CHAPTER SEVEN
This chapter is breathtakingly beautiful, yet heartbreakingly sad. These verses tell of God’s passionate desire to forgive and to heal. His heart of love makes a stark contrast to the determined rebellion of His people.
The price they will pay for their sin seems utter insanity when God longs to flood them with compassion if they will only repent. The question that comes to mind as I read these verses is WHY? Why would God’s people choose judgment and catastrophe over the sweetness of relationship with the Lord who loved them most?
It’s easy to question their decisions, but, as I’m typing, I’m brought face-to-face with my own poor choices. For many years, I chose the world and the transient pleasure of sin rather than the eternal joy of following Christ.
Before we begin, let’s take a PRAYER PAUSE and ask God to show us how we’ve chosen the world and rejected His love. I know we’ve dealt with our idols before, but faithfulness is a decision we make on a daily basis. We need to keep short accounts with God, so let’s consider if there’s an idol we’ve missed, and decide now to let it go. Let’s turn away from all those idols that so easily entice.
Choosing the life of a disciple involves more than Scripture memory and Bible study. If we don’t put what we learn into practice, we’ve missed the point. Let’s also commit now to being doers of the word and not hearers only, (James 1:22) and begin to ask God what kind of doing He wants from us.
Hosea 7:1
This chapter begins with a clear statement from God. “I want to heal you. I am willing to heal you.” God doesn’t want to give them a patch-up job. It’s much more than that. Much deeper.
Look at Blue Letter Bible and scroll down to the Gesenius’ Lexicon, click on the link to see more, and scroll again to “Metaph.”
To what does God want to restore them?
2) In every day terms, what is God willing to give them?
Here’s a link to an online dictionary, in case the word “felicity” is not one you use often.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/felicity?s=t
Perfect felicity or bliss. One example of “felicity” is that of a newly married couple on their honeymoon. They see each other through the eyes of love. Delight in their companionship. Rejoice over every moment spent together.
Think back on all we’ve learned about Israel’s sin. Despite everything they’d done, all the idolatry and disobedience, God still longed to restore to them the original joy of relationship with Him.
His desire for communion with us has not changed. Our Lord wants a relationship with us that has the fervor of newlyweds and the depth of a decades-long married couple.
PRAYER PAUSE:
Is that the kind of relationship you have with the Father? If not, stop now and ask him to restore the joy of your salvation (Psalm 51:10) and grow you deep in His love.
___________
God wanted to heal, but there was a problem that prevented it. Ephraim’s sin was uncovered, as were the sins of Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom. (We’ve looked at this before. Both the reference to Ephraim and the reference to Samaria refer to Israel/Northern Kingdom.)
The word translated as “uncovered” gives a powerful word picture that we’d do well to see for ourselves, so head back to Blue Letter Bible and scroll down to “Strong’s Definitions”.
3) In what way will Ephraim’s sin be uncovered?
Ezekiel 24:12-13 speaks of God’s desire to cleanse Judah, and their refusal to be cleansed. He compares her to a rusted pot.
4) What will God do with the rusty pot? How will it be cleansed? (see Ezekiel 24:12)
If you cook with cast iron, you know that rust will form in the pan if you’re not careful. I’ve had that problem more than once. No amount of scrubbing will completely remove the rust. The best way to restore the cast iron to usefulness is to put it in the fire and burn off the rusty residue. Once done, oil can be applied to season the pan, and it will be restored. Completely. All rust gone. Perfectly useful once again.
That’s what Ezekiel describes. The stain of sin is so deep in Judah (and, according to Hosea, also in Israel) that the only cure is the fire of affliction. Once completed, restoration will be achieved.
Hosea 7:13 also makes reference to God’s desire to restore His people.
5) What do His people choose instead of truth? Why will they experience destruction?
Hosea 7:1 speaks of a thief and bandits.
Follow the link below to find out about the deeds of the bandits.
6) To what extent do the bandits attack?
7) Look at John 10:10 and make note of the purpose of the thief versus the purposes of God.
Hosea 7:2
The people act as if God has somehow forgotten their sin. They don’t pause for a moment to consider that He knows what they have done, thought, and said.
He knows their hearts. He remembers their sin. Their deeds were constantly before His face so that He could never forget them. Sin piled upon sin upon more sin.
