{"id":22190,"date":"2022-09-24T09:23:40","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-hosea-71\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T09:23:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:23:40","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-hosea-71","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-hosea-71\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hosea 7:1"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, [and] the troop of robbers spoileth without. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

1 7<\/strong>. The moral degradation of Israel, especially of its ruling class, which, so far from stemming the tide of corruption, applauds and encourages its progress<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. How foolish is the conduct of Israel! When the great turning-point in her fortunes arrives, the day of mingled punishment and mercy, all his wickedness will be remembered and brought to light. To improve the sense and restore balance to the opening of the verse, it is expedient to read thus, with Ewald, When I turn the fortunes of my people, when I heal Israel, then will be manifest Ephraim’s guilt and Samaria’s wickedness, how they practise falsehood, and the thief cometh in, and bandits roam abroad without<\/strong>. Comp. Hos 4:2<\/span>. Samaria is mentioned, as the abode of the princes next spoken of.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

When I would have healed Israel – <\/B>God begins anew by appealing to Israel, that all which He had done to heal them, had but served to make their sin more evident, and that, from highest to lowest, as to all manners and ways of sin. When the flash of Gods light on the sinners conscience enlightens it not, it only discloses its darkness. The name Israel includes the whole people; the names, Ephraim and Samaria, probably are meant to designate the chief among them, Ephraim having been their royal tribe, and being the chief tribe among them; Samaria being their royal city. The sins, which Hoses denounces in this chapter, are chiefly the sins of the great, which, from them, had spread among the people. Whatever healing methods God had used, whether through the teaching of the prophets or through His own fatherly chastisements, they would not hearken nor be amended, but ran on still more obstinately in their evil courses. The disease prevailed against the remedy, and was irritated by it, so that the remedy served only to lay open the extent of its malignity, and to shew that there was worse in it, than did at first appear . Paul says of all human nature. When the commandment came, sin revived Rom 7:9<\/span>.<\/P>

Apart from grace, the knowledge of good only enhances evil. : So, when God, made Man, present and visible, willed to heal Israel, then that iniquity of the Jews and wickedness of the Scribes and Pharisees was discovered, whereof this iniquity of Ephraim and wickedness of Samaria was a type. For an evil spirit goaded them to mock, persecute, blaspheme the Teacher of repentance who, together with the word of preaching, did works, such as none other man did. For Christ pleased them not, a Teacher of repentance, persuading to poverty, a Pattern of humility, a Guide to meekness, a Monitor to mourn for sins, a Proclaimer of righteousness, a Requirer of mercy, a Praiser of purity of heart, a Rewarder of peace, a Consoler of those who suffered persecution for righteousness sake. Why did they reject, hate, persecute, Him who taught thus? Because they loved all contrary thereto, and wished for a Messiah, who should exalt them in this world, and disturb the peace of nations, until he should by war subdue to their empire all the rest of the world, build for them on earth a Jerusalem of gold and gems, and fulfill their covetousness in all things of this sort.<\/P>

This their mind He once briefly expressed; How can ye believe which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor which cometh from God only? Joh 5:24<\/span>. They persecuted Him then who willed to heal them, as madmen strike the physician offering them medicine, nor did they cease, until they required Him their King to be crucified. Thus was the iniquity of Ephraim and wickedness of Samaria discovered, yet filled up by them; and so they filled up the measure of their fathers, and discovered and testified, that they were of the same mind with their fathers. In all these things they committed falsehood, lying against, their King whom they denied, and accused as seditious.<\/P>

For they – <\/B>(i. e. all of them) commit falsehood Falsehood was the whole habit and tissue of their lives. : They dealt falsely in all their doings both with God and man, being hypocritical and false in all their words and doings, given to fraud and deceit, from the highest to the lowest. Night and day; in silence and in open violence; within, where all seemed guarded and secure, and without, in open defiance of law and public justice; these deeds of wrong went on in an unceasing round. In the night, the thief cometh in, breaking into peoples houses and pillaging secretly; a troop of robbers spoileth without, spreading their ravages far and wide, and desolating without resistance. It was all one state of anarchy, violence, and disorganization.<\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1<\/span><\/p>\n

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The great deceiver and spoiler of the nation<\/strong><\/p>\n

We <\/em>identify the deceiver as strong drink.<\/p>\n


I. <\/strong>The dangerous and insinuating character of intoxicating drinks. The thief cometh in. Compare the movements of thieves with the manner in which these drinks operate upon different classes of our fellow-men.<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>The thief will often seize the property of others under false pretences. So the strong drinks pretend to give strength to the weak, and to preserve the strong from becoming weak. Those drinks pretend to act favourably upon the sympathies of our nature, and to promote good fellowship among neighbours and friends. But when and where did strong drink perform such wonderful things?<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>The thief commits his depredations under the guise of friendship.<\/p>\n


