Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.
Ver. 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies] They get about me as if they would do me doughty service (Psalms 76:11, the saints are called a people that are round about God; and Psalms 148:14, a people near unto him, and that compasseth his altar. See Rev 4:4), but all is but counterfeit; a mere imposture, a loud lie, Psalms 78:36, whereby they would deceive me of heaven if they could; putting upon me false coin silvered over a little; and circumventing me, if it lay in their power. But what saith Bernard? Sapiens nummularius Deus est; nummum fictum non recipiet. God is a wise mint man; there is no beguiling him with counterfeit coin. Hypocrisy (that real lie) is an odious, a complexive evil; for it hath in it, 1. Guile, opposite to simplicity, as intending to beguile God, which he cannot, and man, which he fain would, and often doth, to farther his worldly and wicked designs, as Judas, Herod, Matthew 2:8, Pharisees, Matthew 23:14. Matthew 23:2. Falsehood, opposite to truth; as only acting religion, playing devotion, compassing God with deceit, as the house of Israel here, deceiving him not by impotence only, and in the event, but by imposture, and so in purpose; contenting themselves with a show, with a semblance, Luke 8:18, with a form of knowledge, Romans 2:20, and of godliness, 2 Timothy 3:5, rather seeming to be good than seeking to be so. These are hell's freeholders; and other sinners are said but to have their part with them. There are those who thus interpret this text: "Ephraim compasseth me," the prophet preaching mercy, and promising good things, they beset me, and gather close about me, as desirous of my doctrine: but it is in mendacio, in hateful hypocrisy, see Eze 33:31-32 and when I cross them never so little, they craftily conspire to prejudice my ministry, to asperse my person, &c. To preach, saith one, is nothing else but to derive the rage of the whole world upon a man's self, to become the butt mark, yea, the centre ad quod omnes lineae dolorum tendunt, to which all the lines of lies and falsehoods do tend (Meisner in loc.).
But Judah yet ruleth with God] To serve God is to rule with him; as Livia said, she ruled her husband Augustus by obeying him. It is the greatest liberty, Romans 6:18; Rom 6:22 1 Peter 2:16. Abraham was a prince of God. Jacob prevailed with God, and had power as a prince, Genesis 32:28. Moses (as if he had been chancellor of heaven) overruled the business, and God is fain to bespeak his own freedom, Exodus 32:10. Judah also is here said to rule with God, to be potent with him; because God was sincerely served among them, and they held fast their first integrity; the true religion was openly professed, and the true worship of God incorruptly maintained in the temple at Jerusalem. This made Abijah (though none of the best) so boldly to boast, and he prevailed; so that there fell down of Israel slain 500,000, 2 Chronicles 13:10; 2 Chronicles 13:17, and yet the men of Judah that slew them were but 400,000 in all, Hosea 11:3. Israel's apostasy is here aggravated by Judah's integrity; they were not under the temptation of evil example. Judah was the worse for them, and not they for Judah.
And is faithful with the saints] Or, with the most Holy: he keepeth the faith to God, those holy ones, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (so some sense it), as Joshua 24:19 Proverbs 9:10; he is far from those false and fraudulent dealings wherewith the ten tribes seek to circumvent and beguile God. Or thus, Judah is faithful with the saints of former ages; he holds to his old principles, to the good old way, wherein Abraham and the other ancients went before him. He is also faithful with such as are sanctified, the true priests of God, consecrated to himself, and set apart for holy use: in opposition to the ten tribes, who went after those leaden priests made by Jeroboam of the lower sort of the people, and well fitted to golden deities. Lastly, he is faithful with the people of God, those good souls that left the ten tribes and went to Judah, to the true worship of God. With these Judah was faithful, courteous, and communicative; embracing and encouraging them all that might be. This was a singular commendation.