The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 92

HOMILETICS. Vera. 1-3.-God's mercifulness and Israel's sinfulnes, are brought into contrast. Some are disposed to regard the woman mentioned in this chapter as identical with Gomer, whom the prophet had previously made his wife; and that she had· in the mean time forsaken her husband the prophet, and had formed an adulterous connection wit.h another man : while others regard the command of God to the prophet and his conduct in compliance therewith in the light of a new transaction with a different individual. In either case the whole is not an actual occurrence, but only a symbolical representation. !. 'fHE LESSONS OF THIS CHAPTER ARE MIDWAY BETWEEN THE PUNISHMENT THREAT- ENED AND THE PROMISE VOUCHSAFED. Calvin has plainly pointed out the position of this chapter in the series of God's dealings with Israel. "It was God's purpose," he says, "to keep in firm hope the minds of the faithful during the exile, lest, being over- whelmed with despair, they should wholly faint. . . . This prediction occupies a middle place between the denunciation of the prophet previously pronounced, and the promise of pardon. It was a dreadful thing that God should divorce his people and cast away the Israelites as spurious children ; yet a consolation was afterwards added. But lest the Israelites should think that God would immediately, as on the first day, be so propitious to them as to visit them with no chastisement, it was the prophet's de~i:r11 expressly to correct this mistake; as though he said, 'God will indeed receive you again, but in the mean time a chastisement is prepared for you, which by its intenseness would break down your spirits, were it not that this comfort will ease you, and that is that God, although he punishes you for your sins, yet continues to provide for your salvation, and to be as it were your Husband.'" II. GoD's' LOVE TO ISRAEL UNMERITED AS WELL AS UNREQUITED. The prophet's treatment of the woman whom he was to take or had taken to be his wife evinced extreme forbearance and exceeding tenderness. He loved her before her fall,-this was natural enough ; he loved her during and notwithstanding her fall,-this was not to be expected; he continued to love her after her fall,-this is contrary to all the ordinary feelings and instincts of humanity. This continued affection was designed, as it wa:i calculated, to win her back from the error and evil of her ways. But where is the man who under ordinary circumstances would act so? Where is the husband that would treat a worthless wife with such mildness and compassion ? But what man cannot find in his heart to do, what man cannot bring himself to do, God does in his treatment of Israel and in his dealings with sinners in general; "For my thoughts a.re not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens a.re higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Notwithstanding all God's love to his people Israel, from the very commencement of their national existence they showed a special proneness to apostasy, readily and recklessly turning aside to idolatrous worship; yet God's love continued through it all, and outlived it all. It was love to the unlovable a.nd unloving, to the undeserving and ungrateful; the current of his love runs on like the river broad a.nd deep, which never ceases in its course till its waters form pa.rt of" the shining levels of the sea.'' III. THE ACCOMPANIMENTS OF IDOLATRY HAVE A SEDUCTIVE TENDENCY, Idola.trv was usually associated with voluptuousness and sensuality ; and indulgences of this sort tended, no doubt, to attract many votaries, and served as inducements to idol- worship. Whether we" take flagons of wine" to be the right rendering of the original,:,, the Authorized Version does, or rather " raisin-cakes," the nature of the attraction will be much the same-fondness for self-indulgence. The Lovitical priests were forbidden the use of wine when they ministered before the Lord; th1: Naz1uites were total abstainer,  :1(1 THE BOOK OF'IlOSEA. [trr, III. 1-Ci,