saiah's Message As has been mentioned, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, was a member of the royal family.

He made his first public appearance as the Divinely inspired prophet in the year of Uzziah's affliction with leprosy, and he ministered to the people for about ninety years, during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah had seen the growth of a new empire, Assyria, and the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Judea alone remained, and it was the last bulwark of the true faith in One G-d. Isaiah brought to king and people the message of the holiness of G-d, the L-rd of hosts, at a time when idolatry seemed to be taking hold in the land of Judah. He preached justice and charity at a time when the morals of the people had reached a new low. Of his Divine call Isaiah tells as follows; "In the year of King Uzziah's death (meaning, when he was stricken with leprosy and was isolated), I saw the L-rd sitting upon a high and exalted throne, and his train filled the Temple. Seraphim were standing around him. Each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two did he fly. And one called unto the other, and said: 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the L-rd of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.' And the posts of the threshold shook at the voices of those that called aloud, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: 'Woe is me, for I am lost, because a man of unclean lips am I, and in the midst of people of unclean lips do I dwell; for the King, the L-rd of Hosts, have mine eyes seen.' Then flew one of the Seraphim to me, and in his hand was a live coal he had taken from the altar with the tongs. And he laid it upon my mouth and said; 'Lo, this has touched thy lips, and thy iniquity is departed and thy sin is forgiven!' "And I heard the voice of G-d, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' And I said: 'Here am I; send me.' And He replied: 'Go, say unto this people; Ye hear indeed, but understand not; ye see indeed, but know not. Made obstinate is the heart of this people; their ears are heavy and their eyes shut; or else their eyes would see, their ears hear, and their hearts be understanding, in order that they repent and be healed.' And I said: 'How long, oh L-rd?' And He replied: 'Until cities be left waste without inhabitants, and houses without men, and the land be made desolate as a wilderness. Till G-d will have removed the men far away, and there will be great desolation in the midst of the land. And should a tenth part thereof remain, it will again be swept away. Yet like the terebinth and oak, which when felled, retain their roots and stem, so remains the stem of their holy seed.'" Isaiah's mission was not only to admonish the people to keep them on the right path. He also instilled fervent faith in G-d in the hearts of his flock, and he brought them courage and fortitude at a time when they were suffering mortal fear from the threat of the new Assyrian Empire. Isaiah also described in glowing terms the future glory of Zion, which inspires our people to the present day.1

The Prophet Amos

The Prophet Amos lived during the long reign of King Jeroboam II. Jeroboam the son of Joash (not to be confused with Jeroboam the son of Nevat, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of the Ten Tribes) reigned over the Ten Tribes of Israel for forty years (from the year 3114 till 3153 after Creation). Under his reign the Northern Kingdom of Israel enjoyed one of its most happy and prosperous periods. He recovered every piece of land which had been lost by his forerunners. He subdued the Kingdom of Moab and captured parts of Syria (Aram) which had long been like a thorn in the flesh of his people. Even Damascus, Syria's capital fell to him. Relationship with the twin kingdom, the southern Kingdom of Judah, was still strained at first. Jeroboam maintained the stern control over it which his father had exerted; he also held members of the Royal family of Judah as hostages to ensure that the southern neighbor would make no trouble. later, however, he realized that friendship and mutual help between the two Jewish kingdoms would be better for both. He helped repair the damage which his father had done to Judah, and he gave part of the land which he had taken from Syria to the king of Judah, Amatziah. Together with the good political situation came economic prosperity. Many people in the Northern Kingdom became very wealthy, and began to lead a luxurious life. Friendly relations with the Phoenicians, who were the greatest merchants and seafaring people of those days, brought things of rare beauty and luxury into the Jewish Kingdom. Unfortunately, the unusual prosperity brought a collapse of moral standards. Ignored were the great ideals and commandments of the Torah to help the poor, and to practice justice and loving kindness. The rich oppressed the poor; might was right; it was an age of corruption. Hand in hand with this degeneration of the morals of the people went increased idolatry. People built many altars on mountains to serve the Canaanite gods, the Baal and Ashtarte. The Golden Calves, which the first Jeroboam set up in the north and south of the country to turn the people away from the Beth Hamikdosh in Jerusalem, were worshipped more than before and the teachings of the Torah and the holy commandments were viewed with contempt. Again and again, G-d sent His messengers, the prophets, to admonish the people and to warn them that unless they mended their ways, they and the land would be doomed. Yet the admonitions were, for the most part, unheeded. The people went their own way. One of the great prophets at this time was Hosea; another one was Amos. Amos was a shepherd before the spirit of prophecy came over him. He was a herdsman from the village of Tekoa, and a dresser of sycamore trees. He began his prophecies "in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, the king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." His fearless and outspoken words came thundering and stirred the people. Characteristic are his opening words: "G-d will roar fronm Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither." By "the shepherds" he must have meant the leaders of Israel, who failed their "flock;" and "the top of Carmel" were likewise those sitting at the top, who will be first to be stricken down.

