Yada’ Yah
Book 3: Going Astray
…Our world reflected in Howsha’s Yisra’el
2
Chesed – Enduring Love
The Means to Mercy…
Speaking of the millennial celebration of Shelters in the afterglow of the Day of Reconciliations in Year 6000 Yah, God tells those who have just broken His heart:
“ And (wa) I will cut (karat – establish through separation) for them (la) a family-oriented covenant (beryth – a familial relationship), in that, His specific day (ba ha yowm ha huw’), with (‘im – in an associative relationship and manner with) all living things (chayah – life), the environment for growth (ha sadeh), and in harmony with (‘im – in an associative relationship and manner with) winged creatures (‘owph – that which can fly) of the spiritual realm (ha shamaym – the heavens), and creatures that move about (wa remes) of the earth (‘adamah – material realm). And the bow (qesheth), the sword (chereb), and war (wa milchamah) I will abolish (shabar) from the earth (min ha ‘erets), making it possible for them to lie down and rest (wa shakab) confidently (la betach – with complete trust and reliance).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:18)
Reconciliation is about peace, about bringing harmony back into the relationship. The Prince of Peace, the Ma’aseyah, will end man’s propensity for war. This will occur in the Millennium—the seventh day, the one thousand year Sabbath that follows the Tribulation and the restoration of Yisra’el. Therefore, this prophecy pertains to the Ma’aseyah, complementing the opening of Yasha’yahuw / Isaiah 11 where we are told that as the result of a Nazarene from Yshay / Jesse’s lineage with the Spirit of Yahowah resting on Him, all on earth will live in peace.
The word translated “all living things” is chayah. It actually means: “life, to revive and make alive again, to give the promise of renewed life, to nourish, preserve, repair, and restore.” The environment for growth is from sadeh, more completely rendered: “open and cultivated places where things grow.” Winged creatures are depicted as spiritual beings because, owph, describes “creatures with wings that can fly.” And the spiritual realm is as you would expect, from shamaym, or “heaven.” The “creatures that move about the material realm” are translated from remes adamah, which conveys the idea of “beings that move about on the ground.” It is a picture of God’s ultimate renewal. He has promised to return the Earth to the conditions experienced in the Garden of Eden – except this time we as spiritual beings will be able to come and go as we please. And this time there will be no marauding humans outside of the Garden nor death or dying.
With the intermission over, Yahowah confirms that He is remarrying Yisra’el. And the wedding is replete with all of the trimmings. “ And I will betroth you unto Me (‘aras la – marry you to Me) forever (la ‘owlam – for eternity). I will marry you to Me (‘aras la – I will make a betrothal pledge to you for Me) in righteousness (ba tsedeq – with vindication, doing what is right), by exercising good judgment, thereby justly resolving every dispute (ba mishpat) in unfailing kindness and love (ba chesed – with steadfast affection on behalf of the relationship), and mercy (ba rachamym – compassion and favor).
I will betroth you unto Me (‘aras la – marry you to Me) with the trustworthy testimony and restoring witness (ba ‘emuwnah – reliably in truth, steadfastly and dependably, in a way that is honest, supportive, confirming, upholding and nourishing). And you shall know (wa yada’ ‘eth – understand as the result of the information provided, recognize and acknowledge, all with a focus on the relationship with) Yahowah (hwhy).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:19-20)
After all of this it’s hard to believe that so many clerics and scholars, pastors and priests, could be so cold and heartless, so callous regarding the nature and purpose of Yahowah. How is it that they present this individual consumed by love as hateful and mean spirited – as unwilling and unable to save? Why is it that they posture a “new covenant” to replace the one they claim is both merciless and expired? Why is it that they claim that God’s name is not and cannot be known? Why do they lie about Yahowah and His everlasting, loving and merciful, righteous and just, always dependable Covenant?
The verse actually ends with, “And you shall know Yahowah,” and yet in most every translation I own scholars etched out God’s name and replaced it with Ba’al’s title: “the LORD.” I can only assume they knew one but not the other.
And even here when Yah is distancing Himself from His wayward children as a result of their repulsive behavior, He is telling future generations that He will be there waiting for them the moment they are ready to come home.
