CHAP. III.
God expostulates with Israel and Judah, and warns them of approaching judgments, 1-8. He calls the Philistines and Egyptians to behold the punishment of Samaria and the ten tribes for their sins, 9-15.
Heard that the hath EAR this word that the LORD hath Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will ha lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion + cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Cana bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
2 You donly have I known of all the 6 Shall k a trumpet be blown in the city, families of the earth: therefore I will *pun-1 and the people not be afraid? shall ish you for all your iniquities.
the sight of men, they may fill up a large
there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath
not done it ?
g Gen. 5:22, 6:9. 17:1. 2 Cor. 6:14-16.
h.8. 1:2. Ps. 104:21. Hos. 11:
10.
† Heb. give forth his voice. i Jer. 31:28. Dan. 9:14. k Jer. 4:5. 6:1. Ez. 33:3. Hos.
5:8. Zeph. 1:16.
Jer. 5:22. 10:7. 2 Cor. 5:11. Or, run together.
m Gen. 50:20. Is. 14:24-27. Acts 2:23. 4:28.
Or, and shall not the LORD do somewhat.
misery, notwithtsanding all their idolized pow
measure of guilt, and ripen speedily for ven-er, courage, or resources: nor can individuals,
who profess, and thus disgrace, the gospel, escape the future wrath of an offended God.
NOTES.
geance, "by despising the law of the LORD, and not keeping his commandments;" and by preferring their own imaginations or inclinations to his holy truths, ordinances, and precepts. False doctrines, delusive superstitions, idolaCHAP. III. V. 1-3. This chapter begins tries, and direct and aggravated violations of another message from God, which was adthe word of God, have often been perpetuated dressed to all the posterity of Jacob.
This by tradition in the visible church; and one whole family, which the Lord had brought generation after another has "erred through out of Egypt, had been owned, noticed, and the lies, after which their fathers have walk- favored by him, in such a manner as no other ed;" till the wrath of God has burned like fire, people had been; especially, in having his orato consume even "the palaces of Jerusalem." cles and ordinances among them, and being -When actions which are known to be crimi- admitted into a covenant-relation to him as his nal are deliberately ventured upon for worldly worshippers.
But instead of being, on that gain, men will by degrees proceed to perpetrate account, connived at in their wickedness; his the basest villanies for the lowest recompense, honor required that they should be punished and become callous to all the miseries of the with distinguished severity. ( Marg . and Marg . poor: nay, they will take pleasure in trampling Ref . d-f.- Notes , Ex . 19:4-6. Ps . 147:19,20. on the righteous and the meek, out of con- Is . 63:7-19. Ez . 9:5-7. Matt . 3:7-10. 11:20tempt and enmity to their characters! Such 24.
Rom . 3:1,2.) They could not reasonably nominal Christians will grudge the poor ser- expect to continue in friendship and peace vant, laborer, and mechanic the smallest ad- with God, and under his protection, pr while vantage or indulgence; and eagerly pursue their conduct was directly contrary to his holy every iniquitous method of extorting their lit-law. Without coincidence in judgment, intle from then them, to increase their own abun-clinations, and pursuits, men cannot be intidance.
Injustice and rapacity are generally mately united in friendship, or live together accompanied with sensuality and licentious- in harmony and comfort. They They therefore, ness, and lead to impiety, infidelity, or abominable idolatry. But no wrongs will be so fatal to the injurer, as those which are done to the poor and meek, who cannot, or will not, avenge themselves.
When the obligations are considered, which professed Christians have received from God in his providence; and by his word, ministers, and ordinances, and the good examples set before them; it must be evident, that their crimes are far more aggravated than similar practices of ignorant Pagans.
Those who hate self-denial and piety themselves, will commonly attempt to seduce such as profess them, either to renounce or disgrace their profession: too many, who seemed to "run well," have thus been led into those "worldly lusts which war against the soul;" and as "every one that doeth evil, hateth the light," we need not wonder at the pains, which wicked men take, to silence, intimidate, or corrupt the ministers of God. Thus they add obstinacy to iniquity, and do the work of Satan, as well as that of the fallen children of Adam.
