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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
These three verses have, by the division into chapters, been violently and improperly torn from the preceding chapter, to which they naturally belong. Their connection with the foregoing sentiments is indicated by the ancient versions—Chaldee and Septuagint, the LXX; for example, inserting λέγοντες , as if the reading had been ìÅàñÉø : This
(1) represents the Israelites exhorting one another in that good time which the prophet encourages them to expect. But
(2) it may be regarded as the prophet's own exhortation to the exiles; their affliction urging them to seek the Lord, and their encouragement consisting in the knowledge of his ability and willingness to heal the wounds which his own hand had inflicted.
Hos_6:1
He hath torn, and he will heal us. The presence of the pronoun imparts emphasis to the statement, so that it is rather, he it is that hath torn; and the preterit of this verse, compared with the future in verse 14 of the foregoing chapter, implies that the destruction there predicted has become an accomplished fact. He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. The language is figurative, and borrowed from medical science. Jehovah, not Jareb nor any sovereign of Assyria, is the physician. Long before he had assured his people Israel of this, saying, "I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Exo_15:26); and again, "I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal" (Deu_32:39). Aben Ezra, commenting on yachbeshena, alludes to the ancient mode of surgical practice, probably as indicated m Isa_1:6 : A wound needs to be pressed out and bound up, and afterwards softened with oil."
Hos_6:2
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. The expression of time here employed denotes a comparatively short period, and implies that Israel's revival would be speedily as well as certainly accomplished. Paucity is signified by the binary number in Old Testament language, just as we speak of two, or a couple, in the sense of fewness. In 1Ki_17:12 we find "two" used in this way: "Behold, I am gathering two sticks;" so in Isa_7:21, "A man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep;" in Isa_17:6 a small number is spoken of as "two or three;" while a short period is similarly described in Luk_13:32, "Behold, I east out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected." The important idea of this verse connects itself with the terms corresponding to revival, resurrection, and restoration to the Divine favor and protection. The drooping, declining, dying state of Israel would be revived; their deathlike condition would undergo a resurrection process; their disfavor would give way to Divine complacency; and all this, though not immediately, yet in a comparatively short time. This appears to us the import of the prophecy. Similar figurative language, and with like significancy, is employed by Ezekiel (37) in his vision of the valley and the resurrection of its dry bones; as also by Isaiah (26), where the same or a similar thought is presented in briefer, but still more beautiful, language: "Thy
in the second clause. The second clause is a more emphatic and energetic reaffirmation of the first, urging to active anti zealous effort and steady perseverance in obtaining the knowledge of God—a knowledge theoretic, but especially practical. Aben Ezra understands the exhortation of intellectual knowledge: "To know Jehovah is the secret of all wisdom, and for this alone was man created. But he cannot know God till he has learnt many doctrines of wisdom, which are, as it were, a ladder ha order to mount up to this highest step of knowledge." Kimchi, on the other hand, though quoting Aben Ezra's comment with approval, inclines to the practical side of knowledge: "Let us follow on to know Jehovah, exercising justice and righteousness." His going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Here, again, the translation of the Authorized Version is susceptible of improvement: his going forth is fixed as the morning dawn; and he shall come to us as the plentiful rain, as the latter rain which watereth (or, watering) the earth. Here we have two beautiful figures—the morning dawn and the fertilizing rain. The going forth of Jehovah is represented as the sun rising upon the earth, or rather as the dawn which heralds the day. The advent of salvation to his people is identified with, or symbolized by, his appearance. But the dawn of day only brings the commencement of salvation; its complement is found in the fruits and blessings of salvation. The root of motsav is zatsa, which is applied to the sunrise in Gen_19:23, as also in Psa_19:7. Parallel passages are found in Isa_58:8, "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning (dawn), and thy health shall spring forth speedily;" and Isa_9:2, "The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Further, the word nakon, meaning "prepared," "fixed firm," is applied to the clear bright light of morning, as in Pro_4:18, "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect (nekon) day." The plentiful rain is that which falls after the sowing of the seed in October (the beginning of the Hebrew year) and in the following months; while the malqosh is the late or spring rain, which, tailing in March and till the middle of April, precedes and promotes the harvest. The LXX. translates the
(1) concluding clause by ὑετὸς πρώιμος and ὄψιμος erroneously, for zoreh is not a noun with b, being understood before "earth;" neither is it
(2) the future Hiph; which would necessitate the ellipse being supplied by asher; it is the Qal participle in the sense of" watering." Geshem is "a violent or plentiful rain," stronger than the usual word for" rain," matar; while malqosh is "the late rain" which ceases a short time before harvest. The explanation of the "dawn" by Aben Ezra is erroneous: "The intelligent man at the beginning knows God—blessed be he!—by his works, like the dawn of day in its going forth; but moment after moment the light increases, until the full truth becomes visible." Kimchi more correctly explains the figure as follows: "If we shall do this, viz. follow on to know the Lord, then he will be to us as the morning dawn, of which the going forth is fixed [purposed by God and certain] as though he said, He will cause his light and his goodness to shine over us." His comment on the second similitude is equally appropriate: "He will come to us as the plentiful rain, as the plentiful rain which revives the dead plants; so man sunk in sorrow is like one dead; but when deliverance comes to him it is with him as if he revived out of his dead state." Thus he shall be to his people as "morning to the weary watcher," and as "plentiful rain to the parched ground."
