The Final Warnings
YHWH sent prophets to the Northern Kingdom, warning them of the disasters that awaited them if they did not repent. Among these prophets was Hosea:
1 When YHWH began to speak by Hosea, YHWH said to Hosea:
"Go! Take yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land has committed great harlotry, by departing from YHWH.” [Hosea 1:1]
Idolatry is spiritual adultery against YHWH; and because the House of Ephraim had consorted with other elohim (other gods) Hosea had to take a harlot as a wife. This was symbolic of Ephraim’s harlotry:
3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim….
The name Gomer means ‘finished.’ YHWH was saying that even His great patience was at an end.
3 (continued), and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 Then YHWH said to him: "Call his name Jezre’el, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezre’el on the house of Jehu (Judah), and bring an end to the kingdom of the (northern) House of Israel.
The name Jezre’el means ‘YHWH shall scatter’, or ‘YHWH will sow’, as wheat is sown into the ground. This is the concept to which Yeshua refers in His many agricultural parables.
But notice: YHWH did not say He would destroy the Ephraimites themselves: only that He would bring an end to their kingdom. We will also see references to this, in the New Covenant:
6 And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then Elohim said to him:
"Call her name Lo-Ruhamah; for I will no longer have mercy on the House of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
The name Lo-Ruhamah means ‘No mercy’, or ‘No compassion.’ YHWH was implying that He was finished (Gomer) with His adulterous wife. He was going to scatter Ephraim into the ground like wheat seed (Jezre’el), and would no longer have compassion (Ruhamah) on her, because she refused to relent.
Next, YHWH says that Ephraim will no longer be His people (Ammi). Instead, they will become ‘Not (His) people’ (Lo-Ammi):
8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore (another) son. 9 Then Elohim said:
"Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your Elohim. [Hosea 1:8-9]
And yet, despite all the terrible idolatry of the House of Ephraim had committed against Him, YHWH still promised to redeem them:
10 'Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people', There it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living Elohim.’
If Ephraim refused to keep the Torah, it would be like a repeat of the Garden of Eden: YHWH would kick Ephraim out of His special Land, and then draw the sword out after her, until she repented.
Many generations later, after she repented, YHWH would bring her descendants back to His Land, and re-unite them with their Jewish brothers:
11 Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the Land, for great will be the day of Jezre’el! [Hosea 1:10-11]
This happy re-union, however, would not take place for another 2700 years. In the mean time, the Torah specifies that before judgment can be enacted against a sinner, there must be two or more witnesses to the sin. Therefore, in addition to Hosea, YHWH also sent a prophet named Elijah (or Eliyahu) to witness against the House of Israel (or Ephraim).
Many Christians are familiar with Eliyahu’s famous showdown with the priests of Ba’al. Few of them, however, realize how the Names have been tampered with in almost all of the Western translations.
In Scripture, names are always prophetic. In addition, if we think about it, we ought to be able to see how, in a Word-created world, the sounds of words would have specific meanings. And indeed, as will be shown in Nazarene Scripture Commentary, the sounds of words contain important spiritual information which modern physicists and string-theorists are only just beginning to understand. (What they have learned is that specific resonances carry spiritual information, much like DNA carries genetic information.)
However, for our purposes here, let us consider that if names are always prophetic, and if the world was created through sound (or energetic resonance), and if the sounds of words have spiritual significance, then how important would the Name of our Creator be?
Most Christians are unaware of the fact that the Creator’s true Name (Yahuweh or YHWH) has been hidden (or substituted) almost 7,000 times in Scripture. This is strictly against the Third Commandment, which tells us:
7 "You shall not take the Name of YHWH your Elohim in vain, for YHWH will not hold him guiltless, who takes His Name in vain. [Exodus 20:7]
Although the classic English translation is not to take His Name in vain, in the Hebrew, the word ‘vain’ is actually Strong’s H#7723, “l’shavah.” This word does not translate into English directly, but the real meaning of this passage is actually somewhat more akin to:
7 "You shall not desolate the Name of YHWH your Elohim, for YHWH will not hold him guiltless, who desolates His Name. [Shemot (Exodus) 20:7]
If we study out the root of the word “l’shavah,” we see that in addition to not taking His Name in vain, the commandment is not to desolate, not to cover over, not to disguise, not to substitute for, and not in any other manner hide His Name.
While we certainly must be careful not to take His name in vain, YHWH tells us in many places that He wants His true Name made known in all the earth:
16 And indeed, for this purpose I have raised you up: that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth!
[Shemot (Exodus) 9:16-17]
There are many places in Scripture where YHWH poetically emphasizes the incredible importance of loving Him, and knowing His true Name:
14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My Name.
15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 I will satisfy Him with long life, and show him My Salvation (Yeshua).”
[Tehillim (Psalms) 91:14-16]
Since YHWH repeatedly tells us how much He wants people to know His true Name, it is surprising how few people know that His Name is not ‘LORD.’ In fact, the name ‘LORD’ actually translates as “Ba’al.”
