An Exposition of Hosea 11-13, Exposition · Chapter 12 · Verse 2
VER. 2.
The Lord alſo hath a Controverſie with Judah, and will puniſh Jacob according to his waies, according to his doings will he recompence him.
THis Verſe I ſhal preſently paſs over. But the firſt part is very obſervable.
Calvin ſaith of it, It's a wonderful thing; Did not Mir…m eſt &c. Calv. in loc,God ſay, That Judah rules with God, and is faithful with the Saints; and now ſaith, He hath a Controverſie with Judah?
I find ſome therefore would reconcile it thus, and ſay, Expoſ. 1The Lord hath a Controverſie FOR Judah; (but that's a little ſtrain'd)
But the Lord hath a Controverſie WITH Judah.2. God comends, and contends with his Church at once. Reaſ. 1,
And there may be Four Reaſons why after God had ſaid, That Judah rules with God, and is faithful with the Saints, that he ſaith, He hath a Controverſie with Judah.
The Firſt Reaſon is this, To ſhew, that God doth not ſo look at the good of his People, but he ſees the evil in them too. You know thoſe paſſages in the 2d of Revelations, where God commends ſuch and ſuch Churches for doing thus and thus; but yet notwithſthnding, I have a few things againſt thee, I do not ſo obſerve your good, but I obſerve your evil too. My Brethren, ſome there are, that if there Mens error in judging others. 1. 2.be any evil in men, they can ſee no good in them, this is wicked. But others there are that if there be any good in them, can ſee no evil; this is too much indulgence too, it is two extremities in both.
Secondly, Yet God hath a controverſie with Judah; Judah hath no cauſe to bleſs her ſelf in her waies that are 2.good, becauſe ſhe retain'd the true Worſhip of God: Men are very apt to bleſs themſelves in ſome waies that are not good, becauſe they did chuſe ſome other waies that are good; I mean thus, That ſuch men as imbrace Men excuſe their evil by their good.the true Worſhip of God, are right there, they will have pure Ordinances, and the way of God right according to the Word, and becauſe of that though there be ſome looſneſs and negligence in their waies otherwaies, yet Reformed worſhipers.they put off conſcience with this, and think they are the true Worſhipers of God, and have the Ordinances of God in the purity and power of them, and ſo think to ſwallow down all, much looſneſs, much carnality, much pride, much ſenſualneſs, much hypocriſie, and yet becauſe they are in the way of the true Worſhip of God they ſeek to ſatisfie conſcience with this. Oh! take heed of this, God may have a Controverſie againſt you.
Thirdly, The Lord hath a Controverſie with Judah, he doth expreſs himſelf thus, that Iſrael might neither think 3God or the Prophet partial. The ten Tribes might ſay, Doth God threaten us? Is not Judah as bad as we? are there not evils among Judah as well as us? are we only the ſinful people? No (ſaith the Prophet) I acknowledg there's much evil in Judah, and therefore the Lord hath a Controverſie againſt Judah too, and Judah is not like to eſcape, and let not this ſatisfie you, that becauſe others are bad, therefore you may eſcape; no, they are bad, and God hath a Controverſie againſt them. And this may be an uſeful Note to us, men are very ready to put off the evils that they are guilty of with this, I am not worſe than others, I do ſuch a thing amiſs, and others do ſuch a thing amiſs as well as I, and ſo they think to eſcape that way. Oh! thou weak man, thou vain man, why wilt thou deceive thy ſoul with this? Doeſt thou think that another mans evil may be an excuſe to thy evil? Thou art a vain man and knoweſt not the way of God.
The Fourth Note is this: Therefore doth God ſay, he 4hath a Controverſie againſt Judah here, to ſhew them, how much more muſt the ten Tribes expect the diſpleaſure of God; If Judah who retains the true Worſhip of God, yet for ſome other evils God hath a Controverſie againſt them, then what will become of Iſrael, who have thoſe evils, and reject the true Worſhip of God too? As if the Prophet ſhould ſay, your condition is far worſe, therefore doth the Lord ſay, he hath a Controverſie againſt Judah, that he might aggravate the evils of Iſrael: like that of Peter, If Judgment begin at the Houſe of God, where ſhall the wicked and the ſinner appear? If ſo be that the Church which have the Ordinances in the purity of them, yet God is diſpleaſed with them for their ſin, how much more will he be diſpleaſed with them who are corrupt in the Worſhip of God? Therefore men ſhould not bleſs themſelves with ſuch diſcourſe as this: Why, others have evils as well as we, yea, but if God will puniſh them for their evils that have ſewer, and a great deal more good than thou, how much more will he puniſh thee? Oh! if thoſe that are the dear Saints of God, that worſhip him in truth and ſincerity, and they have evils among them, but yet they ſhall not eſcape ſcot-free, Oh! then, what will become of thee who art a wicked and vile wretch and haſt no good at all? If a Moſes that had done God ſo much ſervice, yet for one ſin of paſſion (for ſo it was) was ſhut out of the Land of Cannan, (it was but one time that he ſpake unadviſedly with his lips, that God ſhut him out, and bid him ſpeak no more to him of that matter) what will become of thee that haſt a paſſionate froward ſpirit, and thou that never haſt, nor wilt do God A Note for paſſionat menthe ſervice that ſuch a Servant of his hath done, what will become of t…? Oh! how …ayeſt thou look to be ſhut out. This uſe you muſt make of the ſins of others, and Gods dealings with them. And ſaith he, I will puniſh Jacob according to his waies &c.
There is Two Queſtions neceſſarie for the opening of this.
Firſt, Why the ten Tribes are call'd by the name of Jacob, we never reade that they are call'd by the name of Queſt.Iſaac, and of Abraham.
Now for the Anſwer to that, it's given thus; which is a very ſatisfying Anſwer, That therefore the People Anſw.of God are call'd in Scripture by the name of Jacob, and by the name of Iſrael his other name, rather than by the name of Abraham and Iſaac, becauſe they (though godly) and were the Father and Grand-father, yet in Abrahams family there was wicked aſwel as good; likewiſe from Iſaac's loins there came Eſau aſwel as Jacob; but now from Jacobs loyns there came none but were of Gods Church, all Jacobs Sons they are the twelve Patriarchs, and therefore they are call'd by the name of Jacob, rather than Abraham or Iſaac; and therefore when he ſpeaks of the People of God, he calls them the ſeed of Jacob, I ſaid not to the ſeed of Jacob, ſeek ye me in vain.Queſt.
But then Secondly, Why is Jacob mentioned in this place?Anſw.
Becauſe the Prophet intends preſently in the words that follow, to bring the example of Jacob to them before he was Iſrael, to aggravate their ſin for the work of humiliation, and therefore here he names Jacob to take away that vain plea of their hearts, whereas they would ſay, Why were not we the poſterity of Jacob, Have not we Jacob to be our Father? Well (ſaith he) I'le puniſh Jacob, and I'le ſhew you by and by that you have no ſuch cauſe to boaſt your ſelves, that you have Jacob to be your Father, and ſo I take it, and moſt Interpreters, that by Jacob he means the ten Tribes. Now for the other part of the text I ſhall ſpeak nothing concerning that, becauſe in Chap. 4. Ver. 9. we had the very ſame words there. It follows;