Hosea 14:5-7 I will be as the dew to Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.… The dew is the emblem of Divine grace. I. DIVINE INFLUENCE, LIKE THE DEW, IS UNSEEN. The greatest things we know of are unseen. II. IT IS SILENT. The most delicate ear cannot hear the descent of the dew. So is it with the coming of Divine grace. III. IT IS GENTLE. It falls upon the weakest flower without hurting it. Gentleness is a property of Divine grace. Every true believer is ready to say, "Thy gentleness hath made me great." IV. IT IS REVIVING. The source of many and great blessings. So Divine grace, upon a soul withered up by sin, imparts a freshness and a beauty to its faded life. V. IT IS ABUNDANT. It bespangles all the fields, forests, and gardens of our beautiful world. The humblest flower has its own drop of dew. In Christ there is grace to enlighten, to pardon, to strengthen, to comfort, to glorify every human spirit. VI. IT IS FREE. It falls as freely on the barren rock as on the fertile soil; as sweetly upon the rough fern as upon the delicate rose. The most precious temporal blessings we possess are free to all. Even so Divine grace is universally free. The jewel of Divine grace is as free to all as the light, the air, the water, or the dew. (John Dunlop.) Parallel Verses KJV: I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. |
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