By Rev. Christopher Munro, Strathy.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” — Hosea 2, 14.
In the preceding context the Lord through the prophet declares unto Israel their sin in forsaking Him, and in going after idols, and threatens with chastisement; but after He chastises them, He promises to and have mercy on them. The manner in which He is to do this is e her, and bring her into the wilderness, and there to speak com- to her, or to her heart. This was likely spoken in allusion to the which He led them from Egypt to the land of Canaan. He might d them by a different and far shorter route, but to lead them to the promised land was not the way which seemed good to was after many years of bondage in Egypt, and after 40 years image in the wilderness, that He fulfilled his promise to them. ing abode in the wilderness was owing, not only to the fact that time of the promise being fulfilled was not come, but to their d to His design of teaching them many lessons of which they were orant, but which were necessary for them to know and practise. o, might have been the cause of their long abode in Egypt. They, njoying the sunshine of Royal power, might have forgotten the promise, and have begun to make light of it and of the land of „ content with Egypt, its people, its customs, and its gods; and so re left to experience the misery of tyranny and bondage, and see of despising the Lord’s promise, and the land He chose out for heritance. The fertile plains of the Nile might appear to them eferable to the hilly country of Judea, and the religion of the is more desirable than that of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Thus they provoked the Lord to chastise them, which He did till ains came up to Him, whose Throne is in the Heavens, and who in reemity remembered His grace and truth to the House of Israel. It appear that men at their best, while here, are not less exposed to im prosperity than in adversity; yea, the latter state is more able to a life of godliness than the former.
time this prophecy was written they had been many generations and of Canaan, and after frequent relapses into idolatry and ebukes and sore chastisements, they had again gone backward er idols, and therefore they are threatened with far heavier ents than any experienced by them since their departure from Butt still He declared unto them that He would not altogether for- em, nor cast them away, but remember His Covenant to n, and His promises to David and his House. The manner in e was to do this is indicated here, “I will allure her, and bring her wilderness, and there speak comfortably to her,” which state- ntains a rule, according to which He deals with His Church now, only so, but with individual members thereof. God’s purpose towards His elect people is to bring them out of an estate of sin and misery and bring them to a state of perfect and glorious salvation through Christ their Redeemer, and each one of them He brings, it may be said, from Egypt to Canaan, through the wilderness, and the way He does this is set before us here, “I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness”. In attempting to enlarge a little on the passage, I will speak —
- On His alluring her;
- On the wilderness through which she is brought; and
- Notice the purpose for which He brings her there, viz. — to speak to her heart; and then conclude with some hints by way of application.
I. I am to offer a few hints in the way of explaining the manner in which He brings her into the wilderness, which is by alluring her.
To allure is to persuade one by some artful means to follow another. We may here take His leading Israel out of Egypt to the wilderness as an illustration of the manner in which it is effected. If, as hinted, Israel began to forget His Covenant with Abraham, and His promise to give to His seed the land of Canaan; to induce them to leave Egypt, He rendered it a state of hard bondage from which they were at last too willing to escape, and to go forth at the Lord’s command, and follow His directions as to the route they should take. And in giving such commands, He declares unto them that He was to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey, and having so lately seen such wonderful displays of power in their behalf, they, without any hesitation, fled away, or left Egypt, and took, without any doubts or questioning, the way pointed out to them, which led to the wilderness — the great and howling wilderness — through which they were to be led to Canaan.
In the same way, He reveals the sinner’s state to him as one of bondage and misery, out of which he cries and groans for deliverance. This He does by opening his eyes to see the real nature of his condition as a sinner, and besides He so deals with him as to embitter all those objects that attracted his attention and entangled his affections, in such a manner as to make that state tolerable and pleasant to the soul. The effect of this is that the soul is not only willing to be saved from a state of sin and misery, but also to abandon all his idols, to abandon and hate all his former ways, and look upon every created object with which his heart had been carried away, as mere vanity as a portion for his soul. He now looks upon the opinions, customs, and ways of the world as the broad way which leads unto death, and therefore is made willing to abandon them, join himself to those who walk in the fear of the Lord according to Word. He makes choice of Christ as his Saviour, of God as his God, heaven as his home, of the truth as his rule of faith and practice, of Holy Ghost as his Comforter and his Teacher. In finding a well-ordered hope here, he rejoices with great joy, and in the ardour of his love he is ready to follow the Lord whithersoever He leads him. He is allured, he is drawn by loving-kindness and mercy, by Divine power, or by the Holy Ghost working powerfully in him, both to will and do. In a similar manner he deals with a soul in order to heal him from back-sliding state, sinful and grievous to him, a wretched and miserable condition from which he is willing to be delivered, and from which he is allured and drawn by Divine power, and by the application of promises of the new Covenant. The blessing and good held forth in them commend themselves unto him as the one thing needful, as the portion; and, having an additional proof of the emptiness of all other objects as a portion to the soul, he is anew drawn and allured to follow God the Saviour; that is, to believe as He the Lord speaks, to act as He directs, to live as He commands in the Gospel of His Son. This is the will of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; to do His will is, to follow Him and to be content with the disposal of all matters connected with the present life, and look upon all such things not as the chief end of being, but only as what is necessary for a few short years. When a man follows the Lord in this way He brings it to the wilderness, on which condition I would now proceed to make a few remarks.
