Benjamin Wilcox

Oct 31, 202232 min read

Hosea, Joel

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BACKGROUND

First, Hosea. Who was he? Hosea prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the time of Jereboam II until the reign of King Hoshea. Now, the unique thing about Hosea is that he is the only prophet of the Northern kingdom that left written prophesies. He would have lived about the same time as Isaiah is prophesying to the people of the Kingdom of Judah. Remember, the Israelites have split into two separate kingdoms at this point. Israel (or Ephraim as it’s sometimes referred to) really struggles to stay committed to God. They never really have a righteous king, and the people constantly struggle with wickedness and idolatry. In his book, you see Hosea attempt to help his people recognize their offences and to turn back to God. He sought to reassure them of his love for them and willingness to accept them back into his good graces. Alas, Hosea was unsuccessful in turning the people back to God, and ultimately, Israel is conquered and lost. But his message remains for all of us to consider our own relationship to Christ and his constant beckoning for us to commit ourselves to Him.

RETURNING TO HIM

ICEBREAKER

So for an icebreaker to this book of scripture, I like to begin by talking a little bit about marriage since marriage plays a huge part in understanding the message of the book of Hosea. So I’ll usually share the story of the day that I proposed to my wife, which is kind of a funny story, so my students usually get a kick out of it. But I like to wrap that up with a bit of a more serious statement of my love for my wife and I share the way that I felt when I made covenants to her and she to me in the temple as we began our eternal journey together. I really want my students to feel the beauty and power of the marriage relationship at the beginning of the lesson because it lends weight to the teachings of Hosea. Marriage is THE most significant type of relationship two of God’s children can have with each other on this earth. You have many other types of human relationships in mortality. Employer to employee, grandparent to grandchild, sibling to sibling, friend to friend, even parent to child, as rewarding and important as each of those types of relationships are, husband to wife is the fundamental unit of eternity and the relationship that allows us to become like our heavenly parents. We cannot become gods alone. It’s a joint effort. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh” (Moses 3:4). And not just in this life, but forever. Now I understand that not all of you who are planning to teach this lesson may have a marriage proposal story to share with your class. Not to worry, an alternate way of introducing this book would be to ask your students, if they are not married, what they feel would be the top three qualities they would like to have in a future spouse. Or if they’re married, to share the top three qualities that they most admire in their spouses. I’ve found that this can also be a great way to gear my classes minds towards thinking about the marriage relationship.

TRANSITION

Well, marriage is the key metaphor and backdrop to this book of scripture. In fact, the book of Hosea begins with a marriage. But it’s not your typical marriage story. God commands Hosea to marry a certain kind of woman. But the kind of woman he asks him to marry is a bit shocking. You know, we’re encouraged to marry someone with similar beliefs, morals, and goals—someone that we trust and love. But what kind of woman does God command Hosea to marry? Find the answer in Hosea 1:2, which says:

2 The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.

He’s asked to marry a wife of whoredoms. That means, he wanted him to marry someone who had lived a less than chaste life up to that point. Now there is some debate as to exactly how this worked. There’s not a lot of detail given here so we want to be careful not to speculate too much. Was he really asking him to marry a prostitute? Or a woman who he knew had a checkered moral past? Maybe. However, another theory, is that perhaps this book is written after the fact, and this just happened to be what Hosea had already personally experienced with his wife. He marries her and she’s unfaithful to him. Either way we look at it, we know that Hosea marries a woman named Gomer in verse 3 who eventually commits adultery. So the Lord encourages him to use his own marriage as an example of what, metaphorically, the people have done to him. Hosea is a type of Christ then.

Now that teaches us an important principle right at the outset. So an initial discussion question here:

Why is marriage a good symbol for the relationship between Christ and the members of his church?

To me, it suggests how Christ feels about us as his disciples. This is how HE views our relationship to him. It’s a marriage. He loves us like a spouse, not just as a friend, or even a parent. We’re that close to him. It’s a special relationship. An exclusive relationship. Covenants of long-term commitment have been made between us. He to us, and us to him. It also suggests how WE should feel about him. Do WE feel that love and sense of commitment towards him?

