An Exposition of Hosea 11-13, Exposition · Chapter 13 · Verse 7
VER. 7.
Therefore I will be unto them as a Lyon; as a Leopard, by the way will I obſerve them.
THere's moſt dreadful expreſſions that here follows: God is exceedingly provok'd with the exaltation of mens hearts, and their forgetfulneſs of him in time of their proſperitie.
Is this the ſame God that ſpake ſo of Ephraim heretofore? Is Ephraim my dear Son? Ephraim my pleaſant Child. How ſhall I give thee up, Ephraim? my bowels are turned within me; ever ſince I ſpake againſt him, I do earneſtly remember him, and my bowels are troubled within me; Is this the Lord that now will be a Lyon, a Leopard, a Bear, a tearing Lyon, a wild beaſt unto Ephraim? What, is this the God that heretofore carried them as Eagles do their yong upon their wings, and nouriſhed them as the Eagle nouriſheth her yong ones? Is this the God that was as a Hen to the Chickin, that was as a gracious Father unto them, to whom this people were as the dearly beloved of Gods Soul, and now God a Lyon, a Leopard, a Bear, a wild Beaſt to come and tear them? Is this the merciful God? is this that God that is love and merciemercy it ſelf thus to appear? Oh my Brethren, Obſ.how dreadful doth ſin render God unto his creature! But all this while there's no change in Gods heart, God is the ſame in himſelf as before; the change is in the Creature. The Sun that ſoftens the Wax, the ſame Sun hardens the Clay: the ſame Infinite bleſſed Being that doth good to his Creature in one condition, the ſame Bleſſed, Infinite, Glorious Being is dreadful to the Creature in another condition. With the froward, he will ſhew himſelf froward; Pſal. 18.and with the upright, upright. Therefore above all doth God ſet himſelf out in a moſt terrible manner here againſt thoſe men that were in proſperity whoſe hearts were exalted and forgot him.
My Brethren, The Lord pities men, yea, ſinful men in the Obſ.time of their adverſity, but when they are at the height and forget him, Oh the anger of God is againſt them now above any men. I'le give you one Scripture to ſhew how God hath regard to men in low conditions; but to tho… that are fatted up in proſperity Gods anger is moſt againſt them. Ezek; 34. 16. 20. I will ſeek that which was loſt, I will bring Ezek. 34. 16. &c.again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will ſtrengthen that which was ſick; but I will deſtroy the ſat and the ſtrong, I will feed them with judgment, ſaith he. Thoſe that are loſt, I'le ſeek them; thoſe that are broken, I'le bind them up; thoſe that are ſick, I'le heal; but I'le deſtroy the fat, and the ſtrong, I will feed them with Judgment. Oh here's an excellent Scripture for the An obſervable Scripture.comforting of the hearts of thoſe that are in an afflicted condition. See how God regards ſuch: but God hath not ſuch regard to fat ones, and ſtrong ones, he will feed Why God deals roughly with the great & graciouſly with the grieded and oppreſſed. 1.them with judgment, and deſtroy them. The care and protection of God is more over the loſt ones, and the broken ones, and the ſick ones, than the fat ones, and the ſtrong ones, they are to be fed with Judgment, I'le be to them as a Lyon; and the reaſon of this is;
Firſt, Becauſe their hearts are very much hardened in their ſin, their ſin is grown to a height.
Secondly, Becauſe there are ſo many creatures that they have uſe of more than others that do cry againſt 2.them, Poor people have not ſo many creatures to cry againſt them as the rich have.
Further, They can make friends to avoid the ſtroke of Juſtice from men; but the poor people they are more 3.puniſhed, therefore God takes them into his hands and deals with them more ſeverely.
And when Judgment comes upon them it's more obſerved, and therefore God to them will be as a Lyon.4.
As a Lyon. You have a paralel Scripture in Pſal. 50. 22. I held my tongue, and ye thought I was like unto you; but conſider this ye that forget God, leſt I tear you in pieces, and Why God wil be as a Lyon to them that forget him. 1.there be none to deliver: their hearts were exalted, they forgot God, therefore will I be to them as a Lyon.
Firſt, A Lyon, is the moſt terrible creature, Amos, 3. If the Lyon roar, the Beaſts tremble. Oh my Brethren, the threats of God ſhould be to us as the roaring of a Lyon, and our hearts ſhould tremble at them.
Secondly, None can take away the prey from a Lyon, 2.Mich. 5. 8. as a yong Lyon among the flocks of Sheep, who if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver; none can deliver out of Gods hand.
Thirdly, A Lyon is ſtrong and cruſhes the whol compages 3.of a mans bones at one cruſh; Alas man, what is he? In Job, 4. 19. he is cruſhed before the Moth, much more before a Lyon then; Oh then much more before the Lord God when he comes to be as a Lyon.
