Hosea Chapter 7
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is
uncovered, and the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; the
thief enters in, bandits raid outside,"
When we were in Israel, we saw the ruins
of the temple at Dan, an area that was typical of the places of worship
in the area of the 10-northern tribes. The grossest immorality was
committed in the northern kingdom. A golden calf was set-up in the
temple at Dan, and though the people were very religious, their hearts
were far from God.
As we see in this verse, God longs to
heal, to rescue those who have fallen. All too often, like Ephraim and
Samaria (as observed by God through Hosea), people want their sin, more
than they want God. From His point of view, they (the religious leaders,
politicians, and everybody else) were like thieves, robbers, and those
who commit fraud. That’s precisely how He views those who reject the Son
of God. He would save us all, but many will not turn.
Verse 2. "And they do not consider in their hearts that I
remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds are all around them; they
are before My face."
Our God, who is our Creator, is holy. He
is set apart from all sin. The less we sin, the more offensive sin
becomes to us. The more we trust in Jesus Christ and respond to the
written Word of God, and allow the Holy Spirit to dominate our hearts
and lives, the less we can tolerate sin. God sees all our wicked deeds,
and we must learn to trust in Him. You will find peace with Him through
faith in the Son of God.
David cried out many times against the
sinners of his time. Statements such as "Depart from me, all you workers
of iniquity," (Psalm 6:8) were often on his lips. Yes, he sinned too, as
all of us do. But he also turned to the Lord, who "heard the voice of my
weeping" (Psalm 6:8). He mourned his own sins, just as he did in
relation to others. God knows our hearts, our deeds, the wickedness of
our lives is before Him, and we offend Him with our sin. Yet there is
forgiveness in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 3. "With their wickedness they make the king glad, and
the princes with their lies."
Machiavelli delighted the princes of
Italy, by urging them to be outrageously dishonest in their dealings
with other states. Ambassadors, under his system, were encouraged to
tell any lie they wanted, in order to gain some advantage with a
neighboring city-state. Our modern world is not different, because
bosses and presidents alike want subordinates to get "results" at all
cost.
The watch-word is essentially "do it,
don’t tell me what you did, and don’t get caught" (on my time); and, "if
you do get caught, you’re on your own." If that is your attitude, you’re
in trouble, because (verse 2), God sees your heart and knows your ways.
Just as He prophesied the destruction of Israel in these verses, so He
will decree an end to those who sin in OUR time and place.
Verse 4. "They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the
baker who ceases to stir up the fire from the kneading of the dough
until it is leavened."
The next few verses present the analogy
of a baker who uses leaven and then bakes the bread in an oven. The
"leaven" represented the adulterous heart of that people. Not only did
they commit physical adultery with one another, but they also committed
spiritual adultery, by worshipping other "gods." Note that adultery of
any kind is not a small crime in the sight of God.
Jesus used similar parables often, as in
Matthew 16:6,11, where He warned His disciples to "beware the leaven of
the Pharisees." This analogy was correctly understood by the disciples
to refer to the doctrines of the Pharisees and also that of the Saducees
(Matthew 16:12). Those groups were highly religious and had a form of
godliness, but a little error crept into their teachings, their love
lessened, and just like a little leaven will permeate the whole loaf, so
adultery (physical or spiritual), will grow and destroy a land.
Verse 5. "On the day of our king, the princes became sick with
the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with scoffers,"
A king (bosses, political leaders, those
in authority), will be affected by their advisors, and the advisers to
the kings of Israel were generally evil men. The young people of the
1960’s and 70’s were wrong to use drugs, but they had a point, when they
looked at their parents and called them "hypocrites". The kids knew
drugs were bad, but the parents, who shouted at them to "stop",
typically drank large quantities of alcohol, which the children
recognized for the drug it is.
The kings of the time were a pack of
drunks, and their ability to make rational decisions, was badly
impaired. The "scoffers" of this verse would feel right at home in our
time. Our humor is largely based in "irony," which scoffs and mocks at
certain groups within society. To scoff at others is to reveal
underlying anger – a deep rage, which will keep us far from God. Note by
the way, Hosea uses the phrase "our" king, indicating he lived in the
area of the northern tribes.
Verse 6. "For their hearts are like an oven as they approach
their plotting; Their anger smolders all night: in the morning it burns
like a flaming fire."
If you look at the "heart," not as a
physical organ in the chest, but as the center of the being of a person,
you will understand this verse. Your "heart" from a Biblical
perspective, is the sum total of all your wants, desires, hopes, dreams,
concerns – it’s who you are, as defined by what you want. These people
had hearts that burned with anger.