With that as our backdrop, the way I like to approach this book then is as a marking activity. I encourage my students to have at least four different colored pencils at the ready as we take a look at some of the major themes of the book.

We’re going to make some labels on the opening page of Hosea.

The Problem

The Consequences

The Solution

The Hope

In fact, you’re going to see this same pattern in almost all of the writings of the minor prophets, so it’s good to always be on the lookout for them.

The Problem

Our first color will represent THE PROBLEM. A problem develops in the relationship between Gomer and Hosea which spiritually mirrors the relationship between Christ and the Israelites.

Hosea 2:5.

5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

So if Gomer has committed adultery, what is the Lord saying about the House of Israel? They have committed spiritual adultery. They have left their husband, Christ, to involve themselves, in a sense, with other gods. Now I know this is kind of an awkward question, but how is sin like adultery? Why is the Lord making that metaphor? Well, when we get married, we make a promise or a covenant to our spouse that we will be true to them, that we will be committed to them, that we are no longer out there looking for any other romantic interest. Likewise, when we get baptized, when we partake of the sacrament, or when we get our temple endowment, we are making promises to Christ—commitments to be true to him. But when we break those covenants. When we go after other “lovers” such as pride, anger, materialism, lust, greed, laziness, spitefulness, and disobedience, our commitment has been compromised.

What are some examples of this spiritual adultery that’s going on in Israel? Study and mark the following verses:

4:1-2

7:7-8

11:2

4:1-2

1 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

So, yeah. Doesn’t sound good, does it? In fact, their spiritual adultery actually includes real adultery, along with a long list of other evils.

7:7-8

7 They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.

8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Hot as an oven in the sense of burning lust. And none of them call out to God for counsel and help. And that last image is a great one. Ephraim is a cake not turned. Have you ever made pancakes before? What happens if you leave them on the gridle too long without being turned? They start to burn on one side making them unpalatable. Well that’s what’s happening with the kingdom of Israel. Their ardent lust is burning them. They’re going bad. And what causes a pancake and a people to go bad? Neglect. We burn the pancakes because we’re not paying attention. We’re too distracted by other things instead of being focused on the task at hand. Do we ever get that way spiritually? Do we become neglectful and begin to procrastinate on our duties? Do we get distracted with other concerns and worldly entertainments? What happens to our faith, our character, and commitment? It starts to go bad.

11:2

2 As they called them, so they went from them:

OR, the more I called, the more they fled from me.

they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.

Now I know this is a tough analogy to stomach. That our sins are like adultery. It may even be a little bit of an uncomfortable metaphor to try and explain to our youth or children. But you have to admit, it’s a powerful one. If it were something less, I’m not sure it would have the same impact. If he compared it to just a friendship, would it have the same impact? Betraying a friend is a terrible thing, but does it compare to unfaithfulness to a spouse? No, it’s on a completely different level. And I would be careful about how I apply this analogy. I don’t think the comparison here is to someone who is striving to do what’s right, who has commitment to Christ and his gospel but then falters here and there in their efforts to live the gospel. That’s not the application that I would push here. I would hate for someone to feel like they were “committing spiritual adultery” every time they fell short of living the commandments perfectly. No, perhaps a better application would to those who abandon their covenants. Those that stop caring about their commitments and covenants. These are the times when someone becomes convinced that the world has something better to offer than Christ. This is the rebellious youth who is tired of standards, and church, and gospel responsibilities, who have come to view obedience as a fence rather than a guardrail. This is the older person who decides they no longer wish to “endure to the end”. The routine of prayer, scripture study, and church attendance has lost its appeal to them. It’s the man or woman who consciously decides that they want to flirt with the world rather than be hassled by commandments and commitments.