When I read, “I remember all their wickedness”, I immediately thought about Psalm 103:12. Removing our sin “as far as the east is from the west” is not something that happens automatically every time we sin. This kind of complete forgiveness is a gift from God, and is reserved for those who “fear Him”, for those who are genuinely repentant.
8) Read Psalm 103 and look for how God approaches us in our sin and how He treats us. Make a note of God’s blessings.
9) What response from us must occur first?
Dr. R.G. Lee was pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church when he first preached his sermon, “Payday Someday”. He eventually delivered this message more than 1,000 times during his ministry. Many people were brought to Christ by these words.
If you’ve never heard this sermon, it’s worth the listen. My mama heard Dr. Lee preach “Payday Someday,” and she never forgot it. Not long before her death, more than fifty years later, she still talked about it.
It’s nearly an hour long, but I think you’ll be glad you’ve spent the time to hear it. I was.
Here’s the link:
Let’s return to the issue of God remembering our sin. Jeremiah was a prophet to Judah nearly eighty years after Hosea’s ministry had come to an end. The principles are the same, regardless of the part of the kingdom in which he prophesied.
Read Jeremiah 14:7, 10. In this passage, Judah is languishing. They cry out to the Lord for help, but God does not act on their behalf. Verse 10 explains.
10) Why does God refuse to accept their repentance?
Now Read Jeremiah 17:1.
11) Where is our sin engraved? Note the stylus used is of diamond. It is an indelible engraving that cannot be easily erased.
This “horn” is a reference to the “horns” on the altar and is described in Leviticus 16:18-19. This passage concerns the day of atonement.
Two goats were used for the sin offering. One would be the scapegoat, presented alive before the Lord to make atonement, and sent into the wilderness to carry away the sin of the people. (Here we see their sin being “removed”.)
The other goat would be slaughtered as the sin offering. The blood would be brought inside the holy place and sprinkled on the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people. The blood would then be taken to the bronze altar.
12) Read Leviticus 16:17-18 to see what was done with the blood at the altar and record it here.
13) On the day that God delivered David from all his enemies, he spoke a song recorded in 2 Samuel 22. In verses 2 and 3, he refers to God as a “horn of salvation”. In what way was God David’s “horn’?
Zacharias, father of John the Baptizer, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prophesied concerning the birth of his son and the role he would play in the kingdom of God.
14) What did he say God had raised up for them? (See Luke 1:69)
15) About whom was he speaking? How might He be our “horn of salvation?
To put all this together, we see Jesus concealed in David’s “horn of salvation” and revealed in Zacharias’ prophecy. Our sin is engraved with an indelible stylus on the horns of the altar. The nails of the cross acted as a kind of indelible stylus that engraved our sin upon our Lord. It was His precious blood, shed at Calvary, that flowed from and over those hands and feet, and purchased our pardon. He is the horn of our salvation that “took” our sin. His blood is the atonement that “covers” our sin and removes it from God’s sight so that He can remember it no more.
Hosea 7:3 says the people have made the king and princes happy with their wickedness and lies. According to BLB (Blue Letter Bible) the word translated as “king” refers to a civil authority, much as a king would today. It also refers to the “true” king over Israel, the Lord God Himself. In this instance, the people have made the “civil” king happy but not the heavenly King who is Israel’s true King.
The word translated as “princes” does not refer to the son of a king. Instead, it has a different connotation.
16) Follow the link below to find out which authority is referenced by the word “princes”.
There was a process in place for dealing with leaders who indulged in the kind of idolatry and immorality so rampant in Israel at the time of Hosea. If the people had been living as they should, they could have dealt with the sin in their midst. Instead, the people sinned in the same manner and to an even greater degree than those in authority. Their leaders were delighted, because people who partook of their same sins were not likely to confront them.
PRAYER PAUSE:
In our United States Constitution, our Founding Fathers outlined a clear plan for dealing with elected officials who did not follow the rule of law. I am not presuming to editorialize about our elected officials, but now is the time to stop and pray for all those who are in positions of leadership in this nation. Read Proverbs 21:1 and pray this for our nation.
Hosea 7:4-7
If you’ve ever baked bread, you know that the dough needs a warm place to rise. The oven temperature must be constant for the bread to cook completely. Fluctuating temperatures will cause the bread to fall and become gummy inside. I’ve made (and eaten) some of that bread. It was barely palatable.
Hosea says that they are “all” adulterers. The word translated as “all” literally means “the totality”. Hosea’s accusation was for the kings, princes, and the people. Everyone in the nation was immoral.
