Hosea 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Hosea 7

7:1   when I would heal Israel,
    the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,
    and the evil deeds of Samaria,
  for they deal falsely;
    the thief breaks in,
    and the bandits raid outside.
2   But they do not consider
    that I remember all their evil.
  Now their deeds surround them;
    they are before my face.
3   By their evil they make the king glad,
    and the princes by their treachery.
4   They are all adulterers;
    they are like a heated oven
  whose baker ceases to stir the fire,
    from the kneading of the dough
    until it is leavened.
5   On the day of our king, the princes
    became sick with the heat of wine;
    he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6   For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue;
    all night their anger smolders;
    in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7   All of them are hot as an oven,
    and they devour their rulers.
  All their kings have fallen,
    and none of them calls upon me.
8   Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;
    Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9   Strangers devour his strength,
    and he knows it not;
  gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
    and he knows it not.
10   The pride of Israel testifies to his face;¹
    yet they do not return to the LORD their God,
    nor seek him, for all this.
11   Ephraim is like a dove,
    silly and without sense,
    calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.
12   As they go, I will spread over them my net;
    I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
    I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation.
13   Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
    Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
  I would redeem them,
    but they speak lies against me.
14   They do not cry to me from the heart,
    but they wail upon their beds;
  for grain and wine they gash themselves;
    they rebel against me.
15   Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
    yet they devise evil against me.
16   They return, but not upward;²
    they are like a treacherous bow;
  their princes shall fall by the sword
    because of the insolence of their tongue.
  This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Footnotes

[1] 7:10 Or in his presence
[2] 7:16 Or to the Most High

Commentary

v1: Widespread sins amongst the people. Israel, called Ephraim, is also called Samaria.

v2: The people think that God cannot see them, Ps 10.11,13. How can God truly restore His people when they persist in their sins?

v3: They even delight in their sins, such is their commitment to doing evil.

v4-7: There is the fire of ungodly desires, and the leaven of sin. They prepare their hearts to satisfy their fleshly desires, as a baker prepares bread for baking. The oven is heated sufficiently to burn all night; a reflection of their deep desire for evil. In the morning, the oven is normally cool. But not so the people, whose desires remained.

The leaders meet with mockers, scoffers, like Ahab, 1 Kings 21.7-13. This also indicates that they despise the things of the Lord.

Their desires, and their enjoyment of sins, meant that they "devour their rulers," those who dare to speak out. As a result none sought the Lord.

v8-10: The influence of surrounding nations; as a flat cake not turned, ie: burned on one side; lacking strength, but ignorant of it; grey haired; arrogant; yet they do not turn back to the Lord. The people of God are commanded to remain distinct from others, yet Israel was mixed with the Gentiles, and learned their ways. The people were ignorant of the damage this caused.

A cake unturned is unbalanced and corrupted. ‘There is a symmetry and beauty in God’s workmanship. The natural body, which God hath made, consists of many members; and all are in a beautiful proportion: so it is in the new man, consisting of various graces and affections.’ (Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections)

v11-16: The folly of departing from the Lord. The prophet describes their folly in many ways.

Like a silly dove without sense, they seek the help of man, first Egypt, then Assyria. Wherever they flee, God will find them and catch them, for they cannot escape.

"They have strayed from me...rebelled against me...speak lies against me...turn away from me." This is God's people, supposedly bound to Him by covenant, but living as if the covenant does not exist. They do not cry out to the Lord, nor turn to Him; they gather for feasts, for new wine, but ignore the God who gave those things.

The people forgot the great truth that God has redeemed them, Ps 77.11. But now God must redeem they again.