The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-23

power, cruel, relentless, was pushing rap
idly westward and threatened to crush
and grind to powder beneath its vietori-
Gus heel the little kingdom of Israel
Amos had warned and denounced, declar-
ing in no uncertain tones the coming
judgment, but only to be rebuked and
derided. and finally driven back to Judah
whence he came.
It is upon such troublous times that
Hosea is cast. But this is not all. His
own life had been as strong as that of
his people. He had passed through sad
and bitter experience, one In which all
the great deeps In his nature had been
broken up. This is his story as briefly
told by himself, with great reticence-
only so much of 1t as is needful to ex-
plain how prophecy was bred within him
and the divine message given him for
his sin-blinded distracted country.
In his youth he loved and married
beautiful and simple malden-but evil
IDENTIFY of low birth.
After relating the story of Hosea's I'M
happy congenial relations. the preacher
continued:
Hosea's heart is torn now with anguish
for his beloved oountry-beset by foes
without and by anarchy within. What
can 1t all mean, he cries, rejecting upon
his own and his nations sorrows.
Has God forsaken His people? Has He
utterly cast them off? Suddenly out Of
his own Observation-Disclosures the answer
flashes upon him. mo that cannot be;
God has no more forsaken His people
that l my erring, taithless wife"
Love and Mercy.
Do find love and mercy unquenchable
in my own soul and shall there be moth
ing like 1t In God? In this alone-this
zone way of love shall the creature sur
pass the creator?" No, thousand times
no, and thus is born In Israel that con-
ception of God as husband of his people
and they as His spouse that figures so
largely in their afterthought. The sor-
rev and anguish of his own heart had in
terpreted to him in some measure the
anguish of Gods own heart over his
faithless peoples sins.
Beautifully, tenderly throughout the
prophecy is this figure dwelt upon, the
severe but redemptive discipline, and
finally the renewal of the first tender
love, when as a child God loved Israel,
called him as lis son out Of Egypt,
taught Ehphriam to walk, nourished and
shepherded and cared for him, as only
father cares for his child, husband the
wife of his youth. a tender master the
domestic animals that humbly and pa
tiently love to serve him. 1t is the Old
Testament foreshadowing of the Masters
parable Of the prodlgal son-the cords
with which God draws His people to
Himsef-are those of a man, the bonds
of love, not love In its narrow sense but
in the full sense of that wonderfully preg-
nant word of scripture translated mercy
in the Old Testament, and love In the
English equivalent.
Ceremonies LoveIess.
Israers great sin is not that ceremonies
and worship are lacking; they never were
more ardently observed, Amos tells us;
but 1t is that they are loveless, mere
forms without the spirit that gives them
any worth, mere symbols without the
life that gave them being.
Thus is their worship false. immoral
as the worship of the heather. God loves
His children and expects their love in
return. This mutual love, and this alone.
is true and pure rellgion-anything less
or other is irreliglous 1t Is their love
God wants, not sacrifice and knowledge
of Him more than burnt offering. What
grieves Jehovah is that Israel love
is like the morning cloud and the dew SO
early gone"
The closing chapter of the book de-
picts this restoration and RECEPTION OF re-
pentant Israel finally wrought through
the Judgment and exile and discipline,
not of divine wrath, but of divine love.
in the form of a dialogue between the
prophet Israel, and Jehovah, and in Ian
guage of exquisite beauty and charm en-
bodied in Amas and Hosea's prophecies.
These two ideas made historically the
nation of Israel-namely that God had
called Israel and that God loved Israeli
Belief In the first created the nation.
separated It from among the wandering
tribes whence 1T sprung and brought 1t
into being. Belief in the second trained
1t for its peculiar mission as the great
religious leader and teacher OF mankind
the prophet nation among the nations
from whose womb was born in the full
ness OF time" He who was both Son OF
Man and Son OF God.
Message for Us.
But this prophets message Is for you
and for me- We too much and too often
look upon religion. and even God. as
something apart from human ties, human
affairs and human life. But here Is one
who says nay. these are the very bands
by which God is seeking TO draw and
unite us to Himself. The more truly
human man becomes the nearer does he
come to God. Pure and genuine human
sentiment always leads to Him. He who
was most divine. coming to fill out in
the large. full characters Of life the
meaning of the prophets. the very Son
Of God who cried, 1T is my meat to do
the will of my Father" He was likewise
truest human-very Son Of Man. By
these heart cords. this all inclusive af-
lection God draws us to Himself.
These mighty ties of our common hui
manity have all been gathered up in
Jesus and revealed to US in all. their in
finite power and glory-shown to be the
very heart of God Himself--our Heavenly
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