An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter 9 · Verse 10
VER. 10.
I found Iſrael like Grapes in the Wilderneſs: I ſaw your Fathers as the firſt ripe in the Fig-tree at her firſt time
THE ſcope of the holy Ghoſt in this, it is to upbraid the ten Tribes for their wretched ungrateful dealing with God, their ſin is aggravated by Gods love towards them and their forfathers.
I found Iſrael like grapes in the Wilderneſs.
That's thus;Expoſ. look as a man that hath been travelling in the parched wilderneſs, and is dry, and weary, and faint, he doth come to a place in the Wilderneſs unexpectedly and finds cluſters of Grapes, from whence he hath abundance of refreſhment to cool and moiſten him, and Oh how refreſh'd is this poor man when he is parched in the dry Wilderneſs and beyond all expectation comes and finds a Vine full of cluſters of Grapes? this would be the moſt pleaſing thing to ſuch a man that could be; thus ſaith God, Such kind of delight had I in your forefathers. He names Grapes and Figs here becauſe they are the moſt delightful fruit of all kind of fruit to weary travellers: Now if this be ſo that God hath ſuch delight in his people as a man would have in Grapes thus in the Wilderneſs, Oh! how ſhould God be our delight when we are in the Wilderneſs?Applic. God ſhould be our delight in his ordinances▪ If we being his people are ſo delightful to him in the Wilderneſs, ſurely then God himſelf ſhould be delightful to us in our wilderneſs, Oh! let God in his Ordinances be to us in our troubles and afflictions as Grapes to a traveller in his Wilderneſs; ſurely if God will account us to himſelf ſo delightful, there's great reaſon that we ſhould account him to us as delightful: Some of Gods Servants have been forced to fly into the Wilderneſs, and though they have not had ſuch outward refreſhments as we have had here that have ſet under our own Vines, and Fig-trees, yet God hath made them to find Grapes in the Wilderneſs, they have ſit under Gods Protection and his Ordinances, as a man in the Wilderneſs ſhould ſit under a Vine of Grapes and refreſh himſelf with them.
I ſaw your Fathers.
We ſhould lay to heart Gods Love to our Fathers,Obſer. and ſeek to continue it to our ſelves: It's a ſad thing to look upon degenerate Children who have had fathers whom God took delight in; Your Fathers were as cluſters of Grapes that did refreſh the very ſoul of God; as it is ſaid of Wine, that it doth chear both God and man; ſo the grace and holineſs of your forefathers, Oh! how refreſhing were they to the heart of God? But what are you, you are ſowr in the taſt of God, what delight can God take in your unſavory and rotten corrupted ſpirits? Oh! it's a comfortable thing when a child is able to ſay,Exod. 15. 2. as Exod. 15. 2. My God, and my fathers God, God was my Fathers God, and delighted in my Father, and bleſſed be his Name he is my God, and I hope he hath ſome delight in me: You who are the children of Fathers whom God delighted in as Grapes in the Wilderneſs, it's a mighty engagement for you to look to your ſelves that your hearts and lives be not corrupt, but follow the ſteps of your fathers, that God may delight likewiſe in you. But further;
As the firſt ripe in the Fig-tree at her firſt time.
There's a great deal of elegancy in theſe expreſſions. The Fig-tree bears twice in the yeer, and here it is, The firſt of the firſt time. Their Fathers were as delightful as Grapes in the wilderneſs, and as the Figs, the firſt Figs in her firſt time.