Hos_6:4
For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. A new section here commences. God, having tried various expedients and many ways to restore Israel to faithfulness, finds all those methods unavailing; and now he asks what further means of reclamation he can resort to; what further punishment he is to inflict. Thus in Isa_1:5, "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more!" or what additional privileges can be vouchsafed? Thus in Isa_5:4, "What could have been done more to my vineyard, than I have not done in it?" The reason is then assigned for such questioning; it was the brief duration of Israel's piety. It was evanescent as the early cloud which floats across a summer's sky and which the sun soon scatters for ever, or which promises a refreshing shower, but which is exhaled by the sun's heat; it was transient as the dew which lies in pearly drops of beauty upon the grass, but which the foot of the passing traveler brushes away in a moment. The prophet had, in the opening verses, referred to real repentance; but now, turning to Israel, he reminds them of their repentance by way of con-trust, showing them that it was neither of the consistency nor permanent character required. Proofs of their deficiency lay on the pages of their national history. Hezekiah had done "that which was right in the sight of the Lord;" but his son and successor, Manasseh, "wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to auger." Josiah, again, was eminent for piety, so that "like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might;" but his successors degenerated, for it is added, "neither after him arose there any like him." The connection and meaning are well given by Kimchi: "How shall I heal you, and how shall I bind you up, as your repentance is by no means perfect? For if the kings of Israel did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, so have they soon turned to do evil, like Jehu. And likewise the kings of Judah, who in the days of Josiah did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, turned again to do evil in the days of his son and son's son." Thus he reproves them for the superficial and fleeting character of their goodness. The participles mashkim and holek are either co-ordinated asyndetously, thus: "coming in the morning, going away;" or the latter is subordinated to the former: "in the morning passing away." Kimchi takes the former word as a noun after the form of makbir, equivalent to "abundance" (Job_36:31); the right rendering is, "as the dew early going away." A somewhat different rendering is proposed by Wunsche, viz. "Your goodness goeth away like a morning cloud, and like the dew in the morning;" "goodness" being the subject, "goeth away" the predicate, "like morning cloud and dew" nearer definitions.
Hos_6:5, Hos_6:6
The consequence of Israel's unsteadiness and inconstancy is here stated. Because of the fluctuating and formal nature of their religiousness, God cut them down (instead of rearing them up) through his prophets by fierce denunciations, and slew them (instead of reviving them) by the Divine word. The judgment of Jehovah went forth as the lightning-fish, or was as clear and conspicuous for justice as the light of day. Neither could outward services expiate their sins, when the proper feelings and meet fruits were absent. I have hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth. The language is figurative—the first clause seems borrowed from hewing hard wood and shaping it so as to assume the required form; so God dealt with Israel to bring them into shape morally symmetrical, and make them correspond to the character of a holy people. The slaying is metaphorical, and consisted in the denunciation of death and destruction to the impenitent; in this way he killed, but did not make alive. A different rendering of the clause is given by the LXX. and also by Aben Ezra; the former has, "Therefore have I mown down your prophets; I have slain them with the word of my mouth;" the latter has, "The sense is that he slew some of the prophets who misled the people so that they did not turn (repent)." But be does not imply his hewing in among the prophets; it is instrumental. And thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. The judgments here spoken of are the Divine judgments denounced against, or inflicted on, the people. Another reading has the pronominal suffix of the first person: "My judgment goeth forth as the light;" to which the Septuagint corresponds: κρίμα μου , equivalent to "my judgment." I desired mercy (or, mercy I delight in) … and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. The former is the right state of the life, the latter the correct condition of the heart; the former manifests itself in practice, the latter embraces the proper feelings and affections; the former is seen in works of charity and benevolence, the latter consists in right motives and the right relation of the soul to God. The Hebrew form of speech here used denotes inferior importance, not the negation of importance. A similar sentiment occurs in 1Sa_15:22, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Parallel statements are found in Isa_1:11-17; Psa_40:7-9 and Psa_40:1 :8; also in Mic_6:8. Our Lord cites the first clause of Mic_6:6 twice—once against Pharisaic ceremonialism (Mat_9:13), and again against rigorous sabbatarianism (Mat_12:7); while there is an allusion to it in Mar_12:33, where love to God and to one's neighbor is declared to be better, or "more than, whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Sacrifices in themselves, and when offered at the proper time and place, and as the expressions of penitent hearts and pure hands, were acceptable, and could not be otherwise, for God himself had appointed them. But soulless sacrifices offered by men steeped in sin were an abomination to the Lord; it was of such he said, "I cannot away with" them. It is to such that the prophet refers here, as is plain from the following verse.
Hos_6:7
But they like men (margin, like Adam) have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. This verse is variously rendered.
(1) They like men (that is, men in general, or the rest of mankind, to whom they are in no way superior) have transgressed the covenant.
(2) They are like men who transgress a covenant; according to this rendering the word àãí is otiose, or adds nothing, nor is indeed required.
(3) They like Adam have transgressed the covenant; this rendering, supported by the Vulgate, Cyril, Luther, Rosenmüller, and Wunsche, is decidedly preferable, and yields a suitable sense. God in his great goodness had planted Adam in Paradise; but Adam violated the commandment which prohibited his eating of the tree of knowledge, and thereby transgressed the covenant of his God. Loss of fellowship with God and expulsion from Eden were the penal consequences that immediately followed. Israel, like Adam, had been settled by God in Palestine, the glory of all lands; but, ungrateful for God's great bounty and gracious gift, they broke the covenant of their God, the condition of which, as in the case of the Adamic covenant, was obedience. Thus the comparison projects the shadow of a coming event when Israel would Jose the land of promise. There is still the word "there" to be accounted for. It cannot well be rendered "therein," nor taken as a particle of time equivalent to "the," with Cyril and others. It is local, and points to the place where their breach of covenant and faithlessness had occurred. Yet this local sense is not necessarily so limited as to be referred, with some, to Bethel, as the scene of their apostasy and idolatry. "There, to Israel," says Pusey, "was not only Bethel, or Dan, or Gilgal, or Mizpah, or Gilead, or any or all of the places which God had hallowed by his mercies and they had defiled. It was every high hill, each idol-chapel, each field-altar, which they had multiplied to their idols. To the sinners of Israel it was every spot of the Lord's land which they had defiled by their sin." The word thus acquires a very suggestive significance, reminding Israel of God's goodness on the one hand, and of their own sinfulness and ingratitude on the other.
