John Calvin Commentary Hosea 4:7

"As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame." — Hosea 4:7 (ASV)

Here the Prophet amplifies the wickedness and impiety of the people by adding this circumstance: that the more bountiful God was to them, indeed, when he poured riches upon them in full abundance, the more perversely they behaved wantonly against him. We have noticed such a complaint before; but the Prophets, we know, did not speak only once about the same thing. When they saw that they accomplished nothing and that the contempt of God still prevailed, they found it necessary to repeat often what they had previously said. Here then, the Prophet accuses the Israelites of having shamefully abused God’s indulgence, of having allowed themselves greater liberty in sinning when God so kindly and liberally treated them.

Some limit this to the priests and think the meaning is that they sinned more against God since he increased the Levitical tribe and added to their wealth. But the Prophet, I have no doubt, meant to include the whole people. Indeed, in the last verse, he separated the crimes of the priests from those of the people, though in the beginning he advanced a general proposition. He now returns to that statement, which is that all, from the highest to the lowest, acted impiously and wickedly against God.

Now we know that the Israelites had increased in number as well as in wealth, for they were prosperous, as has been stated, under the second Jeroboam, and then thought themselves extremely happy because they were filled with every abundance. Therefore, God now shows that they had become worse and less excusable, for they had become so wanton, like a well-fed horse that kicks against its own master—a comparison that even Moses uses in his song (Deuteronomy 32:15). We now see what the Prophet means.

Therefore, when he says כרובם, carubem, according to their multiplying, I explain this not simply as referring to men or to wealth, but to every kind of blessing. For the Lord here, in short, accuses the people of ingratitude, because the more kind and liberal he was to them, the more obstinately they were bent on sinning.

He afterwards adds, Their glory will I turn to shame. He here denounces God’s judgment on proud men, which they did not fear. For men, we know, are blinded by prosperity. And it is the worst kind of drunkenness when we seem to ourselves to be happy. For then we allow ourselves everything that is contrary to God, are deaf to all instruction, and are, in short, completely intractable.

But the Prophet says, I will commute this glory into shame, which means, “There is no reason for them to trust in themselves and foolishly deceive themselves by fixing their eyes on their present splendor; for it is in my power, the Lord says, to change their glory.”

We then see that the Prophet meant here to shake off from the Israelites their vain confidence, for they were accustomed to set up against God their riches, their glory, their power, their horses, and chariots. “This is your boasting; but in my hand and power are adversity and prosperity; yes,” the Lord says, “on me alone depends the changing of glory into shame.”

But at the same time, the Prophet intimates that it could not be that God would thus prostitute his blessings to unworthy men as to swine. For it is a kind of profanation when men are so proud against God while he endures them and spares them.

This principle then applies to all who abuse God’s kindness, for the Lord does not intend for his favor to be profaned in this way.