9<\/strong>. And now in order radically to cure the Israelites of this error (viz. that their good things have come from the Baals) the people are for a time to be deprived of these blessings.<\/p>\n return and take away<\/em> ] Rather, take back again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n my corn<\/em> my wine<\/em> my wool<\/em> my flax<\/em> ] For though Israel may speak, as in Hos 2:7<\/em><\/span>, of ‘ my<\/em> bread and my<\/em> water,’ these things were really the property of Jehovah, who could withdraw them at any moment, even in the ‘time’ or season of the corn and the new wine, when the husbandman was counting implicitly on the harvest and the vintage.<\/p>\n recover<\/em> ] Or, rescue<\/strong>, viz. from the misuse to which these gifts would be put by the idolaters.<\/p>\n given to cover her nakedness<\/em> ] Thus reminding Israel that in her natural condition she was utterly helpless and destitute. Comp. Eze 16:8<\/span>, which evidently alludes to this passage.<\/p>\n Therefore I will return – <\/B>God is, as it were, absent from men, when He lets them go on in their abuse of His gifts. His judgments are far above out of their sight. He returns to them, and His presence is felt in chastisements, as it might have been in mercies. He is not out of sight or out of mind, then. Others render it, I will turn, i. e. I will do other than before; I will turn from love to displeasure, from pouring out benefits to the infliction of chastisements, from giving abundance of all things to punishing them with the want of all things.<\/P> I will take away My corn in the time thereof – <\/B>God shows us that His gifts come from Him, either by giving them when we almost despair of them, or taking them away, when they are all but ours. It can seem no chance, when He so doeth. The chastisement is severer also, when the good things, long looked-for, are, at the last, taken out of our very hands, and that, when there is no remedy. If in harvest-time there be dearth, what afterward! God taketh away all, that they who knew not the Giver through abundance, might know Him through want.<\/P> And will recover My wool – <\/B>God recovers, and, as it were, delivers the works of His Hands from serving the ungodly. While He leaves His creatures in the possession of the wicked, they are holden, as it were, in captivity, being kept back from their proper uses, and made the handmaidens and instruments and tempters to sin. God made His creatures on earth to serve man, that man, on occasion of them, might glorify Him. It is against the order of nature, to use Gods gifts to any other end, short of Gods glory much more, to turn Gods gifts against Himself, and make them serve to pride or luxury or sensual sin. It is a bondage, as it were, to them. Whence of them also Paul saith, The creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly; and, all creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now Rom 8:20<\/span>, Rom 8:22<\/span>. Penitents have felt this. They have felt that they deserve no more that the sun should shine on them, or the earth sustain them, or the air support them, or wine refresh them, or food nourish them, since all these are the creatures and servants of the God whom themselves have offended, and they themselves deserve no more to be served by Gods servants, since they have rebelled against their common Master, or to use even rightly what they have abused against the will of their Creator.<\/P> My flax – <\/B>Given to cover her nakedness, i. e. which God had given to that end. Shame was it, that, covered with the raiment which God had given her to hide her shame, she did deeds of shame. The white linen garments of her priests also were symbols of that purity, which the Great high priest should have and give. Now, withdrawing those gifts, He gave them up to the greatest visible shame, such as insolent conquerors, in leading a people into captivity, often inflicted upon them. Thereby, in act, was figured that loss of the robe of righteousness, heavenly grace, wherewith God beautifies the soul, whereof when it is stripped, it is indeed foul.<\/P> <\/p>\n Hos 2:9<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore will I return.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Changes in Gods ways with us<\/strong><\/p>\n Therefore will I return, that is, I will change the way of My administrations toward them; I will go out of My way of mercy, and turn into My way of judgment; I will go back again. I will take away My corn in the time thereof. That is in the very time of harvest and vintage. And will recover My wool. I will snatch it away; I will spoil you of it. I will recover it out of the hands of usurpers. Or those creatures, corn, wine, wool, are now in bondage to you, and I will recover them out of your hands. Observe–<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Though God gives mercy out of free grace without cause in ourselves, yet He takes not away mercy without cause.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Sin causes God to change the way of His administrations towards His people.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Abuse of mercy causes the removing of mercy.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>God keeps the propriety of all that we have.<\/p>\n 5. <\/strong>The taking away the good things which we enjoy is a means Of making us return to God.<\/p>\n 6. <\/strong>There is an uncertainty in all things in the world; though they promise fair, yet they are ready to fail us when they promise most.