The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 174

usual a reply and relief came. " I was brought low, and he helped me i" 11 Ho delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from team, and my feet from falling." 'l'hus God deals with his people still. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." For two ~ays-a relatively brief period-the sleep or sorrow of death may be upon us, but he will then restore us to life, revive and quicken us; and on the third day when we have been thus restored to animation and vigour, he will raise us up. 2. The' words of ver. 2 are, no doubt, applicable to the death and resurrection of our Lord, and they have been so under,;tood by many Christians both in earliar and later times. "The resurrection of Christ," says Pusay, "and our resurrection in him and in his resurrection could ~ot be more plainly foretold . . . . It was not the prophet's object here, nor wa~ it so direct o. comfort to Israel, to speak of Christ's resurrection in itself. He took a nearer way to their hearts. He told them, ' All we who turn to the Lord, putting our whole trust in him, anrl committing ourselves wholly to him, to be healed of our wounds and to have our izriefs bound up, shall receive life from him, shall be raised up by him.' They could not unrlerstand then how he would do this. The 'after two days' and 'on the third day' renrn.ined a mystery to be explained by the event. But the promise itself was not the less distinct, nor the less full of hope, nor did it less fulfil all cravings for life eternal and the sight of God, because they did not understand-how shall these things be~" 3. The sequel of revival and resurrection is life in God's sight, or," before his face," according to the literal rendering. The face of man is the index of the mind and heart; of the operations and various workings of the former, and of the feelings and emotions of the latter. We tum away the face in sorrow or in mirth; we look the object of our loYe or satisfaction full in the face. God had withdrawn himself and turned away his face until they acknowledged their offence and sought his face. But life is not only restored; it is life in God's sight, that is, before his face. This is real life-life in God's favour, with the light of his conntenance lifted up upon us; with his eye on us to guide and to direct us as well as to guard and protect us. We live in his sight when, whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord. Every duty is discharged as in his imme- diate presence and under his all-seeing eye. Our thoughts, our purposes, our plans, our feelings, the inmost a.ctings of our spirit, are all ordered with the abiding impression that they a.re in God's sight, open and naked before the eyes of him with whom we have to do. IV. THE KNOWLEDGE OF Gon AND GROWTH THEREIN. What is the great end of man's being? What is the thing that chiefly concerns him? To such questions various answers v.ill be retnrned according to the tastes, or habits, or ea.pa.city of the individual. Some will answer and say that life itself, its preservation and well-being, is the great coneem of man; or that health-health of mind with health of body, a. sound mind in a. sound body-is chiefly to be attended to. Others, a.gain, will reply that the advance- ment of one's family or the increase of one's fortune is the main thing to be sought and attained. Whatever truth may be in any of these, it is not the right answer. There is something hi~her and holier, nobler and better, than any of the things specifie?· The ,zlory of tbe Creator and the good of the creature must be placed above everythmg else. But to glorify the Creator, and thereby and therewith to attain to the good of the creature, we must know God. 1. Wherein does the knowledge of God consist? What do we mean by the knowledge of God? It is to know God as he has made himself known, in the two great volumes which he has spread out before us. The one is the volume of his works, open to the eyes of all men ; but that volume only takes us a short way. We get the knowledge of his Godhead, or existence as God, and of his power; we learn that there is an eternal Power that called created things into being, and that that Power is neither blind physical force nor the pantheistic spirit of the universe, but a Divine Person; for" the invisible things of him since the creation are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are ma.de, even bis eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." 'l'be other volume is his Word, in which he has fully revealed his will. From this volume we know bis various attributes and infinite perfections- liis holiness in hating sin, his justice in punishing it, his wisdom in devising the plan of salvation, his love i.u sending his Son to w<;>rk it out, bis mercy in shedding down his Spirit to apply it. But, over and above all this, the knowledge of God must be personal, experimental, and practical. We need to know God as our God through Jesus Christ utir Lord; we need to know by happy experience his love to our souls; we need to OH, VI, 1-11.) 'rHE BOOK OF HOSEA.