During this future wedding celebration great songs will be sung…“And it shall exist (wa hayah) in this, His specific day (ba ha yowm ha huw’) I will provide the answer (‘anah – I will respond with a melodious song), prophetically declares (na’um) Yahowah (hwhy). I will respond (‘anah – I will provide answers in a song) in association with (‘eth) the spiritual realm and heavens (ha shamaym) and they (wa hem) will answer (‘anah ‘eth – singing to) the earth (ha ‘erets – the material realm).
And the earth (wa ha ‘erets) will respond to (‘anah ‘eth – singing to) the grain (dagan), the new wine (thyrowsh), and the olive oil (ytshar). And they (wa hem) shall provide answers regarding (‘anah ‘eth – respond to) Yzra’’el (Yzra’’el – conceiving and producing God; from zara’ – to sow, conceive, produce, and yield ‘el – god; commonly transliterated Jezreel).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:21-22)
This is a peek into our eternity. When we are with Yahowah we will sing songs in heaven and on earth, with God providing answers to every conceivable question. We’ll sing songs of thankfulness for the harvest of saved souls (symbolized by grain), for the saving mercy of the Passover Lamb (symbolized by the new wine poured out for us), and to the Spirit (represented by the light that comes from olive oil). Our moans of anguish at Yzra’’el / Jezreel during a time that man was prone to manufacture false gods will be forgotten in this eternal and harmonious chorus.
The etymological meaning of Jezreel, which speaks of man conceiving gods, will be reversed, and now it will be God who will be doing the sowing. Yahowah is promising a day in which: “Then (wa) I will plant her (zara’ – I will seed and sow her) for Myself (la) in the land (ba ha ‘erets – in the material realm). And I will have loving mercy (racham – affection and compassion) for (‘eth) ‘No Mercy (Lo’ Ruchamah – from lo’ serving as a negation and racham – love and mercy)’. And I will say to them who were (wa ‘amar la) ‘Not-My-People (Lo’ ‘Amy – Not My Family)’, ‘You are My family (‘atah ‘am – you are My people).’ And they shall say (wa ‘huw’ ‘amar), ‘You are my God (‘elohym).’” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:23) Halleluyah!
This statement affirms the Covenant’s place at the center of Yahowah’s plan. He wants us to celebrate life as His children. He wants to be our God. And these things are achieved as a direct result of His loving kindness, His enduring love and mercy. And all we need do to benefit from this wonderful gift is to listen to His answers and then respond.
Returning to the tangible metaphor of the Covenant, the story of marriage, divorce, and reconciliation, Howsha’ gets personal again and reveals the nature of God’s relationship with Yisra’el:
“Then Yahowah (hwhy) said to me (‘amar ‘el), Go out again (bow’ ‘owd – repetitiously and without ceasing) and love (‘ahab) a woman (‘ishah) who loves someone else (‘ahab rea’ – another person, a neighbor or friend), who is an unfaithful adulteress (na’ap – a whore), and love her unconditionally (‘ahab) like (ka – similar to) Yahowah’s (hwhy) with (‘eth) the children of Yisra’el (beny Yisra’el – the children who engage and endure with God), when they approached other gods (wa hem panah la ‘elohym), and became lovers of compressed raisin cakes (wa ‘ahab ‘ashyshah).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 3:1)
Yahowah is asking Howsha’ to unconditionally love an unfaithful harlot who is sleeping around with anyone she can find so that he comes to appreciate the nature of His affection for the undeserving and idolatrous people of Yisra’el. The cakes of dried wine were used in the ritual rites of Ba’al worship.
Gomer, however, was now owned by the temple priests of Ba’al. “ So I bartered (karah – traded, exchanged money and bought) her for me for fifteen pieces of silver and fifteen bushels of barley. I said unto her, ‘You shall live (yasab – dwell, endure, stay) with me many days (rab yowm – an exceedingly long time). You shall no longer be an unfaithful prostitute, and you shall have no other man; for I am indeed tying old and new together and expressing a relational agreement (gam) with regard to and concerning you (‘el). ” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 3:2-3)
According to historians, this bartered fee was the going rate at the time to buy someone out of slavery so as to offer them their freedom. It is a lovely picture of our salvation as we are “bought,” literally redeemed, from the marketplace of sin. And it’s interesting that the thirty cumulative units of silver and barley is equivalent to the thirty pieces of silver for which Judas betrayed Yahowsha’.