<\/p>\n 7. <\/strong>God often shows His displeasure to those who provoke Him, when they are at the greatest height of prosperity.<\/p>\n 8. <\/strong>When men abuse mercies, they forfeit their right in those mercies.<\/p>\n 9. <\/strong>All the time the creature serves wicked men, it is in bondage, and God looks upon it with pity.<\/p>\n 10.<\/strong> God gives His blessings to us, not for luxury, but for necessity,<\/p>\n 11.<\/strong> When abundance is abused, it is just with God that we should want necessaries. (Jeremiah Burroughs.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n And take away My corn<\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Blessings unimproved resumed by their owner<\/strong><\/p>\n Two subjects for reflection; the goodness of God, and the wickedness of man. The Jews were fair specimens of human nature.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Unconscious instrumentality. This takes in what we call nature.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Voluntary instrumentality. Our fellow-creatures may do us good in a thousand ways. They act knowingly and freely in relieving us, and display the noblest principles of their nature. But here God has higher claims; for who placed these friends and benefactors in our way?<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Personal instrumentality. Few of the good things of life are obtained without some exertions of our own. Indeed, if they were, they would not be half so sweet. But from whom have we derived our natural talents? Whose providence fixed us in a situation favourable to our efforts?<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Ignorance. God does much more good in the world than is ever known. He has done us all countless acts of kindness of which we have never been aware. There are two kinds of knowledge, speculative and practical. The former is nothing without the latter; it is no better than ignorance.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Perversion. Instead of using Gods gifts in the service and for the glory of God, we appropriate them to the use of idols. This is worse than the former, as indifference is exceeded by insult. What would you feel more provoking than for a man to borrow of you, in order to publish a libel upon your character? Is not God perpetually thus affronted and dishonoured?<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>We see how precarious everything earthly is.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>God withdraws our comforts as well as gives them.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>God does not relinquish His propriety in any of His blessings when He bestows them. Still they are His. When He comes for them He comes but to resume.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>He often removes our blessings and comforts when they seem most attractive and most necessary, when their loss is least expected, and we are rejoicing to see them flourish.<\/p>\n 5. <\/strong>God does not deprive us of our enjoyments without a cause. It is our non-improvement, it is our abuse of our mercies that endangers them.<\/p>\n 6. <\/strong>His conduct, in the removal of our joys, looks forward as well as backward. He punishes, not for our destruction but advantage, and the very consequences of sin are made to cure. While this subject leads us to magnify the Lord, it should afford instruction and encouragement to those who are afflicted. No affliction will ever do us good unless it excite in us both fear and hope. The day of trouble is a period peculiarly eventful and important. Salvation or destruction may hinge upon it. (William Jay.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Forfeited blessings<\/strong><\/p>\n The goodness of God and the ingratitude of man meet us everywhere, and in our own hearts are as prominent as in the world.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>There is nature.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>There is human instrumentality.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>There is personal exertion. It is the Lord thy God giveth thee power to get wealth.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Ignorance.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Perversion.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>God reminds us that our mercies are only lent.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>God only allots them to us on the condition of using them rightly. (Homilist.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Gods gifts taken away<\/strong><\/p>\n God shews us that His gifts come from Him, either by giving them when we almost despair of them, or taking them away, when they are all but ours. It can seem no chance when He so doeth. The chastisement is severer also, when the good things, long looked for, are at the last taken out of our very hands, and that, when there is no remedy. Recover My wool. God recovers and, as it were, delivers the works of His hands from serving the ungodly. While He leaves His creatures in the possession of the wicked, they are holden, as it were, in captivity, being kept back from their proper uses, and made the hand maidens and instruments and tempters to sin. It is against the order of nature to use Gods gifts to any other end short of Gods glory, much more, to turn Gods gifts against Himself, and make them serve to pride, or luxury, or