Now we know that we prize fruit that is firſt ripe, as Cherries when they are firſt of all come, when they come it may be two or three into the Market, and Peaſe, and ſuch kind of things when they are the firſt ripe of all, how they are prized? you ſhall have many will give any price for them. We ſay when Cherries come at firſt, that they are Ladies meat, or Longing meat: Now the Lord is pleaſed to condeſcend ſo much to expreſs his love to his people, as the love of a longing woman to Cherries or other fruit, when they come firſt of all; as a woman hath a longing after things when they come and are firſt ripe; ſaith God, Never did woman long after any fruit when it was firſt ripe more than my ſoul hath longed after you to do you good, I have taken as much pleaſure in you as ever woman could take when ſhe had her longing in the moſt dainty firſt ripe things: This is the meaning of the holy Ghoſt here, to ſhew the Love of God to his Saints.Ier. 12. 10▪ Many expreſſions we have in Scripture, as in Jer. 12. 10. they are call'd his Pleaſant Portion, Verſ. 7.and the dearly Beloved of Gods Soul, Jer. 12. 7. and the peculiar Treaſure of God, Exod. 19▪ 5.Exod. 19. 5. and here there are two as elegant expreſſions, as Grapes in the Wilderneſs, and as the firſt ripe of the Figs in the firſt time: Thus is Gods exceeding goodneſs to us, though we be ſapleſs in our ſelves, and have nothing in us to procure delight, yet God in his own free Grace is willing to expreſs himſelf thus to his People, Oh! what delight ſhould we have in God who takes ſuch delight in his Servants? And this expreſſion of God we think may very well hint unto us a meditation concerning the delight that God hath in young ones that do begin to give up themſelves unto him,Gods delight is in yong ones. the Lord loves the firſt fruits, and the firſt ripe of things: in Mich. 7. 1. Wo is me, Mic. 7. 1.for I am as when they have gathered the Summer fruits, as the Grape gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluſter to eat; My ſoul deſired the firſt ripe fruits. So it's true, by way of alluſion at leaſt, we may apply it, the Soul of God is a longer, God is a longer; To what? To the firſt ripe fruits, to the firſt of your years, to you that are young ones: We prize highly Nettle buds when they bud out firſt; Oh! ſo graciouſneſs when it buds out in youth at firſt, Oh how pleaſing is it to God!Exod. 23. 19. in Exod. 23. 19. God would have the firſt of the firſt fruits, he would not only have of the firſt fruits, but the firſt of the firſt. God ſtands much about the firſt ſtill.Levit. 2. 14. And in Leviticus, 2. 14. there you reade, that the Lord is ſo eager to have the firſt things? (as a longing woman) that he will not ſtay till they be ripe, he will have the green ears of Corn dried in the fire;ſimile▪ as many women that long they will not ſtay untill the thing be ripe, but if they can have it ripened by any art, though not by the way of Nature they will ſeek to have it ripened ſo, and then they muſt needs have it; ſo ſaith God, my longing is ſo after the firſt of things that I will not ſtay till they be fully ripe, but the Corn, though it be green ears, if they may be dried by the fire, I'le have them then. And ſo in Cant. 2. 12. Cant. 2. 12▪The flowers appear on the earth, the time of the ſinging of birds is come, the Fig tree putteth forth her green Figs; and in Cant. 6. 11. Chap. 6. 11▪I went down into the Garden of Nuts to ſee the fruits of the valley, and to ſee whether the Vine flouriſhed, and the Pomegranates budded. Oh! the Lord looks up and down in Congregations that are as the Gardens of God to ſee ſuch:…hap. 7. 12 and ſo in Cant. 7. 12. Let us get up early to the Vineyards, let us ſee if the Vine flouriſh, whether the tender Grape appear, and the Pomegranates bud forth; there will I give thee my Loves. Oh let us go and ſee whether the tender Grape appear, or the Pomegranate bud; there will I give thee my Loves. Where God doth ſee grace beginning and budding in young ones,An Exhortation to yong ones. there God manifeſts himſelf; there will I give my Loves. And this only by occaſion of Gods expreſſing himſelf like a longer after the firſt things. Oh! give God his longing you that are yong ones, and begin to be godly betimes, you ſatisfie the heart of God as the firſt fruits ſatisfie a longing woman. It follows:
But they went to Baal-Peor, and ſeparated themſelves to that ſhame.
But ſaith God here, What a But comes after all this? God doth manifeſt his delight in them as in the firſt ripe Grapes in the Wilderneſs, and the firſt ripe fruit, and yet behold, Oh! there's a but for all this.
It's not the greatneſs of Gods love that is enough to engage carnal hearts: Obſerv.this is an evil and a ſore thing to ſee: there was a time that God accepted of this people and delighted much in them, but now they are departed: Oh! it's ordinary for people to degenerate, though a few yeers ſince, how forward and zealous were they for God, and for Reformation, but within a while they grew cold, and dead, and formal, and ſlight, and begin to leave off all their good beginnings, and decline from God, and from his Truth.
They went to BAAL-PEOR.
God complains of this people as a Husband of an Adultreſs: Though I delighted in her, and loved her, though ſhe had all the content ſhe could deſire, yet ſhe goes and forſakes me, and gives up her ſelf to a filthy unclean Whoremaſter: God takes it exceeding ill that he loſes his love. And I beſeech you obſerve: There's nothing goes neerer to an ingenious heart, than the loſs of Love; he had rather loſe his Money than his Love (ſuch an one hath requited me il for my love:) this (I ſay) goes to the heart of a man, and there's nothing more grieves him than that he finds his love is ill beſtowed. So certainly it goes to the heart of God that his Love ſhould be ill beſtowed upon people.
They went to BAAL-PEOR.