And why do we sometimes come to those conclusions. Perhaps an insight into that attitude is found in 2:5 again:

She’s going after other lovers because she thinks life will be better with them. She thinks that they will give her more. Now isn’t that the reason why most of us decide to disobey the commandments or indulge in the offerings of the world? We think that it has something better to offer than God’s gospel can provide. The enticements and lures of the world begin to look appealing to us, while the obligations and labors of devotion seem like drudgery to us. I don’t want church anymore; I want to party. I don’t want to be tied down by obedience anymore; I want to do whatever I want. I don’t want to be reminded of my duty, I want to get my bread and water and wool and flax from the world. I’m going to leave my spouse and go after these other lovers. That’s the attitude Gomer is representing here.

The Consequences

Now let’s pull out a different color. Our consequences color. What effect does this adultery have? And before we look at what happens to us when we turn from Christ, let’s consider the effect that it has on Him. That’s one of the unique perspectives Hosea gives us here. We start to get a sense of how Christ feels when we turn from him.

Look at the following references with that idea in mind. What effect does this “spiritual adultery” have on Christ?

2:2

2:13

13:6-8

2:2

2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

He pleads with us to change. His heart is broken and he beseeches us to put away our indiscretions and return to him.

Then 2:13 is just a heartbreaking verse. If you put yourself in his shoes, just imagine what it would be like for a spouse to experience something like this.

2:13

13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.

Can you imagine that. This is from the perspective of a husband. How would you feel if you passed by the bathroom and you saw your wife getting all dressed up in her nicest clothes, putting on her make-up, and jewelry, and making herself as beautiful as possible, but then you have a horrible realization. She’s not doing it for you. No, she’s going out. She’s going after her lovers and has forgotten about you. This may give us just an inkling of how Christ feels when we turn from his path.

13:6-8

6 According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.

7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:

8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

Another feeling here. Anger. Some righteous and justified anger. And Israel WILL face some lions, leopards, and bears for her idolatry. There are consequences for our unfaithfulness. Christ is not just ALL mercy and forgiveness. He is also justice. In fact, he’s the perfect balance between the two. He’s not a pushover or naïve.

So pleading, sadness, anger. All the emotions you would imagine a betrayed spouse would feel in that situation.

These verses also begin to describe what happens to us as a result of our sins. Sin always seems to attract the lions, the leopards, and the bears of misfortune and unhappiness. And I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t believe that God punishes us so much for our sins as we are punished by our sins. When we walk away from him, he isn’t there to protect us from the attack. And that’s what happens to Israel when the Assyrians come. They’ve forgotten and abandoned God, and therefore, he’s not there to help them when they really need it.

Now turn to Hosea 1:3-9

The names of Gomer’s children contain a message regarding the consequences of spiritual adultery.

When they are first married, Hosea and Gomer have a son, and the Lord commands him to call the child Jezreel. Now, names in the Old Testament have a lot of significance. Nowadays, we typically name our children based on whether we like the sound of it or not, or we may call them by family names, but back then, there was often a message attached to the name. So the Lord uses the names of Gomer’s children to teach the people a lesson. Later, Gomer has two more children. A daughter and another son, but we learn something about those children from 2:4

4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

So, they are probably not Hosea’s children. At least, that’s how I interpret that verse. We know that Gomer commits adultery and it’s very possible that those two children are the results of those illicit relationships. And the Lord commands Hosea to name those children Lo-ruhamah, and Lo-ammi. So can you find what those three names mean in the footnotes?

Jezreel-You have sown destruction
Lo-ruhammah-There will be no mercy
Lo-Ammi-You are no longer my people

Ouch, those are some rough names to carry around with you your entire life. I really kind of feel bad for those kids. Can you imagine being called “no mercy” all the time?

But the lesson is clear in those names. Spiritual adultery leads to destruction, a loss of mercy, and no longer being called his people. Those are the consequences.

The Solution

Now, our third color. The solution to the problem, the cure to the sickness.

When those consequences we’ve discussed come, which they inevitably will, we may begin to feel like Gomer does in Hosea 2:7-8. What realization does she come to in those verses?

