Week 33, August 10–16: Ezekiel 40–48; Hosea 1–11

• Sun      Aug 10 Ezek. 40–42
• Mon     Aug 11 Ezek. 43–45
• Tue      Aug 12 Ezek. 46–48
• Wed     Aug 13 Hos. 1–3
• Thu      Aug 14 Hos. 4–5
• Fri        Aug 15 Hos. 6–8
• Sat       Aug 16 Hos. 9–11

Ezekiel concludes with a vision of a future temple in Jerusalem. We are given detailed descriptions of the building and its surrounding complex as well as some of the activities that accompany the future temple in this vision. Ezekiel ends with a visionary picture that ties back to the vision that began the book in chapters 1–3.

The book opened with Ezekiel’s vision in which the Lord visited his people while in exile. Later we read of God’s temple being profaned and his glory departing the temple and Jerusalem (chapters 8–11). Now, here at the end of the book, Ezekiel’s visions look ahead to a time when the glory of the Lord will return (43:5).

While this vision does not depict the eternal ideal state of God’s presence with his people, it does paint a hopeful picture that anticipates the eschatological vision of the last book in the Bible. Revelation share much of the same kind of apocalyptic language and imagery as Ezekiel, and there, in the last book of the NT, we read of history consummated at the end of time. Christ’s reign as king is fully realized, and God finally restores his people and dwells with them forever. Ezekiel’s vision look ahead to its ultimate culmination in the new heavens and new earth, which is the prophetic hope of the Bible’s entire storyline.

After wrapping up Ezekiel, we jump into Hosea, which is the first of the group of books often referred to as the Minor Prophets. You will notice we skipped over Daniel, which follows Ezekiel in our English Bibles. In the Hebrew Bible, Daniel is grouped with the last of the three sections, the Writings (Ketubim). Remember, the Hebrew Bible is sometimes called the TaNaK, which is a made-up word based on the first letter of its three major sections: The Law, or teaching/instruction (Torah), the Prophets (Nebi’im), and Writings (Ketubim). We discussed this a bit in the write up for week 23. So we will come back to Daniel and read it a little later in the year.

The Minor Prophets is a group of twelve relatively short biblical books (Hosea–Malachi). This grouping was considered a single book in the most ancient collections of writings in the Hebrew Bible, at it is referred to the Book of the Twelve. A lot of early historical evidence points to the intentional composition of these writings of the minor prophets into one unified collection. And in addition to the historical evidence. And in addition to this historical evidence for the unity of the group, there are several features within the text that seem to indicate they were deliberately tied together as a unified composition. Here are several examples of these kinds of strategic links (sometimes referred to as “intertextuality”) between the Minor Prophets:

• “Restore their captivity” (Hos. 6:11; Joel 3:1; Amos 9:14; Zeph. 2:7; 3:20
• “I will send fire on their cities and consume their fortresses” (Hos. 8:14; Amos 1:5ff)
• “Day of Yahweh is near” (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:14; Amos 5:18–20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:14–15
• “Day of gloom and darkness” (Joel 2:2; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:15)
• Quote of (or allusion to) Exod. 34:6 (Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2; Mic. 7:18–20; Nah. 1:3 [Also maybe Hos. 4:1-8; 8:13; 9:9; Amos 3:2,14])
• “Who knows whether he may turn and have compassion” (Joel 2:14; Jon. 3:9)
• “Everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved” (Joel 2:32; cf. Amos 9:12; Jon. 1:8; 3:8; Zeph. 3:9)
• “There will be deliverance on Mt. Zion” (Joel 2:32; Obad. 17)
• “I will gather all nations and enter into judgment with them” (Joel 3:2; cf. Zeph. 3:8)
• “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears” (Joel 3:10; cf. Mic. 4:3)
• “Yahweh will roar from Jerusalem” (Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2)
• “Jerusalem/Zion will be holy” (Joel 3:17; Obad. 17)
• “Strangers/wicked will no longer pass through you (Joel 4:17; Nah. 1:15)
• “Mountains drip with wine and hills with milk (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13)
• “What I have not punished I will punish” (Joel 3:21; cf. Nah. 1:3)
• “Yahweh will dwell in Mt. Zion” (Joel 3:17, 21; cf. Obad. 17; Mic. 4:7)
• “Every face grows pale” (Joel 2:6; Nah. 2:10)
• “That they may possess a remnant of Edom” (Amos 9:12; cf. Obad. 17, 19–21)
• “In that day I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered (Mic. 4:6; Zeph. 3:19)
• “Day of trouble” (Nah. 1:7; Hab. 3:16; Zeph. 1:15)
• “Be silent before Yahweh” (Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 3:19)

Other similar threads like this could be added, demonstrating a deliberate interconnectedness tying together the Minor Prophets, the different parts of the Book of the Twelve. So when we read it, we follow the design of Scripture by looking for the unifying themes. We can read Hosea and track its message on its own, but we should also be following along with the message of the whole collection and seeking to hear and respond to that overall message too. With that being said, here we will include just a brief introductory overview of the individual contributions of each of the twelve prophets in this collection.

Hosea serves as sort of a thematic introduction to the Book of the Twelve. His name, Hosea, means “He saves” or simply “salvation” and it is the same as Joshua’s original name (Num. 13:16). It is also related to the Hebrew name behind Jesus’ name. The time of Hosea’s prophetic ministry spanned the reigns of Uzziah (aka Azariah, 2 Kgs. 15:1; 2 Chr. 26:1), Jotham (2 Kgs. 15:32-38), Ahaz (2 Kings 16), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18–20) in the southern kingdom of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Joash (2 Kgs. 14:23; 15:1) in the northern kingdom of Israel. Hosea’s prophetic message is mostly directed towards Israel, just prior to their fall and exile to Assyria.

One unique aspect of Hosea that contributes significantly to its message and to the message of the Book of the Twelve as a whole is that Hosea’s own life story provides a sort of parable for the Lord’s critique of his people. The prophet’s relationship with his unfaithful wife represents God’s relationship with unfaithful Israel. The theme of Israel’s unfaithfulness runs through all the OT prophets, both the so-called Major Prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets as well. The prophets’ words to the people, and their written words we read now, declare God’s righteous judgement on his wayward, sinful people. These books call God’s people to turn from their sinful ways and return to the Lord (Hos. 6:1a). Punishment and consequences dominate the prophetic books, but a persistent message of hope is included throughout all these books as well.

Hosea cries out for the people to return to the Lord. “For he has torn us,” Hosea announces, “that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” (Hos. 6:1b–2) Earlier in Hosea we read that at a later time, God’s people will return to him and “seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days” (Hos. 3:5). This verse, which could be seen as the theme verse for the whole Book of the Twelve, speaks of a time to come, from the prophets’ perspective, when a new David would come and reign over God’s kingdom. He would restore his people to the Lord and to resurrection life.