Charles Spurgeon Commentary Hosea 14:5

"I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon." — Hosea 14:5 (ASV)

I will be as the dew unto Israel:

The dew is God's gift, and so is grace; the dew falls silently, yet copiously, and bedews both the leaf and the root sufficiently. I will be as the dew unto Israel, is a promise to the man of faith, the man of prayer, the man who can endure trial: I will be as the dew unto Israel;

He shall grow as the lily,

It is "the daffodil" in the original; the yellow daffodil, in the East, springs up after a shower where you could not have perceived anything before; yet there is the idea of frailness in that simile, so it is balanced by the next one:

And cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

After you have grown upward, you must grow downward; and growing downward, though it may not be so pleasant, is quite as excellent as growing upward, so the promise to you is, He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

He shall grow as the lily,
Quickly, beautifully, –

And cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

He will be as permanent as he is fair, like a cedar as well as like a lily.

I will be as the dew to Israel:

"Not as at first, not as tempest; but in gentle yet effectual grace, I will visit them. I will be as the dew to Israel:"

He shall grow as the lily,

He shall be as beautiful and fair as the lily, though just now he was black as night.

And cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

"He shall be as stable as he is beautiful. Like old Lebanon, the mighty mountain, which none can shake, so shall this poor sinner be when I have visited him with my love."

I will be as the dew unto Israel:

"When they come back to me, I will refresh them,–softly, sweetly, efficaciously, abundantly, mysteriously, even as the dew refreshes the thirsty earth."

He shall grow as the lily,—

Your souls shall suddenly spring up. As the daffodil-lily springs up almost in a night, and its golden bells speedily appear, so you, who seem so dead, shall grow up adorned with the golden flowers of God's delight in you.

And cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

Fickle as you have been, God's grace will make you stable. You shall have as firm a roothold as a cedar has, and be as fixed as Lebanon himself.

He shall grow as the lily—

That is, upwards, bearing his flowers as near heaven as he can; not groveling as he once did. He shall grow rapidly, as the daffodil lily does, which seems to start up, in the East, after a shower of rain, and come to maturity at once.

Lord, grant that we may bring forth lilies of grace all of a sudden! May there be in us the beauty of holy Christian love which shall come all at once! He shall grow as the lily—

And cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

There will be rapid growth, but sure growth. The lily has frail beauty, but Lebanon has the permanent lasting cedar; and God can make the graces of his people to be as enduring as they are beautiful.