October 1927
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the arras? (Hos. 11:3. Cf. Isa. 41:10, 13; Jude 24.) Does He still draw men with the same bands of love? (Hos. 11:4. Cf. Jn. .6: 44; 12:32.) What yoke' of bondage has He taken away from Christians through the death of Christ? (Hos. 11:4. Cf. Gal. 5:1.) What does God say to His backslidden children today? (Hos. 14:4. Cf. 1 Jn. 1:9.) • . . . . . ' What happens if they persist in back sliding? (1 Cor. 11:32.) G o l d e n T e x t I l l u s t r a t io n I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6). A clever painter in London once exhib ited a piece representing a priest going through his devotional exercises. View ing the painting at a distance, one would think the priest to be in a praying atti tude. His hands were clasped and held to his breast. His eyes looked up toward the ceiling. He appeared to be quite ab sorbed in humble adoration and devout recollection. Taking a nearer survey, one discovered that the book which seemed to be before .him was a'bowl. Between his upraised hands was a lemon, the juice of which he was squeezing into the bowl. His eyes were watching a moth near the ceiling. What a repre sentation of the man who merely, goes through the forms of worship but bears in his life none of the fruit of the Spirit. The burnt offerings of the Israelites were appointed of God, but when the offerings became mere empty ceremonies, and the people had lost all knowledge of what God requires, they were a stench in God’s nostrils. —o— 'T'HE personal history of Hosea, the prophet, especially prepared him for the great message of sympathy and love which he delivered. It is quite probable and likewise the international situation. It seems that he became the successor of Amos, who prophesied during the powerful reign of Jeroboam II and the years of upheaval in the kingdom which followed the death of that monarch. Hosea’s personal life was a living, symbolical testimony to God’s unchange able love for Israel (Mai. 3:6). In obe dience to the divine command he mar ried an adulterous woman by the name of Gomer, who bore him a son whom he named Jezreel. The presence of little Jezreel was a living testimony to the fact that “I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.” Gomer likewise bore a daughter to the prophet, to whom he gave the name Lo-ruhamah, the significance of which name is “I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them.” Again, she bore another son to him, whom he named Lo-ammi, the significance of his name being J(Ye are not my people.” It seems that this wife left the prophet that he was a man of wealth, rank and wide culture. It seems that he lived in Samaria, the pleasure-1 o v i n g capital of the North ern Kingdom. From his writings it is clear that h e understood th e internal condi tions of the kingdom
and went back to her former manner of life until the prophet brought her back to himself and kept her in seclusion. The wife and children served as types of Israel and of its disloyalty to God Whom they had forsaken for the Baalim. Her forgiveness and restoration to the position as wife especially typifies Israel’s repentance and restoration to the favor of God in the latter days (Hos. 3:4, 5). V. 1. “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” The beginning of Israel’s his tory is spoken of as the childhood of the race. Jacob, with seventy souls, went down into Egypt in the year 2298 A.H. (the A.H. dates are counted from Adam forward) and remained there for a period of 215 years. (The rendering of Ex. 12: 40, 41 in the King James Version is to be preferred to its rendering in the Re vised Version, since by actual count from other data supplied, Israel was there only 215 years.) During this period of sojourn the tribe developed into a nation estimated approximately at three million souls. The “Pharaoh who',, knew not Joseph” oppressed' Israel, who cried to God and was heard by Him. In response to their cry God sent a fully attested deliverer in the person of Moses, who, by the* power of God, wrought the mir acles and signs recorded in the Book of Exodus, and brought them out of Egyp tian bondage. Symbolically, Pharaoh, with his persecution of Israel, typified Satan and his inveterate hatred against Israel; Moses, the accredited messenger from God, likewise typified Christ, Who delivers us from the bondage of sin when we accept Him. When Herod the Great sought to de stroy Jesus, Joseph, (the supposed father of Jesus) fled to Egypt with the babe of Bethlehem and His mother. Upon the death of Herod he brought the mother and child out of Egypt and went and dwelt in Nazareth of Galilee. Matthew (2:15) applies Christ’s departure from Egypt as a fulfillment of our passage. God called