Some Christians are shocked to learn that when they call on the name of ‘The LORD’, they are actually calling upon the name of the pagan deity, Ba’al.
Christians find this fact very confusing, because they have received so many blessings by calling upon the name of ‘The LORD’ in the past. However, without condemnation or judgment, once we have learned that the name ‘LORD’ translates as Ba’al (both in ancient and modern Hebrew), then is it not superior just to use YHWH’s true Name, instead?
If names are not important, and if it is OK to call YHWH by the names of other deities (such as Ba’al), then why not simply call Him “Satan”?
30 Truly, these times of ignorance Elohim overlooked, but now (He) commands all men everywhere to repent…. [Ma’aseh (Acts) 17:30]
That Christians do not intend to sin by calling upon the name of Ba’al, and that YHWH has overlooked their transgression in the past is not a good reason to continue breaking the Third Commandment. Once we know YHWH’s true Name, we should use it; for as we will see, YHWH does not hold them guiltless, who call Him LORD (or Ba’al):
17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Eliyahu that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?"
18 And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's (Jeroboam’s) House have, in that you have forsaken the commands of YHWH, and have followed the Ba’als (or ‘the LORDS’).
[Melachim Aleph (1st Kings) 18:17-18]
Genesis One tells us that living beings pattern themselves after their parents; and Eliyahu is here rebuking Ahab for encouraging Israel to continue in the false practices of his father, King Jeroboam:
19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba’al (The LORD), and the four hundred prophets of Asherah (or Easter), who eat at Jezebel's table.”
[Melachim Aleph (1st Kings) 18:19]
Since most Christians never learn Hebrew, most of them never learn that the name LORD means Ba’al. They are also typically ignorant of the fact that the name Asherah means Easter. However, most of those that do learn the difference usually still ‘hop between two opinions’, calling Him both YHWH and LORD, in an attempt to simultaneously please Him, and man:
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
21 And Eliyahu came to all the people, and said, "How long will you keep hopping between two opinions? If YHWH is Elohim, follow Him; but if The LORD, (then) follow him!"
But the people answered him not a word. [1st Kings 18:20-21]
People are creatures of habit. Once they get comfortable with a certain name, they do not like to change, be they right, wrong, or indifferent.
Once told that the name LORD means Ba’al, many today similarly answer not a word. Perhaps they are not really sure which name is correct, or if it really makes any difference; but as we will see here, it does:
22 Then Eliyahu said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of YHWH; but The LORD's prophets are four hundred and fifty men!
23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of YHWH; and the Elohim who answers by fire, He is Elohim.”
So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken.” [1st Kings 18:22-24]
The people have agreed to the showdown:
25 Now Eliyahu said to the prophets of The LORD, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your Elohim, but put no fire under it.”
26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of The LORD from morning even till noon, saying, "O LORD, hear us!"
But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
YHWH winks at times of ignorance; but once we learn the truth we must obey it, unless we want to be mocked in the Day of Judgment, like Eliyahu mocked the Ephraimites:
27 And so it was, at noon, that Eliyahu mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a mighty one (a god)! Either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey; or perhaps he is sleeping, and must be awakened!"
28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.
But there was no voice; no one answered: no one paid attention.
YHWH gave the Ephraimite priests plenty of time to admit they were wrong:
30 Then Eliyahu said to all the people, "Come near to me;" so all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of YHWH that was broken down. 31 And Eliyahu took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of YHWH had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name.”
32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of YHWH; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
Eliyahu made the trench large enough to hold two seahs of seed. The seed represents the Israelites, who are divided up into Two Houses:
33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four water-pots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. [1st Kings 18:33-34]
Eliyahu poured a total of twelve jars of water.
35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Eliyahu the prophet came near and said, "YHWH, Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are Elohim in Israel, and I am Your servant; and that I have done all these things at Your word.
37 Hear me, YHWH! Hear me, that this people may know that You are YHWH Elohim; and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
YHWH may wink at our ignorance, but when He is put to the test, He only answers by fire when we call upon His true Name:
38 Then the fire of YHWH fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust: and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "YHWH, He is Elohim! YHWH, He is Elohim!"
40 And Eliyahu said to them, "Seize the prophets of The LORD! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them, and Eliyahu brought them down to the Brook Kishon, and executed them there. [1st Kings 18:35-40]
In answering Eliyahu by fire, YHWH showed the Ephraimites who was Elohim. However, since living beings are creatures of habit, the Ephraimites kept on calling Him LORD.
It is therefore not surprising that modern-day Christians should also call Him ‘LORD’, as their Ephraimite fore-fathers did the same:
1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He was exalted in Israel; but he incurred guilt through The LORD, and he died. [Hosea 13:1]
Breaking the Third Commandment is no small sin. It is the Third Commandment, and is listed in order of importance even before the Sabbath.