Many loathſom and obſcene things are reported concerning this Baal-Peor, Baal-Peor Deus apertionis, indix interpret. nom. vulg. lat. apud latinos priapus vid. Hier. in loc. ne… non Druſium.(this god that was the god of the (Moabites) that is unfit for chaſt ears to hear, therefore we ſhall not mention ſuch things; Much filthineſs was committed in the worſhip of this their Baal-Peor, and yet (ſaith God) notwithſtanding all my love to their fore-fathers, whereby they might have drawn an argument that they ſhould have had bleſſings upon themſelves, if they had continued in the waies of their forefathers, yet they went from me & went to Baal-Peor. From whence the Notes are:
Firſt,Obſ. 1. The more ſhameful any thing is, the more abominable is it to forſake God: It's an abominable thing to forſake God, for the gaining of Heaven and Earth (if it could be gained by it) but for to forſake God for a Baal-Peor, God takes this …ll: (but that we met with before.)
Secondly,Obſ. 2. This is the evil of mans heart, That there is no evil ſo baſe and ſhameful, but he is ready to forſake the bleſſed and glorious God, that he may cleave to that. As it is reported of the Panther,The Panther. that it doth love the dung of man ſo well that if it be hung up at a height, it will leap and skip for it till it burſts in pieces. So, many there are that are ſet upon ſuch baſe things, that they are content to part with all good that there is in God and Jeſus Chriſt, if they may but have them, they are content to undo themſelves to all eternity.
Thirdly,Obſ. 3. So to leave God, as to give up our ſelves to baſeneſs and wickedneſs, Oh! this is moſt ab…minable: To be over taken with a ſin is vile, but for one to give up himſelf, or her ſelf to wickedneſs, this is abominable: and yet this is that that many are guilty of; at firſt perhaps ſin is fair-mannerd, and ſaith, Do but take ſome dallies with me at firſt, but after the ſoul begins to give up its ſelf in a moſt deſperate way in ſinful courſes: many an Apoſtate doth thus that had ſome comfort before in God,Apoſtates▪ but now having gotten a haunt of wickedneſs they have loſt all their comforts in God and Chriſt, and now ſaith this deſperat ſoul, I cannot have comfort in God and Chriſt, and therefore I will have it in the ſatisfying of my luſts. Oh! my Brethren, what a ſhame is this? So far as thou art able to be guilty of ſhaming even God Himſelf and Jeſus Chriſt; therfore in Heb. 6. 6. Apoſtates are ſaid, to put Jeſus Chriſt to open ſhame; and Apoſtate that leaves the waies of God and ſeparates himſelf to his luſts, he doth put the Lord Jeſus Chriſt to an open ſhame. Oh! how ſhould Gods people ſeparate themſelves for the Lord, and be wholly his, ſeeing Idolaters ſeparate themſelves to their Idols? let them look upon themſelves as a people ſeparated for the Lord.
And their abominations were as they loved.
That is, Firſt, as they loved, ſo they were guided, they were not guided by the Word, nor by any Divine Rule, not by right Reaſon, but according as they loved, they followed what they had a mind to,Obſ. Not what we ſee, but what God likes. never regarding what Gods mind was; The judgment is ſoon gone when the heart is taken with a thing. Ordinarily people love that way they go, not that way the Rule guides them to, but what way their affections carry them on in;Perit judicium, … quum res tranſit in affectum. this is a very ſinful thing for men to be acted with, and carried upon, meerly by the violence of their affections, and eſpecially this is evil in the matters of Gods Worſhip, there we may not do things as we love, that is, becauſe we think ſuch things are very fair and there appears no hurt in them to us, and they like us well; yea, but we muſt examine whether we have warrant out of the Word for that, we muſt not do as we love, but according as the rule is.
Secondly,Expoſ. 2. They were abominable as they loved; they were turned into the very likeneſs of what they loved: and indeed our loves what ever they are upon doth turn us into the likeneſs of the thing, The underſtanding turns the object into a likeneſs to it, but the heart is turned into the likeneſs of its object.
Auſtin hath a notable expreſſion for this,Quod per voluntatē reſolutē & efficaciter vis, hoc abſolute es. ſaith he, Such is every man as his love is, Doth a man love the earth? he is earth; doth a man love God? (what ſhall I ſay, ſaith (Auſtin) he ſhall be even God too. And indeed the Scripture ſaith we are partakers of the Divine Nature,Non faciunt bonos vel malos mores, niſi boni vel mali amores. Aug. Ep. 52. ad Macedon. Oh! what care had we need have of what we love, Doeſt thou love a baſe filthy thing? then thy ſoul is baſe and filthy too. Doeſt thou love the glorious and bleſſed God? then thy ſoul is made like to God: Chuſe therefore good objects for thy love, love the Lord, and love his holy waies, love things that are excellent and glorious, and by the loving of thoſe things thy heart will come to have excellency and glory put upon it;The Chameleon. but if thou loveſt that which is droſſy and filthy, thou comeſt to have a baſe and droſſy heart of thy own.Plin. Lib. 8. Cap. 33▪ Mans ſoul is like to the Cameleon that is changed into the color of the object it looks upon.