Like this "baker" (verse 4 & context) is
supposed to watch over the bread and keep it from burning, our
conscience is supposed to watch over us and keep us from sin.. But all
too often, it’s like our "baker" went to sleep and doesn’t wake up until
morning. We can be ruined by our sin, and when we wake up in the
"morning" of eternity and realize what we’ve done, it’s too late. The
lost person is burned up, and there is no remedy. It’s time for us to
awaken –NOW– and turn to the Son of God.
Verse 7. "All of them are hot like an oven, and they consume
their rulers; all their kings have fallen. None of them calls on Me."
This is the critical point toward the
destruction of a nation. Right now, in America, we are busy legislating
Christ (and any mention of God), out of government, schools, business
and our hearts. Even the churches prefer clever sayings to the Word of
God. Courtroom witnesses are sworn in, but they no longer conclude with
"So help me God." Instead an oath is taken under the "pain and penalty
of perjury."
Just like it happened to Israel - when we
turn our backs on God, our judges will become corrupt, as will all our
political leaders. Is it too late for America? For Europe? For the
world? Our goal is not to be "politically correct", "ecumenical", or
theologically "proper", but instead we must turn to Jesus Christ, who
will save us from sin, from the destruction of our land. If we do turn,
it may not be too late. The alternative is that we don’t have much time
left.
Verse 8. "Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has
become a cake not turned."
There was a term we encountered in
college, called "syncretism." This is practice where we take a little of
this religion and a little of that, and turn it into something invented
by US. A syncretistic belief system is a man-made religion. The people
"Ephraim" (used both as a tribe of Israel and euphemistically of the
nation), had "mixed" themselves, by taking on the religious practices
from the nations around them. They were the "New Age" people of their
day.
Years ago, in northern Japan (on
Hokkaido), I tried to communicate to a chef that I wanted a fried egg. I
did my best, and he really tried to understand, but when he proudly
brought the plate to me, the egg was literally black on the bottom and
raw on top. Ephraim (Israel) had become like a pancake that was only
cooked on one side. Nice try, but not edible. They created interesting
religious practices that were killing the people.
Verse 9. "Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know
it; gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know it."
Israel, like all the nations, had only
one true strength, and that strength is found in the Lord. The people of
America truly brought Christ to the center of the nation, and God
blessed that land. Much like Britain did in the past, the U.S. sent
sound missionaries everywhere, and they led many to Christ. The average
person typically BELIEVED in Christ and trusted in the Word of God.
The choice we have been making to
eliminate Christ from our land, has made us weak, but we do not see it.
Our politicians have the veneer of religion, but they are largely
godless people, as are the bulk of our theologians. We are like a man
who has unexpectedly grown old, and somehow does not know it. Only in
Christ can we renew ourselves as a people. There is no other way.
Verse 10. "Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,
yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, nor have they sought
Him, for all this."
It is always amazing that the ones who
have the least to be proud about, are the most likely to be proud.
Israel couldn’t have "blown it" more – they had ruined themselves as a
nation, by becoming an idolatrous people. They were sacrificing innocent
children to false "gods." They performed ritual prostitution on the
hilltops, bowed down to idols, and called all this insanity: "religion."
They should have seen how far they had
fallen and they should have turned to God, but they did not. They did
not even make the effort to seek Him. Their pride became their fall. You
have no idea how desperately we need God – probably none of us do. It’s
time to humble ourselves before Him, seek His face, and return to the
One who created you and me.
Verse 11. "So Ephraim has become like a silly dove, without
sense; they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria."
Ephraim (Israel) was making treaties with
her enemies. When we abandon our love of God (see preceding verses) and
incredibly choose pride over trust in Him, we become the "silly dove"
who peck-peck-pecks, following the bread crumbs to disaster. Like the
lemurs of Madagascar, we follow one another, right over the cliffs to
our death. When we do not trust in God, we are without common sense and
make incredibly bad decisions.
It IS good sense to make treaties. It’s
LOGICAL to enter non-aggression pacts with warlike neighbors. But they
left out God from their hearts and from the treaties they made. They did
not ask before they acted. If He does not direct the writing of the
treaty, it will fail. The pact which looks so good in the beginning,
will kill you for sure. We must turn to our Lord, trust in Him, and look
to Him in all that we do. Any other road will lead right over the edge
of the cliff.
Verse 12. "When they go, I will spread My net over them; I
will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in
accordance with the proclamation to their assembly."
This verse continues the idea that Israel
was like a "silly dove" (verse 11), that flies right into the trap.
