Matthew Henry Commentary Hosea 13
Matthew Henry Commentary
Hosea 13
Matthew Henry Commentary
Hosea 13
"When Ephraim spake, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that passeth early away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt know no god but me, and besides me there is no saviour. I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted: therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore am I unto them as a lion; as a leopard will I watch by the way; I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart; and there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast shall tear them." — Hosea 13:1-8 (ASV)
As long as Ephraim maintained a holy fear of God and worshipped Him in that fear, he was very significant. When Ephraim abandoned God and followed idolatry, he declined.
Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves, as a sign of their adoration of them, affection for them, and obedience to them; but the Lord will not give His glory to another, and therefore all who worship images shall be put to shame.
No solid, lasting comfort is to be expected anywhere except in God. God not only took care of the Israelites in the wilderness, He also put them in possession of Canaan, a good land.
But worldly prosperity, when it nourishes human pride, makes people forgetful of God. Therefore, the Lord would confront them in just vengeance, like the most terrible beast that inhabited their forests. Abused goodness calls for greater severity.
"It is thy destruction, O Israel, that [thou art] against me, against thy help. Where now is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I have given thee a king in mine anger, and have taken him away in my wrath. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is laid up in store. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for it is time he should not tarry in the place of the breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the breath of Jehovah coming up from the wilderness; and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall make spoil of the treasure of all goodly vessels. Samaria shall bear her guilt; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword; their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up." — Hosea 13:9-16 (ASV)
Israel had destroyed himself by his rebellion; but he could not save himself, his help was from the Lord only. This may well be applied to the case of spiritual redemption, from that lost state into which all have fallen by willful sins. God often gives in displeasure what we sinfully desire. It is the happiness of the saints, that, whether God gives or takes away, all is in love.
But it is the misery of the wicked, that, whether God gives or takes away, it is all in wrath; nothing is comfortable. Unless sinners repent and believe the gospel, anguish will soon come upon them. The prophecy of the ruin of Israel as a nation, also showed there would be a merciful and powerful interposition of God, to save a remnant of them. Yet this was only a shadow of the ransom of the true Israel, by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He will destroy death and the grave.
The Lord would not repent of his purpose and promise. Yet, in the meantime, Israel would be desolated for her sins. Without fruitfulness in good works, springing from the Holy Spirit, all other fruitfulness will be found as empty as the uncertain riches of the world. The wrath of God will wither its branches, its sprigs shall be dried up, it shall come to nothing.
Woes, more terrible than any from the most cruel warfare, shall fall on those who rebel against God. From such miseries, and from sin, the cause of them, may the Lord deliver us.
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