Hos_6:8, Hos_6:9
In these two verses the prophet adduces proof of that faithlessness with which he had just charged Israel. Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood. The latter clause is more literally rendered, foot-printed or foot-tracked from blood. Two things require consideration here—the place and its pollution. Gilead is sometimes a mountain range, and sometimes the mountainous region east of the Jordan; it has Bashan on the north, the Arabian plateau on the east, and Moab on the south. It stretches from the south end of the Sea of Galilee to the north end of the Dead Sea—some sixty miles in length by twenty in breadth. The part of Gilead between the Hieromax and the Jabbok is now called Jebel Ajlun; while the section south of the Jabbok forms the province of Belka. In the New Testament it is spoken of under the name of Pertea, or beyond Jordan. Sometimes the whole trans-Jordanic territory belonging to Israel is called Gilead. In the passage before us it is the name of a city, though some take it to mean the whole land of Gilead. The men of Gilead and the Gileadites in general seem to have been fierce, wild mountaineers; and yet they are represented as still worse in this Scripture. They are nut only barbarous and wicked, but murderous and infamous for homicidal atrocities. As evidence in some sort of the justness of this dark picture, the murder of Pekahiah by Pekah with "fifty men of the Gileadites." as recorded in 2Ki_15:25, may be specified. The word òÀ÷ÇåÌáÈÌä is taken
(1) by some as the feminine of the adjective òÈ÷åá , crafty, cunning, wily; thus Rashi explains it: "Gilead is full of people who lie in wait for murder;" and Kimchi likewise has, "Gilead is a city of evil-doers, who are crafty to murder men." But
(2) it is rather the Qal Pual participle feminine from òÈ÷Çá , to seize the heel of any one, hold, tread in the footsteps, follow, go after; which is the right meaning, viz. "tracked," as given above. We retain the Authorized Version of the first clause of 2Ki_15:9, slightly modified, viz.
(1) As troops of robbers wait for a man, so is the company of priests; çÇëÅÌé equivalent to çÇëÅÌä , wait, being an anomalous form of the infinitive Piel for çÇëÌåÉä ; thus Kimchi says, "The yod stands in the place of he, and the form is the infinitive." Both Aben Ezra and Kimchi translate the first clause as above; the former beg, "The sense is, As robber-troops wait for a man who is to pass along the way, that they may plunder him, so is (or so does) the company of the priests;" the latter explains, "As troops of robbers wait for a man passing along the way to plunder him, so is the company of priests, he means to say, as the priests of the high places who combine to plunder those who pass along the way. There is
(2) another translation, which, connecting ish taken collectively with gedhudhim, and making it the subjective genitive of the infinitive , ë is, "Like the lurking of the men of the gang, s is the company of the priests." This first clause is
(3) quite misread and not rendered by the LXX.: Καὶ ἡ ἰσχύς σου ἀνδρὸς πειρατοῦ ἔκρυψαν ἱερεῖς ὁδόν , "And thy strength is that of a robber: the priests have hid the way." Instead of ëÀÌçÇëÅÌé they read ëÀÌçÇêÈ , and for çáã they read çáå or çáàå . In the second clause we prefer decidedly the translation which is intimated in the margin of the Authorized Version; thus: Along the way they murder even go Shechem. The word derekh is an adverbial accusative of place; and Sichem, the present Nablus, was situated on Mount Ephraim between Ebal and Gerizim. It was a Levitical city and a city of refuge; it thus lay on the west as Gilead on the east of Jordan, and both cities, thus perhaps nearly parallel in place on opposite sides of the river, were equal in crime and infamy. The prophet does not tell us who the wayfarers were, or whither they were bound; he only intimates that they fell victims to certain miscreant priests located in these quarters. As this city lay on the main route from the north to Jerusalem, pilgrims to the annual feasts passed along this way. The priests of the calf-win, ship, being in general persons taken from the dregs of the people, waylaid those pilgrims, whether for plunder, or through hostility to the purer worship still maintained in the holy city, or from sheer cruelty.
Or it is even possible that the wayfarers referred to may have been persons going from Samaria, the northern capital, to the idolatrous worship at Bethel. In either case, on the way to their destination or on the return journey they were set upon and robbed, or, in the event of resistance, they were murdered. For they commit lewdness; rather, yea, they have committed enormity. The zimmah, or infamy, here mentioned is referred
(1) by some to unnatural wickedness (comp. Le 18:17; 19:29); it is rather
(2) a designation of wickedness and abominations in general; thus Kimchi explains it of "evil and abominable work of every kind." He further remarks: "The prophet says, Net this alone have they done; but all their works are zimmah. And perhaps zimmah may be explained of thought, as if he said, As they have thought in their heart so they have acted."
On this verse generally it may be briefly remarked
(1) that "by consent" of the Authorized Version would require àçã to be joined with "shoulder;"
(2) the connection of the first and second clauses in the Authorized Version is much the same with that of Ewald: "And as troops lie in wait the company of priests murder along the way to Sichem."
