Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

Mary, Arabella, and I were in our “green room.”  We had been back since early Friday afternoon.

Stormie and Joan were talking to Ethan on the swooning couch.  It seemed the next generation were becoming friends.

Arabella held the door and bowed.  She was back in form on the first try.

Mary gathered Ethan into her arms, and I herded the two girls into the den.

Rev. Joseph led us in prayer and then Emmett and his band started playing the theme song for Gomer Pyle, USMC.  Then when everyone was laughing, they got serious and played A Ballad of Hosea, Hosea and Gomer, a Love Story.  Menzie and Samuel sang a duet.

I asked, “That was wonderful.  Hosea is mostly about the judgment of Israel, but there is a thread of God’s love throughout.”

Samuel asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”

I smiled, “We are looking at Hosea, Joel, and Amos.  Michael did a great job at the farm, but it is great being back.  Arabella, do you need Mr. Dictionary?”

Mamma Missy said, “Before the comedy act gets started, I just want to say that I hoped you did a passable job at the farm, but we were rocking it here.  Now, Arabella, say something goofy.”

Arabella nodded, “If there’s a Gomer, where is Goober?  And if we have Amos, why is it not followed with Andy?  And the usual Who, When, Where stuff.”

Angus muttered, “I am sure she had fun with Daniel last week.”

Easy smiled, “I will ignore the Gomer Pyle comment and the Amos and Andy comment.  Who and Where: Hosea was probably from Israel.  That puts Hosea and Jonah as the only two prophets who authored prophecies from Israel, but no one is quite sure who Hosea and Beeri, his father, were.  ‘The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel:’ (Hosea 1:1).  As for Joel…  ‘The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel.’ (Joel 1:1). We know even less about him.  Extrabiblical texts think he might be of the tribe of Reuben.  Reuben was on the east side of the Jordan, but even that land was part of the northern tribes.  As for Amos…  ‘The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.’ (Amos1:1). Tekoa is a small town not far from Bethlehem.  He prophesied in Israel, not in Judah.  The king accused him of being a professional prophet, and Amos protested.  ‘Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’’ (Amos 7:14-15).”

Easy took in a deep breath, “When:  There are essentially no hints as to the time of Joel.  His message was timeless, mostly speaking of the Day of the Lord.  Some place him along the same time as Elijah, but no one really knows.  Hosea and Joel identify their starts as being with Uzziah as king of Judah.  And Hosea was one of the longest living Old Testament prophets who wrote a book in the Bible.”

Arabella smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”

Todd (Hosea 1:10-11) ““Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.”

Todd said,”This does not say Jesus, but it talks about when Israel’s remnant comes back.  And since that is after Jesus returns or when He returns, then in a tangential kind of way, it’s about Jesus.”

I smiled, “Excellent!”

Patty (Hosea 2:2) “’Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.”

Patty said, “This is giving Israel a blueprint.  If they will turn from their sin, they can be saved.  God still loves them.  But if they do not, the rest of the chapter speaks of God’s punishment.”

I smiled, “That’s good.  The way Jesus fits into this is that we have no forgiveness of sin without the blood of Jesus.”

Patty said, “Did you hear that, Todd?  I got it right!””

Bubba (Hosea 11:1) “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Bubba said, “This is quoted in Matthew… ‘So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’’ (Matthew 2:14-15).  Some people might say that Hosea was giving a history lesson, but he wrote, ‘my son.’ That refers to Jesus.  I read a commentary that said that He had to experience going to Egypt for the fear of His death, and then the persecution that meant.  Then He faced to exhilaration of being set free to return home.  Then, again, He was a baby at the time.”

I smiled, “Thank you, Bubba.”

Anna (Hosea 13:14, Luther Bible)  ‘Aber ich will sie erlösen aus der Hölle und vom Tod erretten. Tod, ich will dir ein Gift sein; Hölle ich will dir eine Pestilenz sein. Doch ist der Trost vor meinen Augen verborgen.”

Anna said, “Thank you so much for the German Bible, Aunt Jemima.  And now in English.”

Anna (Hosea 13:14)  ‘“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? “I will have no compassion,”

Anna said, “And in 1 Corinthians 15… ‘“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”’ (1 Corinthians 15:55).  Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sin.  Death does not have the final say.

Dr. James (Hosea 14:1-8) “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine—Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”

Dr. James said, “Think it was Patty who had the verse from Hosea 2.  They need to repent for Ephraim to return.  In Luke, the Prodigal Son came to his senses.  Here it gives the conversation between a sinner and Jesus.  We confess our sins and repent.  Then Jesus will be our God because our heart is right with Him.”

Mags (Hosea 2:23) “I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.”