sensual sin. <\/em>(E. B. Pusey, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Necessaries of life withheld<\/strong><\/p>\n So full and continual are our mercies that we are prone to forget the Giver in the enjoyment of the gift, until a voice of sternness calls us home. I heard recently of a young student at college, who became so interested in sports and other things that he neglected to write to his parents. The mother became exceedingly anxious and wanted the father to go to the city and learn the cause. But the father found a simpler method. The supply of money was withheld, and very soon a letter came. Even so, God sometimes withholds from us the very necessaries of life until we learn that while He is willing to supply our needs, He earnestly desires our fellowship. As in the case of the prodigal, He permits a mighty famine in the land where we are feeding swine, in order to bring us to the home table, where His bounty is spread. (Good Tidings.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Gods discipline<\/strong><\/p>\n Trees, if the roots run too deep into the earth, must be cut shorter; if the branches spread too far, they must be lopped; and if canker or caterpillar once infest, and cleave to them, then they must be blazed and smoked. Thus, the children of God, when they be too much rooted by their affections in the things of this world, and with great and large boughs of their ability, wrong and impoverish their poor neighbour, or let their money like the canker eat into their souls–God will give them many a cutting, lopping, and fumigating; and as they cannot but naturally do tile one, so God, intending to heal them spiritually, will do the other; His care will be still for them, notwithstanding their several failings. (J. Spencer.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Verse 9<\/span>. Therefore will I return, and take away<\/B><\/I>] In the course of my providence, I will withhold those benefits which she has prostituted to her idolatrous services. And I will neither give the land rain, nor fruitful seasons.<\/P> <\/p>\n Therefore, <\/B>because I was not acknowledged nor served as the giver, <\/P> will I return:<\/B> much after the manner of man doth God speak; he had left large blessings behind him among this people, but their sottish ingratitude provokes him to resolutions of returning and seizing of all. <\/P> Take away; <\/B>take into my hands, or resume all I give, for all given was mine still; God never gives away his right. <\/P> My corn; <\/B>it was hers while thankfully received and rightly used, but want of these forfeit that right, and the propriety reverts to God. See Hos 2:8<\/span>. <\/P> In the time thereof; <\/B>either when they should gather it in, as being ripe, or when they need it, and should use it. All they enjoy is mine, but since they so use me as to serve Baal by it, I will either take all away from them, or make all useless to them. When I take away my wool and my flax, she shall appear shamefully naked, not having one rag of her own. <\/P> <\/p>\n 9. my corn . . . my wool . . . myflax<\/B>in contrast to “my<\/I> bread . . . my<\/I> wool. . . my<\/I> flax,” (Ho2:5<\/span>). Compare also Ho2:21-23<\/span>, on God as the great First Cause giving these throughsecondary instruments in nature. “Return, and take away,”is equivalent to, “I will take back again,” namely, bysending storms, locusts, Assyrian enemies, &c. “Therefore,”that is, because she did not acknowledge Me as the Giver. <\/P> in the time thereof<\/B>inthe harvest-time.<\/P><\/p>\n Therefore will I return, and take away<\/strong>,…. Or, “take away again” k; an usual Hebraism:<\/p>\n my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof<\/strong>; for though these are the gifts of God to men for their use, and to dispose of for the good of others; yet he retains his property in them, and can and will call them to an account for their stewardship; and, when he pleases, take away both their office, and the good things they were intrusted with, not making a right use of them; and this he does in his own appointed time and season, or at such a time when these are at the best, and the greatest good is expected from them, and which therefore is the more afflictive; as in the time of harvest and vintage, so Kimchi, when corn and grapes are fully ripe; or, as the Targum, in the time of the corn being on the floor, and of the pressure of the wine:<\/p>\n and will recover my wool, and my flax<\/strong>, given “to cover her nakedness”; or, “I will take away”; by force and violence, as out of the hands of thieves, and robbers, and usurpers, who have no right to them, being forfeited; these were given to cover her nakedness, but not to deck herself with for the honour of her idols, or to cherish pride and superstition; see Mt 23:5<\/span> these were all taken away when the Romans came and took away their place and nation, Joh 11:48<\/span>. The Septuagint and Arabic versions give the sense as if these were taken,<\/p>\n that they might not cover her nakedness<\/strong>, or “shame”; but that it might be exposed, as follows:<\/p>\n k “iterum capiam”, Drusius; “recipiam”, Liveleus.