the season

September 27, 2017

The necessities of life (Hos 2:8-2:9)

“She did not know

That it was I

Who gave her

The grain,

The wine,

The oil.

I lavished upon her

Silver,

With gold,

That they used for Baal.

Therefore,

I will take back

My grain,

In its time.

I will take back

My wine,

In its season.

I will take away

My wool,

With my flax,

That were to cover

Her nakedness.

The prophet Hosea, like Yahweh, had given Gomer, like Israel, grain, wine, and oil. Silver and gold also came from him. Then they, the Israelites, like Gomer, used these precious metals on Baal. Therefore, he was going to take back his grain and wine at the right time in the season. He also was going to take back his wool and flax that she had used as clothing to cover her naked body. It was a sign of reproach to have a naked body.

August 9, 2016

Curses on Samaria (Isa 28:1-28:4)

“Cursed be the proud garland

Of the drunkards of Ephraim!

Cursed be the fading flower

Of its glorious beauty!

Cursed on the head of those

Bloated with rich food!

Cursed be those

Overcome with wine!

See!

Yahweh has one that is mighty!

He has one that is strong!

Like a storm of hail,

Like a destroying tempest,

Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,

He will hurl them down

To the earth with his hand.

The proud garland

Of the drunkards of Ephraim

Will be trampled underfoot.

The fading flower

Of its glorious beauty,

Is on the head

Of those bloated with rich food.

They will be

Like a first-ripe fig

Before the summer.

Whoever sees it,

Eats it up

As soon as it comes to his hand.”

This is an obvious warning to northern Israel Ephraim in Samaria, before the fall of this kingdom in 722 BCE, under the Assyrian army of King Sargon II (722-705 BCE). Isaiah refers to the people in the north as the drunkards of Ephraim. They will lose their crown and garland as well as its beautiful fading flower, a refrain that is repeated twice. The folks in Ephraim were bloated with rich food and overcome with wine. Yahweh then sent a mighty strong hail storm, a tempest that flooded the area.   They were going to be trampled underfoot. They were like the first fig of the season that someone immediately grabs and eats it as soon as they see it.