Hosea 10:15

So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off. SO SHALL BETH-EL DO UNTO YOU - i:e., your idolatrous calf at Bethel shall be the cause of a like calamity befalling you. BECAUSE OF YOUR GREAT WICKEDNESS - literally, the wickedness of your wickedness. IN A MORNING - i:e., speedily, as quickly as the dawn is put to flight by the rising sun (; ; , "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh on the morning"). SHALL THE KING OF ISRAEL UTTERLY BE CUT OFF - Hoshea. Remarks: (1) When the visible Church, like Israel, "pours out" all its luxuriance in leaves of p...

We explained yesterday Hosea 10:14, in which the Prophet denounced the vengeance of God on his people, such as they had experienced either when the country was laid waste by the army of Shalmanezar, or when some other slaughter was made. From the words, we certainly learn that a battle had been fought in Arbel, which was a town, as we have said, beyond Jordan. But the Prophet shows also how much had been the atrocity of that battle, and how grievous and dreadful would be that slaughter which he now threatens to the people, by saying that even the mother had been violently thrown upon her children. And the Prophet also shows that God’s vengeance would be just, because the Israelites had provoked God by their superstitions. He then points out in the last verse the cause why the Lord would deal so severely with his people; and his manner of speaking ought to be observed. _So, _he says, shal...

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 10:15. _SO SHALL BETH-EL DO UNTO YOU_] This shall be the consequence of your _idolatry_. _IN A MORNING SHALL THE KING OF ISRAEL UTTERLY BE CUT OFF._] Suddenly, unexpectedly. _Hoshea_, the king of Israel, shall be cut off by the Assyrians. There are some allusions to facts in this chapter, which cannot be easily verified, as we have not sufficient acquaintance with the history of those times....

SO SHALL BETHEL DO UNTO YOU - God was the judge, who condemned them so to suffer from the enemy. The Assyrian was the instrument of the wrath of God. But, in order to point out the moral government of God, the prophet says, neither that God did it, nor that the Assyrian did it, but Bethel, once “the house of God,” now the place where they dishonored God, “because of your great wickedness,” literally, “the wickedness of your wickedness.” In their wickedness itself, there was an essence of wickedness, malice within malice. IN A MORNING SHALL THE KING OF ISRAEL BE CUT OFF - Hoshea was cut off finally, leaving neither root nor branch. His kingdom perished; he left no memorial. Like the morning, he seemed to dawn on the troubles of his people: he sinned against God: and “in a morning,” the kingdom, in “the multitude of” whose “mighty men” he trusted, “was cut off” forever....

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

SO SHALL BETHEL DO UNTO YOU, BECAUSE OF YOUR GREAT WICKEDNESS,.... Or, "because of the evil of your evil" s; their extreme wickedness, and exceeding sinfulness; the evil of evils they were guilty of was their idolatry, their worshipping the calf at Bethel; and this was the cause of all their ruin: God was the cause of it; the king of Assyria the instrument; but the procuring or meritorious cause was their abominable wickedness at Bethel; which therefore should be as Betharbel; yea, the whole land should be, on the account of that, like unto it, or be spoiled as that was. Or the words may be rendered, "so will he do unto you, O Bethel" t; that is, either God, or Shalman or Shalmaneser, shall do the same to Bethel as he did to Betharbel; utterly destroy it and its inhabitants, showing no mercy to age or sex; IN A MORNING SHALL THE KING OF ISRAEL BE UTTERLY CUT OFF; meaning Hoshea the last...

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

YOUR GREAT WICKEDNESS. Hebrew "evil of your evil". Note the Figure of speech _P_ olypto _t_ on (App-6), Hebrew. _ra'a'._ IN. MORNING. Some codices, with two early printed editions (one Rabbinic, margin), read "like the dawn". SHALL THE KING OF ISRAEL. Compare Hosea 10:7, The king referred to may be Hoshea....