Hosea 10 · The Lantern

Retribution for Israel’s Sin

Israel is a luxuriant vine; he yields fruit for himself. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied the altars; as his land was good, they made the standing stones good.

Their heart is divided; now they will bear guilt. He himself will break the necks of their altars; he will devastate their standing stones.

For now they will say, “We have no king, because we did not fear the LORD — and the king, what could he do for us?”

They have spoken words, swearing empty oaths, cutting a covenant; and judgment sprouts like poison on the furrows of a field.

For the calves of Beth-aven the inhabitant of Samaria dreads. For its people mourn over it, and its idol-priests rejoice over it, over its glory, because it has gone from it into exile.

And the expression, "They opened their mouth upon me like a roaring lion," designates him who was then king of the Jews, and was called Herod, a successor of the Herod who, when Christ was born, slew all the infants in Bethlehem born about the same time, because he imagined that amongst them He would assuredly be of whom the Magi from Arabia had spoken; for he was ignorant of t…

The Lord himself comes to a trial with "the elders and rulers of the people," as Isaiah predicted. And then he fulfilled all that had been written of his passion.

"The inhabitants of Samaria have worshipped the cows of Bethaven, because its people have mourned over it; and its priests have rejoiced over it, for its glory has departed from it. Moreover, it has been carried away to Assyria, as a gift to the avenging king.

It too will be carried to Assyria as a gift to King Jareb. Ephraim will take shame, and Israel will be ashamed of his counsel.

Samaria is destroyed — her king is like a twig on the face of the water.

And the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. Thorn and thistle will come up on their altars; and they will say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel; there they stood. Will not the battle overtake them in Gibeah, against the sons of injustice?

In my desire I will discipline them, and peoples will be gathered against them when they are bound for their two iniquities.

And Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh, and I myself passed over the goodness of her neck. I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will harrow for him.

Sow for yourselves in righteousness; reap according to loyal love; break up for yourselves fallow ground. And it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

But behold also how holy and how wonderful is the very order of the things. Not first the "breastpiece" and afterward the "ephod", because wisdom is not before works, but works ought first to be had and afterward wisdom is to be sought. Then, next, not "manifestation" before the "rational", because we ought not to teach others before we ourselves are instructed and rational.

"Sow for yourselves according to righteousness, reap according to the merciful act. Cultivate for yourselves a new crop, but require the time of seeking the Lord when He comes to teach you righteousness. Sow for yourselves according to righteousness, reap the fruit of life.

I do not say, however, that knowledge of letters is to be despised or neglected, which adorns the soul and instructs it, and makes it able to instruct others also. But those two things ought and are expedient to come first, in which the preceding argument declared the sum of salvation to consist.

You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lying — because you trusted in your way, in the abundance of your mighty men.

It is the bishop's duty not to be silent in the case of offenders but to admonish them, to exhort them, to wrestle them down, to afflict them with fastings, that so he may strike a pious dread into the rest. For he is called to bring up the children of Israel in piety.

"You harvested impiety and iniquity; you consumed the fruit of lies." LXX: "Why are you silent about his impieties and injustices? You harvested the fruit of deceit." Against my will, I often find myself debating the nuances of the Hebrew language.

"They ate the fruit of deception," namely, they had a useless and senseless hope. For the true fruit is the one that can save and help, the love toward God and the glory of righteousness. On the contrary, the false fruit would reasonably be considered impiety, for in the end it altogether descends to what is abominable.

And an uproar will rise among your people, and all your fortresses will be devastated, like the devastation of Beth-arbel by Shalman in the day of battle, when a mother was dashed in pieces on her sons.

So Bethel has done to you, because of the evil of your evil. At dawn the king of Israel is utterly destroyed.

Hosea10

Retribution for Israel’s Sin