic prophet, charged with the difficult task of convincing an unfaithful people that they would be destroyed if they continued in their harlotry against the Lord their maker. The Lord required Hosea to demonstrate His relationship with Israel, commanding the prophet to marry an unfaithful wife. Yet Hosea’s prophecies resounded with hope—not because he thought Israel and Judah would soon shape up and live according to the law of Moses, but because he understood the Lord’s covenant mercy.

Hosea 6-11 has four movements. First, the prophet called Israel to repent and urged them to know the Lord by acting in accord with the Mosaic law (Hos 6:1-7:2). Hosea then condemned Israel for their lack of reliance on the Lord (Hos 7:3-8:14). Israel’s leaders made alliances with foreign nations like Egypt and Assyria, with the result that they resembled, “a silly, senseless dove” (Hos 7:11). In Hosea’s logic, when God’s people went to Assyria for help it was as if they had already been scattered from the Promised Land (Hos 8:8-9). Third, Hosea predicted Israel’s demise (Hos 9:1-10:15). Most likely the people reacted to Hosea’s prophecy with a fair bit of hostility—after all, they were self-sufficient in the land. Hosea recognized that “Israel is a lush vine; it yields fruit for itself” (Hos 10:1). Israel’s independence displayed the nation’s spiritual obduracy. Forth, Hosea exhorted Israel to know the love of the Lord (Hos 11:1-12). Even though Israel deserved nothing of God’s covenant favor, Hosea encouraged his audience saying, “It is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain” (Hos 10:12). Hosea announced that the Lord’s compassion had been stirred, saying, “I will not vent the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not a man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage” (Hos 11:8b-9).

Phrases from Hosea 6-11 provide a conceptual grid for the storyline of Scripture.

(1) Matthew noted that Hos 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son,” was fulfilled when Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt for protection from Herod the Great. God had sent Israel to Egypt during a severe famine in Canaan (Genesis 46) and ultimately rescued them from Pharaoh’s oppressive hand (Exodus 4-15). And God sent the baby Jesus and family to Egypt to protect them from the massacre of the baby boys in Bethlehem. The phrase, “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matt 2:15), pointed ultimately to the Messiah. Matthew employed the words of Hosea to show that the time of fulfillment had dawned.

(2) Jesus quoted Hos 6:6 to justify His mercy toward sinners and His disciples. In Hos 6:6 the prophet recorded the Lord’s lament, “I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Israel observed the temple obligations while simultaneously engaging in idolatry—and the Lord saw right through Israel’s hypocrisy. After Jesus called Matthew the tax collector to follow Him, the new disciple invited Jesus to a meal where many of Matthew’s former associates had gathered (Matt 9:9-13//Mark 2:13-17//Luke 5:27-32). When the Pharisees saw Jesus freely associating with those that they would call unclean, they asked Jesus’ disciples what gave Jesus the right to set aside the Mosaic code. Jesus replied that just as those who are physically ill need a doctor to come to them and help them in their state of sickness, so too the spiritually sick like tax collectors and sinners needed Jesus to come near to them. Jesus justified His benevolence toward the unclean by casting His ministry as an expression of Hos 6:6. The God who sent Jesus wanted His emissaries to be more concerned for acts of mercy than empty cultic sacrifices. Not for the righteous but for sinners God sent His Son. And when the Pharisees saw Jesus’ disciples picking grain and eating it on the Sabbath, they were outraged (Matt 12:1-8//Mark 2:23-28//Luke 6:1-5). Jesus countered that He was acting in accord with Hosea’s prophecy; God wanted His people to show mercy to those in need. Jesus replied to the Pharisees in light of Hos 6:6 but also in light of His status as the Son of God. According to the Pharisees, priests serving in the temple were exempt from adhering to the Sabbath commands. Jesus argued that in light of the fact that He Himself was greater than the temple, His disciples were worthy of the freedom the priests enjoyed when they served there. “Something greater than the temple is here!” Jesus exclaimed.

(3) In Luke 23:30, Jesus quoted Hos 10:8 as He was being led to the cross. In Hosea 10, the prophet confronted Israel because, though God prospered the nation with abundant harvests, they gave glory to the idols of Samaria. Hosea prophesied that the Lord would remove the source of Israel’s idolatry, destroying Samaria. Those who worshipped idols would ask the mountains to fall on them and hills to cover them from God’s wrath (Hos 10:8). After the Roman soldiers leading Jesus to Golgotha commandeered Simon the Cyrenian to carry Jesus’ cross, Jesus spoke to the crowd gathered around Him lamenting what was unfolding before their eyes. Jesus warned the women in the crowd saying that if He were treated so harshly, they should expect the same. Jesus quoted Hos 10:8 and prophesied that the day would come when the residents of Jerusalem would ask the mountains and hills to fall upon them in hopes of being protected from God’s wrath.