But before admonishing the Jewish people, he had much to say about the transgressions of Damascus, Gaza, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon and Moab - all the neighbors of the two Jewish kingdoms, who would suffer the consequences of their evil ways. Then he addresses himself to Judah: "Thus with G-d, 'For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not withhold My punishment: because they have despised the Torah of G-d, and have not kept His commandments...'" In similar words he begins his prophecy against the Northern Kingdom: Thus saith G-d, 'For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not withhold My punishment: because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals...'" Fearlessly, the prophet admonishes the "Kine (beasts) of Bashan, that are in the mountains of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy." He warned the rich who had amassed their fortunes by cheating and robbery, that they would not enjoy their riches, but would lose everything when the land went down in doom. Said he: "Thus hath said G-d to the House of Israel: 'Seek for Me, and you shall live. Seek for the good, and not evil, in order that you may live; that G-d the Lord of Hosts, be with you. Hate evil and love good; and establish justice firmly in the courts. Then, perhaps, G-d the Lord of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnants of Joseph." By the "remnants of Joseph" the prophet meant the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, for it was out of the Tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, that Jeroboam the First came to establish the new kingdom, in opposition to the Kingdom of Judah. Amos was not afraid to appear in Bethel at the very time when crowds were gathered there to worship the Golden Calf which Jeroboam the First, had set up in a special temple. In the very midst of the celebration, Amos announced the terrible punishment that G-d would bring upon the sinful people of Israel. The crowd became angry, and their leader, the false priest Amaziah, incited the people to do violence to Amos. However, King Jeroboam protected the prophet, and let no harm befall him. Amaziah ridiculed the prophet, warning him to flee to Judah, where people of his kind would be more welcome, and never return to Bethel. But Amos replied that he was no professional prophet, nor a prophet's disciple, but a simple man from the land, a breeder of sheep. Amos declared boldly and fearlessly that G-d had sent him to Bethel to speak in His Name and warn the people of their impending doom. The prophet reminded the people of the many kindnesses which G-d had shown them since the beginning of their history as a people. "You only, have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your sins." the prophet said, telling them that because G-d has chosen them as His people, He demands of them higher standards, and, like a loving father punishes his erring son just because he loves him, so G-d would punish them for their sins. The Book of Amos consists of nine chapters, but despite his severe admonitions in most of the book, he finishes his prophecies on a happy note, of the wonderful things that will happen to the Jewish people on "That Day," on the day of the true Redemption: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old... "Behold, the days come, saith G-d, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste

cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith G-d thy G-d." The Prophet Jeremiah The great prophet Jeremiah lived during one of the most critical periods in Jewish history. He saw the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Beth Hamikdosh, after his warnings and prophecies fell on deaf ears. When the catastrophe came, he lamented the terrible fate of his people in the Book of Eichah (Lamentations) which we read on Tisha B'Av. At the same time he was a source of courage to his people by pointing out to them the path that would lead to their redemption. His prophecies are recorded in the Book of Jeremiah, which also contains the important events of his life. Jeremiah was born in a priestly family, in the town of Anatoth belonging to the Tribe of Benjamin. His father was the prophet and Kohen-Gadol (High Priest) Hilkiah. Jeremiah began his prophecies in the thirteenth year of King Josiah's reign (in the year 3298). The prophet Zephania and the prophetess Hulda also lived at that time. Jeremiah was still a young man when the spirit of prophecy came upon him. He was fearful to accept such a responsibility, declaring, "I am still a boy!" But G-d said to him, "Say not, 'I am a boy,' for you shall go to all that I shall send you, and whatever I command you you shall speak. Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you" (Jeremiah 1:6-8). From that moment, Jeremiah lost all fear and delivered his sad prophecies and warnings without regard for the king and his strong men, often at the very peril of his life. He prophesied during the remaining years of Josiah's reign (3285-3316) and during the reigns of his sons Jehoachaz (who reigned three months), and Jeohiakim (3316-3327), the latter's son Jehoiachin (who reigned for 100 days), and finally Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, the last king of Judah (3327-3338). Altogether Jeremiah prophesied for forty years until the Destruction of the Beth Hamikdosh, and for a short time thereafter. One of Jeremiah's first missions was to go to the exiled Ten Tribes of Israel, whose kingdom in the north had been destroyed by the Assyrians less than a century previously (in the year 3205). Jeremiah brought them courage and hope and induced many of them to return to their native land. King Josiah was the last G-d-fearing monarch that reigned in Judah. He fell in battle against Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt. After his death the people sank deeper in idolatry, and Jeremiah tried hard, but without avail, to bring them back to the path of the Torah. In a moving prophecy, Jeremiah reminded his people of their early history, when, full of faith, they followed Moshe Rabbenu into the desert. He pictured the loyalty of the Jewish people to Gd as that of a newly-wedded bride to her husband, and he wonders what has happened to his people that they had turned away from G-d: "Thus says G-d: I remember unto you the affection of your youth, the love of your betrothal; how you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel is G-d's holy portion, the first harvest; all that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come upon them, says G-d. "Hear ye the word of G-d, O House of Jacob, and all the families of the House of Israel. Thus says G-d: What unrighteousness have your fathers found in Me that they are gone far from Me

and have walked after vanity and have become vain?... I brought you into a land of plentiful fields, to eat its fruit and goodness; but when you entered, you defiled My land, and made my heritage an abomination... For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:213). It is not enough, the prophet complained, that the Jewish people have forsaken G-d and His Torah-the fountain of life, but they turned to idolatry and a false way of life which can give no life, but only misfortune. The prophet declared that the wisdom of the idol worshipping nations, nor riches, nor power have real value, but only knowledge of G-d and following in His ways. Thus, one of Jeremiah's most famous teachings is the following: "Thus says G-d: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glories, glory in this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am G-d, Who practices mercy, justice and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I delight, says G-d." (Jeremiah 9:22-23) . The prophet also taught that it is no use relying on man, for in doing so one denies G-d; only trust in G-d is certain to be rewarded: "Thus says G-d: Cursed is the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm (power), and whose heart departs from G-d. For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, and shall not see when good comes... Blessed is the man that trusts in G-d...for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out its roots by the river, that shall not see when heat comes, but its foliage shall be luxurious; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall it cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Ezekiel The Prophet

by Wayne Blank Ezekiel, meaning God will strengthen, is (is, rather than was, because much of what he wrote is set to happen in the present, and the future) one of the major Prophets of The Bible (see also Prophecy). The son of Buzi the priest (Ezekiel 1:3) (see Levites), Ezekiel lived during the Babylonian Exile, among the Jews who settled at Tel-Abib in Babylon (not to be confused with Tel-Aviv, which is in Israel). He was among those taken away captive with Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:14-16) which occurred about 597 BC., 11 years before Jerusalem was completely destroyed (Ezekiel 33:21) (see Why Babylon?)