They were abominable as they loved.
Every man or woman is as he loves.Expoſ. 3.
Thirdly, They were abominable as they loved. That which is here tranſlated of the Concrete, I find it may be as well tranſlated of the Abſtract, They were abominable as their love: and ſo it's carried by Interpreters, that is, they were abominable as their Idols were that they did love, and their Idols were call'd Love in the Abſtract; as a man cals his Wife, his Love, ſo they call'd their Idols their Love, and they were abominable as their Love was, that is, look how abominable Baal-Peor was, ſo abominable were they; ſo the Pſalmiſt ſaith, that, they that make Idols, are like unto them.
But fourthly,Expoſ. 4 prefer'd. which I think is eſpecially the ſcope of the holy Ghoſt here, They were abominable as they love, (though the other may be taken in) this Scripture hath reference to that that you reade in Numb. 25. 1. there you find that the people of Iſrael by the wicked counſel of Balaam, Numb. 25. 1.when they could not be curſed, yet Balaam did counſel them that they ſhould come and bring their daughters before them, and ſo to intice them to commit uncleanneſs with their daughters, and then they ſhould intice them to Idolatry, that was the wicked counſel of Balaam, they committed whordom with the daughters of Moab; and they called the people to the ſacrifices of their gods. So They were abominable as they loved: that is, they being inticed to bodily uncleanneſs, by the Moabitiſh women, theſe drew them likewiſe to the worſhip of their Idols. And ſo their loves to their Whores was that which drew them to this wickedneſs.
They were abominable as they loved; that is, they ſetting their love upon theſe wicked women that did intice them to uncleanneſs, according to that love of theirs were they brought unto the love of Idolatry. Solomons wives drew him to Idolatry. And it's uſuall for people to be of that Religion that thoſe are that they love,Obſ. if ſo be that their hearts be taken with any, if they love any it's uſual for them to be of that Religion that thoſe are of that they love, according to their kindred, according to their friends, according to the ſtock that they marry in, ſo is their Religion. Many that have been forward in waies of Religion, and yet marry into a carnal ſtock that hath no ſavour of Religion, you ſhall find they will grow cold according to what their wives diſpoſitions are, according to what they love, ſo their Religion either burns hotter or grows cooler; as it was uſually laid upon Ahab for his wickedneſs, ſuch a one was his wife: and ſo other Kings, the daughter of Ahab was his wife, his Religion was according as he loved.Admonitiō to Saints. And my Brethren, if thoſe who are in a falſe way can draw whom they love to it, then certainly thoſe that are in the Truth ſhould as wel labor to draw thoſe who they love to the imbracement of the Truth: Wives that are naught wil draw their Husbands to that which they love,Popiſh Wives. to Idolatry, to falſe worſhip; Popiſh wives have drawn more husbands to their Popery, than Godly wives (I fear) have drawn husbands to the Truth;To Religious Wives. Why ſhould not gracious Wives labor to draw their Husbands to good by love, as well as wicked Wives to draw them to wickedneſs by their love. And indeed thoſe who would gain others to good muſt firſt gain their love. The women of Moab gained the love of the people of Iſrael, and ſo gained them to themſelves in the matters of Religion. So if you would do any good to people, firſt labor to gain their love; let women that have evil husbands that they would …ain gain: how would you gain them? not by reproachful ſpeeches, but do you (though they be never ſo evil) walk lovingly towards them, that they may be convinced that your ſouls do love them, and ſo do you by your loving carriage gain their love, and that's the way to gain them to your God by that means.Women in the primitive times. So divers of the women in the primitive times that had Heatheniſh Husbands, we have many ſtories of them, that by their gracious loving carriage to their Heathen Husbands they gained them to the Truth of Religion.Miniſters muſt gaine the peoples love. And ſo Miniſters, if they would gain people to God, they muſt gain their love, ſo walk before them in ſuch a gracious holy loving way towards them, as they may gain their love, and then they will gain their ſouls; if there be wrangling between Miniſter and People, there's little hope that they will gain and do any good among that people, for people wil do as they love very much. And ſo your neighbors and friends if you would gain them to God any way,Neighbors & friends▪ gain their loves to you, for it's a mighty motive in matters of Religion for people to do as they love. And thus much for this tenth Verſe.