V. 1. Hear this therefore, O ye priests, and take heed, O house of Israel, and give ear, O house of the king: for a punishment shall come upon you, who were a snare in Mizpah, and a net stretched out in Tabor.
This chapter also contains the punishment of idolatry, and the threat of certain destruction is added. For God can suffer nothing less than the contempt of His word, which is a constant companion of idolatry. For since the word shows the right way to worship God, the idolaters, setting aside the word, invent for themselves a way to worship God.
But all Scripture teaches that we should first accept the Son of God, who became the sacrifice for our sins. Then, that we should render to God the obedience to which the Ten Commandments call us. But what happens? The Jews neglected this proper worship, and dreamed that even if they indulged in sins, they would obtain forgiveness of sins through the sacrifices. Thus, in our country, a monk chooses a new state, he fasts, he watches, he prays, he dresses in a new way, he says masses, and hopes that by doing so he will obtain forgiveness of sins.
But if you ask why he has undertaken these services, he will not say that he is compelled to do so by God's word, but he will refer to the services and examples of the ancients, of which he judges that it is not evil to imitate them. If you now stop harder and say that the services performed without the Word are shameful idolatry, then a dispute will immediately arise, and the hatred of right doctrine and murder will also be connected with the ungodly services. Therefore, God will be compelled to judge on both sides, so that the godly will not be oppressed, and so that the idolatrous will not go unpunished for having departed from the Word, and for having established new services, with which others will be as with
The people will be entangled in nets and will not be able to come to the right knowledge of God.
Furthermore, this punishment is also noteworthy because it shows that the direction of the ministry requires that sins be punished freely and that no consideration be given to whether the dignity is violated. 1) For he does not punish the house of Israel in general, as above, but he names the priests, likewise the king's house, that is, the king himself and the whole court. These are certain and undoubted punishments of persons. And it does not move the prophet that there was danger that the publicly rebuked authorities would be despised and that these words would be declared seditious. For he is urged to do so by another and greater danger, namely, that he sees that after the example of the rulers, the subjects also sin.
Therefore, it is necessary to punish the perpetrators of the offences, especially if they are in great dignity. But the matter is not without danger. Therefore, it is surprising that Hosea was not put to death immediately because of this sermon, because he, who is only an individual, subjected himself to it, and condemned the people of God, the priests and even the king, threatening them with ruin, at the time when the kingdom was seen to be flourishing again. For Jeroboam, as history shows, ruled the kingdom of Israel with great success.
But the ministers of the word must imitate this right conduct (virtutem) of the prophet, lest, by treating those who are in dignity and rule too gently, the simple be led into error, for the common people judge themselves by the example of the great. Above all, however, we must be careful not to be too lax in punishing papal abuses. For one must not worry about the
1) Instead of rntions [nlva äiAnitatis in the editions should probably read ration" [nlva" äignitatis.
This is the judgment of the wise men of the world, who think that one can keep the pure doctrine if one also translates the errors of the opponent for the sake of peace. For there is a greater danger in the aversion which the teachers can remove in no other way than by freely punishing that in which, as they see, evil is done.
What is written in Hebrew: XXXXX XXX XX,
for judgment is upon you or against you, is the same as when he said, For the Lord will judge, he will punish, he will afflict you. For this is how the word "judge" is often used in Scripture, as in Paul [1 Cor. 11:31], "If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged by the Lord," that is, the Lord would not punish us. In this way, also in this passage, the word "judgment" is taken in an evil sense and denotes "punishments." Elsewhere, as above Cap. 2, 19: "I will trust myself with thee in judgment," it is in a good sense. For this is the other part of judgment, that after the wicked are subdued, the godly are saved.
"Mizpah" is a mountain in Gilead, on this side of the Jordan. "Thabor" is the famous name of a mountain in Galilee, also on this side of the Jordan. There is also a city of the Levites of the same name in the tribe of Zebulun, as the well-known passage 1 Chron. 7, 77. testifies, that Thabor with its suburbs was given to the children of Merari.
Jerome, and Lyra, who followed him, rendered the name Mizpah as a generic name (appellative), namely, a waiting place where, as they say, ordained by the godless kings, there were men of war who were to watch and restrain the godly Israelites who adhered to the worship of God in Jerusalem, as with us the princes and the bishops forbid theirs to hear our sermons and to partake of Holy Communion with us.
