Human folly is the direct result of not knowing God. And according to God, the reason most don’t know Him is because our political and religious leaders, our scholars and reporters, have made understanding difficult. They have mingled incompatible cultural mores, political doctrines, and religious edicts into a confounding concoction of half baked lies.

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Human folly is the direct result of not knowing God. And according to God, the reason most don’t know Him is because our political and religious leaders, our scholars and reporters, have made understanding difficult. They have mingled incompatible cultural mores, political doctrines, and religious edicts into a confounding concoction of half baked lies. “Ephraim mixes (balal – mingles, confuses, confounds, and makes understanding difficult) with other nations, people, and cultures. Ephraim has become an unreliable, round half-baked cake (hapak uga).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:8)

Haphak also means: “upside down and ruined.” It conveys “to be changed in a disturbed way.” Haphak tells us that this “round bread” has been turned into something which cannot be trusted. It is interesting in that it is “half-baked,” similar to most lies. Round and flat sun-shaped disks of bread like these were used in Ba’al worship in Howsha’s day and are used in Catholic masses today. Uga derivatives include, “cake” which is a sweetened form of bread. This suggests that lies are beguiling—often sounding sweeter than truth.  A second derivative infers “continually going round” as in the circular reasoning so often evident in deceptions. A third derivative belies the method used to sell lies: “repetitive assertions.”

There has never been a shortage of ignorant politicians willing to base their nation’s security on the words of untrustworthy men rather than a relationship with God. Howsha’s kings, like today’s American presidents, spent a fortune in Egypt and then Iraq trying to mitigate terror.

“Strangers (zuwr – foreigners who are enemies, loathsome and offensive people who lead others astray) devour his wealth (kocha – power and potential), yet he does not understand (da’ath – possess information that enables wisdom in judgment)…he is unaware. Though the arrogance of Yisra’el testifies against him, they have neither returned to (suwb – believed in, changed their behavior, or restored the relationship with) Yahowah (hwhy), their God, nor have they sought (baqash – desired or requested, searched for or inquired about) Him, throughout this discussion. So Ephraim has become like an easily deceived (pathah – easily seduced, allured and persuaded by glib speech; carelessly enticed into holding an errant view; open-minded and naïve; gullible) pigeon, without sense (leb – inspiration or intelligence). They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:9-11) Everyone learns history—most, unfortunately, by repeating it.

God doesn’t want His people forming a relationship with or relying upon Satan’s people because He knows that when they do, bad things happen. “When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will constrain them like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them (yasar – correct and discipline in hopes of improving behavior; warn regarding a future danger or consequence; teach and instruct) in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly (edah – socio-religious group, party, community, and congregation). Woe to (owy – a sorrowful state of intense hardship and distress follows for) them, for they have strayed from Me (nadad – cast Me aside and wandered away)! Destruction (shod – havoc, violence, devastation, ruin, looting and plundering, oppression and suffering) is theirs, for they have rebelled against (pasha – revolted, sinned, transgressed, and been in open defiance against; breeched the agreement with and offended) Me!” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:12-13)

This is the companion passage to the verse to the Romans passage at the beginning of the chapter. It is a warning to political and religious leaders. God is going to hold them accountable for the public proclamations they make.

God wants to help us, just like the father of rebellious and wayward children wants to save his loved ones. But sometimes we are too stubborn and self-reliant to listen. “I would rescue (padah – ransom, redeem, and deliver) them, but they speak lies against Me (kazab – promote the worship of false gods, delude their people with opinions and deceptions). And they do not cry out to Me for help from their hearts.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:13)

Yisra’el got the government it deserved. They were as rotten spiritually and as morally bankrupt as we are today. We are riddled with violence and crime, pornography and economic scams because, ignorant of His instructions, we have deceived and been deceived. Acting in harmony with the vile spirit of Satan, we have collectively done our utmost to blow out our only candle of hope.

While we don’t have time for God, we always seem to have plenty of time for the things our hearts desire. For the Yisra’elites of Howsha’s day these things included sexual immorality and false worship. “Rather, they shriek on their beds and wail for bread and wine. They assemble themselves (guwr – conspire to stir up trouble, strife, and quarrel; they congregate to rebel, they cause uproars and incite riotous situations which promote fighting) and they turn away from Me.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:14)

The poligious climate depicted continues to mirror Islamic society. Serving Allah rather than Yahowah, Islamic clerics and kings promote fighting by shrieking: “A paradise of virgins, beds, and rivers of wine awaits good Muslims who murder, following Muhammad’s example.” They call it jihad—holy war.