III. This statement is an allusion to the wilderness through which the people went to Canaan, and is not to be understood as if they went a second time in their history to be brought to it, and were led through it to a place of rest, but as meaning that He would lead them to a state analogous to that in which their forefathers had been in the wilderness of Egypt. It points to their captivity in Babylon and elsewhere, and perhaps to their dispersed state at the present time.
At present I would confine my remarks to the manner in which this statement may apply to believers in all ages. The soul’s state after conversion is often spoken of as a wilderness, or as a journey through a wilderness to the land of promise. Their condition is to be looked upon as a wilderness, not in respect to their outward condition, so much as to their inward feeling or experience, or the Lord’s dealings with their soul. The lively joy experienced on the believer’s finding a Saviour, and in the hope of eternal life, is not as a general rule of long continuance, in this respect may be compared to the joy and triumph of the Israelites on finding themselves on dry land after passing through the Red Sea, and seeing their oppressors strewn dead on the shore, which was speedily forgotten in the trials that soon occurred. When they found themselves in a wilderness, without bread or water, and could not see how their wants were to be supplied, they murmured and rebelled against Moses, and not only against Moses, but against the Lord. And this temper or spirit manifested itself on various occasions after its first outward outbreak, for, although relief was obtained from that which excited this spirit, yet as soon as a second trial arose, it showed itself again, and thus they continued to behave themselves, until, by many chastisements, they were made willing to obey the Divine commandments. The experience of most believers is parallel to this. Their first transports of joy, of gladness, and of praise, are soon, perhaps, succeeded by trials and temptations, that put their faith, their hope, their patience, to a severe test. They are in circumstances that require all needed for them to come directly from God, just as the Israelites were as to bread, water, guidance, and protection. They could not procure either of the necessaries of life in the usual manner, and would have perished unless a provision had been made for them in a preternatural manner. Like to this is the case of the believer, who is a spiritually quickened man, and therefore needs spiritual sustenance. He has no stores of this provision in himself, neither can a fellow-creature supply his wants; he must, therefore, depend on Him who is the author of every good and perfect gift. Whilst, however, his state renders it necessary that he should depend on God for all that he needs of spiritual nourishment, he has enough in himself and around him to put to the trial his faith, his hope, and faithfulness to his Lord and Master. He is thus in a wilderness, or his condition here, as compared with the promised rest, is a wilderness. In it he has no abiding city, no rest, no perfect peace, no full enjoyment of God, no uninterrupted communion with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. In it he is thirsty and hungry and weary and faint. The pools, prepared for the water that descends, prove often dry cisterns. I mean that he often finds the ordinances of grace like dry wells, and like barren trees on which he finds no fruit. He feels himself as a stranger and sojourner; as one unknown, though well-known. If his affections have been entangled by objects, with regard to which he should sit loose, he is either deprived of these, or else they are made bitter to him. He is surrounded with dangers and enemies, against whom he has to be always on his guard, and with whom, sometimes, he has to wage war. All these, on the one hand, try him, and bring to light the evil of his heart, such as unbelief, pride, self-sufficiency, disobedience, and rebellion of spirit, and spiritual idolatry; and, on the other hand, show him his need of pardoning mercy, of renewing and sanctifying grace, of being brought down from his high places, from his self-seeking and self-glory. They are also fitted to impress on him his need of Divine guidance, protection, and living by faith on the Word of God, or on Christ in the Word of promise, in the doctrine of the Gospel of God, of living upon Him and to Him. Thus he is in a wilderness — a dry parched land — but he is not alone.
III. We have mentioned some of the elements that render the condition of believers here like unto a wilderness. We now proceed to notice the end why God brings them into such a condition, and that is in order to speak comfortably to them.
Man in his natural state has no taste or relish for the consolations that are in Christ. His ears are deaf to the voice of God; his heart is hard and insensible to the great things of which God speaks, and his mind is engrossed by carnal considerations, that never entertain any thoughts about Divine and Heavenly things. He is like one with whom a friend would begin a close and intimate conversation, which it was his interest to attend to, but who was so much taken up by some trifling business as that it prevented him from paying any attention to what his friend said. The only way to attract the attention would be to withdraw him from that which so much engrossed him, and take him aside, and then when he was disposed to listen, to tell him the matter of communication. The Lord has thus to withdraw man’s heart and affections from created objects, and to dispose him to listen to Him, or to attend to His Word, believe it, and obey it. It is then only that one derives true comfort from the truth. The comforts of Christ are bestowed only on the needy. In Him there is a fulness of consolation sufficient for every one who feels his need of it, and suited to convey comfort under every circumstance in which a believer may be.