But it is more fitting that we understand it to mean that in these places of Mizpah and Tabor special services were arranged by the priests and kings, so that the people would be held back by the outward appearance of worship, and would not think of the proper services in Jerusalem. For out of
For this reason he says that these places are nets and ropes, because they stalk the people with new services, so that their profit would be the greater. Furthermore, this profanation of the ministry is a very great sin, for the ministry of preaching is instituted in the church for the purpose of instructing the hearts, and of rooting them out of error and wrong opinions. But the priests of Israel turned all their efforts to the end that they would only entangle the hearts even more in idolatry and false opinions of God. But that this is the right view is also proven by the following.
V. 2: With slaughter they are deepening in their wandering, therefore I must punish them all.
In Hebrew it says: XXXXXX XXXX XXXXX,
which is literally translated thus: Deviating they have made the slaughter deep. But the word XXXXX means almost 1) what we say: to take root, or to be firm and strong, and well fortified, as Ps. 92:6: "Your thoughts are so very deep", that is, firm, which like a well-founded building cannot be overturned. In this way we must also take it here that he says the slaughter is made deep, that is, the sacrifices are so praised to the people, so fixed with him, that this delusion cannot be brought out of the hearts of the people. As if we were to say that the worship of the masses in the papacy is deeply made, that is, it has taken very deep root, so much so that no human power could have torn that confidence out of the hearts of men; and yet it is torn out by the Word.
But it is an enormous disparagement (tapinosis) in the word XXX, that he calls the service, which Israel held, a slaughter, as if he wanted to say: Verily, an excellent service! For what do you do other than what the slaughterers are wont to do daily? In this way God is not worshipped, but sin should be strangled and lusts should be kept in check. By this sacrifice, God is won when trust in the promised seed is added. But now,
1) Erlanger: terre instead of: ters.
Since you think that everything you like is free to you, you boast that you slaughter animals as the highest worship.
It has already been said several times why the prophets punish the sacrifices commanded by God. For not only did the Israelites sin who sacrificed in a forbidden place, but also the right sacrifices were sinful when the opinion was attached to them as if they made righteous. For righteousness is not found in any work that we do, but in the sacrifice of the Son of God. Those who despised this sacrifice, that is, who relied on their sacrifices and works, are condemned everywhere in Scripture as abusers of God and idolaters. For God does not want to be worshipped in this way, even though he wanted this to be an exercise of obedience among his people. He wants a reasonable worship, as Paul calls it [Rom. 12, 1], that is, he wants the hearts to think rightly of God, to recognize their unworthiness, and to rely on the mercy of God, which is shown to us in His Son. When this service is performed, the outward obedience in sacrifices and other works is also pleasing to God.
V. 3. I know Ephraim well, and Israel is not hidden from me, that Ephraim is now a harlot, and Israel is unclean.
This is known from the foregoing, for he punishes the idolatry with which they defile their minds and all their works.
V. 4. They do not think to teach themselves to their God, for they have a harlot spirit in their heart and do not teach of the Lord.
How so? They spare neither effort nor expense to show everyone that they are zealous in the worship and service of God. The churches, the sacrifices, the sermons and other things testify to that. But the prophet's judgment is true, that they do not think of returning to God and do not strive to know the Lord. Therefore, they are turned away from God and have no knowledge of God.
Therefore, as he has described above [Cap. 4, 12 ff.
If he condemned the servile services, he shows here what the right services are, namely, that one turns to God and knows God, that is, hears the word and obeys it. Therefore, everything depends on our hearing the word and obeying it. For then we will not be turned away from God, will not follow our thoughts, will not invent services for ourselves, but will persevere in the services that we see are indicated and commanded by God's Word. If the pope had done this, the abomination of masses, the idolatrous invocation of the saints, and other ungodly ceremonies would not have been introduced in the church. But because he did not respect the word and gave room to temptation, superstition grew immensely. What follows now indicates the penalties of idolatry.
V.5 Therefore the hope of Israel shall be humbled before their face, and both Israel and Ephraim shall fall because of their iniquity, and Judah shall fall with them.
