The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 436

Vers. 4---7.-Tbese verses describe the happy result of Israel's :penitence and tlie merciful respome to Israe'l's prayer. I. The pardon sought is secured, and that for the greatest sin-that of backsliding, and so for all minor trespBSSes. The acceptance prayed for is presently and plentifully vouchsafed. The dark storm-eloud of God's wrath is dispersed and dispelled for ever. 2. We next learn the fu\ness of God's forgiving love and his supe!'lLbundant mercy to them that trust in him. By the most pleasing :figures we are taught what God promises to be to his people; what they themselves become; and what a blessing they prove to others. • I. PrcTORIA.L CHARACTER OF Drvn.""E TEACHING. We find great variety as well as great beauty in the lessons of the Bible. There is great variety, for all nature, animate and inanimate, is laid under contribution to. supply :fit illustrations of Divine things; there is great beauty, for the loveliest objects above us, around us, and beneath us are employed for this purpose. In the passage before us there is a cl'llster of lovely natural objects employed in this manner to set forth spiritual truths with a.ll the reality of nature and all the vividness of life. Here we read of the dew, the ·deep-rooted and everlasting hill, the lily, the tall tree with umbrageous foliage, the olive ever green, and Lebanon ever fragrant. We read also of the springing corn, the blooming vine, and wine of aromatic odour. These, it must be acknowledged, are beautiful fii!ures, and the facts which they are intended to convey are equally blessed. But what enhances the beauty and the blessedness is the circumstance that the persons to whom these facts and figures have reference a.re those very persons who had erred and strayed ·from the Lord their God-even Israel who had fallen by their iniquity, Israel who bad sadly back- slidden, Israel who had grievously provoked the just anger of the Almighty; but Israel repenting and returning, praying and pleading, giving up their false refuges and casting aside their false gods. Oh bow cheering and encouraging that God welcomes his erring children to return! Like the father in the parable, he runs to meet the prodigal, he casts the arms of his love around him; he receives the penitent to his fond embrace, laying aeide the wrath that had been provoked; he bestows the love that had been. undeserved; he forgives the sins that had been committed; he foregoes the punishment that had been incurred; and, physician-like, he heals the backelidings great and manifold. n. SCRIPTURAL .AJ'PLICA.TIONB OF THE DEW. Figurative applications of dew are frequent in Scripture. Sometimes it signifies temporal benefits, as when Isaac blessed his son Jacob, saying, "God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine." Sometimes it denotes spiritual blessings, as in the case of Jsrael of whom we read," His heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, 0 Israel: who i~ like unto thee, 0 people saved by the Lord, the Shield of thy help, and who is the Sword of thy excellency I " Sometimes it implies the reviving power and refreshing nature of the Divine Word, as when Moses the man of God, before he went up to the 1 op of Pis"'ah and closed his eyes in death, addressed the people in that lovely song in which he ~ays, " My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew." Holomon compare11 the king's favour to "dew upon the grass." 'l'he pealmii;t compares Lrotberly love 3lld union and peace to dew. "As Hermon's dew, the dew that doth On Zion hills descend ; For there the blessing God commands- Life that shall never end." ITe also r;pealrs of the children of God who have been born of the Spirit-born from aLvvt as ,lew, beca.use Divine light shines in upon them, the Divine image is reflected Olt, :t.t\l, 1-9.] 'l'HE BOO:lr OF HOSEA, 4:39