7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

Eventually, I believe that all who flirt with the world will come to realize this at some point in their eternal progress. “For then was it better with me than now.” In time, sooner or later, all will come to the conclusion that life is better within the covenant. I mean, you don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone. For a time we may be prone to that “grass is always greener on the other side” notion. But it doesn’t last. I know of many, many individuals who have been through that experience—who come to find out that the great and spacious building just doesn’t have much to offer. That’s what my grandma used to say to us. And she was someone who spent some time in that building in her youth. And she would say, “Don’t waste your time on the great and spacious building. I’ve been there. There’s nothing worth seeing inside.” So yes, there may be excitement and thrill at first, like an illicit relationship might bring. But eventually, the newness and the exhilaration wear off and they realize that all relationships require work, sacrifice, and commitment to work. I know of a man who had that very experience. He did have an affair, because he was convinced that this new person would bring him joy and fulfillment. So he left his wife and family. There was a divorce and then eventually a marriage to this new woman. He was on cloud 9. And she also had left her marriage to be with him. How long did that relationship last? Just a few years, and now, they’re divorced and are both with others now. And I wonder, if he has ever come to the same conclusion that Gomer comes to. “For then was it better with me than now”. And she realizes something else in verse 8. “For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold.” We too will come to realize that Christ provides us with all we ever need. All the fulfillment, purpose, nourishing, direction, and happiness we desire is available from him. He DID take care of us. He was an amazing provider. The care the world gives is fleeting, manipulative, and self-centered. The parties, the drugs, the alcohol, the popularity, and attention were all shallow means focused on getting something from you. Your money, the satisfying of their lust. The world will chew you up and spit you back out again without remorse.

And so what does she eventually decide to do? “I will go and return to my first husband.” I’m going to go back.

That’s the solution. What’s the gospel word we use to describe that process? It’s called repentance. Turning our hearts back to Christ. Remembering our former relationship with him and desiring to return.

We could also mark the following verses in our solution color.

5:15

15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

6:1

6 Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

12:6

6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually.

14:1-2

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

2 Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

In each of these verses you see Israel’s desire to return back to God and seek his grace.

How many of you can think of someone who has experienced this change of heart? Someone who left the covenant path for a time, discovered that their “lovers”, or the world, didn’t really love them, and desired to come back to their first love—Christ? I can think of quite a few in my own life. My grandma, my grandpa, a good friend of mine from high school, former students, members of my ward. This process is more common than you think.

The Hope

Now here’s where the analogy of our covenant with Christ as a marriage relationship really gains power. Take out your HOPE color now. Let’s shift our focus away from Gomer for a moment and focus back on Hosea again. Put yourself in Hosea’s shoes, or sandals here. How would you react to Gomer coming back, asking for forgiveness and to be your wife again. After you’ve been cheated on. After you’ve had the experience of seeing her deck herself out, but not for you. After she’s been unfaithful to you over and over again. Would you take her back? Or women, would you take a husband back, if he did something similar to you?

Now I don’t even like to imagine the possibility of that circumstance in my own life. But what would I do? I don’t know. I know that I would be incredibly betrayed, hurt , and I’ll admit it, angry. I’m not sure what I would do in that situation. I imagine there would be many who would not consider continuing the relationship and I don’t think I’d fault them for that decision either. I believe they would be justified in leaving that part of their life behind and seeking for something or someone different. I believe that’s what the average man or woman would do in that situation. But look what the Lord says in Hosea 11:8-9 included here with the JST translation:

8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned (toward thee, and my mercies are extended to gather thee).

9 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

So what is the Lord willing to do with unfaithful Israel? His heart turns back towards them, and he extends his mercy to them. He doesn’t execute the fierceness of his anger. He forgives and takes her back. And why? Because he’s not a man, he’s a God, and gods don’t do what the average person does. He IS the kind of being that can forgive, even in this circumstance.