Commentary Hosea Minor Prophets Old Testament

Hosea 1-5

Hosea preached in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kgs 14:23-29), while Uzziah (2 Kgs 15:1-7), Jotham (2 Kgs 15:32-38), Ahaz (2 Kings 16), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-20) ruled in Judah. Hosea thus witnessed the political, social, and, economic demise—and deportation—of Israel, and the near end of Judah. Both Israel and Judah had adopted pagan idolatry and worship of Baal from the surrounded nations. On the plains of Moab, Moses looked to Canaan and predicted that Israel would enter the land but be deported for her idolatry (Deut 31:24-30). Hosea recorded God’s case against His people.

Hosea’s message was that God’s people had committed adultery by foregoing their covenant with Him and turning instead to Baal. Both Jeremiah (Jer 3:6-10) and Ezekiel (ch. 16) would indict the people on similar grounds. Israel’s adultery grieved God’s heart—and the Lord commanded Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife so that Hosea’s marriage with Gomer would testify to the Lord’s relationship with Israel.

In Romans 9-11, Paul employed phrases from Hosea 1-3 to explain salvation history. Paul’s repeated use of the early chapters of Hosea suggests that Paul identified with Hosea’s argument that God would punish Israel for her sin but demonstrate mercy to a remnant for His name’s sake. One of the most difficult tasks before the apostle was to explain why so many Gentiles were coming to faith in Christ, but the Jews—the very people of the Messiah by race—had by and large rejected Him. Paul’s use of Hosea in Romans 9-11 underscores Scripture as a storyline that finds its fulfillment in Christ for both Jews and Gentiles.

(1) In Rom 9:25-26, Paul combined Hos 2:23 and 1:10 to provide a scriptural basis for God’s call upon Gentiles. In Hos 2:14-23, the prophet declared that God would restore Israel to Himself and reverse her destitute state. Israel would call the Lord, and not Baal, her husband (Hos 2:16). No longer would Israel play the harlot but because of the Lord’s righteousness, justice, love, and compassion, she would be known as His bride (Hos 2:19-20). Those whom the Lord had cast off and from whom He had withheld compassion would receive His compassion and again be called His people (Hos 2:23). Hosea’s statement in Hos 2:23 reflects what the prophet wrote in Hos 1:10, “In the place where they were told: You are not My people, they will be called: sons of the living God.” In both Hos 2:23 and 1:10, the prophet had in mind the Lord’s mercy upon Israel as the Lord restored the nation to Himself. In Paul’s day, many Jews considered the Gentiles cast-offs in salvation history; God had chosen Israel to be His people. Paul used Hosea’s prophecy to substantiate God’s call of non-Jews to salvation in Christ. “What if God,” Paul wrote, “desiring to display His wrath and make His power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath ready for destruction?” (Rom 9:22). Paul emphasized that the prophecy of Hosea that he was citing in Rom 9:25-26 was God’s word, writing, “As He also says in Hosea: I will call ‘Not-My-People,’ ‘My-People,’ and she who is ‘Unloved,’ ‘Beloved.’ And it will be in the place where they were told, you are not My people, there they will be called sons of the living God” (Rom 9:22-26). In Paul’s mind, God’s mercy to Israel in Hosea’s day was being expressed to both Jews and Gentiles in Christ.

(2) In Rom 11:23, Paul described the possibility of Israel being awakened to God just as Hosea prophesied in Hos 3:5. The prophet noted that Israel would, for a time, be devoid of king, prince, sacrifice, or idols. In exile, they would have nothing. “Afterwards,” Hosea proclaimed, “the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days” (Hos 3:5). In Romans 9-11, Paul described God’s righteousness toward both Gentiles and Jews. Concerning the latter, Paul wrote in Rom 11:23 that if they would believe upon Christ, they would be restored to God and His church consisting of Jews and Gentiles. “For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that He may have mercy on all,” Paul concluded (Rom 11:32).

Commentary Hosea Minor Prophets Old Testament