DIVINE ENTICEMENT
OR
THE METHOD OF GRACE
by Pastor Theocharis Joannides
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." (Hosea 2:14)
The Lord our God is a covenant-keeping God. His covenant faithfulness endures forever. His very name "Jehovah" directly refers to His unchangableness in His covenant relationship to His people. This is the most precious truth to every child of God. When we are overcome by our sins, when we wander away from God, when due to our folly our souls are cast down and are aggrieved, what draws us back to Him but His eternal, unchanging, covenantal love.
This covenant faithfulness of God is particularly illustrated in the prophecy of Hosea. Hosea was ordered by God to marry a woman of low morals, who after her marriage committed abominable whoredoms running after many lovers. She even bear children of whoredom. Yet, even in her lowest state, Hosea still l;loved her, and provided for her, and ultimately drew her back to himself.
In short, this is the story of Hosea, which most illustriously typifies God's relationship with His covenant people. God was married, as it were, to Israel. He had taken her to Himself; He had lavished her with His love; He had enriched her with all blessings; He has covenanted Himself to her. But Israel proved herself unfaithful to God. Often she rebelled, but just as often the Lord forgave her. She turned her back to God and run after strange gods, thus committing spiritual whoredom, and frequently did the Lord smite her with His rod for her sins, but He never utterly consumed her in His hot displeasure; He always remembered His covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He suffered not His faithfulness to fail.
Now, in this chapter we have an instance of what God thought of the sins of His people. Thus in verses 2-5, in a strong language, and in terms that are never employed except after excessive iniquity, He shows what the true nature and character of her sin was. Then, in verses 6-13, He commands His prophet to speak in rough, earnest language of the impending judgment that awaits her. And yet, no sooner has He directed Hosea to deal harshly with His erring spouse, than He seems to stop Him in the full speed of His furious prophecy, and bids him now to address to her words of comfort. Thus, in verses 15-23, we have yet another manifestation of God's free, rich, sovereign grace; and verse 14, stands, as it were, as an introduction to this whole section. It makes the proposition of which the rest is but an exposition. Here God states what He is going to do; how He is going to do it; and to what end He is going to do it: "Therefore, behold," He says, "I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." Here we have, what we may call: "The Divine Enticement" or "The Method of Grace" in bringing back the erring and the backslider:
I. The Reason for it, therefore behold,
II. the Author of it "I."
III. The Method for it, "I will allure her, etc."
IV. The Promise, "and speak comfortably unto her" or better still "speak to her heart."
I. THE REASON FOR DIVINE GRACE
The text begins with a "therefore." This is a very significant word in the Scriptures. It is always used to draw a conclusion to an argument, or to give the reason for an action.
Here then is a "therefore" for matchless mercy. But what is the argument of which this is the conclusion? What is the ground for such a promise of divine favour? If we knew not what preceded, we would have concluded: "Surely Israel must have walked uprightly before her God; surely she must have pleased Him; she must have kept His law, and must gave done that which is right in His sight. Surely it is her goodness that has moved God to show such a singular favour to her." Or we might have thought that even if she had gone astray for a while, she must have surely come back to God, in true humility and penitence, for God to be so gracious to her! But nothing of the kind. On the contrary, the preceding words speak not of her goodness but of her badness. They speak of her excesses in sin and provocation against her covenant God. She never had enough of sin. And if you would have thought that; but now, at long last, she has repented of her sins and has mended her evil ways, that she has sought the face of the Lord in true penitence, nothing could be further from the truth. The more God visited her with judgment the bolder she became in provoking Him to anger. Notwithstanding many providences, and the hedging of her ways with thorns, she would break through and run after her many lovers, (ver. 6). And then, strange to say, contrary to all expectation, contrary to all human reasoning, there comes this inference, an inference of mercy: "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." If the inference would have been "therefore I will utterly destroy her; I will consume her in my hot displeasure," then our reason could well have seen that that was exactly what could be expected, that was the natural consequence of sin. But here, it seems, there is no logical sequence between the premise and the conclusion. How can a "therefore" of favour spring out of verses which are filled with the description of the most abominable sins? This is beyond human reason. This is the logic of divine mercy.