(3) His explanation is that the priests murdered those that fled by the way before they reached the refuge, perhaps at the command of some leading persons ill disposed towards them.
Hos_6:10
I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. The house of Israel comprises
(1) the ten tribes of the northern kingdom, according to some; it seems more correct
(2) to understand it of the whole nation, including both the northern and southern kingdoms, in which case the remainder of the verse relates to the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, and the succeeding verse to the southern kingdom of the two tribes. Further, Israel is not synonymous with the parallel Ephraim, as Keil thinks; the latter is the principal tribe which led the way in Israel's apostasy. The "horrible thing" comprehends every sort of crime and abomination; while the" whoredom," literal or spiritual, is specified as an example thereof. (For the explanation of "there," see on Hos_6:7)
Hos_6:11
Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee. The subject of shath is the indeterminate third person, like the French on, and our "they" or "one." The third person singular masculine, the third person plural, the second person singular masculine, and the passive voice are all used in this way. So here it is: "One hath appointed (set) a harvest for thee," or "a harvest is appointed for thee." The harvest is either recompense or retribution, and thus it is either good or evil, for as a man sows he maps. The context shows that the reaping here is punishment. Judah had sinned like Israel; and, in the case of both, a seed-time of sin produced a harvest of suffering and sorrow. When I returned (better, return, or, restore) the captivity of my people. The restoration here mentioned is thought
(1) by some to be the bringing back of the captives; but
(2) Keil and others, with good reason, understand it to be turning of the captivity, and that figuratively, that is to say, the restoration of his people's well-being. The shebhuth is the misery of the Hebrew people; the shubh shebhuth, recovery end restoration of them to their true destroy, But this necessitates a previous purification by punishment: with this Judah, as well as Israel, shall be visited. It is as though God said, "Let not Judah claim superiority over Israel, nor expect to escape Divine judgment more than Israel. Each reaps what he sows. When Israel has received the deserved chastisement, Judah's turn shall then come also." The "turning of captivity" is a formula denoting the restoration of the lost fortune or well-being of a people or person; thus Job_42:10, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job."
I. THE URGENCY OF THIS APPEAL IS STRIKING. From whichever of the sources indicated this appeal proceeds, its urgency is unmistakable, as implied in the cohortative form of the verb "return," as also in the hortatory "come" at the commencement. In God's dealings with mankind we find now reproofs for sin and threatenings of wrath, again invitations to repentance and promises of mercy. We are warned to flee from the wrath to come on the one hand, and urged to return unto the Lord on the other. It is our duty to exhort one another with earnestness, and even affectionate importunity, to return to him from whom we have wandered, to seek him whom we have slighted, and, like the prodigal in the parable, to arise and go to our Father with confession of our many wanderings of heart and life from the living God.
II. THE SOURCE WHENCE HEALING COMES. They had tried Assyria, but to no purpose; they had sent to King Jareb, but in vain. A greater power than that of Assyria, great though that was, was needed; a mightier monarch than Jareb, champion sovereign though he was, was required to heal the disease and bind up the wounds of Israel at this time, or indeed at any time. None but the hand that tore could heal; none other than he who smote could bind up. Nay, he wounds in order that he may heal; he sends afflictive providences that we may apply to him for the restoration of prosperity; he produces conviction of sin before that, and in order that he may impart to us everlasting consolations. His method is to convince us in order that he may comfort us, to show us our sin that he may lead us to the Savior, to show us our ruin and then apply the remedy. He shows us our danger and then urges us to the discharge of our duty; he shows us our fat, and how we are to rise again; in short, he urges us to repentance, showing us what to do and what to say, and encouraging us withal by God's readiness to receive penitents.
III. LIFE FROM THE DEAD IN GOD'S GOOD TIME. The guilt of sin may for a time overwhelm us, terrors of conscience alarm us, afflictions of various kinds crush us to the earth; there may be fightings without and fears within. In our distressed and downcast state we may look upon ourselves, and be looked upon by others, as dying—almost dead.
1. In this deathlike condition the sorrows of death may compass us and the pains of hell get hold on us, we may find trouble and sorrow; we may be like those that go down into the pit. All this may continue for a time, and the time may appear long; yet we may not despair nor despond. Rather let us imitate the example of the psalmist, who in his distress called upon the Lord and cried unto his God. For did he cry in vain. God heard his voice out of his temple, and his cry came before him even into his ears. In like circumstances of disaster on another occasion he called upon the name of the Lord and said, "O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul;" and as usual a reply and relief came. "I was brought low, and he helped me;" "He delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." Thus God deals with his people still. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." For two days—a relatively brief period—the sleep or sorrow of death may be upon us, but he will then restore us to life, revive and quicken us; and on the third day, when we have been thus restored to animation and vigor, he will raise us up.
2. The words of Hos_6:2 are, no doubt, applicable to the death and resurrection of our Lord, and they have been so understood by many Christians both in earlier and later times. "The resurrection of Christ," says Pusey, "and our resurrection in him and in his resurrection, could not be more plainly foretold.... It was not the prophet's object here, nor was it so direct a comfort to Israel, to speak of Christ's resurrection in itself. He took a nearer way to their hearts. He told them, 'All we who turn to the Lord, putting our whole trust in him, and committing ourselves wholly to him, to be healed of our wounds and to have our griefs bound up, shall receive life from him, shall be raised up by him.' They could not understand then how he would do this. The 'after two days' and 'on the third day' remained a mystery to be explained by the event. But the promise itself was not the less distinct, nor the less full of hope, nor did it less fulfill all cravings for life eternal and the sight of God, because they did not understand—how shall these things be?"