A scene from the movie Camelot comes to mind. In that story, we find King Arthur a very similar circumstance to Hosea. His wife, Guinevere has been unfaithful to him, and with his close friend, Lancelot. When he finds out, he gives a very poignant soliloquy as he contemplates what he’s going to do. He says:

“Proposition: If I could choose from every woman who breathes on this earth; the face I would most love -- the smile, the touch, the heart, the voice, the laugh, the very soul itself, every detail and feature to the last strand of the hair--it would all be Jenny's.

Proposition: If I could choose from every man who breathes on this earth -- a man for my brother, a man for my son, and a man for my friend it would all be Lance! I love them -- I love them and they answer me with pain! And torment! Be it sin, or not sin: they have betrayed me in their HEARTS, and that's far sin enough! I can see it in their eyes! I can feel it when they speak! And they must pay for it and be punished! I shall NOT be wounded and not return it in kind! I DEMAND A MAN'S VENGEANCE!

That’s the human reaction to this kind of situation. Vengeance and renunciation. But, then, King Arthur’s disposition changes in that moment. He softens and drops his voice and says:

Proposition: I am a king -- not a "man." And a very civilized king. Could it possibly be civilized to destroy the thing I love? Could it possibly be civilized to love myself above all? What about their pain? And their torment? Did they ask for this calamity? Can passion be selected? Is there any doubt of their devotion to me, and to our Table? By God! I shall be a king! This is the time of King Arthur, when we shall reach for the stars! This is the time of King Arthur, when violence is NOT strength, and compassion is NOT weakness! WE ARE CIVILIZED! Resolved! We shall live through this together, Excalibur! They, you, and I! And may God have mercy on us all!

That’s the sentiment here. I am God, and not man. And so he forgives and does not destroy. He thinks about our pain, and not his. He considers his love for us, and not the way that we have betrayed him.

Now read 2:14-23. The most beautiful verses in this book of scripture and I want you to mark it in our “HOPE” color and pick out your favorite phrase or thought. He says:

14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope:

Oh, isn’t that a great synonym for repentance? It’s a door of hope! Christ always leaves that door open for us.

and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16 And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Wow! Now that is amazing. Not only will he accept her back, but he will allure her back, and speak comfortably to her. It’s an alluring love that Christ has for his people. A speaking comfortably kind of love. I imagine that most people, even if they did decide to remain in a marriage in that circumstance, might forever hold that over their head, or maintain a resentment or distrust for that person. But not Christ. He allures, speaks comfortably, and betroths her again in righteousness.

I love the sentiment in verse 16. It says that she will call him Ishi from that day forward and no more Baali. Now look down in the footnotes there at what those two words mean. She will call him “My husband” and not “my master”. And that’s a really good question to ask ourselves. How do we see Christ? What type of relationship is it? Do we view him as a master? Are we just servants doing his bidding because he’s in charge? Do we view his instructions as demands or orders? Or do we view his as a husband? Someone that we love. The things we do for him we do th out of love, loyalty, and a desire to serve him. We have a relationship of love and faith, not fear and obligation.

And then in verse 23, we see a veiled reference to the names of Gomer’s children. When she has repented, and returned, instead of Jezreel, or destruction, the Lord sows her unto me in the earth. And instead of Lo-Ruhamah, she receives Ruhamah. I will have mercy on her that had not obtained mercy. And instead of Lo-Ammi, she becomes Ammi and he says to them which were not my people, Thou art my people. I imagine that after Gomer returns, that Hosea dropped the “Lo’s” from those children’s names and called them Ruhamah, and Ammi. What an amazing story of hope his family taught those people.

A few other verses that are worth marking in our “HOPE” color.

Hosea 3:1-3

Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

Gomer’s decisions have apparently caught up with her at this point. Her lovers have not treated her well in the end and now she has been sold or is in debt, which is exactly what the world will do to you in the end. But Hosea comes and buys her freedom and takes her back. He pays fifteen pieces of silver for her—his adulterous wife. What a superb symbol for Christ and his atoning sacrifice. Through our sins, we sell ourselves, we accumulate a debt that we can’t pay in the end. And who comes along to rescue us? Christ. And he pays the debt and brings us back home.