Israel, His son, out of Egypt, which deliverance typified the coming forth out of Egypt of Jesus Christ, His Son. V. 2. “The more the prophets called them, the more they went from them." The Word of God is a “savor o f life unto life; and of death unto death.” To. those who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, the Word of God is,' indeed, ' precious p to those, however, whose hearts do not yearn for God but are indifferent to spiritual influences, the Word becomes a savor of death unto death. Zechariah in preaching to the returned exiles used the Israelites, who lived prior to' the captivity as an example of warning to those of an indifferent attitude toward the religious life (Zech. 7:8-12). “They sacrificed unto the Baal im, and burned incense to graven images." Notwithstanding the spiritual advantages that Israel had, she was prone to for sake “Him, the Fount of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cis terns, that can hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). To us it seems strange that Israel, after having enjoyed the privilege of seeing so many evidences of God’s power in their entire history, would forget Him so very quickly and worship idols. The real secret of their frequent lapses to idolatry is to be found in Psa. 106:35-38. In this passage two reasons are assigned: first, “They mingled with the Canaanitish people and LEARNED their works;
whereas they were instructed not to mingle with them but to be most diligent in teaching the word of God to their children” (Deut. 6:4-9) )', secondly, de mons, the powers of the air, over which Satan is prince (Eph. 2:1-3), took advan tage of their disobedience and ignorance of .the Word and influenced them to en gage in idolatry. Today Satan takes advantage of the people who mingle with the world and who neglect the study of the Word, and leads them off into cults and isms which are manifestly under the influence and power of Satan (1 Tim. 4:1-3). V. 3. “Yet I taught Ephraim to walk." As a loving parent teaches his child to walk, holding it and preventing its falling and sustaining injury, thus God Himself is taking care of Ephraim. (Ephraim was the name of one of Joseph’s sons, the descendants of whom became the most powerful tribe in the Northern Kingdom.) God today is a father to everyone who accepts Jesus, and He like wise endeavors to teach us to walk, pro tecting us from harm and danger. “I took them by their arms;/ but they knew not that I healed them.” - As a loving mother takes a child into her arms, caress ing and loving it, thus God had dealt very graciously and kindly with the people of the Northern Kingdom, but they little realized His divine love and protection. They did not realize that He “healed them.”*'. It is God Who heals all of our diseases (Psa. 103:3). It is He Who works together all things for good to those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). V. 4. “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.” ", In 10:11 the prophet compared Ephraim to an unruly heifer which had to be controlled by stout ropes; but here he uses a much milder figure— “cords of a man," such cords as had to be used upon men ;• “bands of love,” which figure expresses the idea iof the greatest gentleness and tenderness in God’s dealing with them in His at tempt to lead them closer to Himself. The same thought is expressed in Heb. 12:4-11. God wishes to draw them to Himself with cords, that is, such means as are necessary in dealing with men who have the power of choice. In some instances He has to use drastic means to bring them to their senses; whenever possible, He uses love. “I was to them as they that lift up the yoke on their jaws; and I laid food before them." Re verting to the figure of a heifer or ox, the prophet speaks of himself as one who dealt kindly with his dumb animal, lifting the yoke and preventing any injury that might be sustained by a galling yoke. This language simply means that God was very careful in permitting different events and circumstances coming into their lives. This parental care and pro tection is set forth under the symbolism of a good shepherd and of a faithful host in Psa. 23. Vs. 5-7. These verses are omitted from the lesson text, but they speak of the inevitable punishment which must be meted out to the backsliding nation (cf. Amos 4 and Jer. 3). V. 8. “How shall I give thee up, Ephraimf How shall / cast thee off, Israel? How shall I make thee as Ad- mah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim?" Notwithstanding Israel’s perpetual back- slidings, God was most loath to give them up. Humanly speaking, the thought of casting them pff, even temporarily, rent His heart. This reluctance to give
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