The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 289

Oril'nt11l husbandman does his vines 1md fig trees. At Monnt Sinai Jchovnh mnde 11 gracious covenant with Israel, set up hie tabernacle with " view to dwell nmong the people, and arranged the tribes in order as his sacramental hoRt. When they struck their tents at Sinai, and journeyed towards Para.n (Numb. x. 11, 12) the Lord looked upon them with complacency out of the cloudy pillar; and ho marci1ed on before the host, t-0 lead Ephi:sim int-0 a land ,beautifnl for situation as that of the famous 'l'yro, and where they might become as_ nch and prosperous as the 'l'yriane. 'l'he people had solemnly ch?sen Je~oni.h for their God, and "no ~trange god" was among them. So the Lord delighted m them, as the weary traveller in the desert rejoices in the clusters of the vine, or in the firstfruits of the fig tree. II. AN EARLY FALL. (Ver. 10.) Although God" had planted Israel a noble vine wholly a right seed,'' very soon, alss I they "were turned into the deaenerate plant of a strange vine unto him." They had left Egypt, but Egypt had ~ot left them. During the forty years which they spent in the wilderness, they frequently rebelled against the Lord. But the prophet mentions here only one of their provocations, the idolatry of Baal-peor or Chemosh (Numb. nv.), an idol whose rites of worship involved the practice of the grossest sensuality. The Hebrews, in fact, had in those early days indulged in precisely the sa.me abominations with which Hosea was now so familiar in this last time of the northern kingdom. The unchaste worship of Baal and Astarte, even before the tribes entered Canaan, had brought a sad blight upon the fair early promise which for a little while the chosen people had given. "They separated themselves "-like an evil claas of Nazarites-to the service of the filthiest of the gods of heathendom. " And their abominations were according as they loved ; " i.e. they became more and more assimilated in their own character to the objects of their worship. 111. AN n-7.urous CA.BEER. (Vers. 15, 17.) That early idolatry of Baal-peor repeated itself again and again, especially within the northern kingdom, after its revolt from the dynasty of David. There was: L The desecration of sacred places. "AU their wickedness was in Gilgal ; " it seemed concentrated as in a focus in that very locality which had been the first to be called "holy" within the Holy Land (Josh. v. 15), and which had been the scene of special mercies when the tribes began to take possession. It was a sore aggravation of Israel's sin that the people should pervert Beth~l into Beth-aven, and destroy the hallowed associations of such a place as Gilga.L 2. The t1,ngoclliness of the kings. "AU their princes are revolters," i.e. apostates, men who with unanimous infatuation had departed from God and righteous- ness. All, without exception, were wicked men ; therefore in the annals of the Books of Kings the same melancholy refrain constantly recurs: " He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." 3. The wickedness of the people. "They did not hearken unto God" (ver. 17). Israel" went after her lovers" the Baalim, prostituted herself to them, and forgot Jehovah her rightful Husband. He had long pleaded with her to return to him, but in vain. He bad told her of his shame and anger because of her unworthiness, he had reproached her for perverting his gifts to the basest uses, he had threatened her with severe chastisements and even with final rejection; but she was "joined to idols," and "did not hearken unto him." IV. A TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT. With the denunciation of this penalty the whole passage is saturated. "Ephraim is smitten" (ver. 16). There is to be: 1. Bereave- m,ent. (Vers. 12, 13, 16.) The once mighty and powerful nation is to have its ranks sadly thinned by sudden and violent deaths. "Ephraim sha.11 bring forth his children to the murderer." The ten tribes are to have their numbers so greatly lessened as to be brought to the verge of extermination. " There shall not be a man left." 'fhis would prove a heavy humiliation to a people who expected that the blessing which Moses pronounced upon them would always be continued : " They are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh" (Deut. xxxiii. 17). 2. Barrenness. (Vers. ii, 14, 16.) The name Ephraim means" double fruitfulness," and the northern kingdom gloried in its numerous progeny ; but, now that the curse of God is upon the nation, "their glory shall fly away like a bird," and they shall have few births, ae well as ma.oy deaths. The very " root" of the once powerful and frL1itful Ephraim bas been smitten with an incurable hurt; and the fruit of Israel's  011, IX, 1-17.] THE BOOK OF HOSEA,