It is not, therefore, her repentance, her humility, her brokenness of heart that moves God to visit her with grace. Indeed, so staggering are the news even to God's prophet that the Lord, foreseeing, as it seems, his amazement and surprise, comes with yet another word of exclamation, "behold". Whenever we read this word "behold" in the Scriptures we might be sure that there follows something well worthy of our attention. Israel had sinned, she had done abominably. Even Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain would have covered their face in shame before the shamelessness of Israel. And in spite repeated visitations of judgment she grew bolder in her rebellion against God. "Therefore, behold," God will bestow mercy upon Israel! He will bring her to wilderness and there He will speak comfortably to her.
Note, then, first, that when God is about to save a man He finds a reason for grace where there is none. There was no reason whatsoever in Israel why God should have mercy on her, and there never can be any reason in man's sin why God should pardon it, - at least we cannot see how it can be so. When a man has rebelled against his sovereign, is that a reason why his sovereign should publish an act of amnesty? When man refuses to accept God's forgiveness, is that any reason why the Lord should go out of His way to change that sinner's obstinacy, so as not to let him destroy his own soul? Yet that is the method of grace.
And when God seeks in the creature a reason why He should show mercy, He looks not to the good one, but to the bad and evil. It was not the self-righteous Pharisee who went home justified but the poor, wretched Publican. Therefore David can pray: "For thy names sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great" (Ps. 25:11). When we come before the Lord, we will do well to remember this. We are committing a great folly if, when we are spreading our case before the Lord, we for one moment plead our goodness. We shall never succeed in that way. If we are looking to ourselves for some argument to prevail with God, to make Him to love us, we look in vain. That will never do. Away, therefore, with your outward forms and your pious deeds. they will never touch the heart of God. Stop trusting to any goodness in you. Stop looking in empty cisterns; but come at once to the fountain of Sovereign grace, for there, and there only your hope of pardon can be realized. In yourself there is nothing but that which could lead you to destruction; only in Jehovah reasons for salvation can be discovered.
Not only so, but God, also turns the very reasons against us into reasons for us. Every sin is a reason why a sinner should perish. Every willful transgression is a reason why a man should be delivered to destruction. But God does not reason so. In His infinite mercy He turns the very reasons against us to reasons for us. You know how you deal with persons who are in great need. The hungrier, the more pitiful, the more desolate the case of a beggar is, the greater is his necessity. The greater the disease is, the more immediate attention the patient requires. Now God looks at your sin as if it were a deadly disease working in you, and the greatness of your malady becomes a plea with Him. Oh, how strange it is that the very thing which as a matter of justice, is really against us, turns out to be for us when it comes to be a matter of pure grace! Only on this ground God will let us live, if we plead on His mercy. If we talk of justice we are doomed men, for there is nothing in the justice of God but a sharp two-edged sword, the very touch of which will slay us. God's throne of justice is a place of fiery wrath; but if we approach it by the door that is sprinkled with the precious blood of Jesus, and cry to God for mercy, we shall be received with a kiss of forgiveness. Go, then, to that mercy-seat of God with all your sin, with all your maladies, with all your wants, with your emptiness. Ask Him to fill you; ask Him to show mercy to you. Come to Him with all your filthiness to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. God does not want your good works, your pious deeds; He wants you to come to Him as you are, a poor, wretched sinner, to obtain mercy.
II. THE AUTHOR OF DIVINE GRACE Now, let us also see who is the author of this great work. In our text we read "therefore, behold, I will allure her etc." Let us see, in the first place, who is he that is speaking here; and secondly, what it implies for a poor sinner.
A. "Therefore behold, I will allure her etc." Who is he? Why, the Lord God, the Great I am that I am. "I" says the Lord, "I" whom the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain" (I Kings 8:27); "I who dwell in light unapproachable" (I Tim. 6:16); "I, before whom the cherubim cover their faces" (Is. 6:1-3); "I who am of purer eyes than to behold evil"; "I, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth" (Ex. 34:6); "I will allure her and bring her to the wilderness and speak comfortably unto her." God Himself is the one that speaks peace to our hearts. Salvation is of the Lord.
But, then notice further that He will do it Himself personally. "I will allure her." When God intended to bring Israel out of Egypt, to save them from the house of bondage, He employed Moses to do the work. And when He was about to bring them into the promised land, he raised Joshua to lead the armies of the Lord. And when Israel apostatized from the Lord, He raised His prophets to bring them back. But when the salvation of man was involved, God did that Himself personally. "Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). "We are redeemed", says Peter, "not with such corruptible things as silver and gold, ... but with the precious blood of Christ", (I Pet. 1:18-19). And again, Paul charges the Ephesian elders to take heed of the flock, "to feed the church of God, which," he says, "He hath purchased with His own blood." "Behold," says God, "I will do it." And He has done it.