3. The sequel of revival and resurrection is life in God's sight, or, "before his face," according to the literal rendering. The face of man is the index of the mind and heart; of the operations and various workings of the former, and of the feelings and emotions of the latter. We turn away the face in sorrow or in mirth; we look the object of our love or satisfaction full in the face. God had withdrawn himself and turned away his face until they acknowledged their offence and sought his face. But life is not only restored; it is life in God's sight, that is, before his face. This is real life—life in God's favor, with the light of his countenance lifted up upon us; with his eye on us to guide and to direct us as well as to guard and protect us. We live in his sight when, whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord. Every duty is discharged as in his immediate presence and under his all-seeing eye. Our thoughts, our purposes, our plans, our feelings, the inmost actings of our spirit, are all ordered with the abiding impression that they are in God's sight, open and naked before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
IV. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND GROWTH THEREIN. What is the great end of man's being? What is the thing that chiefly concerns him? To such questions various answers will be returned according to the tastes, or habits, or capacity of the individual. Some will answer and say that life itself, its preservation and well-being, is the great concern of man; or that health—health of mind with health of body, a sound mind in a sound body—is chiefly to be attended to. Others, again, will reply that the advancement of one's family or the increase of one's fortune is the main thing to be sought and attained. Whatever truth may be in any of these, it is not the right answer. There is something higher and holier, nobler and better, than any of the things specified. The glory of the Creator and the good of the creature must be placed above everything else. But to glorify the Creator, and thereby and therewith to attain to the good of the creature, we must know God.
1. Wherein does the knowledge of God consist? What do we mean by the knowledge of God? It is to know God as he has made himself known, in the two great volumes which he has spread out before us. The one is the volume of his works, open to the eyes of all men; but that volume only takes us a short way; we get the knowledge of his Godhead, or existence as God, and of his power; we learn that there is an eternal Power that called created things into being, and that that Power is neither blind physical force nor the pantheistic spirit of the universe, but a Divine Person; for" the invisible things of him since the creation are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." The other volume is his Word, in which he has fully revealed his will. From this volume we know his various attributes and infinite perfections—his holiness in hating sin, his justice in punishing it, his wisdom in devising the plat, of salvation, his love in sending his Son to work it out, his mercy in shedding down his Spirit to apply it. But, over and above all this, the knowledge of God must be personal, experimental, and practical. We need to know God as our God through Jesus Christ our Lord; we need to know by happy experience his love to our souls; we need to know the duty which we are bound to render to him in gratitude far his amazing loving-kindness, and in love to him who first loved us.
2. How is this knowledge attained? There must be diligent, prayerful study of the Divine Word under the teaching of the Divine Spirit. The physician never dreams of gaining a knowledge of his profession, and of qualifying himself for the performance of its responsible duties, without years of preparatory study in order to grasp its principles and master its details; nor can he afford to abandon that study even after he has entered on the practice of his professional labors—earnest thought and unwearying diligence are still required. The merchant who would succeed in mercantile life must devote much attention to the principles of commerce and the various departments of trade; days of rail and nights of close application to business are indispensable. The agriculturist, if he would attain to eminence or even respectability in his calling, cannot expect to do so without suitable training and diligent attention in order to acquaint himself with the proper methods of tillage. Shall men willingly devote their noblest energies and highest powers and best days to the occupations of time, and yet afford only some brief intervals of leisure, or some spare hours, and very slight attention to attain the knowledge of that God who is above them, and to prepare for that eternity that is before them?
3. By what means do we gain increase of this knowledge? What promotes ore' growth at once in grace and the knowledge of God? The answer is before us. We are to follow on, hunt after, strive zealously to know the Lord. There must be continued diligence, constant perseverance; there must be devout and daily reading of God's Word—some time every day less or more should be given to the study of Holy Scripture; there must be fervent prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit: for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness unto him, because they are spiritually discerned." Have we already acquired some knowledge of God, not merely out of the volume of creation, or by the light of our own intellect, or from the teachings of others, but from this Word of God, which is brimful of the knowledge of God; and do we know God to be a just God and yet a Savior—our God and Father through Jesus Christ our Lord? Then we must beware of becoming cold, or languid, or lifeless. We must avoid everything and anything that would turn us aside, or tempt us to prefer our secular business to salvation, or to set the trifles of time in the place of the realities of eternity. But should coldness creep over us, or should a spirit of slumber overtake us as the virgins in the parable, or should our little progress in the Divine life and Divine things discourage us, let us repair at once to the mercy-seat for Divine help and grace; and the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth. Let us ever bear in mind that we must persevere to the end in order to be saved, that we must be faithful unto death if we would obtain the crown of life, and that if, after having put our hand to the plough, we turn back, the Lord will have no pleasure in us. Follow on, then, as the runner in the race to win the prize, as the warrior in the conflict to gain the victory, as the mariner steers his homeward-veering bark to reach his native shore.
V. THE BLESSEDNESS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO PERSEVERE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. The promised blessing is here presented under two beautiful figures—the returning light of morning, and the refreshing rain.