Pride was their downfall (Hosea 7:10) as it often is with us, and the
Book of Obadiah captures this concept perfectly: "Though you exalt
yourself as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the
stars, for there I will bring you down, says the Lord" (Obadiah 4). He
knows us.
God will spread His net over the one who
leaves His will, and chastise him, that he might learn to have faith and
trust in the Lord. The "proclamation to their assembly" was the Word of
God, expressed through the Law and the Prophets. They had the Law, given
through Moses, and the prophets were calling to them every day. They had
the Psalms, and could see both the mistakes and the repentance of David.
They should have known better – and so should we.
Verse 13.
"Woe to them, for they
have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they
have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but
they speak lies against Me."
As it says in this verse, WOE to the one
who flees from God. I did that (left Him) and managed to stay away from
Him for 15-years. What a DISASTER! Destruction literally came into my
life – because I transgressed against God, by not acknowledging Him. I
was His but I denied Him, and hence, actually and by inference, spoke
"lies" against Him (I denied that I was His; when in fact, I was). I
literally destroyed our lives through rebellion against God, expressed
through unbelief in Him.
When I was in my 20’s, I designed and
built three very playable board games. They were a lot of fun, and
absorbed several of us for a couple of years. I could not market them,
however, and eventually, out of frustration, I threw them away. The
"bottom line" was that I wanted them to be profitable and they were not.
I was their creator and I had the right to bring destruction upon them.
Just like God has the right in your life and in mine.
Verse 14. "And they do not cry to Me from their heart when
they wail on their beds; for the sake of grain and new wine they
assemble themselves; they turn away from Me."
What do you cry for in life? What do you
wail about, deep in your heart? In this verse, we see a people that did
not turn to God, but instead cried and wailed for the "sake of grain and
new wine." What do you want more – God? Or the employment which seems to
give you that paycheck? What’s your motivation at the end of a hard day
at work? Is it that you can’t wait to get home and open God’s Word, or
do you long to sit on a barstool and get something there?
The real problem with "grain" and "new
wine" is that we tend to prefer food, drink and relaxation over our
relationship with God. We look to the outward, when we should recognize
our need of Him, deep inside. There are times in our lives of deep
depression and sorrow. "If only I had done" this or that. "If only I
hadn’t"… "If only I was a little…" something different than I am. You
are "fearfully and wonderfully made", designed by your Maker to have
faith in God through the Son. And if you do, wail no more (no matter
WHAT happens), for you are already "in the heavenlies" in Christ Jesus.
Verse 15. "Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet
they devise evil against Me."
Because our ministry is especially for
those who have difficulty attending Church (for instance,
quadriplegics), we see firsthand not only how difficult life can be, but
also how blessed most of us are. When I see Pastor Dennis Broxton,
paralyzed, unable to move anything but his head, and then I experience
the blessings of God through him and in him, I understand more of life
than I thought I ever would know. Though he does "nothing" (as we view
things), he does more than us – because he TRUSTS in God.
It is GOD who gave you that education (or
withheld it, if He considered it right for you). It you can move, it is
because GOD enabled you to do so. The LORD has equipped you – and has
given you a choice. You can trust in Him, bless His Name, and seek His
purposes in your life, or you can turn away from Him, which amounts to
devising evil against Him. God UNDERSTANDS your heart and knows your
intentions, deep within. TRUST in Him. Your life literally depends on
your decision.
Verse 16. "They turn, but not upward, they are like a
deceitful bow; their princes will fall by the sword Because of the
insolence of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of
Egypt."
I don’t like warfare and I’m not fond of
fighting, but this is an angry world, and like Solomon noted, "there is
a time for war, and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:8). In the wars of
that time, the swordsmen would ready their weapons, and the archers
would pull back their bows, waiting for the command to fight. Generally,
the closer the opponents, the more effective the weaponry. But, what if
your archers pull the bows, and their weapons BREAK and they cannot fire
the arrows? You lose the battle. And such is the imagery of this verse.
The hidden insolence in your heart, as
expressed by your words and thoughts, is NOTED by God. He will withdraw
His support from the one who does not follow Him, and for an excellent
purpose – You were designed to have faith, to TRUST in Him. If your
"bow" is deceitful (does not work right), and your "sword" gets stuck in
its sheath (just when you need it most), there is a PURPOSE in your
fall. You are to find a renewed faith in Him. The people of Egypt
laughed when Israel fell, just like most people are mocked (one way or
another) at some time in our lives. And yet, the attitudes of people are
not what is important. What does GOD think of you? It’s time to turn
"UPWARD" and follow Him.
Ron Beckham
Senior Pastor
Friday Study Ministries, Inc. (The First Church on the Internet)
http://www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
