An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter · Verse 2
VER. 2.
Iſrael ſhall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
THE words as they are in the Hebrew are ſomewhat different from what they are in your books, for Iſrael in your books is in the firſt place, but in the Hebrew it is in the laſt, that is, To me they ſhall cry, My God, we know thee, The Heb. reading.Iſrael: What difference is this? yes, the words thus read have more elegancy in them than otherwiſe, and they hint ſome obſervations that would hardly be hinted to us as it is in your books, as thus:
If you reade it as it is in your books, then it is only a ſpeech of God to them.
But if you reade it according to the Hebrew, they ſhall cry to me, My God, we know thee, Iſrael: They here ſeem to put God in mind who they were, as if they ſhould ſay, we are Iſrael who know thee, remember we are not ſtrangers to thee; They ſhall cry unto me, My God, we know thee, Iſrael: It's Iſrael that cries to thee, Oh my God!
Or as if they ſhould put God in mind of their Father Iſrael in whom their confidence was; They ſhall cry to me, My God, we know thee, Iſrael: Oh remember our Father Iſrael and deal graciouſly with us for the ſake of our Father Iſrael: Juſt like thoſe in Matth. that would cry, We have Abraham to our Father: ſo here this people would cry; in their cries in the time of their affliction they would cry to God that they had Iſrael to their Father, we have reference to Iſrael who did ſo prevail as a Prince with God, and therefore we hope we ſhall fare the better for Iſrael;
Or thus, They ſhall cry to me, My God, we know thee, Iſrael: That is, we know thee to be the God of Iſrael, we have known how thy waies have been in former times for the good of thine Iſrael, and Lord, remember how thou haſt wrought for thine Iſrael heretofore, and work now for us in the ſame manner: thus there is a great deal in this word, [Iſrael] if you ſet it in the laſt place in the verſe, more than if you ſet it in the beginning.
From hence the Notes are theſe:
Firſt,Obſ. 1. That in affliction men ſee their need of God. So the Chaldae paraphraſe upon this place,Chaldae pa…ephraſe Alwaies when I bring ſtraights upon them then they pray before me and ſay, Now we ſee plainly that we have no other God beſides thee, Oh! redeem us becauſe we are thy people Iſrael; ſo that's the meaning.
Secondly,Obſ. 2. Even Hypocrites and the vileſt Wretches that are, in the time of their diſtreſs, will claim intereſt in God and cry to him; even thoſe that have departed moſt from him will be ready to claim intereſt in him in their diſtreſs. What an impudency was it for this people that had ſo groſly departed from God, that had gone ſo againſt their light, and yet they will come boldly and claim their intereſt in God in the time of their affliction? Truly we ſee the ſame ſpirit in men at this very day, the moſt wicked and vile ungodly man or woman that is, yet will be ready in afflictions to claim intereſt in God;Applicat. My God. I appeal to you in this Congregation, if one ſhould go from one end of the Congregation and ſpeak particularly to every one, and ask but this queſtion, Do you hope that God is your God? Every one would be ready to ſay, Yes, we hope he is. This is the impudency of mens hearts that will take liberty to go on in a way of rebellion and fighting againſt God all their lives, and yet in the time of their diſtreſs claim intereſt in God.
Thirdly,Obſ. 3. That knowledg and acknowledgment of God in an outward formal way is that which Hypocrites think will commend them much to God in time of affliction; that by which they ſhall have favour from Him becauſe they have made ſome profeſſion of God: We know thee: as if they ſhould ſay, Lord, we were not as others that had forſaken thee, we continued Iſrael ſtill, we did not turn to be Heathens: It is very hard for mens ſpirits to be taken off from truſting in formality, in outward worſhip, we are all Chriſtians, we are not turned Heathens; ſo they ſhall call to me, My God, we know thee, Iſrael; we continue Iſrael ſtill. Oh! how ſweet and comfortable is it then to have a true intereſt in God?Comfortable; if in truth. in the time of affliction to be able to ſay, in truth Lord we know thee, and bleſſed be thy Name Lord we have known thee, we have had experience of thy goodneſs, and faithfulneſs, mercy, love, and tender compaſſion towards us, we have known thee an infinite al ſufficient good, thou haſt ſatisfied our ſouls with thy love, the light of thy countenance it hath been the joy of our hearts, and bleſſed be the time that ever we knew thee, Oh bleſſed be the time that ever the Lord made himſelf known to us; we can ſay, Lord, we have known thee, and therefore now Lord have mercy upon us; Oh let us all learn to make more of our intereſt in God, and to labor to know Him more and more, that we may have this comfort in our afflictions, to be able to ſay in truth, Oh Lord, thou art our God, and we have known thee. If Hypocrites think it to be ſo great a comfort that they are Iſrael, Oh what is it then to be a true Iſraelite in whoſe heart is no guile?
Fourthly, Obſ. 4.Degenerate children they think to have favour for the ſake of their godly parents.
We have known thee, Iſrael.] Children ſhould imitate the vertues of their godly parents, and then they may draw comfort from the godlineſs of their parents.
But laſtly, Obſ. 5Hypocrites though degenerate will not only think to fare the better for their godly parents, but they will think to have the ſame mercy as their godly parents had; they little think of the difference that there is between Iſrael heretofore, and that Iſrael that is now ſo baſely degenerated. It follows.