<\/p>\n “Therefore will I take back my corn at its time, and my must at its season, and tear away my wool and my flax for the covering of her nakedness.” <\/em> Because Israel had not regarded the blessings it received as gifts of its God, and used them for His glory, the Lord would take them away from it. are to be connected, so that has the force of an adverb, not however in the sense of simple repetition, as it usually does, but with the idea of return, as in Jer 12:15<\/span>, viz., to take again = to take back. “My corn,” etc., is the corn, the must, which I have given. “At its time,” i.e., at the time when men expect corn, new wine, etc., viz., at the time of harvest, when men feel quite sure of receiving or possessing it. If God suddenly takes away the gifts then, not only is the loss more painfully felt, but regarded as a punishment far more than when they have been prepared beforehand for a bad harvest by the failure of the crop. Through the manner in which God takes the fruits of the land away from the people, He designs to show them that He, and not Baal, is the giver and the taker also. The words “to cover her nakedness” are not dependent upon , but belong to , and are simply a more concise mode of saying, “Such serve, or are meant, to cover her nakedness.” They serve to sharpen the threat, by intimating that if God withdraw His gifts, the nation will be left in utter penury and ignominious nakedness ( ervah <\/em>, pudendum <\/em>).<\/p>\n It now follows Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in its time, and my new wine in its stated time. Here, again, the Prophet shows that God was, by extreme necessity, constrained to take vengeance on an ungodly and irreclaimable people. He makes known how great was the hardness of the people, and then adds, “What now remains, but to deprive those who have been so ungrateful to me of all their blessings?” It is, indeed, more than base for men to enjoy the gifts of God and to despise the giver; yea, to exalt his creatures to his place, and to reduce, as it were, all his authority to nothing. This the superstitious indeed do, for they thrust God from his pre-eminence, and insult his glory. Will God, in the meantime, so throw away his blessings as to suffer them to be profaned by the ungodly, and himself to be thus mocked with impunity? We now then see the object of the Prophet; for God here shows that there was no other remedy, but to deprive the Israelites of all their gifts: he had indeed enriched them, but they had abused all their abundance. It was therefore necessary to reduce them to extreme want, that they might no longer pollute God’s gifts which ought to be held sacred by us. <\/p>\n And he uses a very suitable word; for נצל natsal means properly, to pluck away, to set free. I will by force take away, he says, my wool and my flax. It seems, indeed, to denote an unjust possession, as when one takes away by force from the hand of a robber what he unjustly possesses, or as when any one rescues wretched men from the power of a tyrant. So God now speaks, ‘I will pluck away my gifts from these men who basely and unjustly pollute them.’ <\/p>\n And he adds, to cover her nakedness ערוה, orue, properly, though not simply, means nakedness: it is the nakedness of the uncomely parts. Moses calls any indecorous part of the body ערוה, orue, and so it means what is uncomely. This word we ought carefully to notice; for God here shows, that except he denudes idolaters, they will ever continue obstinate. How so? Because they use coverings for their baseness. While the ungodly enjoy their triumphs in the world, they regard them as veils drawn over them, so that nothing base or disgraceful can be seen in them. The same is the case with great kings and monarchs; they think that the eyes of all are dazzled by their splendour; and hence it is, that they are so audaciously dissolute. They think their own filth to be fine odour: such is the arrogance of the world. It is even so with the superstitious; when God is indulgent to them, they think that they have coverings. When, therefore, they abandon themselves to any kind of wickedness, they regard it as if it were a holy thing. How so? Because, whatever obscene thing is in them, it is covered by prosperity. When God observes such madness as this in men, can he do otherwise than pluck away his blessings, that such a pollution may not continually prevail? For it is an abuse extremely gross, that when God’s blessings are so many images of his glory, and when his paternal goodness shines forth even towards the ungodly, the world should convert them to a purpose wholly contrary, and make them as coverings for themselves, that they may conceal their own baseness, and more freely sin and carry on war against God himself. Hence he says, “That they may no longer cover their baseness, I will pluck away whatever I have bestowed on them.” <\/p>\n When he says, I will take away the corn and wine in its time, and in its stated time, he alludes, I have no doubt, to the time of harvest and vintage; as though he said, “The harvest will come, the vintage will come: there has been hitherto great fruitfulness; but I will show that the earth and all its fruits are subject to my will. Though, then, the Israelites are now full, and have their storehouses well furnished, they shall know that I rule over the harvest and the vintage, when the stated time shall come.” Now, the Spirit of God denounced this punishment early, that the Israelites, if reclaimable, might return to a right course. But as their blindness was so great that they despised all that had been said to them, no excuse remained for them. It now follows — <\/p>\n ISRAELS INGRATITUDESHAME REVEALED<\/p>\n TEXT: Hos. 2:9-13<\/span><\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n Therefore will I take back my grain in the time thereof, and my new wine in the season thereof, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.