Hosea 13:14

14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

So the promise of resurrection and victory over death is assured by him.

And Hosea 14:4-7

4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

He will love us freely and make us fruitful in his shadow.

TRUTH

Even when we have been unfaithful to him, if we desire to return, Christ will graciously welcome us back.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

When have you experienced the Lord’s mercy and love for you?

CONCLUSION

Hosea is one of those books that just overflows with the message of Christ’s love for us and the extent of his mercy. Gomer is the female version of the prodigal son. And just as the father in that story embraces and welcomes his wayward son back home, Hosea betroths and allures her back into his loving arms. That should tell us all something about how Christ feels about each and every one of us. I know Christ loves you and he loves me, with the kind of love a husband has for his wife. I pray that he is “Ishi” to us, and not “Baali”. I know he is merciful and that he will provide us with all we ever need in life. Stay with Him. Don’t flirt with the world. But even then, if we ever do find ourselves in that situation where we have proven unfaithful to him, I know that if we repent and return, he will always welcome us back with open arms because he is a God, and not a man.

JOEL-THE VALLEY OF DECISION

OK, the book of Joel. A much shorter book of scripture. Only three chapters long, but there’s some great messages in those chapters. So first, just a little bit about Joel because we really don’t know that much about him. We know that he was a prophet that prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah. But exactly when he prophesied, we’re not exactly sure. But we do know that he was very “latter-day” focused and has some important things to teach us about the second coming.

ICEBREAKER

So for an icebreaker, I like to do the following activity. I like to present them with a number of “How will it end?” scenarios. So I give them a few situations and ask them how they feel those situations are going to turn out? For example, depending on when and where you teach this lesson, you can ask them how they feel a certain sports season is going to end. So here in Utah, I might ask. How is BYU or the University of Utah’s football season going to end? And just let them share. Will they be champions? Or will they lose? Will they go to a bowl game? Which one? Political questions can work here. Who do you think will win the next presidential election? Or senate race? Will Republicans or Democrats come out on top. If you’re teaching students. How do they think their quarter will end? Will they pass? Will they get good grades? Are the tests going to be hard? If there’s a popular movie franchise out at the time. How do they think the series will end? Will the leading man and woman get married? Is someone going to die? Will they win the last battle? Any way you do it, be sure to conclude with this final question. What about the world? How is it going to end? Or at least, the world as we know it. Is it going to end in nuclear holocaust? A giant meteor colliding with the earth? Global warming? Famine? Drought?

TRANSITION

As disciples of Christ, and believers in the scriptures, we have the benefit of understanding some more specific things about the future of this earth. We believe that life as we know it on this earth will not remain such forever. At some point in the future, this terrestrial earth will have served its purpose as a testing ground of faith for God’s children and will eventually enter a new phase of existence and purpose. We collectively call these events, the Second Coming of Christ. Christ is coming back. And Joel uses an interesting phrase to describe that day. What is it in Joel 2:11, and Joel 2:31.

He calls it the great and terrible day of the Lord. Well how is that possible? How can a day be both great and terrible? And I do understand that “great” in this sense can mean “significant” or “momentous”, but I believe it can also hold some of the more positive connotations of that word as well. The latter-days and the Second Coming will be great for some and terrible for others. What will make it great? And what will make it terrible? And how can we assure ourselves that it will be great for us? That’s what Joel is going to teach us.

There are three questions that Joel will answer here that I’d like to focus on.

What will happen to the wicked?

What will happen to the righteous?

What should we do about it?

It’s been a while since we’ve done a crossword puzzle activity, so that’s how I might approach this book. Actually, to keep each of those questions separate and more thematic, instead of one big crossword puzzle there will be three different smaller crossword puzzles that you can have your students complete. This way your students can examine a number of key passages and ideas all at once. And it will give you a good vehicle to discuss these ideas as you correct it.

