The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 356

proplc ! And h11.11 be not been even more klnd to ue, the favoured men or thle IAuu Ano RgC? JI. A l!JGNALLY U'N0ll.A'l'EFUT, l'EOI'I,E. 1. They duo1,,,yed Goel', eeacliin,g. "Ae they c1Llled them, RO they went from them." "They "-the lnwgivera, judgeii, pricetff, prophets, whom he employed. "They went from them." '!'hat le, the people went 1rnm their Dh·ine tel\chere-went from them ln heart. 2. '!'hey gave them~cfoc, /o 1:,,'0/alry. "They sacrificed unto Daalim, and burned Incense to graven Images." J,iolatry wa.11 their h<>Retting 11in. It marked their history more or lees from tho begin- ning to the end. What is idolatry but giving that love to inferior objects that le duo to God and God alone? 3. They ignored Goel', kitulnea,. "They know not tho.t I be11led them." They asc1ib<>,d their restoration either to themselves or others, not to God. 4. They persistently backsli,ded, "And my people are bent to backsliding from me." They forRake me and a.re bent on doing so. 8ucb ia the ,ignally U'fl{Jrateful conduct of thi~ people. II 1. A RI0HTEOU81,Y l't1NISRED l'EorLE, " He shall not return into the land of Egypt hut the Assyrian shall be bis king, because they refused to return. And the sword shall abide on bis cities, and shall consume hie bra.nches, and devour them, because of their own counsels." Whilst they would not be driven back to Egypt again, judgmcnt should overtake them even in the promised land, and the judgment would be: l. J~ive.. "On the cities," and on the "branches." The large town and the little hamlets. 2. Oontin'UOWJ. "Abide on his cities." 3. IJeatroctive. "Consume his branches." CoNCLUBION. Is not the history of this people tgpicaU Do not they represent cepecia.lly the peoples of modern Christendom, highly favoured of God, signally ungrate- ful to God, and cxpoRed to punishment from God i'-D. T. Ven;, 8, 9,--Justicc a.ml mercy in the heart of God. "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repenting11 are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim ; for I am God, and not man ; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city." 'l'he Bible is pre-eminently a.n anthropomorphitic book, that is, a book revealing God, not directly in his absolute glory, nor through the affections, thoughts, and conduct of angels, but through man-through man's emotions, modes of thought, and actions. It sometimes brings God before us in the character of a. Husba.nd, that we may appreciate his fidelity and tenderness; sometimes in the character of a "\\·arrior, that we may appreciate his invincibility and the victories that attend hie procedure; eometimes as a. Monarch, that we may appreciate bis wealth, splendour, and authority ; sometimes as a Father, tha.t we may appreciate the reality, depth, and solicitude of his love. It is in this la.et character, the character of a father, that these verses present him to our notice. No human character, of course, can give a full or perfect revelation of him-all fall infinitely short. The brightest human representation of him il! to hie glory less tha.n the dimmest glow-worm to the central fires of the universe. And yet it is only through man that we ca.n get any clea.r or impressive idea of him. It is only through human love, human faithfulness, human justice, that we can gain any conception of the love, faithfulneee, and justice of the Eternal. The verses lead us to consider several things. I. Mercy and justice as OO-EXISTilll"G in the heart of the great Father. "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Ad mah ? how shall I set thee ae Zeboim?" To give up to ruin, to deliver to destruc- tion, bum up, as Admah and Zeboim-cities of the plain-were burnt up, is the demand of justicc. "Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together." 'l'hi~ i.s the voice of mercy. Here, then, in the bea.rt of this great Father is justice and mercy. What is jUBLice? It is tha.t sentiment that demands that every one should have bis due, that virtue should be rewa.rded, that vice Hbould be punished. What is mercy? A ciiMpo6ition to overlook injuries and to treat beings better than they deserve. These two wust never be regarded u elements e,sentwlly distinct; they are branches from the Harne root, ■treams from the same founta.in. Both a.re but modificatlon1 of love. ,I nHtice is but love standing up sternly against the wrong; mercy ia but love bending OH, XL 1-12.] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 887