This is the punishment of idolatry, that they shall be afflicted, and lose their worship, their kingdom, their goods, and all that they had. But it is all the more grievous because this has happened to them because of their sins, as he says, "They shall fall because of their iniquity." On both sides they shall be afflicted, 1) for the body shall be afflicted with the adversity of captivity, but the hearts shall be afflicted with the consciousness of sin. This is the end of ungodliness, when hearts neglect the word and fall into idolatry.
But the Lord postpones the punishments to give the sinners room for repentance. For he does not delight in their death; he would rather that they should be converted and live. Therefore, as a shepherd, he seeks the erring sheep by the voice of his word; but if they persist and despise all exhortations, a late but severe punishment seizes them. This is the certain judgment of all sinners.
1) In the text: prsmskantur; in the Jenaer at the margin as Conjectur: xrernevuntur. We have assumed the latter.
He also mentions Judah here. Because it was, as history shows, a comrade in idolatry, it also received a share in the punishments. For the Assyrian plagued the tribe of Judah severely, as can be seen from Isaiah.
V. 6 Then they will come with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but they will not find him, for he has turned away from them.
This is a sorrow that far surpasses that of the flesh. But it is the real and right punishment for having despised God's word. Above [v. 2] the prophet said that men deceive themselves with their much slaughtering, because this is not the right service of God; for how can God delight or propitiate the slaughtering of cattle? Now, when they are in the highest and most imminent danger, they again take refuge in the worship for which they are punished.
This is not the way to reconcile with God. The sins should have been recognized and forgiven, one should have asked for forgiveness and hoped for the mercy of God for the sake of the sacrifice of the promised seed. In this way, God is reconciled, and this is the right repentance through which access to grace is open. This is how Daniel instructed King Nebuchadnezzar [Dan. 4, 24]. He saw that the punishment was very near, because he abused his rule for court and tyranny, and neglected the true service of God. Therefore, he reminds him to remember that he was not placed in this high position to rule proudly, but to care diligently for his subjects and serve their needs. For this is the justice or mercy and good deed of which he preaches. So it will be, he says, if you repent of your sins, that you will escape the punishment that will surely follow if you disobey my counsel.
In this way, the Israelites should have recognized their sin of sacrificing against the Word in forbidden places; they should have returned to worship in Jerusalem, relying on the mercy of God, not on their sacrifices. But this they did not do. Therefore, God was angry with them
the more fiercely they performed their religious services.
Now look at the churches of the pope, and you will see the same thing. They do not dismiss the masses, not the invocation of the saints, not the reliance on their merits, but hope that by these, as the highest divine services, they will drive out the Turk, and lay upon them with greater zeal than ever before. For now, which they were not in the habit of doing before, they compel their subjects to this idolatry, and diligent search is made for those who seem to be somewhat more lax in the practice of superstition. But who should not recognize that, since they seek the Lord in this way, they do not find him, but that he has departed from them? That is why the Turk wages war against them with such great success.
This is a glorious passage that belongs to the doctrine of repentance, which is not in outward worship, but in the putting away of sins and trusting in the mercy of God.
V. 7: They despise the Lord and beget strange children, so the new moon will devour them with their inheritance.
How do those despise the Lord who, as the prophet said, seek the Lord with their oxen and sheep? For he that despiseth any man seeketh him not, maketh no expense for him etc.
But we have said several times that "to seek the Lord" is nothing other than to accept the word, to hear the word, to obey the word, not to perform other services, not to believe in any other salvation than that which the word indicates. Thus, to "despise God" is to neglect the Word, to devise services apart from the Word, to rely on other things than the Word commands.
Therefore, you must look at the word if you want to judge correctly who in truth cares about God or seeks Him, and who despises God. For he who, setting aside the word, would take his judgment from the outward appearance of works, would be mistaken. For we all see how great zeal for religion was in Ahab, in
Manasseh and similar people. For they do not even spare their children, to show that they would like to do something pleasing to God and serve him. But whoever holds these services against the word sees that it is the utmost idolatry, worthy of eternal fire.