Fourthly, It is obſerved of the Lyon, that ſhe will 4.narrowly mark any one that wounds her, if there were hundreds of men together, and one did but wound it, or ſhoot at it, or do any thing to it, ſhe will be ſure to mark that man. Oh! the Lord mark out thoſe that ſin againſt him, and that wounds his Name, they muſt not think to eſcape among others. The Lords eye is upon them particularly.
And it is obſerved of the Lyon, that ſhe ſleeps but little, 5.and with her eyes open; ſo the Lord: As he that keeps Iſrael neither ſlumbereth nor ſleepeth, ſo he that deſtroies his enemies doth not ſlumber nor ſleep.
Further, The Lyon will fall upon no creature except 6.it be in hunger, or be provok'd: the Lord though his wrath be terrible as a Lyon, yet he is not ſo ready to fall upon his creature, it muſt be from ſome ſpecial end that he hath, or ſome provocation that he hath, but then he falls terribly indeed.
Again, It is obſerved of the Lyon, that if you do but 7fall down on the ground, and ſubmit and yeeld, the Lyon Salis eſt proſtraſſe Leoni,doth uſe to paſs by, and will not tear and rend where there is an humble ſubmiſſion to him, whereas other creatures will. Oh thus God is a Lyon terrible, but yet only to thoſe that ſtand out againſt him.
And the Naturaliſts obſerve of the Lyon, that it cannot 8.endure to be look'd aſquint upon by any; thus it is with the Lord, the Lord loves no ſquint-eyed Chriſtians, I mean none that have by ends of their own, the Lord loves uprightneſs in our waies and dealings.
And laſtly, They ſay of the Lyon, that it is a great enemy 9to Apes, and Welves; ſo is God to Flatterers, and Tyrants. Thus God is compared a Lyon.1. 2. foreign, &c. [ſicut pardus in via Aſſyriorum vulgat. So Hieron.] Why the Locōpares himſelf to a Leopard. Plin. lib. 10. cap. 37. Aelian. lib. 2. cap. 23. Scalig. Exerc. 208.
Secondly, To a Leopard. And as a Leopard by the way will I obſerve them.
The Seventy reade the words otherwiſe, By the way of the Aſſyrian, ſay they. And indeed the Hebrew word that is here tranſlated obſerving, is very neer to that which is Aſſyrian.
The ſhe Leopard it all one with that they call Panther; And,
Firſt, They ſay, it is ſo fierce, that preſently it flies in the eyes of a man. I'le be a Leopard, I'le fly in the very faces of ſuch; Oh! ſuch manifeſt much pride in their faces, and I'le fly in their very faces, ſaith God.
Secondly, The Leopard is a very ſwift creature, Hab. 1. 8. ſo the Lord will ſwiftly come againſt wicked and ungodly men, as a Leopard, ſwiftly, and overtake them.
Thirdly, A Leopard to watch his prey, is very ſubtil to obſerve his fit times and opportunities to fall upon 3.the prey; ſo you have it in the text, As a Leopard will I watch them; Oh this ſet: out much of the fearful wrath of God againſt wicked men: you have the diſcription in Jer. 5. 6. A Leopard ſhall watch over their Cities. I ſay there's much of Gods wrath in this, it's very terrible, the Lord ſets his infinite wiſdom on work to watch fit times and opportunities for to let out his wrath upon ungodly men. I'le watch over them for evil, that we have in another Scripture threatned; Oh; thoſe are in a ſad condition that the Lord watches over them to do them evil: God watches over his people for good; But ſuch as when they are fled, exalt themſelves, and forget the Lord, God watches over them for evil; they ſhould be deſtroyed ſoon, but ſaith God, I have a fitter time than now wherein I'le get my ſelf a greater Name, wherein it ſhall be worſe for them; In due time ſhall their feet ſlide; this is the reaſon why men live ſo long in their proſperity, and go on and ſatisfie their wills, Becauſe God is watching over them, and his time is not yet come.
Further, It is obſerved of the Leopard, that when it comes upon its prey, it leaps upon it ſuddenly: and ſo doth the Lord to ungodly men, he comes in a ſudden way and leaps upon them; and therefore you muſt not think that you are as wel becauſe you are in as ſafe a condition as you were a year ſince, or ſeven years ſince; It is as wel with me (ſaith one) as it hath been with me in all my life-time; what then? you may be never a whit the further off from dangers, for the way of God in bringing his wrath, it is ſudden many times.
Laſtly, It is obſerved of the Leopard, that ſometimes it will ſleep a very long time together, it is ſaid to ſleep three daies together; but after it awakes it is more fierce than before: And ſo the Lord, though ſometimes he may be patient towards ſinners, yet when he comes to awake out of his ſleep (as he ſpeaks of himſelf, Pſal. 78. 65.) he is more terrible.