<\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n And now will I uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of my hand.<\/p>\n 11<\/p>\n I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.<\/p>\n 12<\/p>\n And I will lay waste her vines and her fig-trees, whereof she hath said, These are my hire that my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.<\/p>\n 13<\/p>\n And I will visit upon her the days of the Baalim, unto which she burned incense, when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith Jehovah.<\/p>\n QUERIES<\/strong><\/p>\n a.<\/p>\n How will Jehovah uncover the lewdness of Israel?<\/p>\n b.<\/p>\n How would Israels vines and fig-trees become a forest?<\/p>\n c.<\/p>\n Who is the Baalim?<\/p>\n PARAPHRASE<\/strong><\/p>\n And so, because Israel refused to acknowledge Me as Giver of all her abundance, I will more clearly manifest Myself as Giver by taking away my grain and my wool and my flax just at the time when men feel quite sure of harvesting it. This abundance which I gave her is the only thing that kept her from utter destitution and complete barness. Now when I take away the veneer of material prosperity I will expose her to disgrace, miserableness and shame before her idol-paramours and none of her idols shall deliver her from this disgrace which I bring upon her. I, Jehovah, will stop all the feasts, holy seasons and sabbaths from which she gets such joy and festiveness. I will take all her vines and fig-trees, from which she gets her delicacies, which she says are blessings gained from worshipping idols, and unattended and uncultivated they shall become like forests where the beasts of the field roam and graze. Inasmuch as she claimed to be wise she became a fool and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles, therefore I will give her up in the lusts of her heart to the consequences of the life of sin she has lived in worshipping and serving the Baals. She dressed and groomed herself immodestly and consorted promiscuously with these idols and spurned My love.<\/p>\n SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n Because Israel has not regarded the material blessings she received as gifts of Jehovah God, and has not used them for His glory, Jehovah will take them away and her folly in worshipping idols will be exposed; she will be disgraced before her false gods.<\/p>\n COMMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n Hos. 2:9<\/span> THEREFORE WILL I TAKE BACK MY GRAIN IN THE TIME THEREOF . . . Just at the time when they would expect to normally reap the regular harvest of grain, wool and flex, God would take it away. At this time the absence of the crops would be all the more significant and striking and thus more clearly the work of Jehovah. K & D say, If God suddenly takes away the gifts then, not only is the loss more painfully felt, but regarded as a punishment far more than when they have been prepared beforehand for a bad harvest by the failure of the crop. Since they did not acknowledge Him as Giver when He gave these crops, He will manifest Himself more clearly as such in taking them away! Their material prosperity was a thin veneer covering up the shame and disgrace in which the nation was actually engaged at this time. Take away the material prosperity and what is leftnothing but decadence, weakness, folly. There is no moral fibre in the nation; there is no truth or justice. So, when God takes away the outward appearance of well-being which covers her nakedness, her shame will be exposed.<\/p>\n Hos. 2:10<\/span> . . . I WILL UNCOVER HER LEWDNESS IN THE SIGHT OF HER LOVERS . . . The hypocrisy, weakness, decadence will be fully exposed even to her lovers. The word translated lewdness means literally, wicked folly or sexual depravity. As soon as God strips the veil of prosperity off their sin, and her folly is apparent, even her lovers will despise her. Her lovers are the heathen gods (idols) she worshipped. We wonder why Hosea personifies an idol as a lover. An idol may be loved, but does an idol love? If not, to what purpose is the uncovering of Israels lewdness in the sight of her lovers? Could it be that Israels folly or lewdness will be exposed to the demon-spirits who are persons associated with idols (cf. 1Co. 10:18-22<\/span>)? When one worships an idol there is more involved than doing obeisance to a piece of wood or stone! Idol worship (it makes no difference what the idol may be; whether an object or a philosophy), involves worshipping the god of this world, Satan and his demonic hosts! Yes, Israel, stripped of her false power and wealth, brought low, will be despised even by the Devil and his demons whom they formerly worshipped and trusted! Some commentators believe her lovers to be heathen nations with whom she made alliances (esp. Assyria),<\/p>\n Hos. 2:11<\/span> I WILL ALSO CAUSE ALL HER MIRTH TO CEASE, HER FEASTS . . . NEW MOONS . . . SABBATHS . . . SOLEMN ASSEMBLIES, It appears that even though Israel worshipped idols she still retained the outward formalities of Jehovistic worship such as feasts, new moons and sabbaths. Even while disobeying God they kept enough of the outward forms to soothe their consciences. Evidently they regarded these days and kept them in a very festive, merry-making, mood. God will cause all this revelry and merry-making to cease. There will be no more such gatherings for sensual indulgence.