When this becomes the general character of churches or nations, it cannot be expected that the Lord will any longer endure them; but they will be given up to complicated | VOL. IV.
who do not count the Lord I worthy of ali love, honor, worship, and obedience; who do not love his law, nor regard his service as liberty and felicity, but dislike his way of saving sin- ners, and seek not his glory; cannot walk to- gether with him in his ordinances, command- ments, and providence. Notions, forms, sects, or outward conduct, cannot supply the want of reconciliation with God, and that conform- ity to him, which must be derived from the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit. ( Marg .
Ref. g.-Note, Gen. 5:21-24.)- "Can two go 'together except they meet by appointment?" 'As a journey, in which two engage, supposed 'a settled meeting; so the denouncing of God's 'designs by his prophets shews that he has 'made himself known to them.' Bp . Newcombe . -Others seem to put the same construction on this verse; and the context is thought to favor it.
Yet it does not appear, how the prophet's mission could thus be proved, till his predictions were accomplished: and certainly, the instruction, on the preceding interpreta- tion, is very important, and accords with the plain meaning of the words, and the general tenor of scripture. "Can two walk together, except they neet by appointment." Thus God [761
be spoiled.
7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, strength from thee, and thy palaces shall but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared; who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken; who can but prophesy?
99 Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon * the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the * oppressed in the midst thereof.
10 For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and trobbery in their palaces.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord GoD; y An adversary there shall be even round about the land: and he shall bring down thy
and man meet, according to his appointment, when the sinner repents, and is converted; when he believes, and is justified, and reconciled, and sanctified: and thenceforth he walks with God, as his Father, Friend, Guide, Guardian, and Portion.
V. 4-8. These animated interrogations were intended to convince the people, that they had cause for alarm, and should earnestly seek to avert the threatened wrath of God. The lion in the forest, and the young lion in the den, are observed to roar over their prey, or as urged by hunger for want of it, when they have it in view, or are devouring it; and not at other times: in like manner the Lord would not have "roared out of Zion," had he not marked out the idolatrous Israelites as the objects of his righteous indignation, which was about to seize upon them with irresistible force. ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . h.)-Birds are not caught in a snare by chance; but it is laid for them, and generally not taken up, till some of them be ensnared: so the calamities, which befel the people, were the effect of the Lord's purpose of punishing them for their sins; and would not be removed, till they had effected
12 Thus saith the LORD; * As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion: two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out, that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
13 Hear ye, dand testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts;
14 That in the day, that I shall | visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, & I will also visit the altars of Beth-el: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
15 And I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; * and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.
z 10,15. 2:5. 6:8. 2 Chr. 36:19. a 1 Sam. 17:34-37. Is. 31:4. Heb. delivereth.
b 9:2,3. 1 Kings 20:30. 22:25. Is. 8:4. 17:1-4.
c 1 Kings 20:34. 2 Kings 16:9. Or, on the bed's feet.
d Deut. 8:19. 30:18,19. 2 Kings 17:13,15. 2 Chr. 24:19. Acts 2:40. 18:5,6. 20:21. Eph. 4:17. 1 Thes. 4:6,
e 5:27. Josh. 22-22. Is. 1:24. f Ex. 32:34.
|| Or, punish Israel for his transgressions.
g 9:1. 1 Kings 13:2-5. 2 Kings 23:15. 2 Chr. 31:1. 34:6,7.
Hos. 10:58. Mic. 1:6,7.
h Jer. 36:22.
i Judg. 3-20.
k 1 Kings 22:39.
111. 6:11. Is. 5:9.
might take warning and act accordingly. Nor could they do otherwise: for who could help trembling at the roaring of a lion? And who could help prophesying, when the Lord GoD spake to him of the judgments, which he was about to execute upon transgressors? The people ought not therefore to to blame blame the the prophe ets for their awful predictions; but to approve their conduct, and to take warning to repent and return to God, if so be his wrath might be averted or deferred.
The grand outlines of the plan of divine Providence and the events of history, to this day and to the end of the world, were made known to the prophets of Israel and Judah; and a very large proportion of them many ages before they took place: so that a general history of mankind, as to the most important facts, might be composed from their writings. Yet, these prophets excepted, no nation has had fewer good authors, no nation has been more generally disregarded, and despised. ( Marg . Ref . n-p.)