The need of comfort arises from various causes, and comfort bestowed, implies sorrow, or grief, or misery, of some kind or other. Sometimes it is a sense of guilt and wrath in God against sin that distresses the soul, so that the comfort he needs is a sense of pardon. At other times his hope is low, and so he needs its revival in order to be comforted. Sometimes he walks in darkness, and so needs light. At other times a sense of evil dwelling in him makes him sad and wretched; then he needs grace to subdue and resist evil in order to enjoy any relief. Sometimes he mourns over an absent Lord and Saviour; then it is a view of Him as his beloved that can cheer him. At other times his barrenness causes him fear and grief; then it is a revival of the graces of the Spirit that can raise his soul. In this wilderness he also mourns over a world lying in wickedness, and can only be comforted in this matter by laying hold of God’s promise, and submitting to His will as to the manner and time of its accomplishment. Here, also, he learns more and more of the bitterness of a state of absence from God, and sees that nothing can give him relief but communion with Him here, and far more intimate communion with Him above. Thus he is prepared and ripened for being transplanted into the Paradise above, where perfect rest is at last enjoyed. It is God who can speak comfort as to these matters. It is not the wilderness, it is not a sense of its barrenness, of its dangers and trials that does this, but the God of all consolation, whom outward difficulties or inward obstacles cannot prevent from coming near and from speaking to the soul whom he has prepared for enjoying the consolations that are in Christ. When He speaks it is done; unbelief is silenced, the hardness of heart is melted, and the proud bearing is brought low, even to the dust, and, on the other hand, the wounded spirit and the torn heart are healed. The weak is made strong, the fearful is rendered hopeful and courageous, the halting is made to go forward with steadfastness and increased speed.
In conclusion, I would apply this subject, first in the way of self-examination. Have you come out of Egypt, out of a state of sin and misery? Or, are you still there, at peace with sin and Satan, and his service? Or, have these been made an intolerable bondage to you? Have you come out to follow Christ? Are you in a wilderness? Are you learning there what you are and what you need? This is God’s manner of dealing with His people. It is He that has brought you to this place. Endeavour to attend to the purpose why you are brought. It is first to prove, try, and show you what is in your heart, and then to comfort you, He does this. Then you may look for the spoiling of every creature comfort, and letting you see that true comfort is to be enjoyed in perfect holiness, and fellowship with Himself.
The subject, too, may be improved for comfort or consolation to the poor, weary wanderer. Christ is with her even in this dreary condition, and as it was He who led her there, so He shall lead her out of it. “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” That will be a glorious issue! Christ leading his spouse and coming up from the waste howling wilderness, from Lebanon, from the top of Amana, from the den of lions and leopards, coming home with his long lost one, with her who had been frequently weary, and tossed to and fro — with her whom He found weltering in her blood, ready to perish, now clothed in robes of needlework, and all glorious within, now cleansed from idols and from all sin — about to enter the gates of the New Jerusalem, through which nothing unclean shall enter, and these gates wide opened to admit the bridegroom with his bride. The wonder and glory of this coming up is set before us in that question, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” Is it she that in the day of her nativity was cast out into the open field, wallowing in her blood, and ready to perish, none to pity, none to help her? It is the very one. It is she who, after being preserved alive by a miracle of power and love, after being washed and adorned with beautiful garments, and then married to Him, who proved her deliverer, but after that, played the harlot with many lovers? Yes; it is she of whom all this is true. Why did He who is so high, so excellent, so full of majesty and glory, condescend to look on one who is so miserable and low? It was because He was sovereign, and rich in love and grace. Why did He restore her into favour after being guilty of such conduct? It was, because that having espoused her in justice, in righteousness, truth, and loving-kindness, He is unchangeable in His love, in His purpose, in His promise, and so bound by His Covenant of Peace, which must not be broken. O wonder of wonders, to behold such a sight!
“Ye gates lift up your heads on high,
Ye doors that last for aye
Be lifted up that so the King
Of glory enter may.”
Think of this poor, weary, hungry, and thirsty soul, and be concerned to be found in Him, that this may be the outlet to you from a very weary wilderness. Will you come with Him who calls you to arise and come away with Him from a state of sin and bondage and wrath? He will deliver you, and though He will lead you to a wilderness, He will not leave you there, but carry you hence with Him; and won’t this be better than to be cast into hell for ever?