The Terrible Day

1. I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of ______________. (Joel 3) JEHOSHAPHAT 2. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust __________. (Joel 1) EATEN 3. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a __________ wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (Joel 2) DESOLATE 4. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of __________ (Joel 3) DECISION

5. Prepare _____, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: . . . Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. (Joel 3) WAR 6. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a _____________ from the Almighty shall it come. (Joel 1) DESTRUCTION

Now this may be one of the most interesting details the Book of Joel adds to our understanding of the Second Coming. It helps to answer our initial icebreaker question of how it all ends. Amongst other things, it seems that the main purifying element that the Lord is going to use to cleanse the earth of all wickedness will be war. Many prophets that prophesy of the second coming speak of this. Ezekiel talks about it in Ezekiel 38. Daniel talks about it in Daniel 7,8, and 11 and John talks about it in Revelation 9 and 16. If you read the entire first chapter of Joel, you’ll find that it’s one long description of the land being decimated by a locust invasion and a drought. But he compares this destruction of the land to the destruction caused by the great final battle of the last days. Joel 2:1-11 also vividly describes this “locust invasion” of sorts. You may want to show your students a video of a swarm of locusts and then have them read those verses and they’ll see that Joel does a great job of helping us visualize this attack. I’ll put a link to a good one in the video description below. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bx5JUGVahk). But take a look at verse three where it talks about the Garden of Eden being before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. So this swarm just moves forward devouring anything green in its path. And then read verses 7-9 and see if you can picture what is happening here.

7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

Can you just see that swarm attacking a city, getting in everything, crawling up the walls, pouring through the windows. Trying to fight them would be pointless. Well that’s what war does. It destroys and consumes everything in its path. Terrifying. Now where is this great, consuming battle going to take place? John calls that final battle Armageddon which means “Hill of Meggido.” Meggido is a city in the Jezreel valley where many battles have taken place throughout the centuries. But personally, I don’t believe that there will actually be a physical war fought in that particular place. Rather, I believe it’s a symbolic reference. John is just telling us that nations will gather for war in the last days. That idea is reinforced here in Joel because the battle is given a different location. Joel tells us that that final battle will take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat or the valley of Decision. Understanding that reference is key to knowing how this final battle works. What happened in the valley of Jehoshaphat? It’s a reference to a fascinating Old Testament story that is rarely mentioned. It’s buried in 2 Chronicles 20. I won’t take the time to read through it verse by verse for you here, but I encourage you to do so. I’ll just summarize it. Jehoshaphat is the King of Judah at this time when he receives word that a number of different outside nations have decided to band together to attack them. They realize that they have no means of defending themselves against so many enemies at once and they turn to the Lord in prayer and fasting. The prophet Jahaziel proclaims “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle, set yourselves , stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord, tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you”. So with great faith, the people march towards the oncoming army, not knowing what’s going to happen. And as they come up over the hill to meet their enemy in the valley, what do they see? A valley full of dead soldiers. The battle was already over. And what had happened is that as the different nations started to march towards Jerusalem, they begin to argue with each other about who would get the spoils. Their arguing turns to violence, and they end up fighting with each other to the death. By the time Jehoshaphat gets there, the battle’s over and the enemy nations have destroyed each other.

I believe that this will be the same outcome for Armageddon. The great war at the end of the world will not be a fight between good and evil. Evil will destroy evil. The wicked will destroy the wicked. And all Zion will need to do is sit back and watch. Kind of like Jehoshaphat and the Israelites back in 2 Chronicles.

Sounds like a terrible day for the wicked, but a great day for the righteous. Now let’s take a closer look at the great things that will take place in the latter-days for those that love God.

The Great Day

1 ACROSS. ______ not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. (Joel 2) FEAR

Sometimes my students have expressed distress and worry about the Second Coming. It sounds so scary and terrible in the scriptures sometimes. But I try to reassure that them that the righteous need not fear. In fact, we can look forward to that day. Yes, things will get bad, for the wicked, but things will be amazing and great for the righteous. The latter-days are an incredible time to be alive! The Lord does “great things” for us. Just look at Joel’s description of the conditions.