He compares the immorality of the people to a heated oven. There is considerable theological debate about this passage. Here are links if you’re interested:
I’ve tried to sort this out, and (based on having baked many loaves of bread over the years), this is how I see the passage.
When I decide to bake bread, I turn my oven to the appropriate temperature for baking. I then mix the dough and leave it to rise, usually atop the oven as it warms up. During the time spent waiting for the dough to rise, kneading the dough, and allowing a second rise, I don’t “do” anything to the oven. (In a way, I “cease to stir up the fire.”) The “fuel” (electricity) does the work of raising the temperature to the appropriate heat.
Sin in our lives is much like this. Rarely does someone suddenly commit a heinous sin without previous thought and desire. (Yes, I understand the idea of a moment of passion. I also know that a cooler head can prevail.) We first allow the idea of sin into our heads and hearts. When we fail to take those thoughts captive, they have free reign to spread like leaven and fill our minds.
Once the enemy plants a thought in our minds and we choose to allow it to fester, he’s free to attack someone else. He may continue to fan the flames and stir the coals, but it’s not required. The seed of sin he has planted will, if allowed to grow, eventually bear fruit. The spark will grow into a flame.
At some point, the flames of our passions and the leavening of our thoughts combine in a kind of flash point, and action occurs. If we do not want to sin, we must take control of both our thoughts and our passions/desires, and do it without delay.
In that same way, the people of God (all of Israel) had become like an oven in which the fuel was placed and the fire kindled. The longer the flames were allowed to build (during the time when leaven was infiltrating the entire loaf) the hotter it became. At just the right moment of complete leavening and hot fire, the baking began.
Jeroboam I’s golden calves were much like the leaven. His priests like the bakers who stoked the flames. The entire nation didn’t participate in idolatry the first day he displayed the calf, but, over time, the entire nation was infected. At last, in a kind of spiritual flash point, the nation reached a tipping point at which the vast majority of people were deeply involved in the false religions of idols.
To make matters worse, Hosea says, on the “day of our king” (probably a birthday or other festive occasion) the princes became drunk with wine. This may have been a day-long occasion, with drinking and festivities beginning early in the day and continuing into the night.
18) Read Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 31:4-5. What do these verses say about the king and alcohol use?
If a king was so drunk with wine that he was made sick, he had drunk more than a few sips, and more than a glass or two of wine. He had drunk a considerable amount. A teenager encountering alcohol for the first time might indulge to that degree, but it’s not likely that a king would. If a king drank all day to the point of sick drunkenness, it was not his first encounter with alcohol. It had likely become a way of life.
Isaiah speaks of these drunkards and it’s worth reading this passage to get a better picture of the situation. Read Isaiah 28:1, 7-8.
19) How does Isaiah describe the scene of the princes (“crowns” implies authority) Isaiah 28:1,7,8
20) “In that day” (when Jesus returns) there will only be one crown over God’s people. Who will wear that crown? See Isaiah 28:5-6
Hosea 7:5 sums up the problem with one word. Those in authority has surrounded themselves with “scoffers”, rather than men of faith and wisdom. See
21) Against what did these “scoffers” mock?
22) Compare this situation with 1 Corinthians 15:33.
PRAYER PAUSE:
Scripture is filled with examples of the bad influence of ungodly men and women on the people of faith. It rarely has a good end. Samson and Delilah come to mind, as do Rehoboam and his advisors.
In what way have you seen this truth in your life? Take a moment now to ask God to fill your life with people who love him, rather than scoffers. Ask Him to make you a good influence on the scoffers you know. Pray that those you love will surround themselves with people who will propel them toward Christ and not away from Him.
___________
Hosea continues with the actions of these scoffers and their drunken princes. Their hearts are as hot as an oven as they approach their “plotting”.
23) See BLB to find out what kind of plot they were hatching.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H696&t=NASB
24) What happened as the time for their plot to unfold?
The idea here is that a plot is conceived in drunkenness. Alcohol dulls their senses and their better judgment. The longer the scoffers think about their deadly plot, the better it sounds.
You may not have experienced this, but a tableful of drunken men (and women, too) will sometimes concoct an outrageous plan. The longer they drink and mull over their plan, the more committed to it they become. By the time the idea becomes a reality, their emotions are at a fever-pitch.
