_The Word of the Lord that came to Hosea._ THE PROPHET HOSEA I. He was divinely commissioned. Holy men of old spake not of their own wisdom or of their own will; they spake the Word of God. In what a contemptuous light their conduct places those who in the present day quote the sayings of the Fath... [ Continue Reading ]
_The beginning Of the Wold of the Lord by Hosea._ THE PROPHET HOSEA The prophet Hosea is the only individual character that stands out amidst the darkness of this period--the Jeremiah, as he may be called, of Israel. His life had extended over nearly the whole of the last century of the northern ki... [ Continue Reading ]
_Call his name Jezreel._ JUDGMENT ON THE HOUSE OF AHAB Jezreel means, the child of guilt; therefore not Israel, but Jezreel (or more exactly, Izreel). The name is referred to for its historical associations. It points both backwards and forwards--backward to the massacre of Ahab’s family by Jehu (2... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will break the bow._ A NATION’S HUMILIATION THROUGH ITS ARMY This verse was intentionally added; for the Israelites were so inflated with their present good fortune, that they laughed at the judgment denounced. They indeed knew that they were well furnished with arms, men, and money; they though... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel._ MERCY PUT IN THE BACKGROUND There is a time when God will not have mercy upon a kingdom, or upon a particular people. There is a time for the decree to come forth against a kingdom; a time when, though Noah, Job, and Daniel should stand before H... [ Continue Reading ]
_But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen._ THE VANITY OF THE POSITIVE PHILOSOPHY The first three Chapter s are symbolic, and directed chiefly against the Ten Tr... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lo-ammi: ye are not My people, and I will not be your God._ LO-AMMI: THE TYPE OF THE THIRD CHILD The last period of their sins’ ripening for God’s judgments, is represented under the type of the third child, called _Lo-ammi, _or not My people; pointing to the time of their utter captivity by Shal... [ Continue Reading ]
_There it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God._ A PROMISE OF MERCY I. A promise of mercy to israel. 1. The Lord in judgment remembers mercy. When God threatens most dreadfully, yet He promises most graciously. 2. It is usual when we are in prosperity to forget all threaten... [ Continue Reading ]
_Great shall be the day of Jezreel._ THE DAY OF JEZREEL Jezreel signifies “the arm of the Lord.” And it intimates that when He arises to bless the world, the spiritual seed of Messiah shall be numberless. The text may be taken as descriptive of the future triumphs of the Gospel. I. The day of Jez... [ Continue Reading ]