But the prophet makes the sin greater by adding that of the strange children. For he indicates the trouble that will be given to the descendants. Because they remain in the footsteps of their ancestors, they cannot come to the knowledge of the true worship of God. Thus we see in the adversaries how stubbornly they cling to the examples of the ancestors. But the same verdict awaits both: "The new moon will devour them," that is, idolatry will destroy them. For I think that "new moon" is taken here the same way as above [Cap. 2, 11]: "I will put an end to their new moons", because I do not approve of the Jews' interpretation of the new moon.
V. 8. 9. Yes, sound the trumpet to Gibeah, yes, sound the trumpet to Ramah, yes, shout to Bethaven: Behind you, Benjamin! For Ephraim shall become a desolation in the days when I will punish them.
Also here (about what others assume here, I leave the judgment to the reader) seems to me to be a strong admonition that in these high places this should be proclaimed publicly, that Ephraim at the time when the Lord will visit it should be devastated, that is, led away captive among the Gentiles, without any hope of return, so that they do not think that these threats are vain. For this is what the wicked do, they despise the judgment of God, and do not think that God will punish so severely; therefore they are safe. The prophet now wishes that this certainty could be taken from the hearts, and exhorts, so that it will be known everywhere that this judgment of the Lord will take place.
I have faithfully warned the tribes of Israel of this.
An excellent saying that he says he warned with the utmost diligence beforehand.
what end it would come to, but in vain. For they kept the idolatry and despised the threats and the judgment of God. In this way, Germany is also warned in many ways. Above all, however, the bishops are reminded of their office, that they should stop the abuses and take care that the right doctrine is preached. But how many bishops are there who seriously think about this? Therefore, although they will be attacked by sudden misfortune in its time, they will not suffer anything that had not been foretold to them long before. Thus, godlessness remains the same at all times, that is, obstinate, obdurate and incorrigible.
V. 10 The princes of Judah are like those who move the border, so I will pour out my wrath on them like water.
Because the content of what follows is the same, it is quite rightly connected with what has gone before. This constant repetition of the punishments of ungodliness does not seem to be necessary and unpleasant. But we must remember that these sermons are not preached on one day or in one place, and that the obduracy of the human mind requires that one and the same thing be often inculcated, so that some may be brought out of their error and back onto the right path.
But the prophet uses a new image here, that he compares the princes of Judah with those who move the borders. For although he indicates the deviation from the word and the true and ancient religion, he also punishes with this image the avarice and the greed for profit, which is constantly found among the idolaters, as also the example of the papists shows. They would never insist on the masses in this way if the benefit of the mass, as a certain man 1) used to call it, were not so great. So they would not defend other human statutes so stubbornly if they did not bring so much profit.
1) Jenaer and Erlanger: yuiäam; Wittenberger: <Mdsru. - Immediately following is in the Erlanger äkkenäerrmt instead of ützksiutersut.
Now the kingdom of Judah, after the apostasy of the kingdom of Israel, held fast for a time to the pure doctrine and the right services, but at last the priests of Judah, seduced by the example and lured by the richer gain, yes, even the princes, embraced idolatry. But as no one moves the boundaries without sin, so also the corruption and the falsification of the old and true religion brings with it the certain punishment. Therefore the Lord threatens that he will pour out his wrath like water. For the water not only flows in a straight course, but also pours over the shore on both sides. Thus, the Lord threatens, he will let his wrath rage, and history shows how Sanherib devastated the kingdom of Judah far and wide, even to Jerusalem.
V. 11 Ephraim suffers violence and is afflicted (et judicio conteritur); it serves him right, because he gave himself at the commandment of men.
This is taken from the devastation of the kingdom of Israel, because it was more severely afflicted than the kingdom of Judah. The enemy, the Assyrian, did violence to it, but could not have done so at all if Israel had not first been destroyed by the judgment of the Lord. For "judgment" here means the punishment imposed by the judge for the sake of sin. For in judgment both things tend to happen, the wicked are punished and the good are avenged, hence the Hebrews take the word in both senses. But as he accused the princes of Judah of transgressing the boundaries, so he accuses the kingdom of Israel of having obeyed the commandment of its kings, for this is what the word XX means.
