9 Who `is' wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!
Who `is' wise, and observeth these? They understand the kind acts of Jehovah!
The way of Jehovah `is' strength to the perfect, And ruin to workers of iniquity.
Who `is' the wise man? and he understandeth this, And he to whom the mouth of Jehovah spake? And he doth declare it, For what hath the land perished? It hath been burnt up as a wilderness, Without any passing through.
The Rock! -- perfect `is' His work, For all His ways `are' just; God of stedfastness, and without iniquity: Righteous and upright `is' He.
and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, `Lo, this `one' is set for the falling and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against --
he who is of God, the sayings of God he doth hear; because of this ye do not hear, because of God ye are not.'
Pilate, therefore, said to him, `Art thou then a king?' Jesus answered, `Thou dost say `it'; because a king I am, I for this have been born, and for this I have come to the world, that I may testify to the truth; every one who is of the truth, doth hear my voice.'
And all in the synagogue were filled with wrath, hearing these things, and having risen, they put him forth without the city, and brought him unto the brow of the hill on which their city had been built -- to cast him down headlong,
to you, then, who are believing `is' the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence -- who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving, -- to which also they were set;
`him,' whose presence is according to the working of the Adversary, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and in all deceitfulness of the unrighteousness in those perishing, because the love of the truth they did not receive for their being saved, and because of this shall God send to them a working of delusion, for their believing the lie, that they may be judged -- all who did not believe the truth, but were well pleased in the unrighteousness.
because of Christ a sweet fragrance we are to God, in those being saved, and in those being lost; to the one, indeed, a fragrance of death to death, and to the other, a fragrance of life to life; and for these things who is sufficient?
wherefore? because -- not by faith, but as by works of law; for they did stumble at the stone of stumbling, according as it hath been written, `Lo, I place in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; and every one who is believing thereon shall not be ashamed.'
if I did not do among them the works that no other hath done, they were not having sin, and now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father;
And Jesus said, `For judgment I to this world did come, that those not seeing may see, and those seeing may become blind.'
`And this is the judgment, that the light hath come to the world, and men did love the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil; for every one who is doing wicked things hateth the light, and doth not come unto the light, that his works may not be detected;
(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.) For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And `from' the Mighty to do perverseness: For the work of man he repayeth to him, And according to the path of each He doth cause him to find. Yea, truly, God doth not do wickedly, And the Mighty doth not pervert judgment.
Who hath said to a king -- `Worthless,' Unto princes -- `Wicked?' That hath not accepted the person of princes, Nor hath known the rich before the poor, For a work of His hands `are' all of them.
O the happiness of a man whose strength is in Thee, Highways `are' in their heart.
They go from strength unto strength, He appeareth unto God in Zion.
I have known, O Jehovah, That righteous `are' Thy judgments, And `in' faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me.
Therefore all my appointments I have declared wholly right, Every path of falsehood I have hated!
And the path of the righteous `is' as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
And the destruction of transgressors and sinners `is' together, And those forsaking Jehovah are consumed.
Jehovah of Hosts -- Him ye do sanctify, And He `is' your Fear, and He your Dread, And He hath been for a sanctuary, And for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of falling, To the two houses of Israel, For a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them have stumbled and fallen, And been broken, and snared, and captured.
The path for the righteous `is' uprightness, O upright One, The path of the righteous Thou dost ponder.
And ye have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord. Hear, I pray you, O house of Israel, My way -- is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered?
And the sons of thy people have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, As to them -- their way is not pondered. In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity -- he dieth for it. And in the turning back of the wicked from his wickedness, And he hath done judgment and righteousness, by them he liveth. And ye have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, Each according to his ways do I judge you, O house of Israel.'
the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Lo, a man, a glutton, and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners, and wisdom was justified of her children.'
And he answering said to them that -- `To you it hath been given to know the secrets of the reign of the heavens, and to these it hath not been given, for whoever hath, it shall be given to him, and he shall have overabundance, and whoever hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Hosea 14
Commentary on Hosea 14 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 14
The strain of this chapter differs from that of the foregoing chapters. Those were generally made up of reproofs for sin and threatenings of wrath; but this is made up of exhortations to repentance and promises of mercy, and with these the prophet closes; for all the foregoing convictions and terrors he had spoken were designed to prepare and make way for these. He wounds that he may heal. The Spirit convinces that he may comfort. This chapter is a lesson for penitents; and some such there were in Israel at this day, bad as things were. We have here,
Hsa 14:1-3
Here we have,
Hsa 14:4-7
We have here an answer of peace to the prayers of returning Israel. They seek God's face, and they shall not seek in vain. God will be sure to meet those in a way of mercy who return to him in a way of duty. If we speak to God in good prayers, God will speak to us in good promises, as he answered the angel with good words and comfortable words, Zec. 1:13. If we take with us the foregoing words in our coming to God, we may take home with us these following words for our faith to feast upon; and see how these answer those.
Hsa 14:8-9
Let us now hear the conclusion of the whole matter.