Beloved brethren, this is the gospel that we preach. It is the gospel of the salvation of the Lord. In Him, by His blood there is salvation for the foulest of sinners. Do you believe it? Have you been led to the Cross of Christ? Have you discovered the cleansing power of the blood of Christ? O, Blessed gospel! God has done it all Himself, because so it seemed good in His sight. He delights to be merciful and gracious to the undeserving. There was no other reason but His eternal good pleasure to save sinners.
B. O, what a blessed truth of certainty and assurance this is to every poor sinner! It is so, first of all, due to the power of God. If our salvation was even partially determined by us - our good works, our consciousness of sin, our repentance, etc. - or upon any one else - the church, angels, saints - we might as well give up all hope of salvation. But God is our Saviour. It is all of Him. And because it is all of Him, if the Holy Spirit has spoken peace to my soul, if He has set my feet upon the Rock, which is Jesus Christ, then let "the earth be moved, and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea," I am safe and secure, for nothing will shake that Rock.
We are saved by the sovereign, free grace of God. This is evident even in our text. Notice that God does not say "I will try," or "I will attempt," or "I will do my best to allure her," but "I will allure her."
Secondly, the certainty of our salvation is due not only to the power of God, but also to His unchangableness. He is the Lord God, He changes not. God has made covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has promised to be their God and the God of their seed after them. God from all eternity has chosen Israel unto Himself and nothing will make Him change His mind. If she forsakes Him, He will chastise her. If she will become obstinate in her rebellion, He will use other means to bring her back. He will allure her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her. O, what a consolation there is here for the backslider! There might even be some of them among us here this very hour. Ah, dear friend, you remember how the Lord had spoken once peace to your soul; He had drawn you to Himself with bonds stronger than death. O, what a peace and joy you had then! And you delighted to walk in the presence of your Lord; you loved the law of the Lord. What a joy, what a blessedness! But now all that is gone. In your folly you have let your feet to slip. You have gone astray. Sin and Satan have allured you from your walk with the Lord. And now you have fallen into the miry clay of despondency and despair, and with the hymn-writer you say:
Where
is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and His word?
All communion with heaven seems to have been broken. And in you despair you wonder: "Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favourable no more? Is His mercy clean gone for ever? Doth His promise faith for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies?" (Psalm 77:6-7). But that cannot be, because He has covenanted Himself saying: "My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my loving- kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." (Psalm 89:28-34).
III. THE METHOD OF DIVINE GRACE
But how is God going to do that? How is Israel going to be reclaimed? Three things are said in the test regarding God's method of bringing Israel to Himself, and this is practically how He draws also the backslider.
In the first place, He is going to allure her. Let us try to understand this very interesting and important expression. Note, God does not say: "I will compel her," or "I will force her," or "I will drag her" or any such language of force or violence, but "I will allure her." What does this mean? The word means to persuade irresistibly, to overwhelm the resistance and will of another by enticing means.
God, therefore, will allure Israel; He will entice her, make her willing, and willingly to follow Him. (I believe this is the point on which the Arminians are confused. Because, of course, there is a coming to Christ, the Arminian mistakenly considers this as an activity of the free choice and volition of the sinner himself. And, indeed, the sinner freely chooses Christ, and willingly comes to Him. But that is so because, God having by His Holy Spirit awaken him, made him willing to come. The sinner loves to run to Jesus because the Father draws him). Is not this God's method with all His chosen ones? He never forced you, He did not compel you or used violence against you, but by showing the loveliness of Christ, He inclined you heart to desire Him with a love that is stronger than death. You could not but follow Jesus. He is life to you; He is all in all to you. You said, "Give me my Jesus or I die."
Moreover, He allures us by showing to us the ugly face of sin. That which was sweet to us, God showed us that it works our eternal death. That which was sweet in our mouth, turned bitter in our stomach. There is no coming to Christ unless a person has seen that he is a sinner, and his sins are working death in him; unless he is made to see that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," and that unless he repents and cries "God, be merciful to me", he is condemned, - eternally condemned. But a man cannot be persuaded of sin but by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
In the second place, He is to bring Israel to the wilderness. "I will allure her and bring her to the wilderness" He says. What does that mean? I would suggest that wilderness means affliction. Whatever else it may mean,it certainly means this. Wilderness, - a dry and barren land full of pain and danger! While Israel lived in Canaan, while she enjoyed God's temporal blessings, she never wearied herself from sinning against God and running after other gods. But God intending to bring her back to Himself, He is going to allure her and to bring her into the wilderness" of affliction, and there He will deal with her in grace and mercy; He will speak to her comfortably. And this is the method God often uses with a soul He intends to save. How many are brought to Christ after a severe blow, after the loss of property, of health, or of the death of a loved one!