And while I’m not wise enough to properly convey the full import of the last sentence, I can tell you that preceding, “for I am indeed tying old and new together and expressing a relational agreement with you,” is lo’ ehayah ‘ish. We know that ehayah means “I Am.” It’s the definition of Yahowah’s name, the name God gave to Moseh. And we know that ‘ish can mean “one who exists,” and thus be a confirmation of His name. It can mean “human male,” as in Yahowah’s manifestation as the Ma’aseyah. And ‘ish can mean “husband” a definition that would be consistent with this marriage metaphor and with the nature of the Covenant relationship. Since lo’ serves as a form of negation, meaning “no or not,” Yahowah could be saying: “Have no other Gods, Ma’aseyahs, or Husbands because I am tying everything together—old and new shall be one.”
Whether ‘ish designates God as Yahowah, Yahowsha’, Husband, or all of the above, the paragraph summarizes the magnanimous nature of His love as it painfully transitions from the covenant to its ultimate renewal. After creating us, and providing for us, we went our own way. We not only rejected God, but we aligned ourselves with evil. So Yahowah, by way of example, provided a way back home. He called it Beryth. He formed a Covenant with Abraham and set him apart as a paradigm for us to emulate. Then Yahowah reached out again and redeemed Abraham’s descendants from slavery.
Yet now, after centuries of revelation, prophecy and pleading, His people remained aloof. Righteous and just, God did the only thing He could do. He divorced Himself from the Children of Yisra’el because of their infidelity. Yet this didn’t stop Him from loving them, even in spite of what they had become—what they and we have done. So Yahowah manifest Himself as Yahowsha’ to tangibly demonstrate His love. The Ma’aseyah is thus Yah’s best man. And His wedding gift is the Covenant.
And so that we would be able to enjoy it forever, God redeemed us and made us immortal. All would be forgiven if we would just forsake relations with Lord-Ba’al and return home. But alas, Yahowah knew that we and they would remain whores—slaves to our fleshy desires and pride. And yet He stood, and still stands, at the door to our wedding festival, speaking loving words to our hearts, desiring that we will hear Him and return.
But as a result or our corruption and rebellion, our return would be a long way off…“ For (ky – indeed) the children of Yisra’el (beny Yisra’el) shall abide (yashab) many days (rab yowmym) without a king (‘ayn melek – without royal authority), without a patron (wa ‘ayn sar – without a leader who is empowered), without a sacrifice (wa ‘ayn zebach), and without a rock pillar that is upright (wa ‘ayn matsebah – a vertical stone pillar, a memorial stone, and someone who takes a stand to establish others), and without the linen vestment to adorn the priest (‘ephowd – the white coat worn by Lowy ministers to aid their service), or household physicians to heal (wa taraphym – the household of God; from rapha’ym – physicians who heal, curing what ails a nation).
Afterward (‘achar), the children of Yisra’el (beny Yisra’el) shall return (shuwb – shall change their attitude and they will come back and be restored), and seek (baqash ‘eth – choose to diligently look for and inquire about) Yahowah (hwhy), their God (‘elohym), in association with Dowd (wa ‘eth dowd – through love), their king (melek).
And shall revere (pachad – show profound respect for) Yahowah (hwhy) and His goodness (wa ‘el towb – and for everything which is beneficial and attractive, beautiful and fair, moral and joyous about Him) in the latter days (ba ‘acharyth ha yowmym).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 3:4-5)
Yah’s prediction proved to be accurate. Solomon, Dowd’s son, was the last king of a united Yisra’el. They have gone nearly 3,000 years without one. And they went nearly nineteen centuries without a leader of any kind because they ceased to be a nation in 135 CE as a result of Rabbi Akiba’s promotion of a false Ma’aseyah. And speaking of the Ma’aseyah, in Yasha’yahuw 9:6, the same concept is used to describe Yahowsha’, the “Patron and Leader of Reconciliation.”
The Temple sacrifices associated with the Miqra’ey haven’t been performed since 70 CE, when the Romans destroyed it. And while the ultimate sacrifice was made by Yahowah via Yahowsha’ in 33 CE, fulfilling Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits, most Yisra’elites reject God’s attempt to save them.