1 DOWN. A _________ shall come forth of the house of the Lord. (Joel 3) FOUNTAIN

Remember Ezekiel’s vision of the healing, life-giving river flowing out from under the temple? Joel references this as well. Never has any generation in the history of the world had so much access to the blessings of the House of the Lord. We live in a day of hundreds of temples, and we can attend them almost any time we want.

2 ACROSS And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will _____ out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I ______ out my spirit. (Joel 2-Same word in both blanks) POUR

These verses are quoted to Joseph Smith by Moroni when he’s visited three times in one night by him. And certainly this has and is taking place. These are great verses for the youth to hear, because it talks about the young men and the handmaids seeing visions and having the Spirit poured out upon them. And I love that word “pour”. You can just visualize this deluge of spirit cascading from the heavens. And I’ve witnessed this firsthand as a seminary teacher. Our youth do have the spirit poured out upon them. I hear them testify of it frequently. We live in a day when we have so much access to things of a spiritual nature. Scriptures, prophets, temples, manuals, church, lessons, FSY, young men’s and young women’s, Elders quorum, Relief Society, the church website, hymns, and on, and on, and on. We are witnesses to this great outpouring of the Spirit.

2 DOWN And ye shall eat in ________, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. (Joel 2) PLENTY 3. And I will ___________ to you the years that the locust hath eaten (Joel 2) RESTORE 4. And ye shall know that I am in the _______ of Israel (Joel 2) MIDST

All these verses point to the great pouring out of the Spirit in the latter-days. Jesus Christ is in our midst, and we will find Him here if we but seek him.

What Should We Do?

Now our final question here. What must we do to make sure that the last days will be great for us and not terrible.

1. 1:14, 2:15 Sanctify [ye] a _____. (Joel 1 and 2) FAST

As we saw back in Isaiah 58, fasting can be key in accessing that pouring out of the Spirit.

2. 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall _____ on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: (Joel 2) CALL

So we must pray.

3. 2:16 _______ the people, sanctify the congregation (Joel 2) GATHER

That’s what we’re doing as a Church, isn’t it. The gathering of Israel is the great work of the latter-days.

4. 2:12 Turn ye even to me with all your _______. (Joel 2) HEART 5. 2:13 ______ your heart (Joel 2) REND

This is what our Father in Heaven wants most from us. Our hearts, our wills. A rent heart is another way of saying that we have a broken heart, and a contrite spirit. A humble heart that is willing to be led and softened. We’ve got to turn our hearts over to Him.

TRUTH

The latter days will be great for the righteous, but terrible for the wicked.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

What evidence have you seen in your own life that the prophesy found in Joel 2:28-29 is being fulfilled?

CONCLUSION

I think the major message of Joel is fairly simple. The latter-days and the Second Coming are not something that we need to dread IF we are prepared and have turned to Christ with all our hearts. So I pray that that day will come soon. I also pray that it will be a great and not a terrible day for us. Let him come! Let the end come so that the real beginning can commence.

ANSWER KEY

THE TERRIBLE DAY

THE GREAT DAY

1 ACROSS. ______ not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. (Joel 2) FEAR

1 DOWN. A _________ shall come forth of the house of the Lord. (Joel 3) FOUNTAIN 2 ACROSS And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will _____ out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I ______ out my spirit. (Joel 2-Same word in both blanks) POUR

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

1. 1:14, 2:15 Sanctify [ye] a _____. (Joel 1 and 2) FAST 2. 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall _____ on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: (Joel 2) CALL 3. 2:16 _______ the people, sanctify the congregation (Joel 2) GATHER

4. 2:12 Turn ye even to me with all your _______. (Joel 2) HEART 5. 2:13 ______ your heart (Joel 2) REND

Hosea, Joel

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