Hosea 7

whenever I would heal Israel, the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed. They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets; but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me. Hosea 7:1-2

The last statement in chapter 6 appears to be joined to the beginning of this chapter. Bible chapters were not divided until AD 1227, and the verses were divided later in 1448. These verses were obviously divided in the wrong place. The last portion of 6:11 says, “Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,” Whenever God was about to bless and restore his people, the crimes of Samaria would pop up. Thieves were boldly breaking into homes and even openly robbing people in the streets. There was a breakdown of law and order, and it was all because of Israel’s open sinning. Their sins were catching up with them and even engulfing them. Certainly, God could see all the sinning, and he would not forget it. Smith says, “People forget that God remembers.” [1] Guzik comments: “There are many church-going people today who think that God forgets or never sees such things, because they do them and then they come to church and make a profession of godliness, pretending that those things are never part of their life.” [2]

“It has been well said that secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven. Our secret sins are set in the light of his countenance as in Psalm 90:8.” [3] Feinberg sums it up well: “The entire social fabric is insecure when men turn their backs upon God and rush headlong to their own destruction. Israel was beyond hope of human recovery.” [4] We read in John’s Gospel 1:1-2 that Jesus made the world and the universe by his spoken word. In Hebrews 1:3, we read that the whole world and universe are sustained by his powerful word. When people break the word, they break a tiny part of the world. Then the world becomes their enemy and, in turn, breaks them.

“They delight the king with their wickedness, the princes with their lies” (7:3). It is amazing just how low the leaders had sunk. They were entertained by the people’s sins and their deceit. We have almost reversed this situation today. People are entertained by the lies and sins of our leaders. David Kupelian says, “We elect liars as leaders because we actually need lies if we’re avoiding inner Truth.” [5] Feinberg says of Ephraim, “The princes made themselves sick with wine, and the king acted the part of a buffoon.” [6] They paid a dear price for their foolery.

“They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough till it rises” (7:4). Hosea makes so many allusions to the bakery that some have thought he might have been a baker at one time. Apparently, the ancient baker could kindle a red-hot fire, go to sleep while the bread was rising, then awake and bake the bread on that same fire. [7] Israel’s princes and even her kings were red hot with all kinds of evil passions.

“On the day of the festival of our king the princes become inflamed with wine, and he joins hands with the mockers” (7:5). The king’s festival may well have been his birthday or the day of his inauguration. The king’s princes become sick with wine. The king carouses with his courtiers, and they become a drunken, vomiting mess.

“Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue. Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire” (7:6). In all the drinking and carousing, there is intrigue against the ruler. The NET version has it, “They approach him, all the while plotting against him…” (Hos. 7:6 NET). Like a smoldering oven, their plots and passions never went out.

“All of them are hot as an oven; they devour their rulers. All their kings fall, and none of them calls on me” (7:7). Phillips comments: “Murder had become the acknowledged way to the throne, the simplest and most satisfactory way to silence opposition. The red knife of the assassin was never far from the royal throat in Israel’s latter years.” [8] Utley gives us a pretty bloody summary of Israel’s latter kings:

After the death of Jeroboam II, a rapid succession of six kings occurred (cf. Hos. 7:7):

Zechariah, 746-745 B.C., who was assassinated

Shallum, 745 B.C., who was assassinated

Menahem, 745-738 B.C., who was an Assyrian vassal (cf. 2 Kgs. 15:19)

Pekahiah, 738-737 B.C., who was assassinated

Pekah, 737-732 B.C., who was assassinated

Hoshea, 732-724 B.C., who was imprisoned by Assyria (cf. 2 Kgs. 17:4) [9]

Ephraim, A Cake Not Turned

Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over. Hosea 7:8

In today’s lingo, we might say that Ephraim was half-baked. It was burned on one side and raw on the other. Today, that means something that is not fully thought out or foolish. Their plans were faulty. Instead of calling on their faithful God, Israel ran to the nations for help. Of course, by adopting pagan religions, they had already mixed themselves with the nations (cf. Psa. 106:35-39). Paul says, “Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you’” (2 Cor. 6:17).

“Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice” (7:9). Wiersbe says it is “like someone getting older and weaker but in her pride refusing to admit it. This is the tragedy of undetected losses that quietly lead to ultimate failures. Samson made this mistake (Jud. 16:20) and so did the church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:17).” [10]

“Israel’s arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the LORD his God or search for him” (7:10). Utley says, “Biblical faith is always a turning from and a turning to!” [11] William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army said that one of the great dangers of our time was forgiveness without repentance. Some Christians today feel that repentance is a one-time thing to be experienced at salvation. The truth is that God wants us to be repenting type persons and to always be turning to him.

Ephraim A Silly Dove

Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless – now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria. When they go, I will throw my net over them; I will pull them down like the birds in the sky. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them. Hosea7:11-12

Often, a biblical picture can have both positive and negative applications. While the dove is a picture of peace and even of the Holy Spirit, here we see that the dove can be easily deceived. An Eastern proverb says, “There is nothing more simple than a dove.” [12] Lydia Buller says, “This is why we’re not called to be as wise as doves!”

Ephraim was like a silly dove, flitting here and there, running to Egypt and then to Assyria for help. Menahem fluttered to Assyria and Pekah to Egypt. Still, there was never a thought in their minds about fleeing to the Lord for help. Wiersbe says, “If the leaders had listened to the prophets, they would have known that Assyria would one day invade the land (9:3; 10:5-6; Isa. 7:18 – 8:10). [13] The fluttering and flocking is a signal for the hunter to spring his net over them.

“Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely” (7:13). Sometimes, birds can have a perilous existence. I remember as a boy in the swamplands of Arkansas, there were millions of blackbirds. There would be black flocks of them flying by, and they seemed to be without end. Portions of the sky would be dark with them. They would fly by for hours. Today, such displays are hardly seen. Apparently, the farmers grew tired of them gobbling up their grain crops and eliminated most of them.

Despite their foolish rebellion, the Lord was anxious to redeem them. The Hebrew verb form used here ( padah ) means “to buy back” or “to purchase,” and this can apply both in a physical sense and a spiritual sense. [14]

“They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me” (7:14). The people had praised their false gods for providing the essentials of life. However, God began to stop the flow of these blessings. The people, instead of wailing to God, wailed to their false gods. They went to the extremes of cutting themselves as was their religious custom, but there was no answer. We remember the great contest of Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. They called on their gods for rain all morning. Then, in desperation, they slashed themselves with swords and spears, but there was no answer. After Elijah made an offering and called on the True God, the rains came in abundance (1 Ki. 18:18-46).

“I trained them and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me. They do not turn to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent words. For this, they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt” (7:15-16). Coffman says, “The people returned all right, but not to God. They returned to the immoral orgies of Bethel, to the drunkenness, immorality, and vice which were the stock in trade of paganism.” [15] The people were like a faulty bow. In those days, a bow was very important for defense. A faulty bow may cost a person his life. Bows can show signs of structural failure, such as small cracks, frayed strings, and so on. Phillips says, “What more useless weapon could a man carry into battle than a crooked bow?” [16] Quite simply, God could not depend upon Israel.

Footnotes

1. Charles (Chuck) Smith, Smith’s Commentary, vs. 7:1-2.

2. Guzik, The Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Hosea, vs. 7:1-3.

3. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 37.

4. Ibid., p. 36.

5. David Kupelian, How Evil Works: Understanding and Overcoming the Destructive Forces That Are Transforming America, p. 13.

6. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 38.

7. Pett, Pett’s Commentary, v. 7:3-7)

8. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 54.

9. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 7:3.

10. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1400.

11. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 7:10.

12. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 39.

13. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1400.

14. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 7:13.

15. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. v. 7:16.

16. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 55.