<\/p>\n Hos. 2:12<\/span> . . . I WILL LAY WASTE HER VINES AND FIG-TREES . . . AND . . . MAKE THEM A FOREST . . . The vine and the fig-tree are the finest productions of Canaan and afford the choicest delicacies (cf. Joe. 1:7-12<\/span>). Israels paths to superficial pleasure must be barricaded; her diversionary interests must be obscured; the objects of her indulgences must be removed. Her own stupidity will mock her in her remorse. That which she said were payments from her idols for the worship and adoration she accorded them, God would make desolate and ruined. Her vineyards and fig-tree orchards would be left unattended after the captivity and become overgrown with brush and weeds like a forest and the beasts of the field would tramp through them grazing.<\/p>\n Hos. 2:13<\/span> AND I WILL VISIT UPON HER THE DAYS OF THE BAALIM, UNTO WHICH SHE BURNED INCENSE . . . Baalim is the plural of Baal. There were many Baals; Baal-berith, Lord of covenants or oaths; Baal-zebub, Lord of flies; Baal-Peor, Lord of sin. In our Paraphrase we used phrasing from the first chapter of Romans because we feel this is what Hosea means. The Israelites had so joined themselves to these idols, they became like them. Hosea specifically says so in Hos. 9:10<\/span>, But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to Baal, and became detestable like the thing they loved. When man, by the exercise of his own free will, refuses to have God in his knowledge and exchanges the truth of God for a lie and worships the creature rather than the Creator, God can do nothing else but give man up to serve these evil passions and natures. Paul wrote that when men take pleasure in unrighteousness and have no love for the truth, God sends them a strong delusion, that they may believe a lie, if that is what they want (2Th. 2:10-12<\/span>). The very evil, wickedness, depravity and foolishness which was represented by the Baalim they worshipped would be visited upon them in all its foulness and ugliness and self-destructiveness! Such was the actual case of both Israel (in 721 B.C.) and Judah (in 586 B.C.). Anarchy, treason, murder, theivery, crimes of sexual passion were rampant in the last days of these two nations (and in many nations since). If a nation or a people sows the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind! If a nation plays with fire it will get burned! In Jeremiahs day society was so corrupt one could not trust his neighbor, his brother, not even those of his own household (cf. Jer. 9:36; Jer. 20:10<\/span>). Let every nation and every individual beware of the vicious circle of ignorance of God which leads to sin and depravity which in turn leads to deeper darkness and ignorance and then to deeper sin! Only if we fellowship (share) with God and the Light which He alone gives may we be freed from falsehood and sin (cf. Joh. 8:12-38<\/span>; 1Jn. 1:5-10<\/span>; 1Jn. 2:1-11<\/span>).<\/p>\n QUIZ<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.<\/p>\n What bearing would the time of Gods withdrawal of crops have on Israel?<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n Who were the lovers of Israel?<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n What connection does Israels mirth have to her feasts, sabbaths?<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n How important were vines and fig-trees to Israel?<\/p>\n 5.<\/p>\n In what way did God visit upon Israel the days of the Baalim?<\/p>\n (9) Therefore will I return, and take<\/strong> . . .The Hebrew form of saying, Therefore I will take back.<\/em> Jehovah resumes all that had been misappropriated. The king of Assyria (Tiglath-pileser, 734 B.C.) was the agency whereby this was to be accomplished. (Comp. Isa. 10:5<\/span>.) The raiment (wool and flax) was Jehovahs gift to cover her nakedness, i.e.,<\/em> to meet the actual necessities of Israel. This He will tear away, and the idol-gods whom she has courted shall see her prostration, and their own helplessness to deliver or relieve.<\/p>\n “Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.’<\/p>\n So because she had failed to recognise that it was YHWH Who had given her all her good things, and had given the silver and gold that resulted from it to Baal, He would now take them away from her. The land would become such that it no longer produced grain when it was expected, or new wine at its appointed time. Nature would be thrown out of rhythm (so much for the effectiveness of Baal, the nature god), and she would have no wool and no flax to cover her nakedness.<\/p>\n Hos 2:9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax [given] to cover her nakedness.<\/p>\n Ver. 9. Therefore will I return<\/strong> ] i.e.<\/em> I will alter my course, change my stand, change the way of mine administrations, deal otherwise with them than yet I have done: they shall bear their iniquities, and know my breach of promise, as Num 14:34<\/span> ; they shall know the worth of mine abused mercies by the want of them another while. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early,” Hos 5:15<\/span> . Finally, I will cut them short of alimony, and hold them to strait allowance; and then I shall be sure to hear them howling upon their beds for grain and wine, Hos 7:14<\/span> , as dogs do that are tied up, and cannot come at their meat. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And take away my corn and my wine<\/strong> ] Those precious fruits of the earth, as St James calleth them, Jas 5:7<\/span> , the product of God’s great care, from year’s end to year’s end, Deu 11:12<\/span> , without which the earth could not yield her increase: neither would there be a vein for the silver, a mine for the gold, iron taken out of the earth, or brass molten out of the stone, Job 28:2<\/span> . All that we have is his, in true account, and he is the great proprietor who only can say (as he in the Gospel), “May not I do what I will with mine own?” Mat 20:15<\/span> . And what should he sooner and rather do than take away food from his child that mars it? If fulness breed forgetfulness (as the fed hawk forgets his master, and as the full moon gets farthest off from the sun), so men, when they have all things at the full, forget God, and wickedly depart from him, what can he do less than forget them (that so they may remember themselves), and make fat Jeshurun look with lean cheeks, that they may leave kicking, and learn righteousness? Deu 32:15 Isa 26:9<\/span> . Neither doth God do this till greatly provoked, till there is a cause for it, therefore I will return. He may well say, as that Roman emperor did, when he was to pronounce sentence of death, Non nisi coactus,<\/em> I am even compelled to it, there is no other remedy, 2Ch 36:16<\/span> . As a woman brings not forth but with pain; and as a bee stings not, but provoked: so here, Ille dolet quoties cogitur esse ferox,<\/em> he afflicteth not willingly, nor grieves the children of men, Lam 3:33<\/span> . It is sin that maketh him return, as here; that puts him out of his road of mercy into ways of iudgment, that putteth thunderbolts into his hand, and maketh him “do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act,” Isa 28:21<\/span> . What can a prince do less than disarm a rebel? what can God do less than take away his own and be gone from such an impudent adulteress, as is here described? should he allowr her with his grain “to make cakes to the queen of heaven,” Jer 7:18<\/span> , and to pour ou this wine for drink offerings to other gods, that they might provoke him to anger? No: rather than so, he will – <\/p>\n <\/p>\n take away the corn in the time thereof, and his wine in the season thereof<\/strong> ] He will cut off the meat from their very mouths, Joe 1:16<\/span> , and pull their morsel from between their teeth. Just at harvest, when their grain is to be harvested, God will blast it, or otherwise blow upon it; when all their old store is spent, and they reckoned upon a good recruit, they shall be defeated and frustrated. “Therefore hath God watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us,” saith Daniel, Dan 9:14<\/span> . Lo, God watcheth his time when to be even with his enemies: and taketh his fittest opportunity for their greater mischief. They that are wicked overmuch shall die before their time, Ecc 7:17<\/span> . Not before God’s time (for stat sua cuique dies,<\/em> every man’s time is set, Job 7:1<\/span> , our bounds are prescribed us, and a pillar pitched up by him, who bears up the heavens, which we are not to trespass), but before their own time that they had propounded and promised to themselves, as that rich fool, Luk 12:19<\/span> , who talked to himself (as fools use to do), Luk 12:17<\/span> , saying, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.” But we know what became of him that very night; his many years were quickly up, his glass was run when he thought it had been but new turned. God shot at him with an arrow suddenly, Psa 64:7<\/span> , he fetched off this bird with a bolt while he was gazing at the bow or pruning himself upon a bough. He chopped into the earth before he was aware as one that walketh in the snow chops into a pit. He died, tempore non suo<\/em> (as some render that forecited text in Ecclesiastes), not in his own time, but in God’s time; then when it had been better for that fool to have done anything than to have died, because (like Eli’s sons) he died in his sins: and, like Jezebel’s children, he was killed with death, Rev 2:23 This made Austin say, that he would not for the gain of a world be an atheist for one half hour: because he knew not but that God might in that time, call him; and then, “what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul?” Job 27:8<\/span> . He is troubled, when God taketh away “his corn in the time thereof, and his wine in the season thereof”: he is hungry and hardly bestead, and therefore ready “to curse God, and look upward,” Isa 8:21<\/span> , howling against heaven, as the hungry wolf. But first he should consider, that the corn and wine and wool and flax that he hath in keeping is not his, but God’s; and that he reserves the propriety of all in his own hand: neither hath any man aught, in reference to him, the monarch of the world, that he can call his own. The rich fool indeed talked much in this manner, Luk 12:18<\/span> : “I will pull down my<\/em> barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my<\/em> fruits and my<\/em> goods.” All was his own belike: God was not in all this man’s thoughts; for if he had, he would soon have known what to have done: sc.