An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter 10 · Verse 7
VER. 7.
As for Samaria her King is cut off, as the foam upon the water.
AS for Samaria her King is cut off, as the foam upon the waters.
Before God threatned that they ſhould be aſhamed of their Counſels,Expoſ. and what that Counſel was I told you. Aſham'd of our Counſel, we hope not, we ſhall maintain it, our King is for us, he will venture his life, his Kingdom, but he will maintain us in our way.
Your King (ſaith the Prophet) he ſhall be as foam upon the water, even the King of Samaria.
Yea, but our King is in a ſtrong Town, in Samaria, a great City, and ſuch a ſtrong City as was able to hold ſiege for three yeers together; and yet the King of Samaria though he had gotten the chief City in the Kingdom to be fully for him, and ſo much victuals and ſtrength as he could hold out for three yeers, yet (ſaith the Lord) He ſhall be as the foam upon the Waters.
As foam.
The word that is tranſlated Foam, foreignſometimes ſignifies the foam that is in a man that is extreamly angry, ſo you have it in Zach. 1. 2. Zach. 1. 2.Oh the King when he was croſt he was in a foam. Your King that is croſt and doth foam in anger when he is croſt, he ſhall be as foam upon the water (ſaith God.) Now the Note that is from hence it is this;
That ungodly men in their greateſt power and rage, Obſer.yet if God comes upon them, are nothing but as foam, are poor weak creatures that vaniſh and come to nothing. The foam when the waters makes a noiſe, is above it, and hath a great ſhew above the waters, but ſtay a while and it is vaniſh'd and comes to nothing. Your King that rages and is above others, and thinks he hath a great deal of power; ſtay a while he comes to nothing. The Scripture compares men in their greateſt power to things of the greateſt vanity; there are in Scripture, that I'le mention to you, a matter of 19. or 20. ſeveral particulars wherein the Scripture compares men in their greateſt power, unto that which hath nothing but vanity:The benefit of obſerving the Scriptures expreſſions touching the vanity of great perſons. yea there are ſuch expreſſions in Scripture, to ſet out the meanneſs, vileneſs, and baſeneſs of men in the greateſt power, that it would make Chriſtians that underſtand Scripture, & that is of the ſame judgment wth their Father, with God, as he hath reveal'd himſelf in his Word, never to be afraid of the power of men. I'le name them diſtinctly to you thus:
Firſt, the Scripture ſometimes calls even Kings and great ones, A meer noiſe, nothing more, in Jeremiah, 46. 17. Pharaoh King of Aegypt, is but a noiſe. That's the firſt.
Secondly, They are but as ſmall duſt, in Iſa. 29. 5. The multitude of thy ſtrangers ſhall be like ſmall duſt.
Yea, Thirdly, They are but as chaff, in the ſame place Iſa. 29. 5. The terrible ones ſhall be as chaff that paſſeth away in an inſtant. Who would be afraid of a noiſe, ſmal duſt, and chaff?
Fourthly, They are as nothing, in Iſa. 41. 11. Behold, all they that are incenſed againſt thee, ſhall be as nothing.
Fiftly, They are as Tow; put a little fire to Tow and it quickly comes to nothing. In Iſa. 1. 31.
Sixthly, They are as dung, in Pſal. 83. 10. As the dung of the Earth.
Seventhly, They are as ſtraw that is troden for dung, in Iſa. 25. 10. As ſtraw troden for the dunghil.
Eightly, They are compared ſometimes to a beaſt that hath a hook in his noſtrils, in Iſa. 37. 20 God will put a hook in his noſtrils; now who would be afraid of a beaſt that hath a hook put into his noſtrils?
Ninthly, They are as ſtubble, and as ſtubble fully dry, ready for the fire, in Nahum. 1. 10.
Tenthly, They are as rottenneſs, and their root is rottenneſs Iſa. 5. 24.
And then, they are as ſcum, in Ezek. 24. 12. And as ſcum ready for the fire.
And then again, They are as ſmoke in Pſal. 68. 2. they are as ſmoke that is drie.
And then they are as Graſs, as green graſs, as graſs on the houſe tops, and as Corn blaſted before it is grown up; all theſe you have together in Iſa. 37. 27.
And then they are as Wax that melts before the fire, in Pſal. 68. 2.
Yea, They are as the fat of Lambs, in Pſal. 37. 20.
They are as a worm, in Job, 25. 6.
They are vanity, Lighter than vanity, altogether in their beſt eſtate vanity, Pſal. 39. 5.
They are as ſnow melting before the Sun. In Job, 24. 19.
They are as the light of a Candle that is preſently put out Prov. 24. 20.
And then laſtly, They are a Lye: even great men and Princes, for it's ſpoken of them in Pſal. 62. 9.
Thus my Brethren, we ſee how the Scripture heaps up expreſſion upon expreſſion. It might have been very profitable to have inſiſted upon al theſe particulars, and to have opened them, to ſhew you how contemptibly the Holy-Ghoſt doth ſpeak of men in their great power.
Now if we could gather theſe Scriptures together,Uſe. and put them all into one, and ſo preſent the power of great men to us, and by theſe things have the ſame judgment of them that God hath, it would mightily help us from the fears of men. As for Samaria her King is cut off as the foam upon the waters.