Yahowah and His prophet Howsha’ were under no illusions. They knew that the political and religious establishment would not only reject this message, but worse, they would condemn the messenger and his God. They would do so by labeling His truth lies, and their lies truth. There would be no repentance or return. The same could and should be said of any culture whose political and religious leaders spew similar nonsense.

“Although I instructed them (yacar – chastened, disciplined, corrected, and admonished them) and established them for the purpose of accomplishing something, yet they devise evil against Me. They turn, but not upward.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:15) Yes, indeed, man has turned, but in the wrong direction. We have been receiving our marching orders from Satan for a very long time. Man was created to love God and the Jews were chosen to reveal His instructions so that this relationship would be possible. But we prefer ‘azab to beryth, ignorance to knowledge, delusions to truth, fighting to peace, sex to the spirit, man to God.

Upward is derived from the Hebrew word ‘al which actually means “the Most High.” It is Yahowah’s title.

Politicians and religious clerics are always armed with the same weapon. “They are like an untaught bow (remyah qeset – an unfit and weak bow, a faulty and failed bow, a lazy and habitually shifty weapon, a deceitful and treacherous weapon, a multicolored circle which breaks up light and causes something which is false to be believed as true so as to mislead).”

Words are important. We ought to be careful of what we say. Politically and religiously inspired words often lead to death and damnation. “Those in charge, those in positions of power and authority, will fall (naphal – will fail, be attacked, conquered, fall prostrate and die) by the sword because of the insolence (za’am – impudence, disrespect, brazenness, rudeness, audacity, anger, wrath, extreme indignation, curses, and fury) of their tongue. This will be their derision (la’ag – scorn, ridicule, mocking, contempt, and stammering) in the land of Egypt (mitsraym – oppression of religion and politics).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 7:16)

Yahowah concludes His condemnation of politicians, and those who support them, by saying that they will reap what they sow. Glib words come with a price. When our politicians form alliances with nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, there will be hell to pay.

efei

Most of the world today, like Yisra’el before us, has set a course down the road to oblivion. We like they will soon reap the whirlwind.

“To your lips (‘el chek) the Showphar (showphar – the ram’s horn which was used as a trumpet to call people’s attention to important events on Yahowah’s calendar) is as if it were (ka – is like) a vulture (nesher – a bird of prey; from an unused root meaning to lacerate) over (‘al – upon, before, or near) the House (beyth – Home, Family, and Temple) of Yahowah (efei – hwhy- יהוה – Yahowah), because (ya’an – for the reason that) you have literally and completely passed over (‘abar – you have been led away from and have gotten rid of (qal perfect)) My Family-Oriented Covenant Relationship (beryth – familial agreement, mutually binding pledge, reciprocal arrangement based upon family and home), and also (wa) have literally rebelled and are totally opposed to (pasha’ ‘al – have openly and defiantly transgressed against (qal perfect)) My Towrah (Towrah – My Torah Instruction and Teaching, My Source of Guidance and Direction; derived from: tow – My signed, written, and enduring, towrah – way of treating people, tuwr – giving you the means to explore, to seek, to find, and to choose, yarah – the source of instruction, teaching, guidance, and direction that flows from Me, which tuwb – provides answers to facilitate your restoration and return, even your response and reply to that which is towb – good, pleasing, beneficial, favorable, healing, and right, and that which causes you to be loved, to become acceptable, and to endure, tahowr and tohorah – purifying and cleansing you, thereby towr – providing you with the opportunity to change your attitude, thinking, and direction).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:1)

This succinctly summarizes the reasons behind Yisra’el’s immanent fall. Oblivious to it, our world will soon repeat the lesson.

Collectively and individually, we all have a choice to make. We can accept Yahowah and follow His Towrah Instructions or we can reject God and follow man’s decrees. But fair warning: if we alienate ourselves from Him and His Guidance we will be devoured by birds of prey—by vultures who have been fed man’s refuse, both religious and political.

In this passage the Showphar is most directly associated with the Miqra’ of Taruw’ah, which is more widely known as “Trumpets.” And that association is required to appreciate this comparative reference. You see, the people were now trumpeting a different tune than that they were instructed to convey on the Miqra’, singing praises and hymns to gods they, themselves, had made. So their songs were now leading them away from the spiritual harvest associated with Trumpets and were in conflict with the message of Taruw’ah.