But, you will say, is it not a virtue for subjects to obey the command of their authorities? Why then does the Prophet make this an offense and threaten this obedience with punishment? I answer: The authorities must be obeyed in civil matters and in what (as one is wont to say) belongs before their forum. If, however, the authorities leave their territory (forum)
goes out and encroaches into the territory 1) of God, and wants to command what is forbidden by the word of God: if anyone obeys here, he sins. For one must acknowledge and obey the commandment of the higher Lord, as Peter says [Apost. 5, 29.]: "One must obey God more than men."
Today, Germany is also beset by this sin. For not only the bishops force their own to idolatry, but the princes do the same. And we usually judge that this sin of the rulers will harm themselves, not the subjects. But listen here to the prophet, who expressly says that Israel shall be punished because it has kept the commandments of its kings.
What should have been done now? Should the kings have been deprived of their rule or should violence have been used against them? No, but they should not have been obeyed, because they gave orders in an unjust way, and rather they should have suffered the utmost, as the example of Daniel and his comrades shows [Dan. 3, 18]. In this way, the subjects should not obey their bishops and princes who hold to idolatry and want to force their own to the same, for God's command is greater than that of a man, and there is also a greater reward for this obedience. For this man of his leaves our body unharmed only for a short time, but that [God] preserves body and soul eternally.
V. 12. I am a moth to Ephraim, and a maggot to the house of Judah.
Here he explains what kind of power this is and who is the judge who has crushed Israel, namely the Lord himself. And he uses magnificent images.
For there is nothing softer than a moth, for it cannot stand the touch, and yet it gnaws through a garment every now and then, so that it is quite useless for clothing.
XXX is a very small worm. If I am not mistaken, it is called teredo in Latin, but it also gnaws large trees.
1) Instead of torinn in the outputs we have assumed toruna.
Thus the wrath of the Lord is most hopelessly despised by the wicked, as if it were void and powerless like a moth or a maggot, and yet what it has seized gradually perishes and cannot be restored in any way.
Therefore, these sermons serve to instruct us so that we may not be safe, but fear the Lord and walk in His ways. Otherwise, no strength, no power can protect us, as we see that the smallest worms gnaw the hardest oaks, that they rot and fall to the ground. What follows now shows what kind of heart the hypocrites have in dangers.
V.13. When Ephraim felt his sickness and Judah his wounds, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to the king of Jareb, but he could not help you or heal your wounds.
Above [v. 6] he said that in perils the idolaters do not diminish their idolatry in anything, but only practice it more fiercely, whereas true repentance requires that we rest on the word, and accept the services that are presented and commanded to us in the word, but reject those that are prepared without the word. Therefore, this is the first thing in which idolaters sin. Then, as the prophet indicates here, they also sin in this: they should have sustained themselves by hoping in the mercy and help of God, but they do not have this hope at all, and take refuge in the hope of the help that the riches and power of the world show them. Thus Ephraim, when the neighboring Syrians were oppressing Israel, joined forces with the Assyrians and bought their help with a large amount of money. Later, when disaster threatened the Assyrians, it joined forces with Jareb, just as Judah had sought help from the Egyptians.
sought. For although it is not known who the king of Jareb is, it is clear that this reliance on human help will be punished.
Therefore, this piece also serves to instruct us about the right repentance, that we should first put away idolatry and rest on the Word. Then, that we place our hope in God, who forgives sins and mitigates the punishments of those who refrain from sinning. But those who do not want this form of repentance, and maintain idolatry, like the Papists, hasten their ruin, and of those who take recourse to human help, the prophet says: "They have not been able to heal your wounds." Why is that?
V. 14. For I am as a lion to Ephraim, and as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, I tear them apart and go away and no one can save them.
. Not the Assyrian devastated the kingdom of Israel, not the Babylonian devastated the kingdom or the house of Judah, but the Lord himself. As soon as he has begun to rage, he is in truth like a lion from whom that which he has seized cannot be snatched. Nowadays we should think that this is the reason why the Turk fights against us with such great success. For since we have united ourselves with the Lord and have not made Him our enemy through our sins, the ungodly enemy would also be punished for his unworthy undertakings. But now that we are ripe for punishment, he succeeds in his ungodly schemes.
The repetition of the intercession ["I"] serves to depress the certainty of the idolaters. For they think that they are loved by God because of the services they perform, but the Lord testifies that He hates them.