Hosea 10:12

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. SOW TO YOURSELVES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, REAP IN MERCY - "sow to yourselves FOR lª- righteousness" (as the object of your sowing). Righteousness is not the seed, but the fruit sought to be obtained. Continuation of the image in Hosea 10:11 (Proverbs 11:18, "The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward"). Make righteousness your aim, and ye shall reap the reward-a reward not of debt, but of grace. REAP IN MERCY - the result of your sowing for righteousness shall be, ye shall reap 'according to ...

He exhorts here the Israelites to repentance; though it seems not a simple and bare exhortation, but rather a protestation; as though the Lord had said, that he had hitherto laboured in vain as to the people of Israel, because they had ever continued obstinate. For it immediately follows —...

9-15 Because God does not desire the death and ruin of sinners, therefore in mercy he desires their chastisement. The children of iniquity still remained in Israel. The enemies would be gathered against them. It is just with God to make those know what hardships mean, who indulge themselves in ease and pleasure. Let them cleanse their hearts from all corrupt affections and lusts, and be a broken and contrite spirit. Let them abound in works of piety towards God, and of justice and charity towards one another: herein let them sow to the Spirit. Seeking the Lord is to be every day's work, but there are special occasions when to seek him. Christ shall come as the Lord our righteousness, and grant us of it abundantly. If we sow in righteousness, we shall reap according to mercy; a reward not of debt, but of grace. Even the gains of sin yield the sinner no satisfaction. As our comforts, so o...

Verse Hosea 10:12. _SOW TO YOURSELVES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS_] Let the seed you sow be of the best kind, and in just measure. _REAP IN MERCY_] By the blessing of God on this ploughing, sowing, and harrowing, you may expect a good crop in harvest. _BREAK UP YOUR FALLOW GROUND_] Do not be satisfied with a _slight_ _furrow_; let the land that was _fallowed_ (slightly ploughed) be broken up again with a _deep furrow_. _FOR_ IT IS _TIME TO SEEK THE LORD_] This should be immediately done: the season is passing; and if you do not get the seed in the ground, the early rain will be past, and your fields will be unfruitful. _RAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS UPON YOU._] God will give you the early rain in due time, and in proper measure. Here are the metaphors, and

SOW TO YOURSELVES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, REAP IN MERCY - Literally, “in the proportion of mercy,” not in proportion to what you have sown, nor what justice would give, but beyond all deserts, “in the proportion of mercy;” i. e., “according to the capacity and fullness of the mercy of God; what becometh the mercy of God, which is boundless,” which overlooketh man’s failings, and giveth an infinite reward for poor imperfect labor. As our Lord says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom” Luke 6:38. : “If the earth giveth thee larger fruits than it has received, how much more shall the requiting of mercy repay thee manifold more than thou gavest!” Sowing and reaping always stand over against each other, as labor and reward. “He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and h

EXPOSITION The concluding thought of the last chapter is the commencing one of this; while the sad subject of Israel's guilt being resumed continues in the first section (Hosea 10:1) of the chapter, and that of their punishment in the second section (Hosea 10:9), with a solemn caution to make a better use of the future than they had clone of the past. HOSEA 10:1 ISRAEL IS AN EMPTY VINE. The comparison of Israel to a vine is frequent; but the epithet _boqeq _is variously rendered; (1) as "empty." Thus Aben Ezra explains it as "empty in which there is no strength to bring forth fruit, nor fruit;" and thus also Kimchi explains it: "An empty vin

SAW TO YOURSELVES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... Not the seed of grace, which bad men have not, and cannot saw it; and which good men need not, it being sown in them already, and remaining; rather the seed of the word, which should be laid up in their hearts, dwell richly in them, and be kept and retained by them; though it is best of all to understand it of works of righteousness; as sowing to the flesh is doing the works of the flesh, or carnal and sinful acts; so sowing "unto righteousness" g, as it may be rendered, is doing works of righteousness; living soberly and righteously; doing works according to the word of righteousness, from good principles, and with good views, with a view to the glory of God: and which will be "sowing to themselves", turn to their own account; for though such works are not profitable to God, as to merit anything at his hands; yet they are not only profitable to ot...

CHAPTER 9:10-11:11 RETROSPECT, ISRAEL'S FAILURE AND RUIN _ 1. Israel once beloved, now fugitive wanderers (Hosea 9:10) _ 2. Their guilt and punishment (Hosea 10:1) 3. Exhortation and rebuke (Hosea 10:12) 4. The mercy of a merciful God (Hosea 11:1) Hosea 9:10. Like a wayfaring man who finds grapes and figs in the desert and delights in them, so the Lord found Israel in the desert and they were His pleasure when He led them out of Egypt. But they requited His love by going after Baal-peor, one of the filthiest gods of heat

ISRAEL MUST REAP THE RUIN HE HAS SOWN. From the days of Gibeah Israel has sinned, and never progressed since (Hosea 10:9, but see notes); Yahweh comes to punish them, and gather the peoples against them (Hosea 10:10). Israel like a well-broken-in heifer loves to thresh; but the harder tasks (ploughing, harrowing) must precede before the crops can be gathered; the discipline must precede the joy of harvest (Hosea 10:11; Hosea 12 is perhaps a gloss). But Israel has ploughed wickedness and reaped disaster, the tumult of war shall arise in his midst, bringing destruction upon the fortresses, the land and her children ruined, and their king swept away (Ho

TO SEEK THE LORD. Ref to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 4:29). App-92. RAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS, &C. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:2)....