Their passions have moved from a smoldering bed of coals to a flaming fire. All that was required was for one “mocker” to blow on the coals and stir it into life. The effect of the alcohol is so great, in their drunkenness, that better judgment is lost in the moment.
Hosea 7:6-7 continue the idea that the people are all like an oven, Hosea says, and they “consume their rulers.”
The meaning here surprised me, so take a look and see for yourselves.
(Hint: Scroll nearly mid-way down Gesenius’ Lexicon)
25) How did they destroy their rulers?
These ungodly men who were on the fringes of power had no intention of allowing the rulers of Israel to return to God. Repentance at the highest levels would mean a clean sweep of those who pushed them toward idolatry. There was a benefit to keeping leaders intoxicated enough to dull their senses. It helped to keep them from repentance.
26) How have you seen the damage of alcohol in the lives of those you love? In your own life?
This video is not a Christian video, but Brad Paisley has so accurately represented the perils of alcohol that it’s worth listening.
Here’s a link to the lyrics:
Hosea 7:8 speaks of Ephraim’s relationship to the nations that surrounded them.
Psalm 106 accurately portrays the sin of Israel. Read this chapter now to see how they repeated the sins of their fathers.
27) What does Psalm 106:34-39 say about the result of “mixing with the nations”?
Ephraim is described as a cake not turned. This does not refer to the kind of cake we might make to celebrate a birthday. This is a reference to a “cake” of bread, similar to a piece of pita bread. The bread has not been turned at the appropriate time. As a result, one side of the bread is burned and one side is barely cooked. Neither side is palatable and the cake is good for nothing but to be thrown away.
Ephraim has become like a worthless piece of bread, burned past repair by the fervor of their sin.
28) Hosea 7:9 says there are two consequences of sin that we might not anticipate.
a)
b)
29) Compare this with the gray hair mentioned in Proverbs 16:31.
The price of Ephraim’s sin is a kind of premature aging with loss of strength and premature gray hair. The last phrase in verse 9 suggests that, though Ephraim steadily loses strength and influence, they do not notice their decline until it is too late.
30) In what ways did Ephraim lose strength?
Read Hosea 7:10-16 straight through, then read what Isaiah (a contemporary of Hosea) wrote in Isaiah 9:8-21.
31) Compare and contrast the two passages.
32) How does Israel respond with pride in the Isaiah passage?
I have two notes in the margin of my Bible, dated 12/13/02, beside this passage. The first is adjacent to verse 8 and says, “When God moves against Israel, they assume they will build back bigger and better, but God will not stop until they are broken.”
Brokenness is not what Israel wanted, but it’s what they desperately needed. It’s the one thing we, too, seldom desire, but always need.
I remember well the circumstances of those days just before Christmas more than a decade ago, when I made the notation. Those circumstances broke my heart and brought me to the end of myself. It was a glorious but agonizing fire that burned through my pride, hurt, and fear. I didn’t want the brokenness, but I praise God for it, for through it, He transformed my heart and my life. I still have a long way to go to be the faithful disciple God intends, but He has done a work in my life. The breaking was worth the pain.
PRAYER PAUSE:
Let’s pray for brokenness, whether we want it or not. Pray that God will move to break our hearts over our sin, especially our pride and selfishness. Pray that we will have humble, gentle hearts that do not require a devastating blow to bring us to the end of ourselves but that we will respond to the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit.
_______________
The second note in the margin of Isaiah 9 was written at the same time. “Wickedness consumes. Spreads. Leaves behind only charred lifeless ruins. The smoke produced can destroy those innocents who are sent to rescue.”
I read that today and wanted to strike through it. As a physician, though, I know that one of the greatest dangers firefighters face is not falling embers but smoke inhalation. It robs the lungs of oxygen and, without intervention, robs the body of life.
I have seen the damage in the life of an innocent because of the sin of a parent or person of authority. I wish it weren’t true, but my own sin has caused far too much damage. Perhaps you’ve experienced that same kind of destruction.
PRAYER PAUSE:
Let’s stop and ask for forgiveness for the destruction our own sin and wickedness have caused. Ask God to heal and restore any wounds we have inadvertently or intentionally caused. Pray for those you know who are suffering because of someone else’s sin.
_______
As we’ve already seen, no matter what consequence they suffered, Israel/Ephraim refused to return to God. These verses speak of how Ephraim has done everything except repent.