1. There is freshness in the morning air, there is beauty in the morning light, there is loveliness in natural scenery when the light of morning shines on it. One of the oldest Greek poets often speaks of morning, and usually with some epithet of praise or admiration, such as "saffron-robed Aurora," or "Aurora, daughter of the dawn." "The morning." We associate morning with the idea of refreshment and relief. If you have been laid on a bed of sickness, or tossing on a bed of pain, or watching by the bedside of one dear to you as your own life, how welcome is the light of morning! After tossings to and fro till the dawning of the day, the morning brings some measure of relief or relaxation. Many a one in the circumstances supposed is crying out, "Would God it were morning!" or sighing out, "Oh for the light of morning, to shorten the weariness of the night, or bring some alleviation!" There, again, is the mariner toiling through the dreary hours of a stormy winter night, while neither moon nor stars appear; how he wishes and longs for the light of morning! Or a traveler has been overtaken by the darkness of the night, and has lost his way in some pathless wilderness, or among the glades of a mountain forest; how he waits and watches for the first gleam of morning light to extricate him from his perplexity and peril! In all these cases the morning is looked forward to for relief; nor is it ever looked for in vain, for morning is sure to come. It may seem slow in coming, and long before it comes; or the weary watcher may be many a time on the point of giving up in despair. But the return of morning, after a night however long, or dark, or painful, or perilous, is certain to take place; its return is prepared; it is a fixed ordinance of nature. So, to every persevering seeker after the knowledge of God, the Lord's going forth is fixed and cannot fail; it is sure as the morning sunrise. To every afflicted, anguished spirit, to every weary waiting soul, the morning dawn shall come surely as the day succeeds the night and the light alternates with darkness, for God has established this order of things. The Dayspring from on high, with the light of saving knowledge and spiritual healthfulness, shall visit all who patiently wait and perseveringly pursue the knowledge of God. There is a joyousness of spirit, a buoyancy of feeling, peculiar to the morning, and not experienced to the same extent, or perhaps at all, during the remainder of the day. Delightful as is the figure, the fact represented by it is even more so. What joyfulness comes with morning to the bewildered wayfarer, or tempest-tossed sailor, or sorely afflicted sufferer! Then hope rakes the place of despair, and joy succeeds to sorrow. To the soul that waits upon the Lord, his coming is as sure as the return of the morning light; and brings with it peace and joy in believing, favor and forgiveness. To him who has waited long, and watched with patience till hope deferred had begun to make the heart sick, the Lord's going forth is certain as the morning dawn; and simultaneously therewith the light of his countenance is lifted on the soul, and cheerfulness is imparted to the spirit. It is a blessed assurance that none ever waited upon the Lord in vain; no one ever trusted him and was disappointed. Wait, then, for his going forth. It may tarry, but wait for it; for at last it will come and will not tarry; for the time is fixed, and the Sun of righteousness shall arise on every patient soul with healing under his wings. Fortified by this assurance, the psalmist says, in language we would do well to adopt and act on, "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his Word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."
2. That the Authorized Version is inaccurate, is obvious from its making the latter rain precede the former. The reverse is the natural order and the order here observed, geshem standing for the one or rather for "plentiful rain" in general, malqosh for the other or "latter rain," and retch not a noun at all. This beautiful figure is specially suitable to the Orient, and finds its most striking application in Eastern lands; it is also more or less appropriate in all lands. Not only so, it forms a fitting counterpart to the figure which precedes, and with which it is so intimately connected—the one exhibiting the fact, the other the fruit, of salvation; the one the beginning of salvation, the other its benefits; the one its commencement, the other its consummation. In the land of Israel, as well as other countries of the East, soon after seed-time, when the seed has been sown in the furrows, comes the early rain to make the seed germinate and the tender blade spring up; but there is also the latter rain in the weeks preceding harvest, to fill the ear and mature the growing grain. With a rich Eastern soil below and a warm Eastern sun above, the beneficial effects of the former and latter rain are obvious. In connection with the combined action of sun and soil and shower, there are first the blade, then the ear, and eventually the ripe corn in the ear. Thus in spiritual husbandry, the seed of Divine and saving knowledge has been no sooner cast into the furrows than the rain-shower of Divine grace waters it, so that it germinates and grows—blade and ear and ripened grain as in the natural world; nor are showers of grace withheld before and up till the reaping-time, so that even in old age there is abundant fruitfulness. "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing [margin, 'green'];" and when the time of the end comes and the harvest day arrives, they resemble a shock of corn in its season, rich with golden grain, ripe and ready to be gathered into the heavenly garner. Thus shall it fare with the soul that follows on to know and love the Lord. Sure as the dawn brings on the day; sure as the sun goeth forth out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his race; sure as the alternation of day and night; sure as the succession of the seasons; sure as the rain comes down from heaven, and returns not thither again till it has moistened and fructified the earth;—God shall bless that soul with light and life and love. Therefore let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord; for "it is good that a man quietly wait and patiently wait for the salvation of God."
Hos_6:4-9
I. THE COMPLAINT OF THEIR INCONSTANCY.
1. God here speaks as if all remedies had proved futile, and as if he were at a loss to know how to deal towards them or what to do with them. Various means had been tried, diverse methods resorted to: he had sent them precious promises of mercy and alarming threatenings of wrath; means and expedients had been exhausted; but they had gone from bad to worse. And now, as though resourceless, the Almighty puts the question as if to their own conscience, "O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee?"
2. Or perhaps we may rather understand such questions as a lamentation over their case, so deplorable had it become. Thus our Lord wept over Jerusalem and the desperate state of its doomed inhabitants. Nor was it a few tears he dropped ( ἐδάκρυσε ), as at the grave of Lazarus; his eyes brimmed over with tears ( ἔκλαυσε ), while his lips uttered the touchingly pathetic words, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace{ but now they are hid from thine eyes."