Ezekiel lived in his own house (Ezekiel 8:1) near the Chebar River,

where he held a leading position among the exiles. By his own account, here's how Ezekiel received his calling: "In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, the word of The Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of The Lord was upon him there." (Ezekiel 1:1-3 RSV) e story of the Prophet Hosea and his troubled marriage are a powerful testimony to us of our own tendency to be unfaithful to God but also of Gods passionate love for us. The precise details of Hoseas troubled marriage are sketchy and we are left to fill in some of the details with our imagination. But here are the basic facts along with some of the fill in required:
1. Hosea receives an unusual instruction from God: Go, take a harlot wife and harlots

children, for the land gives itself to harlotry, turning away from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim (Hosea 1:2)
2. Together they have three children each with symbolic names: Jezreel (for God is about to

humble Israel in the Jezreel valley), Lo-Ruhama (not pitied), and Lo-Ammi (not my people). It is also possible that these children were not of Hosea but rather of Gomers various lovers for, although they are born during the marriage, God later calls them children of harlotry.
3. At some point, though the text does not specify when or under what circumstances,

Hoseas wife Gomer, leaves him for a lover and enters into an adulterous relationship with him. We can only imagine Hoseas pain and likely anger at this rejection. The text remains silent as to Hosea, but as we shall see, Gods reaction is well attested.
4. After some unspecified period of time God instructs Hosea: Give your love to a woman

beloved of a paramour, an adulteress; Even as the LORD loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and are fond of raisin cakes (Hosea 3:1) Now, while the quoted text is not clear to specify that this is the same woman he is to love, the overall context of chapters 1-3 of Hosea demand that this is the same unfaithful wife, Gomer. God tells Hosea to redeem, to buy back Gomer and re-establish his marital bonds with her.

5. Hosea has to pay a rather hefty price indeed to purchase her back from her paramour: So

I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. (Hosea 3:2) The willingness of her paramour to sell her back indicates quite poetically that the apparent love of the world and all false lovers, is not a real love at all. It is for sale to the highest bidder.
6. Prior to restoring her to any intimacy a period of purification and testing will be

necessary: Then I said to her: Many days you shall wait for me; you shall not play the harlot Or belong to any man; I in turn will wait for you. (Hosea 3:3) This story is both difficult and beautiful. Its purpose, as you likely know, is not merely to tell us of the troubled and painful marriage of Hosea. Its truer purpose is to show forth the troubled marriage of the Lord who has a bride, a people, who are unfaithful to him. We, both collectively and individually, have entered into a (marital) covenant with God. Our vows were pronounced at our baptism and renewed by us on many other occasions. But all too often we casually sleep with other gods and worldly paramours. Perhaps it is money, popularity, possessions, or power. Perhaps we have forsaken God for our careers, politics, philosophies or arts and sciences. Some have outright left God, others keep two or beds, still speaking of their love for God but involved with many other dalliances as well. Yes, this is a troubled marriage, not on Gods part, but surely on ours. And through it all, what does God decide to do? In the end, as Hoseas story illustrates, God chooses to redeem, to buy back, his bride and a quite a cost too: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 3:19-20). Yes, God paid highly to draw us back to him. Even still we stray and often show little appreciation of his love. An old Gospel song says, Oh Lord Ive sinned but youre still calling my name. A deeper look at Hosea also reveals a look into the grieved heart of God. Reading these Old Testament passages requires a bit of sophistication. The text we are about to look at describes God as grieved, angry, and weighing out his options; also as loving and almost romantic. At one level we must remember that these attributes are applied to God in an analogical and metaphorical sense. God is said to be like this. But God is not angry like we are angry. He is not grieved like we are grieved not romantic like we are. Yet though we see these texts in terms of analogy and metaphor we cannot wholly set them aside as having no meaning. In some sense, God is grieved, angry, loving and even romantic in response to our wanderings. Exactly how he experiences these is mysterious to us but He does choose to use these metaphors to describe himself to us. With this balanced caution. Lets take a look at excerpts from the second Chapter of Hosea wherein God describes his grieved heart to us and also his plan of action to win his lover and Bride back. All of these texts are from the Second Chapter of Hosea.
1. Thoughts of Divorce! Protest against your mother, protest! for she is not my wife,

and I am not her husband. The text here suggests a God who is weighing his options. But perhaps the better explanation is that this line is for us who read so that we will consider that God could rightfully divorce us. But he will not. For though we break covenant He will not. Though we are unfaithful God will not be unfaithful. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. (2 Tim 2:13)

2. The bitter charge against her - Let her remove her harlotry from befor