But more than that, by trumpeting the wrong lyrics, and by marching off in the wrong direction, these religious troubadours were now certain to miss the message Taruw’ah was designed to announce: souls which ignore Yahowah’s invitation to meet on Yowm Kippurym, the Day of Reconciliations, will die. The vulture is hovering over Yah’s House in anticipation of the inevitable.

The reason that believers were playing the wrong tune, the reason they were dead men walking, is that they had “‘abar – passed over” Yahowah’s Covenant. Like religious Jews, Christians, and Muslims today, they didn’t believe that its terms and conditions applied to them. And they came to hold this opinion because they were openly opposed to Yah’s Towrah. This rebellion and resentment has grown so extreme, that when someone even mentions being Towrah observant, or that there is but one Covenant, the religious are quickly enraged. They have been conditioned to defy God’s instructions – and they do.

Yahowah doesn’t care much for hypocrisy. When He first defined the nature of the beryth with Abraham He called him to: “walk beside Me; be at ease and conversant with Me; be honest and open with Me.” It remains the ultimate privilege—one that Yisra’el and most everyone today have rejected.

“They cry out to (za’aq – wail and weep to, appeal to; they make public outcries in pain and emotional anguish, calling out for help; they gather together and issue an official written proclamation with instructions and principles for) Me: ‘My God, we of Yisra’el know (da’ah – possess knowledge and information about) You!’” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:2)Too bad they didn’t read it, understand it, and act appropriately upon it.

So Yahowah said: “Yisra’el has rejected (zanach – cast off and spurned, removed and thrown out) good (towbah – that which is pleasing and morally correct, profitable and benevolent, joyous), so the enemy (ayab – foe in open hostility, animosity, enmity, and rancor) will pursue (radaph – chase after, persecute, hound, and strive against) him.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:3)

The primary meaning of zanach accurately describes the nature of a nation that casts off and spurns good: “it stinks and becomes foul-smelling, emitting an odious stench due to stagnation.” And I find it interesting that the rancorous and openly hostile enemy is prophesized to “strive against” the Jews. To strive in the context of attacking “the people of the Scripture Book” is the etymological and actual basis of Jihad.

If the people know and trust Yahowah, God will reciprocate and take care of them. He will establish their government and their governors. If they don’t, they will wallow in their own folly. “They have set up rulers and kings, but not by (miny – away from, without guidance or direction from, separate from) Me. They have appointed governors and put leaders in positions of authority, whom I do not know.” Judging by their words and deeds, I’m convinced that Yahowah will say this of Bill Clinton, both George Bushes, and most Congressmen and Senators. And then He will ask us why we choose them as opposed to asking Him to guide us.

These questions will be for our benefit. God already knows the answer…“With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, things that they revere and worship.” And He knows the result… “So they will be cut off (karath – severed from the source, uprooted and violently torn from the land, excluded from the covenant, broken and consumed).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:4)

More than ever before, Americans have put their faith in and covet things. But even our “smart weapons” will fail us. For Scripture says that freedom, prosperity, joy, life itself and all eternity are based upon the answer to this question: who do you know and trust?

If you idolize things and if your god is the Lord, you may be in serious trouble. “He has rejected your bull (egel – idol in the shape of a bull calf representing the sun god Lord Ba’al), O Samaria [the capital city of the Northern Kingdom], saying, ‘My anger is aroused and burns with displeasure against them!’” As an interesting aside, since “rejected” is zanach, Yahowah is saying that the guises of Satan “stink.”

Yahowah revealed earlier in Howsha’ and in Daniel that the prophesized reunion will not occur until the day of Atonement in 2033 (2000 years after they rejected their Savior), so this is a rhetorical question: “How long will they be incapable of innocence (yakol niqayown – fail to attain purity and thus be free from punishment; be unable to be morally impeccable and thus be acceptable; be unable to prevail, overcome and enjoy the victory; experience what it feels like to be clean; regain confidence and accomplish something worthy; understand and grasp how to become innocent)?” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:5)

The Northern Kingdom was not alone. As both archeology and Scripture reveal, Yisra’el had idols too—lots of them. “For from Yisra’el is even this! A craftsman made it, so it is not God. Surely the bull of Samaria will be broken to pieces.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:6) Yisra’el’s problem, like ours, is ignorance of and/or apathy to the first three Statements. If we were to get those right, everything else would fall into place—including us.

