Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. The scope of this chapter is to clear God from severity, and to upbraid Israel for ungrateful and stubborn carriage, against mercies and means, and yet to promise mercy to the remnant, to His elect ones. At the close of the preceding chapter there were dreadful threatenings against Israel, that the mothers should be dashed in pieces upon their children, and the king utterly cut off. But does not this argue God to be a God of rigid severity? Where is the mercy, goodness, and clemency of God towards His people? God says, "For all this I am a God of mercy and goodness, for I have manifested abundance of mercy already, and am ready still to manifest more; but you have been a stubborn and a stout-hearted people against Me." From this general scope observe — 1. God stands much upon the clearing of Himself to be a God of love and mercy. Whatsoever becomes of the wicked, yet God will make it clear before all the world that He is a God of much mercy. God takes it very ill that we should have any hard thoughts of Him; let us not be ready to entertain such thoughts of God, as if He were a hard master. "When Israel was a child." That is, at his first beginning to be a people, in his young time, My heart was towards him. When he knew little of Me. When he could do little for Me. When there was much vanity and folly in him, as there are generally in children. When he was helpless and succourless, and knew not how to provide for himself. The love of God to Israel is expressed in these three particulars. (1) God "entered into a covenant" with him. (2) "Thou becamest Mine," that is, I had separated thee for Myself, and took thee for a peculiar one to Me, and intended special mercy and goodness to thee. (3) I confirmed all this by an oath, "I sware unto thee." Observe — 2. It is the privilege of the Church and of the saints to be beloved of God. God loves His people; this is their privilege, He loves them with a special love. 3. It is a great aggravation to sin, to sin against love. 4. It is very useful to call to mind God's old love. 5. All God's old mercies remain engagements to duty and aggravations to sin. 6. Let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts, though we see that we are able to do but little for God, and though we are unworthy of His love. 7. God's love begins betimes to His people; let not His people's love be deferred too long. (Jeremiah Burroughs.) Parallel Verses KJV: When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.WEB: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. |
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