2 lines
6.1 KiB
HTML
2 lines
6.1 KiB
HTML
|
<p>1. Here is the prophet’s name and surname; which he himself, as other prophets, prefixes to his prophecy, for the satisfaction of all that he is ready to attest what he writes to be of God; he sets his hand to it, as that which he will stand by. His name, <i>Hosea</i>, or <i>Hosea</i> (for it is the very same with Joshua’s original name), signifies a <i>saviour</i>; for prophets were instruments of salvation to the people of God, so are faithful ministers; they help to save many a soul from death, by saving it from sin. his surname was <i>Ben-Beeri</i>, or <i>the son of Beeri</i>. As with us now, so with them then, some had their surname from their place, as Micah the Morashite, Nahum the Elkoshite; others from their parents, as Joel the son of Bethuel, and here Hosea the son of Beeri. And perhaps they made use of that distinction when the eminence of their parents was such as would bring honour upon them; but it is a groundless conceit of the Jews that where a prophet’s father is names he also was a prophet. <i>Beeri</i> signifies a <i>well</i>, which may put us in mind of the fountain of life and living waters from which prophets are drawn and must be continually drawing. 2. Here are his authority and commission: <i>The word of the Lord came to him. It was to him</i>; it came with power and efficacy to him; it was revealed to him as a real thing, and not a fancy or imagination of his own, in some such way as God then discovered himself to his servants the prophets. What he said and wrote was by divine inspiration; it was <i>by the word of the Lord</i>, as St. Paul speaks concerning that which he had purely by revelation, <a class="bibleref" title="1Thess.4.15" href="/passage/?search=1Thess.4.15">1 Thess. 4:15</a>. Therefore this book was always received among the canonical books of the Old Testament, which is confirmed by what is quoted out of it in the New Testament, <a class="bibleref" title="Matt.2.15,Matt.9.13,Matt.12.7,Rom.9.25,Rom.9.26,1Pet.2.10" href="/passage/?search=Matt.2.15,Matt.9.13,Matt.12.7,Rom.9.25,Rom.9.26,1Pet.2.10"><span class="bibleref" title="Matt.2.15">Matt. 2:15</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Matt.9.13">9:13</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Matt.12.7">12:7</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="Rom.9.25">Rom. 9:25</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="Rom.9.26">26</span>; <span class="bibleref" title="1Pet.2.10">1 Pet. 2:10</span></a>. For the word of the Lord endures for ever. 3. Here is a particular account of the times in which he prophesied—<i>in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel</i>. We have only this general date of his prophecy; and not the date of any particular part of it, as, before, in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, and, afterwards, in Haggai and Zechariah. Here is only one king of Israel named, though there were many more within this time, because, having mentioned the kings of Judah, there was no necessity of naming the other; and, they being all wicked, he took no pleasure in naming them, nor would do them the honour. Now by this account here given of the several reigns in which Hosea prophesied (and it should seem the word of the Lord still came to him, more or less, at times, throughout all these reigns) it appears, (1.) That he prophesied a long time, that he began when he was very young, which gave him the advantage of strength and sprightliness, and that he continued at his work till he was very old, which gave him the advantage of experience and authority. It was a great honour to him to be thus long employed in such good work, and a great mercy to the people to have a minister so long among them that so well knew their state, and naturally cared for it, one they had been long used to and who therefore was the more likely to be useful to them. And yet, for aught that appears, he did but little good among them; the longer they enjoyed him the less they regarded him; they despised his youth first, and afterwards his age. (2.) That he passed through a variety o
|