Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-12-10
LESSON FOR DECEMBER !,
JEHOVAH YEARNs OVER ISRAEL

cel Va Isaiah oAiO aAlOor
Hosea continued to prophesy after
the first captivity of the northern !
kingdom. His style is abrupt and fig |
urative. Israel is Jehovah's adulter-
Gus wife, repudiated, but finally to be
purified and restored. This lesson is
part of the second section of the
book (4:1-13:8), which is descrip-
ton of the sinful people.
!. "The Perverse Child" w. ~.
The remnant" (ch. GLIB had cried
out for relief. (See lisa. 1:9; Rom
2:5). Jehovah's reply (begins $40 is
a severe arraignment of Israels back
sliding as contrasted with his grace.
To understand this lesson read the
entire book repeatedly. In verse / OF
the lesson. Jehovah recalls to the ma
tlon the days of its childhood Be
cause Of his great love (Deut. I'D
he called them out of Egypt. the land
OF bondage, into Canaan, the land of
blessing and liberty. Yet Israel sensed
not its duty nor its obligation of graft
tude We are living under a greater
obligation because of the greater re-
demption God has provided for US in
the person of his Son. God here calls
Israel my son" (Ex. 4:22); we have
the right to call ourselves sons John
1:12; l. John 3:1-2). Matthew'S gos-
pei applies these words to him who
alone was fully and in the true sense
Gods son. Jesus is the summary of
the whole nation in that he alone fully
realized Gods purpose in Israel Matt
| 2:15).
AS contrasted with what a son is
or should be verse gives a picture
OF lsraels wandering. The whole his
i tory of the nation is one of going after
false gods. Il. Sam S:7-9 and many
other references.) In those childhood
days ". 81 Jehovah taught them how
to walk, and healed their hurts but
they knew not"-God, as a tender Fa-
ther, had watched over, taught. guild
ed and healed (Ex. 1914; Isa 46:3;
63:9). Even SO, in this present age
God is God of mercy and long suf
fering from. 2:4), yet the mass of
men know not" what God is doing
for them. In verse 4 the child has
grown older and as mothers often
tether child lest it run away. so Je
hovah endeavors to draw Israel to
him with cords of love-" His cord
of love now is the mighty power of
\ Calvary John 12:32) Jehovah not
only drew but even sought 20 entice,
for he laid meat unto them"-Jesus
will deliver US, for he bore our yoke
Matt. 11:2S-30) and is for us the
Bread of Life John 6:35, 5S). Love
does not mean that the backslider
shall be free from punishment BE
cause they refused to return
the sword shall abide" ". Sc and Heb.
12:6). Even so God did not permit
them to go back to Egyptian bond
age ". 81. Israel was bent to back
sliding.'\ In spite of the constant call
to worship and serve him none would
exalt him" Is not this a picture of
the mass of the people of so-called
Christian lands? If not why then lad
vertise the churches" or hold special
sampaigns?"
II. The Pleading Parent, Wv. 8-12.
None can fathom the depths of the
cry. How shall l give thee up. How
shall | deliver thee" ". 81. Israe!
would persist and still Jehovah pleads
that perchance they would heed his
cry (Jer. 81; Lam. 3:33). Admah
and Zeboim were irretrievably over
thrown with Sodom and Gomorrah
(Deut. 29:33), shall Israel likewise
perish? Mo- ". 81 for 81 am God. not
man." God does not. like man
change-his covenants are not scraps
of paper" his love is everlasting (Nu
23:19O. 1t is not God but man who is
responsible for his destruction The
Holy One in the midst of thee IS
there to save, not as an avenger God
has not come into our midst in wrath
Gods passionate desire is to save
: not to destroy. His purposes are
those of love and redemption and as
with Israel Of old, so in this age he
, will carry out these purposes in spite
| of our backsliding (Rom. 11:28-29)
Verses 10 and Ii are prophetic of the
ultimate repentance and restoration O.
T Israel-judgment shall pass upon theil
foes Joel 3:16) and those of the dis
: persion (see parallel lisa. 11:11-16
shall gather. as doves to their win
dows," and be once more "in thei
: houses i. e., set up as nation il
), their God-given land. Ephraim (v IL
/ sought to rule without or by castin,
f off Jehovah q. Cor 4:8).
In Judah was the legal priesthood
and the legitimate king. but the apos
tasy of Israel was more culpable be
cause of the example of Judah whicl
he had set at nought.
III. Promised Deliverance. In
most striking way Hosea flashes
note of hope and love through tn
cloud of gloom which hung over tn
nation as it drew closer to it's doom
because the people refused to repent
Amos delivered his warning and re
turned to Judah
Hosea was d part of the natiol
which emphasizes such verses of hi
prophecy as the following: 6:l, AZ
11:4, 11:6. GA. 6:6 2:15 and 10: L
which sound the message of hope lik
bulletins from the battles front
The conclusion of the whole matte
is recorded in chapter IA. Hosea e,
horts ". 1, 2 cf.) and places in tn
mouths of the people their petitio
, ". lc.. 81; Jehovah replied (v. 4-6
y and the prophet encourages the peopl
". y.
Then Israel and Jehovah converse
Israel-"What have | to do any NOR
with idOls?" Jehovah-'T have hear
him and observed him" israel"
am like a green fir tree" jehovah
- From me is thy fruit found
Verse 9 is the final summary fc
Israel and for us as well.