The first tablet Yah etched in stone begins: “I Am Yahowah, your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” So what did we do? We scratched Yahowah’s name out of His Scripture and replaced it with the LORD, the name of the bull idol Yahowah said stunk.

God then wrote: “You shall not make for yourself any idol.” So what did we do? We idolized all manner of things and made for ourselves flags with stars on them and decorated our churches with satanic sun god steeples and crosses.

Yah concluded His witness on the first of two tablets with: “You shall not promote, advance, accept, or tolerate in the name of Yahowah your ‘elohym, anything that is false or destructive.” So what did we do? We proposed and pontificated, advanced and tolerated every Satanic counterfeit religious notion and every self-serving human political doctrine under the sun.

And because we have done these things, we will suffer the consequence. Because we were unwilling to heed Yisra’el’s example as presented for our benefit in Scripture, we are destined to suffer as they suffered. “For they sow the wind (ruwcha – spirit), and they shall reap (qatsur – bear and be restricted to, be confined to) the whirlwind (suphah – the storm, tempest, circular whirling gale).” Isaiah prophetically links this “whirlwind” to the Islamic Magog war that will kill a quarter of the earth’s people during the Tribulation.

Standing grain about to be harvested is symbolic of saved souls—those who are born anew by way of Yahowah’s Spirit. During Howsha’s day there were very few such people in Yisra’el. Grain is also a symbol of productivity and of the nourishment needed to sustain life. Yisra’el had squandered her purpose and abandoned the source of her sustenance.

“The standing grain has no heads (tsemach – living parts, growth or branches). It yields no flour. Should it yield, strangers would engulf it and swallow it up. (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:7)

The word for “strangers,” zuwr, means “foreigners outside of the cultural group; people from a different place who are estranged from the society.” To be zuwr is to be “alienated, deserted, abandoned, and separated from the relationship.” To be zuwr is to “live in a state of apostasy and rebellion” Interestingly, in its shorter form, zur means “offensive and loathsome ones who stink like the devil.” Yahowah is speaking of Ba’al worshipers, known then as Canaanites, Philistines, Assyrians and Babylonians. They are known today as Muslims. That may be why Yahowah used balah for “swallowed.” Not only does it sound like the name of the Islamic god, it means: “to do away with, to destroy, and to devour.”

And it happened just this way…“Yisra’el is swallowed up (balah – made invisible, consumed, devoured and destroyed). As a result (‘atah – there will come a time when, on account of that which has occurred, and in response to it, that) they shall be among the Gentiles (Gowyim – non Yahuwdym/Jewish nations), a vessel (kely – an object or thing) in which no one desires (chephets – finds desirable, delights in, enjoys the company of, takes pleasure in).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 8:8)

This sounds like the Middle Eastern view of Jews for the past 2600 years, Europe’s for the past 1900 years, the Islamic world’s for the past 1400, and more and more like America since the Second World War.

Once again we are confronted with a verb bearing Allah’s name associated with the land of his birth and the people who terrorize Jews on his behalf. “For they have gone up (alah – headed north following the flight of the birds) to Assyria.” Howsha’ began the 8^th chapter speaking of vultures, birds of prey who devour rubbish, so now he’s telling us that the Jews will follow them home.

A complete definition of alah reveals that the word means: “one who stands before God in judgment, holocaust and burnt offering, to break the day, to cause to burn, to carry away, to cut off, to exalt oneself, to levy and tax, and to make pay.” Allah, who has already been judged by Yahowah, is identified with Halal’s Morning Star moniker in that he “breaks the day.” But what I find horrifying is that alah means “holocaust.” Why is it that we have failed to make this connection? It even means “to cut off and carry away, to cause to burn in a sacrificial offering, to make pay” which is exactly what the Arians dressed in black and wearing skull and bones insignias did to six million Jews.

In the book of Bare’syth, Yahowah called Ishmael’s descendants, today’s Muslims, pere—“wild asses of men.” Due to their deviant political and religious practices, these Jews had become like them. It is why God is intolerant of such things.

“Like a wild asses all alone (badad – isolated, withdrawn and separated), Ephraim [the Northern Kingdom] has indentured itself as a prostitute (tanah – hired themselves out) for illicit favors. Even though they hire allies among the Gentile nations, a time will come in the sequence of events (‘atah) when I will gather them up (qabats – assemble and collect them, rekindling the relationship with them; collect these objects of great value, lifting them up and harvesting them from the field and vine).”

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