Mags said, “Hosea 1:6 and 9 talk of the names of two of the children, then Hosea says that the ‘not’ in their names will go away….  ‘“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’’ (Hosea 1:10).  That is quoted in Romans 9 and 1 Peter 2:10.  ‘Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’ (1 Peter 2:10).  This applies to us as much as it does Ephraim.  God is calling all believers to be the children of God.  That is only possible through Jesus.”

I smiled, “Great, now on to Joel.”

Easy (Joel 1:15) “Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.”

Easy said, “This is the recurring theme of the book of Joel.  The phrase appears five times in Joel.  You could have used…  “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.’’ (Joel 3:14).   Yes, much of the prophecies here are End Times prophecies, and that means Jesus returns.  So, maybe a famine caused by a swarm of locusts should be concerning.  One of the plagues in Egypt, one of the latter ones, was the plague of locusts.  And only Exodus mentions locusts more often than Joel.  So, from the standpoint of the Day of the Lord, Joel points to Jesus.”

I said, “I will take this long one since Blaise is not here” (Joel 2:28-32) “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”

I said, “Pieces of this are in Peter’s Pentecost sermon.  ‘“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’’ (Acts 2:17-21).  And Paul mentions the part about calling upon the Lord.  ‘for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Romans 10:13).  But some people call these verses of Joel 2 as a messianic prophecy.  It is an odd messianic prophecy as part of it is clearly in reference to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Luke (Joel 3:2) “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”

Luke said, “This is talking about Jesus in that He will stand in judgment.”

I said, “Great!  Now, let’s not forget Amos.”

Marika (Amos 9:11-12) “In that day ‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things”

Marika said, “This is speaking of Jesus as David’s fallen shelter.  We are safe in our Savior’s arms.  And this is quoted in Acts 15.”

Trey (Amos 9:1) “I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape.”

Trey said, “The reference to the Lord standing by the altar seems to be a clear Christophany, but there is not enough detail to be definitive.”

I laughed, “Beggars cannot be choosers, as an old proverb says.  Traditional, not biblical.  But with so few ‘almost Christophanies’ in the minor prophets, we can take this one.  Mostly, these prophets tell what God told them to say rather than how they got the information.  Let’s get in a quote from Amos.”

Susana (Amos 5:25-27, Reina- Valera 1960)  ¿Me ofrecisteis sacrificios y ofrendas en el desierto en cuarenta años, oh casa de Israel? Antes bien, llevabais el tabernáculo de vuestro Moloc y Quiún, ídolos vuestros, la estrella de vuestros dioses que os hicisteis. Os haré, pues, transportar más allá de Damasco, ha dicho Jehová, cuyo nombre es Dios de los ejércitos.”

Susan smiled, “And now in English.”

Susana (Amos 5:25-27)  ““Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god—which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.”

Susana said, “This is similar to what Luke says in Acts 7.  ‘But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’’ (Acts 7:42-43).  This was the Stephen’s speech prior to him being stoned, the first martyr of Christianity, not counting Jesus Himself.

I looked around the room.  Kevin and Jos Johnson are still with Blaise and Margie at the zipline inspection.  There is the structural inspection.  The sag inspection requires the heaviest expected weight be placed on the cable and ensure that it does not sag with a certain clearance of the ground.  The brake inspection takes the same weight and releases it to the end point at ever greater distances to make sure the brakes stop the ride carefully.  And then there must be the required safety equipment.  And that barely scratches the surface.

And I am sure the four of them will be the first ones down the zipline for a maiden voyage, just like Margie and Blaise were for one of the water slides.  But otherwise, I looked around to see all the people I had missed the previous two weeks.

Dr. Ellie got everyone’s attention. “Not everyone who went on this trip got codenames, but a few are now officially team members with codenames. As for the ones that I did not give a codename, consider your maiden voyage a success with no embarrassing moments. But Matthew Dykstra is now called ‘Business Man.’ Everything that he experienced was something that he could turn into a money making proposition. Mercy Kildare is ‘Treasure.’ She busts everyone else’s morale. Mike and Madison were already ‘Terrarium and Empath.’ But I simply have no codenames for Brooke, Carla, and Brenton. Goober Gomez will be “Moses Hightower.” If you watch the episode of the Police Academy movie series where Hightower rips out the driver’s seat and drives the vehicle from the backseat, we nearly had to do that with Goober to get him into the Turtle. Stay tuned for new codenames.”

Grannie Fannie (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Lauren ran up to Grannie Fannie and hugged her.  “Are you ready to drive us?”

Brooke said, “Stormie and Joan, church time!”

Stormie laughed and said, “Brooke.  Church!  Yay!”

Brooke jumped for joy, “Did you hear that, Stinker?  Stormie said my name right!”

Credits

Here is the Gomer Pyle theme song.

And for a more serious song, here is the A Ballad of Hosea, Hosea and Gomer, a Love Story from Faithful Song.

And a little of Hightower learning how to drive.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.