3. The picture of their inconstancy is sadly appropriate. The morning cloud is an attractive object as it floats sublimely overhead on a summer's morning; but it is as evanescent as conspicuous, suddenly fading away into the "azure deep of air." Still more lovely is the dew which lies copiously on the herbage in the early morning, glistening on every blade of grass and flower petal, and beautifying with its pearly drops the lawns and pasture-grounds. Soon, however, the footstep of man or beast brushes it aside, and it disappears; or it is exhaled, and vanishes by the heat of the advancing day. Thus it was with the goodness of the Hebrew people, both north and south, at the time referred to. Several cases of reformation had taken place in Judah; revivals of religion had occurred, as in the days of Hezekiah, and subsequently in the time of Josiah; and even in Israel we read of the humiliation of Ahab and the zeal of Jehu; but these were to a large extent transient and temporary. So, too, it often happens in times of awakening, sorrow for sin may becloud the brow of the penitent and tears of contrition bedew his eyes; but ere long the excitement dies away, and that sorrow and those tears have passed away, and all serious impressions and gracious influences have vanished with them.
II. CONSEQUENCES OF THE INCONSTANCY COMPLAINED OF. These consequences are enumerated with some detail in Hos_6:5-7, though the fifth verse is differently understood by some, as though it contained two different kinds of messages sent by God to Israel—messages of coming wrath to arouse and awaken them, thus hewing them by the prophets and slaying them by the words of his mouth; and messages of mercy, bright as the light and beautiful as the sunbeams, to encourage them, thus causing his judgments to go forth as the light. But this latter sense does not suit the context.
1. First of the consequences is denunciation of wrath, when God denounced their destruction with severity by his messengers the prophets, and the words of his mouth which constituted the message which they delivered; while the justice of the judgments thus visited on them was positively demonstrated and plainly proved, so that it was seen to be and must have appeared even to the guilty sufferers clear as the light.
2. The second consequence is degeneracy in religion. It had degenerated into mere formalism. In place of mercy came sacrifices, and for the knowledge of God burnt offerings were substituted. Outward observances took the place of inward devotion. Instead of piety towards God and charity to man, a tedious round of services was performed. Ritualism was substituted for religion; ceremonialism for clean hands and a pure heart. Obedience to the commandments of God, whether prescriptive or prohibitory, was neglected; morality was dissociated from religion; mere rites supplanted moral or religious duties.
3. But a third consequence was declension of spiritual life in general; this was additional evidence of the religious degeneracy just referred to. Covenant-breaking and treacherous dealing are specified. Like the most reckless of men, they were truce-breakers, bound by no compact, and regardless of the truth of promises. Besides being thus practically dishonest, they were altogether unreliable and faithless. Their sin in this respect, though declared to be against God, involved a fortiori similar conduct in relation to their fellow-men.
III. CONFIRMATIONS OF ISRAEL'S GUILT. Two places are specified as instances, and their inhabitants singled out as specimens of the wickedness of the times—Gilead on the east and Shechem on the west of Jordan. If Gilead be a city—Ramoth-gilead, perhaps—a city of refuge and a Levitical city, the sin of its inhabitants was something shocking. When men, who by profession should be an example and pattern to others, descend to practices directly opposed to that profession, and degrade themselves by criminal actions of the worst and basest kind, religion is evil spoken of, a stumbling-block is cast in the way of the weak, the Master himself is stabbed in the house of his professed friends. The people of this highly favored place had set themselves to work iniquity, and that of no ordinary kind; the blood of murdered innocence clave to their hands. Shechem was even worse in this respect. In this other city of refuge the privilege of asylum was profaned. Either guilty persons were admitted and protected for a bribe, when they should have been delivered up to death; or, in addition to thus screening the guilty, those who had committed homicide unwittingly, but who were too poor to offer bribes, were ruthlessly given up to the blood-avenger; or, worst of all and vilest of all, the priests who had got settled in the place formed themselves into robber-gangs or common banditti to rob, and in case of resistance murder, the travelers who were so luckless as to journey that way, or from a bloodthirsty spirit of revenge they waylaid and assassinated the objects of their displeasure. In one way or other blood was defiling the land and crying to Heaven for vengeance. Long before a bloody deed had been done in this very place, when Simeon and Levi in cruel wrathfulness put the defenseless Shechemites to the sword; history in a still worse form now repeated itself.
IV. COMMUNITY IN CRIME. The proverbial expression of" Like priest, like people," was fully verified in the case before us. When priests perpetrated such atrocities, what could be expected from the populace? When religious teachers distinguished themselves as ringleaders in wickedness, what could be hoped for among the less privileged of the population? There was, in fact, a community in crime. In the house of Israel, or main body of the people in the northern kingdom, there was wickedness so horrible as to make one shudder or the hair stand on end. However men might attempt concealment, God's eye detected and discovered their horrid iniquity, while his justice denounced vengeance against it. Ephraim is again foremost and first in the present iniquity, as previously in the idolatrous calf-worship and original revolt. Their whoredom, whether literal or figurative, exercised a contaminating effect on the rest of the ten tribes. How baneful the effects of evil influence! How great the responsibility connected with the exercise of influence! Judah also, from whom better was to be expected, with the ancient sanctuary among them and a purer ritual, had been seduced to sin; the example and influence of their brethren in the north had, no doubt, helped their depravation, evil communications corrupting good manners. Be this as it may, they had sown the wind and must in consequence reap the whirlwind. As they had sown and what they had sown, they must by-and-by reap. The general judgment is likened to harvest; so also are special judgments. (For the time specified, see Exposition) The Judahites who had been made captives by Israel had been set at liberty through the interposition of the prophet Oded (2Ch_28:8-15). God had spared them then, but set them a harvest at another time; as it has been remarked, "Preservations from present judgments, if a good use be not made of them, are but reservations for greater judgments."
I. AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO GODLY REPENTANCE. (Hos_6:1, Hos_6:2) The opening clause of Hos_6:1 consists of an earnest self-exhortation, and this is succeeded in the remainder of the two verses by arguments in support of it. The nerve-thought of these is, that restoration to the Divine favor wilt succeed repentance. The expatriated Hebrews, in their miserable exile and God-forsakenness, shall have a profound conviction of their guilt wrought within their hearts; and they shall return to their long-slighted Lord in the confident hope of a favorable reception. Their restoration, they are persuaded, will be:
1. Certain. The words of verses 1, 2 evince strong faith. There is in them the pulse-beat of a firm confidence. He who tore will also heal. lie who inflicted the agony will bestow the joy. True penitence is always accompanied with some measure of faith. It cherishes the hope of mercy. It lays hold of the truth contained in that magnificent proverb, "God never strikes with both hands." It accepts the testimony of the Eternal, that he "dwells with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit."
2. Speedy. The definite limits of time here mentioned (verse 2) are intended to assure us that the restoration of Israel shall come not only certainly, but quickly. Jehovah is slow to chide, but he is swift to bless. It may seem to us a long time since Israel's rejection; it is now nearly two thousand years since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. But "one day is with the Lord," etc. (2Pe_3:8). Many commentators have judged that Christ's resurrection "in the third day" is indicated here. And no doubt an analogy is traceable between the events of Israel's history and events in the life of the Messiah (cf. Hos_11:1 and Mat_2:15). But it is one thing to apply the prophet's words to the great fact of Christ's resurrection, and another thing to conclude that that event is even so much as indirectly foretold by this language.
3. Complete. "We shall live before his face" (verse 2). The face is an index of character. It reveals the mind and heart. A man naturally turns his face towards the person whom he loves, and turns it away from one whom he dislikes. God had "withdrawn himself from" Israel (Hos_5:6, Hos_5:15); but now again, in the day of their revival, he shall "cause his face to shine upon them." The contrite ones live in the open smile of the Divine favor, and enjoy the perpetual sunshine of the Divine presence.
II. AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO SAVING KNOWLEDGE. (Verse 3) The first part of this verse should be translated, "Then let us know, follow on to know, Jehovah." This is a further self-exhortation, parallel to that in verse 1. Jehovah had become unknown in Israel (Hos_4:1). But the resolve to "return" to him involves the resolution to "know" him, and to grow in that knowledge continually. Such knowledge has a very practical aim. It is a life, not a mere science; an experience, not a speculation. It leads a man to own God and to serve him. It will fill the mind with brightness, and the life with fruitfulness. We sometimes call theology "the queen of the sciences;" but this heart-knowledge of God is more—it is "life eternal" (Joh_17:3). Two attractive emblems are presented in the latter part of the verse for our encouragement in the pursuit of saving knowledge. With the ancient Jewish rabbins, we are to be in these an anticipation of the Redeemer of men. Jehovah comes in the Person of his Son, Jesus Christ, as "the morning;" and he comes in the Spirit of his Son, as "the rain."
1. "The morning." The Lord Jesus is the Aurora, or Dayspring from on high;—the Sun of righteousness, who has arisen with healing in his wings, He will be welcomed yet as such by the entire Hebrew nation. His coming has flooded the world with the light of life. "His going forth," like the morning, brings brightness and joy to the believer. "O happy day, that fixed my choice," etc. It brings also freshness; for the knowledge of Jesus is to the Christian always new, and full of infinite variety. The morning is irresistible in its coming; and the "going forth" of Christ "is prepared as the morning," i.e. decreed in the purposes of Jehovah's love. The morning comes increasingly; and thus also the believer who follows on to know the Lord shall "go from strength to strength," from the dawning light "unto the perfect day" (Pro_4:18).
2. "The rain." In Palestine, the two rainy seasons here referred to were most necessary and precious. The "former rain," which fell in October, preceded the seedtime, and prepared the earth for cultivation. The "latter rain," which felt in April, filled the ears before harvest, and perfected the fruit. Now, God shall come to Israel in the last days—as he comes to his people in every age—by his Holy Spirit, "as the rain." The rain is refreshing; and so the knowledge which the Spirit imparts comforts the hearts of young converts, and matures the character of experienced Christians. The rainfall is variable; and the coming of the Spirit varies in like manner, according to God's will and our faith. The rain is trouble-giving—it comes amid shadow and gloom, sometimes with thunder and tempest; and so the Spirit often visits the soul by means of deep and painful heart-searchings on account of sin. The rain is fertilizing—its absence would cause dearth and barrenness; so the knowledge of God will make those hearts fruitful which beforetime yielded only thorns and briers (Heb_6:7, Heb_6:8).
CONCLUSION. Although we in this age do not live in the last days of Israel's restoration, the sweet voice of this mutual appeal is for us. We need to stir up our own hearts to exercise the grace of repentance, and to pursue the study of saving knowledge. Some of us perhaps have gone astray into very miry paths, and have been sorely chastised for our sin. Oh for grace to respond to this twofold appeal, that we may know the Lord our Savior as the bright Morning and the genial Rain, and that we may "live in his sight"!—C.J.
Hos_6:4, Hos_6:5
I. GOD'S COMPLAINT REGARDING THE JEWISH PEOPLE. (Hos_6:4) In Eastern lands the sky is often heavily hung with clouds at early dawn; lint, so soon as the sun rises, he begins to suck them up—their many-colored glory quickly fades, and in an hour is time they are gone. In the morning, also, the dewdrops adorn the herbage like myriads of sparkling diamonds; but the first acts of radiation after sunrise dissipate all the jewelry,