Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Hosea
Book: Hosea
Chapter: 8
Overview:
Destruction threatened for the impiety of
Israel.
(1-4) For
their
Idolatry.
(5-10) Further threatenings for the same sins.
(11-14)
1-4 When
Israel was hard pressed, they would claim protection
from
God, but this would be disregarded. What stead will it
stand in to say, My
God, I know thee, if we cannot say, My
God,
I
Love thee, serve thee, and cleave to thee only?
5-10 They promised themselves plenty, peace, and victory,
By
worshipping idols, but their expectations came to nothing. What
they sow has
No stalk,
No Blade, or, if it have, the bud shall
yield
No Fruit, there was nothing in them. The
Works of
Darkness
are unfruitful; nay, the
End of those things is
Death. The hopes
of sinners will deceive them, and their gains will be snares. In
times of danger, especially in the
Day of
Judgment, all
Carnal
devices will fail. They take a course
By themselves, and like a
wild
Ass By himself, they will be the easier and surer prey for
the lion.
Man is in nothing more like the wild
Ass's colt, than
in seeking for that succour and that satisfaction in the
Creature, which are to be had in
God only. Though men may sorrow
a little, yet if it is not after a godly sort, they will be
brought to sorrow everlastingly.
11-14 It is a great
Sin to corrupt the
Worship of
God, and will
be charged as
Sin On all who do it, how plausible soever their
excuses may seem to be. The
Lord had caused his
Law to be
written for them, but they cared not to know, and would not obey
it.
Man seems
By the temples he builds to be mindful of his
Maker, yet really he has forgotten him, because he has cast off
all his fear; but none ever hardened his
Heart against
God and
prospered.
So long as men despise the truths and precepts of
God's
Word, and the ordinances of his
Worship, all the
observances and offerings, however costly, of their own
devising, will be unto them for
Sin; for those services only are
acceptable to
God, which are done according to his
Word, and
through
Jesus Christ.