<\/em> he would have acknowledged God the author and owner of all (as Moses mindeth men, Deu 8:17-18 ), he would also have fed the hungry with his corn, and clothed the naked with his wool and flax, as Tyre converted did with her merchandise, Isa 23:18<\/span> , he would have said to God, as David did, “All things come of thee, and of thine own we give thee,” 1Ch 29:14<\/span> . Bernard reports of Pope Eugenius, that meeting with a poor but honest bishop, he secretly gave him certain jewels wherewith he might present him. If God did not first furnish us out of his treasury we should have nothing wherewith either to honour him or to help ourselves or others God’s poor, I mean, whom Solomon calleth owners of our goods, and maketh us but their stewards, Pro 3:27<\/span> : withhold not thy goods from the owners thereof. Next, the hunger bitten hypocrite should consider that there is worse hunger yet behind, and a heavy account to be given of the grain, wine, wool, and flax, the creatures that he hath detained in un righteousness, and spent upon his lusts, Jas 4:3<\/span> . If the husbandman must be ashamed, and howl because the harvest of the field is perished; if the drunkards must wake, weep, and wail because the new wine is cut off from their mouths, Joe 1:5<\/span> ; Joe 1:11<\/span> ; how shall they much more howl in hell, ubi nullus unquam cibus est, nulla consolatio,<\/em> saith Bernard, where there is no manner of meat, no drop of water to be had for love or money; where they must fast, and find no mercy for ever; where they must hunger and thirst in aeterno Dei,<\/em> as the schools speak, as long as God is God. The sufferings of this world to the wicked is but as the falling of the leaves in comparison of the trees that will fall upon him hereafter, in that eternity of extremities. If here, “In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits, and every hand of the troublesome shall come upon him. When he is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating,” as it is threatened, Job 20:22-23<\/span> , what, think we, will their portion be in hell? Meanwhile God will <\/p>\n <\/p>\n recover his wool and his flax<\/strong> ] He will snatch it away (as the word signifieth) in great displeasure, as a man doth his stolen goods out of the hands of a thief; he will rescue them, as Abraham did Lot and the captives from Chedorlaomer, Gen 14:16<\/span> , as David did his wives, goods, and friends from the Amalekitish rovers, 1Sa 30:18-20<\/span> . The poor creatures, grain, wine, wool, &c., groan heavily under the abuse of graceless persons, Rom 8:22<\/span> , and God heareth them, as he did the oppressed Israelites in Egypt, “for he is gracious,” he hears them, I say, and recovers them; he spoils their possessors of them, as Jacob did Laban of his sheep, as the Israelites did the Egyptians of their jewels: the same word is used there, as here, , Gen 31:10<\/span> ; Gen 31:16<\/span> , and it is a wonderful significant word, saith Mercer. St Paul imitateth it when he saith the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption. This God doth when he snateheth away kingdoms from tyrants, wealth from worldlings, strength from roysters, spiritual common gifts from the proud and secure, Zec 11:17<\/span> . See Trapp on “<\/em> Zec 11:17 “<\/em> When men abuse mercies, they forfeit their right in them: wicked men have not only a civil title but a right before God to the things that they possess; it is their portion, Psa 17:14<\/span> . And what Ananias had was his own while he had it, Act 5:4<\/span> . And God gave Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as pay for his pains in taking Tyre. True it is, all was forfeited in Adam; but wicked men have yet a right to all they do enjoy in a lawful way, by divine donation, till the day of execution: as when a traitor hath his life given him, for a time at least, he hath meat and drink also given him to maintain his life for that time. God dealeth not as that cruel Duke D’Alva did, who starved some prisoners after that he had given them quarter, saying, Though I promised you your lives, I promised not to find you meat (Hist. of Netherlands). That which wicked men are charged with, and shall be accountable for, is, not their right to use the creatures, but their not right using them. This makes the creature cry in its kind and long for liberty; even as birds do that thrust a long neck out of the cage (so much the apostle’s word importeth, Rom 8:19<\/span> , ). And God, who heareth the cry of the widow and fatherless, and looseth his prisoners, Psa 146:7<\/span> , hears and frees the poor creatures groaning under man’s abuse. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Given to cover her nakedness<\/strong> ] This is the end of garments, so called quasi gardmentes; <\/em> they arm and fence our bodies against the injury of wind and weather, against heat of summer, cold of winter; they also cover our nakedness and deformity, those parts especially that are by an antiphrasis called Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>the source of our mercies. I gave her. Here we do not refer to those blessings which we call spiritual. We speak of temporal good things. He giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Never suffer instruments to keep your thoughts from God.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Our guilt in the use of our mercies. Here are two charges.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>The removal. Take away My corn, etc.<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>Gods mercies. All our blessings come direct from God. Whatever may be the instrument, the gift is of God.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Mans abuse of Gods mercies. Here are two <\/strong>charges.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>The just and inevitable result.<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n