The Valley of Achor: A Door of Hope

[Hosea 2:15] “There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.” [Isaiah 65:10] “Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of […]

The Prophet Hosea

The prophet Hosea is the author of the Book of Hosea. His name is a shortened form of Hoshea, meaning “saved by the LORD” or “the LORD has saved.” (In the early part of his ministry, Amos from the Southern Kingdom and Jonah from the Northern Kingdom served as contemporary prophets; Joel from the Southern […]

Historical Background of the Book of Hosea

The Hebrew name for the Book of Hosea is “Hosea” (הוֹשֵׁעַ/ Hôshēa), and it’s the first book in the Book of the Twelve Prophets. Its author is Hosea, a prophet from the Northern Kingdom, who served from the end of Jeroboam II’s reign until just before the siege of Samaria (approximately 760–725 BC). During Jeroboam […]

Introduction to the Minor Prophets

In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of the Twelve Prophets (תרי עשר / Trei Asar) is collected as a single volume and is listed as the last book in the Prophets section of the Tanakh (תנ״ך). It’s also commonly referred to as the “Twelve Minor Prophets.” Among these twelve prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, […]

The Heavens Opened

[Ezekiel 1:1] “In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” Ezekiel was 30 years old at the time. As a priest, he would have typically begun his service […]

Ezekiel’s Prophecy Against Egypt

We all know that Egypt is one of the greatest ancient civilizations. The annual flooding of the Nile provided Egypt with stable water sources and fertile soil, and abundant agricultural output ensured the prosperity of its civilization. From a military perspective, Egypt’s terrain was advantageous; besides its northern and southern ends, most of its borders […]

Ezekiel’s Prophecy Against Tyre

The middle section of the Book of Ezekiel focuses on God’s judgment against Judah’s neighboring nations because they took advantage of Jerusalem’s weakness during its destruction. Some of these prophecies are remarkably detailed. God spoke against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia in just one chapter, but He dedicated three chapters to Tyre. “Tyre,” meaning “rock,” […]

What Is God’s Righteousness?

The dictionary defines righteousness as “conduct that is morally right or justifiable.” This type of behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or integrity. The Bible’s standard for human righteousness is God Himself—His perfect character in every attribute, attitude, action, and word. Therefore, the laws God gave in the Bible both describe […]

Ezekiel’s Six Special Prophetic Acts

Prophet Ezekiel not only needed to verbally deliver God’s message, but also had to ensure that God’s people could see with their eyes and hear with their ears. This poor prophet had to use many strange methods to convey his message, performing actions that spoke much louder than words. He used six distinct ways to […]

The Temple in Ezekiel’s Vision

Ezekiel was born into a priestly line (Ezekiel 1:3), but he served God as a prophet. He began his prophetic ministry before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC. Before the destruction, many false prophets assured the people that God was with them and nothing bad would happen (Ezekiel 13:8-16). True […]