Hosea 3:5 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.
God’s plans for those who trust in Him are never void.
Ezekiel 37:11-14 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”
In 1948 Israel declared itself a nation. To this day many will try to take credit for the actions that could only be accomplished by the hand of God.
Amos 9:11-12 “On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the Lord who does this thing.
The dispersed nation of Israel that was gathered back by God will one day restore the glory of the Kingship of David.
Acts 15:12-17 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’
The Jerusalem Council was held around 51AD the 12 apostles recognized Paul and Barnabas as missionaries to the Gentiles to preach the Gospel of Grace. The power of Holy Spirit would take out of the Gentiles a people for the Body of Christ. When the Jews stoned Stephen, Paul, was a witness to it. After this Jesus appeared to Paul to show him how much he would suffer for the Gospel of Grace.
1 Peter 1:9-12 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
When Jesus the Christ the Messiah returns all Prophesy will be fulfilled. The suffering Messiah removed the sin of the world. The Messiah King who returns in His glory will rule forever. The same Messiah who suffered would return to reign. all those who believe in His name would be called to the Body of Christ then He will return.
Romans 11:25-29 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Spiritual blindness came to the Jews so that God, in His timing, would build the Body of Christ. At some point in time the blindness will end and then Christ will reign forever. Carla
If believers do not understand this mystery, chances are they will be wise in their own opinion, meaning they will be haughty (verse 20) and boast (verse 18). The mystery is that Israel has been temporarily and partially hardened, but God has not rejected them. All Israel does not mean that every individual in the nation will turn to the Lord. It means that the nation as a whole will be saved, just as the nation as a whole (but not every individual in it) was now rejecting the Lord.
The Jews are enemies in that they reject the gospel. For the sake of the fathers refers to the promises God made to the patriarchs. Irrevocable means “not to repent.” God does not change His mind. He made promises to the patriarchs (verse 28) and He will fulfill them. The NKJV Study Bible
In this context, the term for mystery probably refers to three difficult issues that Paul discusses in the passage: Israel’s partial hardening, the inclusion of the Gentiles as part of God’s people, and Israel’s future role in God’s plan of salvation.
Paul hopes that the Gentile Christians will not become proud or boastful of their inclusion into the people of God. The full number of the Gentiles likely alludes to predictions that one day all nations will worship Yahweh (Isaiah 2:2–4; Zechariah 14:16–17; Matthew 28:19–20). This also could refer to the completion of the mission to reach all people with the gospel. Paul viewed his ministry to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) as integral to the fulfillment of this plan (Romans 15:24, 28).
All Israel may refer to the nation of Israel proper—whether all of Abraham’s natural descendants, or only the elect individuals within ethnic Israel. Alternatively, it could refer to Israel as symbolic of God’s elect—all who are now part of God’s people (both Jews and Gentiles). Paul’s meaning here is widely disputed. Any interpretation has far-reaching implications for the Jews and their place in God’s future plans. “All Israel” may include all who had faith like Abraham prior to Jesus’ coming, or Paul could be looking ahead to a future conversion when the entire nation of Israel accepts Jesus as Messiah. “All Israel” also could be understood as a symbolic group (of Jews and Gentiles), since Paul envisions all of God’s elect as part of a single tree (verse 17).
A quotation from Isaiah 59:20 “deliverer will come”. While this passage originally refers to Yahweh, Paul seems to apply it to Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:10). If Paul’s use of this psalm points to Christ’s second coming, then the statement that “all Israel will be saved” could refer to a future time when the entire nation accepts Jesus as Messiah.
Zion refers to Jerusalem. Here, it might point to the heavenly Jerusalem from where Christ will return as deliverer (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Jacob refers to Israel.
“This is the covenant from” is a quotation from Isaiah 59: 21. In the larger context of Isaiah, the covenant is mediated by the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13–53:12). Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy, acting as the intercessor between God and humanity.
The sake of the fathers is a reference to the patriarchs, whom God chose to bear His promises. Gifts and calling refers to privileges granted to Israel (9:4). Because of the disobedience refers to Israel’s rejection of Jesus. God allowed unfaithfulness—to which He responds in mercy. Faithlife Study Bible
Isaiah 59:20–21
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,
“Says the LORD.“
As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them:
My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.”
Jeremiah 31:31–34 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD…
Deuteronomy 7:8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:15 The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day.
Isaiah 27:9
Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered;
And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin:
When he makes all the stones of the altar
Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust,
Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand
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“We have to get our hearts to feel again… The globalization of indifference is a very ugly disease.” Pope Francis in a 60 Minutes interview in 2024. |
In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis wrote: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”
No. Coming out is not easy. Desmond Tutu has always inspired me. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
This week we’ve been embracing (taking to heart) the resurrection invitation to be a messenger of hope, courage, resilience and inspiration. I do know this, if I don’t internalize the invitation, I will live my life playing small (yes, a way of being disengaged—or “neutral”).
When fear wins, we underestimate our capacity to make a difference with empathy and compassion, caring for the marginalized and brokenhearted among us and offering grace and healing and sanctuary to a fallen world, wrapped in Pope Francis’ approach of “tenderness and balm”.
Rest in Peace Pope Francis. Sabbath Moments
God's desire for His people to truly know Him is a prominent theme in Hosea and is directly connected to their love, or lack of love, for Him (Hosea 4:6; Hosea 5:4; Hosea 6:3; Hosea 11:3). "No knowledge of God in the land" was the cause of Israel's devastation (Hosea 4:1), but God's promise of redemption was, "You shall know the LORD" (Hosea 2:20).
At the core of Hosea's concern was the relationship between God and Israel. God alone was Israel's God, and they were God's chosen people. Hosea emphasized that true knowledge of God includes experiencing His loyal love.
When speaking of this knowledge, Hosea often employed the Hebrew word yada. This word is used in a variety of ways in the Bible and can mean "to perceive, distinguish, acknowledge or know by experience." It means to know God intimately and personally. This is the same word used in Genesis to describe the kind of relationship Adam and Eve had when they conceived a child: "Adam knew [yada] Eve his wife" (Genesis 4:1).
So when Hosea said, "Let us press on to know [yada] the LORD" (Hosea 6:3), this was not a casual, distant knowing. The knowledge Hosea wrote about was characterized by a right relationship with God based on true faith, loyalty and obedience to Him.
Today, we can have a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus, who is "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3). To know Christ is to know the one true God (John 17:3). First5
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