V. 9-15. The heathen neighbors of Israel, and those who had most oppressed and annoyed them, as the Philistines and Egyptians, were summoned to assemble at Samaria, that
their reformation, or their ruin. -The trumpet | they might behold their crimes and punish
ment. ( Marg . Ref. q-t.- Notes , Deut . 29:21 -25.1 Kings 9:7-9.) There they would behold a city full of tumults, occasioned by vice, injustice, and varied oppressions; to which they were so habituated, that they knew not how to act honestly or conscientiously; but were continually storing up the gains of violence and robbery, even in the palaces of their kings and nobles. ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . u, x. -Notes , 2:6-8. 4:1-3. 8:4-10. Zeph. 1:9.) For these crimes the Lord, in vindication of his own honor, would send Shalmaneser and the Assyrians to invade the land, and besiege the city, and level it with the ground. The inhabitants would then be so generally massacred, that only a few obscure persons would
announcing the approach of the enemy would excite the people to run together, and concert measures for their security: and ought not Israel to take the alarm, at the terrifying messages delivered to them in the name of God? ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . i-1.- Notes , Jer. 4:5-7. 6:1. Ez . 33:2-9. Hos . 5:8-10.8:1.) They would not surely ascribe their troubles to any other cause; for was there any evil, or calami ty , in a city, which was not from him, and the effect of his wrath? ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . m. -Notes, Gen. 50:20. Is. 45:7. Jam. 1:13-18.) Indeed he would do nothing (especially respecting Israel,) without revealing his secret purpose to his servants the prophets; who being thus informed of what was about to come to pass, must declare it to the people, that they || escape. As with great difficulty and danger, 762]
the shepherd recovers some small remains of the sheep, that a lion has devoured, which shews what is become of those that are missing; so a few individuals, who had hid themselves under their beds, or wrapped themselves up in some fragment of the covering, to escape the sword of the conquerors, would at length be brought forth to be carried away captive. Or, some who had fled to Damascus, being pursued thither by the common enemy of Israel and Syria, would thus be with difficulty preserved from slaughter in their beds. ( Marg . and Marg. Ref. y-c.
Notes , 1 Kings 20:29-34, ข. 34. 22:24,25.) For the prophet was to testify to the family of Jacob, that when the Lord should arise to punish their transgressions, he would certainly destroy the altars of Bethel, and avenge on them that base idolatry: and that the winter-houses and summer-houses, which the great men had for luxury, as well as all their decorated and magnificent magnificent palaces, would be entirely destroyed by their enemies. (Marg. and Marg . Ref . Ref.d -1.- Notes , d-1.- Notes , 6:9-11. 1 Kings 22:39. Is . 5:8-10. Hos . 10:5-8.
Mic. 1:5-7.)-Benhadad agreed that Ahab should build streets in Damascus: (1 Kings 20:34.) and probably many Israelites dwelt there. This 'prophecy may have been delivered, when Jeroboam the second was in possession of Damascus. (2 Kings 14:28.) Bp. Newcombe.
They know not, &c. (10) 'They will not know 'nor learn to do right. (Jer. 5:4. 8:7. 9:3.)' Lowth .
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
which he inflicts upon us for our sins. "His secret is with them that fear him;" and he has made known the rules of his dealings with us by his holy prophets: nay, his faithful ministers, though not acquainted with his secret counsels by immediate revelation, may see most evidently that judgments are about to be executed on the wicked; and they cannot but speak, that men may fear and flee from impending destruction.-Even idolaters will at length be called upon to witness, and to approve, God's judgments upon apostates and hypocrites.
The tumults of prosperous wickedness, sensuality, and oppression, which blind the understanding, and harden the heart to every sentiment of feeling of justice or mercy, tend to tumults of a still more terrible nature, and provoke the most ruinous judgments of God against nations and individuals.
Indeed "a remnant according to the election of grace" will be secured by ared by our great and good Shepherd, as from the jaws of destruction, in the worst of times; but generally they consist of the poor, obso obscure, and neglected: while the rich oppressors "who store up robbery in in their palaces," the delicate, the luxurious, and magnificent, are marked out for judgment; and their hypocritical cal or idolatrous forins of worship serve only to increase their condemnation.
NOTES.