We saw from Isaiah that Ephram had serious problems. Rather than turn to God, they sought help from the world. Hosea 7:16 says they turned, but not upward. This implies a horizontal turning, rather than a vertical one (toward heaven, God-ward).
33) Where did they turn for help? (v.11)
Hosea compares Ephraim to a “silly dove”. The dove was one of the most common birds in Israel. It was a wild bird but easily domesticated. It readily exchanged the freedom of the skies for the prison of a cage.
34) How has Ephraim exchanged their freedom for slavery?
In verses 12-15, the pronoun ME or My is used seven times. (Seven is the number of perfection in Biblical numerology.) I believe this is done to emphasize the importance of our perfect God and the difference between His actions and those of Ephraim.
He trains. They turn.
He woos. They stray.
He spreads His net. They call to Egypt and Assyria.
He would redeem. They lie.
Verse 14 sums up the situation.
35) How do the people respond toward God?
36) Is this sincere repentance and a desire for reconciliation with God?
37) What is their goal?
Repentance that has our own gain as its goal is not true repentance. God is not deceived. No form of false repentance will stay God’s hand of judgment, as Ephraim would soon find out.
38) To what does Hosea compare Ephraim in Hosea 7:16?
I have a bow. I’m not a great archer, but I did win a huge trophy once in an archery competition. I managed to hit the target a few times, but it wasn’t my skill that won the prize. I won because I was the only archer in my class.
I don’t claim to know a lot about archery, but I do know that, to hit the bullseye, the arrow must fly straight and level. You cannot hit the mark if you shoot straight up in the air.
God says Ephraim is like a “deceitful bow”.
39) How would a deceitful bow perform? How straight would an arrow from this kind of bow fly?
C.J. Rolls, in his book The Prophecy of Hosea, writes about the five character traits described in this chapter. Each trait is represented by a simile to which Ephraim is compared.
We’ve mentioned them previously, so I’ve summarized this information in a table.
There’s an interesting point about each of the things to which God compared His people. In the proper setting, each of these could be associated with a positive connotation.
40) Let’s look at each of the similes and try to discern how they could have become a good trait or indicate a good characteristic of our Lord.
a) Flaming fire - See Jeremiah 23:29
b) Cake not turned - See Exodus 23:25, Deuteronomy 8:3, John 6:32, 35
c) Gray hairs - Proverbs 16:31, Isaiah 46:4
d) Silly dove - Psalm 91:4, Matthew 3:16
e) Deceitful bow - Psalm 127:3-5 (hint: one of the idols the people worshipped was Molech)
In a way, we see that the people had become a poor imitation of what only our God could be, what only He could do. They had exchanged truth for a lie, and it cost them dearly.
The most astounding part of this chapter is that, despite all Ephraim has done, it begins and ends with God’s affirmation that He is still willing to heal and restore His own.
We, too, can take comfort from the enduring love of our Lord. His desire is to purify and restore. If we truly repent, He will forgive. Every single time.
Closing thoughts:
We’ve now completed 100 of Hosea’s 197 verses. Half-way through. It sounds good, doesn’t it? I’m so proud of you for persevering to this point, no matter how long it took you to get here. Thank you for your commitment to God’s Word. I’m praying that you will endure to the end, for I’m sure God’s word will not return void, but will accomplish all He intended in your life. (Isaiah 55:11)
____________
A little extra:
The picture above was taken in Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The small opening you see near the center is Cave 4. 90% of the scrolls were located in this cave. Some of the oldest copies of Old Testament scriptures were found in the Qumran caves. Portions of all of the Old Testament (except the book of Esther) were among the texts on the scrolls. Scripture, preserved and protected during the years when God's people were dispersed around the world, is as accurate today as when the Essenes copied the scrolls more than 2000 years ago.
Here's the link to Chapter Eight.
#Hosea #Biblestudy #indepthBiblestudy
A little extra:
The picture above was taken in Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The small opening you see near the center is Cave 4. 90% of the scrolls were located in this cave. Some of the oldest copies of Old Testament scriptures were found in the Qumran caves. Portions of all of the Old Testament (except the book of Esther) were among the texts on the scrolls. Scripture, preserved and protected during the years when God's people were dispersed around the world, is as accurate today as when the Essenes copied the scrolls more than 2000 years ago.
Here's the link to Chapter Eight.
#Hosea #Biblestudy #indepthBiblestudy
