Set the trumpet to thy mouth, so the Lord calls out to the prophet in bidding him give a warning concerning the approach of the judgment. HE SHALL COME AS AN EAGLE AGAINST THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, the enemy, especially the Assyrian, invading the country with the swiftness of an eagle pouncing upon his... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JUDGMENT ANNOUNCED... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel shall cry unto Me, literally, "To Me will they cry," presuming upon the relation which had formerly obtained between Jehovah and them, MY GOD, WE KNOW THEE (we, Israel). But it is a dead knowledge of the head only, faith no longer being found in their midst. The Lord wants to have the entire... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good, they are filled with aversion and loathing for the covenant of Jehovah. THE ENEMY SHALL PURSUE HIM, as a punishment for such rebellious behavior, which is now more fully explained.... [ Continue Reading ]
They have set up kings, but not by Me, not by His direction nor with His consent; THEY HAVE MADE PRINCES, AND I KNEW IT NOT, for even in the case of Jeroboam and Jehu the manner of their accession did not meet with the Lord's approval, and in the case of most of the other rulers, murder and violence... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off, or, "Is rejected thy calf," one of the idols made with their gold, "O Samaria?" the reference being to the calf of Bethel and Samaria, which is being addressed for the whole nation. MINE ANGER IS KINDLED AGAINST THEM; HOW LONG WILL IT BE ERE THEY ATTAIN TO IN... [ Continue Reading ]
For from Israel was it also, that is, this calf originated from men; THE WORKMAN MADE IT, THEREFORE IT IS NOT GOD. BUT THE CALF OF SAMARIA SHALL BE BROKEN IN PIECES, smashed into tiny fragments. This is the result of Israel's idolatry.... [ Continue Reading ]
For they have sown the wind, by all their transgressions, AND THEY SHALL REAP THE WHIRLWIND, a fitting harvest for such a sowing; IT HATH NO STALK, their sowing produces no stalk, THE BUD, the kernels of the ear, SHALL YIELD NO MEAL; IF SO BE IT YIELD, THE STRANGERS, the invading enemies, SHALL SWAL... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel is swallowed up, its judgment being practically accomplished even now, the statement being made as though the prophecy were already fulfilled; NOW SHALL THEY BE AMONG THE GENTILES AS A VESSEL WHEREIN IS NO PLEASURE, which is discarded as useless. Cf Jeremiah 22:28; Jeremiah 48:38.... [ Continue Reading ]
A FURTHER THREAT OF JUDGMENT... [ Continue Reading ]
For they are gone up to Assyria, their object being to gain the friendship of the powerful nation, A WILD ASS ALONE BY HIMSELF; EPHRAIM HATH HIRED LOVERS. While the wild ass, an irrational brute, shuns the company of men, in order to maintain his independence, Ephraim seeks unnatural affiliations, s... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, though they have hired among the nations, in the unnatural attempt of buying friendships, NOW WILL I GATHER THEM, bringing them together among the nations, but in the capacity of captives, AND THEY SHALL SORROW A LITTLE FOR THE BURDEN OF THE KING OF PRINCES, they will be diminished in number by... [ Continue Reading ]
Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, in practicing idolatry to such an exceptional degree, ALTARS SHALL BE UNTO HIM TO SIN, the idolatry practiced has made him guilty in the sight of God.... [ Continue Reading ]
I have written to him the great things of My Law, literally, I presented to him a myriad of My Law, the many precepts by which the Israelites might fulfill His will; BUT THEY WERE COUNTED AS A STRANGE THING, they simply ignored the commandments,, of the Lord, as though they did not concern them.... [ Continue Reading ]
They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of Mine offerings and eat it, intending it as a burnt offering; the Lord, however, looks upon it as a slaughtered animal, not as a sacrifice in His honor, because the right condition of the heart is missing; BUT THE LORD ACCEPTETH THEM NOT; NOW WILL HE REMEMBE... [ Continue Reading ]
For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, Cf Deuteronomy 32:18, AND BUILDETH TEMPLES, either palaces or idol-temples; AND JUDAH HATH MULTIPLIED FENCED CITIES, in a false reliance upon his own strength. BUT I WILL SEND A FIRE UPON HIS CITIES, by bringing the invading enemies into the country, AND IT SHALL... [ Continue Reading ]