John Calvin Commentary Hosea 2:18

"And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely." — Hosea 2:18 (ASV)

The Prophet shows here that the people would be in every way happy after their return to God’s favor; and, at the same time, he reminds us that the cause of all evils is that men provoke God’s wrath. Therefore, when God is angry, all things must necessarily be adverse to us; for as God has all creatures at his will and in his hand, he can arm them in vengeance against us whenever he pleases. But when he is favorable to us, he can make all things in heaven and earth contribute to our safety. Just as he often threatens in the Law that when he intended to punish the people, he would make brute animals, the birds of heaven, and all kinds of reptiles execute his judgment, so here he declares that there would be peace for men when he received them into favor.

I will make a covenant, he says, in that day with the beast of the field. We know what is said in another place,

‘If thou shuttest thyself up at home, a serpent shall there bite thee; but if thou goest out of thy house, either a bear or a lion shall meet thee in the way,’ (Amos 5:19);

By these words God shows that we cannot escape his vengeance when he is angry with us, for he will arm lions and bears against us, as well as serpents, both at home and abroad. But he says here, ‘I will make a covenant for them with the beasts;’ so that they may perform their duty towards us, for they were all created, we know, for this purpose—to be subject to men.

Since, then, they were destined for our benefit, they ought, according to their nature, to be subject to us. We know that Adam caused this—that wild beasts rise up so rebelliously against us; for otherwise, they would have willingly and gently obeyed us. Now since there is this horrible disorder, that brute beasts, which ought to acknowledge men as their masters, rage against them, the Lord recalls us here to the first order of nature: I will make a covenant for them, he says, with the beast of the field, which means, “I will make brute animals know for what purpose they were formed, that is, to be subject to the rule of men, and to show no rebellion anymore.”

So now we perceive the Prophet’s intention: he reminds the Israelites that all things were adverse to their safety as long as they were alienated from God; but that when they returned into favor with him, this disorder, which had appeared for a time, would cease. For the regular order of nature would prevail, and brute animals would allow themselves to be brought to obedience. This is the covenant of which the Prophet now speaks when he says, I will make a covenant for them, that is, in their name, with the beast of the field, and with the bird of heaven, and with the reptile of the earth.

It follows, I will shatter the bow, and the sword, and the battle, that is, every warlike instrument; for under the word מלחמה (milchamah), the Prophet includes everything adapted for war. Therefore, “I will shatter” every kind of weapon “in that day, and make them dwell securely.” In the last clause, he expresses the purpose for which the weapons and swords were to be shattered—that the Israelites, previously troubled by various fears, might dwell in peace and no longer fear any danger. This is the meaning.

But it is fitting for us to call to mind what we have said before: that the Prophet speaks of the people’s restoration in such a way that he extends his predictions to the kingdom of Christ, as we may learn from Paul’s testimony already cited. So we see that God’s favor, of which the Prophet now speaks, is not restricted to a short time or to a few years but extends to Christ’s kingdom and is what we have in common with the ancient people.

Let us therefore know that if we do not provoke God against us by our sins, all things will contribute to our safety, and that it is our fault when creatures do not obey us. For when we rebel against God, it is no wonder that brute animals should become fierce and rage against us. For what peace can there be when we carry on war against God himself?

Therefore, if men were to submit to God’s authority, as they ought, there would be no rebellion in brute animals; indeed, all who are turbulent would gently rest under God’s protection. But as we are arrogant towards God, he justly punishes us by stirring up various conflicts and disturbances against us. This, then, is why swords are prepared against us, why bows are prepared against us, and why wars are stirred up against us: all this is because we continue to fight against God.

Furthermore, it must be noted that it is a special benefit for a people to dwell in security. For we know that though we may possess all other things, our condition is miserable unless we live in peace; therefore, the Prophet mentions this as the pinnacle of a happy life.