The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 288

w!IS tottering to its foll, they derided the earnest warnings or the true prophets, and hoodwinked the people into the persuasion that all would yet be well. Thus the false prophet, so far from being in any good sense a "watchman," was to the people "a snnre of e. fowler in ~II their ways;" ~nd, _with many a specious and plausible pretext, he allured the poor silly people to their rum. When, at length, that ruin rushed upon them, it was demonstrated that the prophet who had mi.sled them with the expectation of prosperity was 11 "fool" and "mad." Amin the horrors of their captivity in AssyriB they would have leisure to reflect upon the folly of the impostors whom they had allowed to delude them. In these latter times, also, there are false prophets enough who a.re as "a snare of a fowler," and whom ever and again events prove to be "fools" and "mad." What mischief, e.g., was wrought in Europe by the infidel writings of Voltaire and Rousseau I What a snare, to a certa.in class of minds, has Comte been I How many unwary souls have been beguiled by Strauss and Renan I How sadly is the welfare of the Lord's flock put in jeopardy by the revival of sacerdotalism in Churches professedly Protestant I Who can estimate the harm that is done to the cause of God by the baleful influence of ungodly and unfaithful ministers? Such, wherever fqund, are "a snare" to the people. Their example tends to drive souls away from God, and to drag them down to perdition. IV. How THE TRUE PROPHET IS TO BE DISTINGUISHED FROM THE FALSE. 1. The false prophet, when the times are ,evn, '' speaks smooth things." He justifies the people's misdeeds, and fails to rel)1,1ke prevailing sins. He is a blind watchman; a dumb dog,that cannot bark-loving to_slumber; and a greedy dog, which can never have enough. So he flatters the people, promises th~m peace, and tries to make matters pleasant all rottnd. ':!;he true prophet, on the other hand, without thinking of his safety or of his means of subsistence, always "prophesies right things;" and in an evil time "cries aloud, spares ,not, lifts, up his voice like a trumpet, and shows the people their trallfigressions," 2. The, false prophet comes " before Christ" (John x. 8) ; i.e. he aims at in._t!lr,cepting men's view -of him as the one Mediator, and does his work in opposition to ·t~5: will and cause of (:hrist. The true prophet, on the other hand, never forgets that i t i~ Christ who li3!1 sent him, and that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,'' . 8. The false prophet attracts ungodly men to bis teaching, apd attaches the~ as his followers; "but the sheep will not hear him." His impostures a.re d~~ected by those who enjoy the teaching of the Holy Spirit (1 John iv. l-6). The true prophet, on the other hand, gathers around him those who are spiritually tnii;i.~ed, and suffers ~ersecution from the ungodly (e.g . .Amos vii. 10, 11). 4. The false prophet shall be finally branded as a11 impostor when" the days of recompense" ,shall have come (ver: 7). Thus the field of Ramoth-gilead decided whether Micaiah,qr the four hundred prophets of Ahab had prophesied truly. And on the day of judgm-ent the Lord Jesus shall say to many who have professed to prophesy in his Name, "I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. vii. 22, 23). The true prophet, on the other hand," shall rest, and stand in. his lot at the end of .. the de.ys" (Dan. xii. 13). " Ere long thy feet shall stand Within the city of the Blessed One; Thy perils p11st, thy heritage secure, Thy tears o.11 wiped away, thy joy for ever sme." O.J. Vers. 10-11.-Bereavement, barrenness, and banishment. Here the prophet (ver.10) finds a background for his picture of the final distress and captivity of Ephraim, by contrasting therewith :the fair promise of prosperity and usefulness which the Hel rew nation had shown during its infancy. 'l'he body of the strophe-uttered by Hosea. with intense emotion-is foll of lamentations and mourning and woe (vers. 11-16). And the closing, words (ver. 17) summarize in one brief e.nd pregnant sentence the burden of the entire paragraph. I. A DllIGHT BEGINNING, (Vers. 10, 13.) Jehovah "found Israel:" the people depended upon him for their preservation as a community. The emancipated slave~ of Egypt would have been poor and helpless indeed but for his supporting care. But he set his love upon them, and planted and trained the Hebrew commonwealth as the  288 THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [OH, lX, 1-17,