Wilderness also means destitution. While Israel dwelled secure in the land of Canaan, while God gave her times and seasons, rain and sun, she thought that she needed not God. But when God withdrew His rain and fruitful seasons, she was destitute and in despair. So it is with us also. The natural man maintains a good opinion of himself. He is as good as any saint. He needs nothing, and above all, surely, he needs no repentance. If anyone is going to go to heaven, he is the one. But when God sets His hand upon that person to save him, He first of all empties him of all self confidence. He becomes destitute. He sees his misery and wretchedness, and cries "I am undone! I am undone!" He looks inside himself to discover something to feed upon, but there is nothing; he looks all around him but no help is forthcoming. He sees his utter helplessness and hopelessness. "I lift up mine eyes unto the hills; whence shall my help come?" All self-confidence is removed, and the soul cries only unto the Lord, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
Wilderness also suggests a place of loneliness, of solitude. Do you know what this means? It means to feel all alone in the midst of a crowd. Have you ever felt like that? There you are, surrounded by brothers and sisters, father and mother, husband, wife, many acquaintances and associates, yet, in the midst of them all you are all alone. And the greater the crowd that surrounds you, the more intense and intolerable your loneliness is. There is an aching void in your heart of which you cannot speak to anyone. None can understand you, none can help you. And you despair for someone to sympathize with you, but there is none. Now, the Lord says, "I will bring her into the wilderness," - the wilderness of loneliness. And the Lord often works that way with many a man whom He intends to save. When in their folly they resist His overtures, when they headlong go the way of destruction, God brings them to the wilderness of loneliness to make them despair of all worldly subterfuges, of all other confidences and make them hear His voice and look to Him for His grace.
And in the third place, God draws her back to Himself to speak to her heart. The prophets spoke to their ears, but they did not leave any impression upon the apostate Israel. Ministers speak to our ears, but only God can speak to the heart. He speaks convincingly; He speaks persuasively; He speaks so that the soul hears Him and follows Him.
IV. THE PROMISE OF DIVINE GRACE
And now, in closing, give me leave to speak a word or two, howbeit very briefly, of the promise of Divine grace. The Lord says "I will speak comfortably" or "I will speak to her heart." And what a comforting word this is to a poor sinner! For the better appreciation of this let us see the various elements it embraces.
First, "I will speak to her." This is the condescending love of God. This is seen in His condescending willingness to speak to us at all. What, God will speak to Israel? To Israel, who has forsaken Him and has turned her back to Him? To Israel, who has forgotten to speak to God; to pray to Him? God will speak to her? And He will speak to her not by messengers, but personally? Yes, He will speak to her. Dear brethren, is not this our experience also? "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son," (Heb. 1:1-2). While we were strangers to God; while we knew Him not, He spoke peace to us.
And to you, O backslider, to you who have long forgotten to speak to God, to you who have long ceased to pray to Him, to you whose heart has grown cold, and who even now keep a guilty silence before Him, God promises that He will speak to you. What a condescending love!
Is there someone even now who has forgotten to speak to God? Someone who neglects prayer, the reading of the Word of God, meditation, communion with God? Dear soul, be wise, seek the Lord, plead with Him. And of you say, "but will He accept me? I have neglected Him all my life; I have never prayed to Him; often I have resisted the convictions of the Holy Spirit. Will He accept me now? Will He hear me? O, listen, He says "I will speak." It is always God who speaks first, God who seeks the sinner, God who draws him to Himself. Then, venture on Him; come to Him.
And finally, just a word about the manner and matter of God's speech. "I will speak to her comfortably." The world is full of pain, agony, and anguish, but of comfort it knows nothing. Have we not found it to be so by bitter experience? But God says, "I will speak to her comfortably." "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, sayeth your God. Speak ye comfortably to her, for her warfare is accomplished, and her iniquity is pardoned."
Or, take it as the Hebrew has it, "I will speak to her heart," or "according to her heart." He will speak to her heart - according to the aspirations, the desires, the longings of the heart. He will speak peace to the heart, the peace that passeth all understanding; peace with God, peace with conscience, peace with the world, -peace through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her heart." AMEN.