II. <\/strong>you are known to have money, many will offer friendship, and when they have gained your confidence, they will strip you of everything you possess. And it is thus with the friendly glass.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>The thief pounces upon his prey at unawares. And the thief, strong drink, acts very much in the same way. To be forewarned is in many cases to be forearmed, but too many refuse to take warning, and hence the thief pounces upon them at unawares, and they become an easy prey.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>The thief pays no respect either to age or sex. The thief is known to seize upon male or female, old or young, any party, or under any circumstance, if he can but meet with a victim. And the thief, strong drink, acts precisely in the same way. In every walk of life, in every condition of society, and under every variety of circumstance this thief commits his depredations.<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>The thief, in the accomplishment of his object, often takes away the life of his victim. Here is another most painful characteristic of strong drink. By this thief multitudes of men die and go to their long home.<\/p>\n


II. <\/strong>The evils inflicted upon our country by the traffic in strong drinks. The troop of robbers spoileth without.<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>The vast-extent of this source of evil. Thousands are engaged in the manufacture of strong drink.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>The traffic fails to give an equivalent for what it costs.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>The traffic in strong drink spoils the morals of our country.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>The traffic is spoiling the efforts of the Church.<\/p>\n


III. <\/strong>The means by which these evils may be removed.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> <\/strong>The real cause of these evils must be kept distinctly in view. Individual example is the matter requiring supreme attention.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>The manufacture and sale of intoxicating drinks, except for scientific and medicinal purposes, must be condemned.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>The practical rather than the doubtful should be steadily pursued. There is always a danger of our having our minds diverted from the real to the visionary. It is a delusion to trust to acts of parliament. Personal and individual abstinence is the one thing to urge. (D. Sunderland.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

CHAPTER VII <\/P>

Here God complains that though he had employed every means for<\/I><\/P>

reforming Israel, they still persisted in their iniquity,<\/I><\/P>

without fearing the consequences<\/I>, 1, 2;<\/P>

that those who ought to check their crimes were pleased with<\/I><\/P>

them<\/I>, 3;<\/P>

and that they all burned with adultery, as an oven when fully<\/I><\/P>

heated, and ready to receive the kneaded dough<\/I>, 4.<\/P>

The<\/I> fifth verse alludes to some recent enormities; the<\/I> sixth<\/P>

charges them with dividing their time between inactivity and<\/I><\/P>

iniquity; the<\/I> seventh alludes to their civil broils and<\/I><\/P>

conspiracies;<\/I> (see 2Kg 15:10<\/span>; 2Kg 15:14<\/span>; 2Kg 15:25<\/span>\ud83d\ude09<\/P>

the<\/I> eighth to their joining themselves with idolatrous nations;<\/I><\/P>

and the<\/I> ninth describes the sad consequence. The<\/I> tenth verse<\/I><\/P>

reproves their pride and open contempt of God’s worship; the<\/I><\/P>

eleventh reproves their foolish conduct in applying for aid to<\/I><\/P>

their enemies;<\/I> (see 2Kg 15:19<\/span>; 2Kg 17:4<\/span>\ud83d\ude09<\/P>

the<\/I> twelfth and<\/I> thirteenth threaten them with punishments; the<\/I><\/P>

fourteenth charges them with hypocrisy in their acts of<\/I><\/P>

humiliation; the<\/I> fifteenth with ingratitude; and the image of<\/I><\/P>

the deceitful bow, in the<\/I> sixteenth verse, is highly expressive<\/I><\/P>

of their frequent apostasies; and their hard speeches against<\/I><\/P>

God shall be visited upon them by their becoming a reproach in<\/I><\/P>

the land of their enemies.<\/I> <\/P>

NOTES ON CHAP. VII<\/P>

<\/P>

Verse 1<\/span>. When I would have healed Israel<\/B><\/I>] As soon as one wound was healed, another was discovered. Scarcely was one sin blotted out till another was committed.<\/P>

<\/P>

The thief cometh in<\/B><\/I>] Their own princes spoil them.<\/P>

<\/P>

The troop of robbers spoileth without.<\/B><\/I>] The Assyrians, under different leaders, waste and plunder the country.<\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

When: whether this chapter be a new sermon, or a continuation of that begun Ho 6<\/span>, we need not inquire, nor are there any particulars by which we can guess at the time when this healing work was attempted; but, so soon as it was endeavoured; indefinitely it is spoken, and so to be interpreted. <\/P>

I would have healed Israel: God doth assume the person of a physician or chirurgeon, who compassionately endeavours to cure a people sick and wounded: such was the house of Israel, the whole body of the people. <\/P>

The iniquity; the hidden, old, and putrefying sores, here called iniquity, the impieties and injustice. <\/P>

Of Ephraim; of Israel, called Ephraim, or of Ephraim, the chief tribe of this revolting kingdom; some would have it mean the rulers, or principal men. <\/P>

Was discovered; broke out; as many times in cures of old sores it happens some deeper and more rooted distemper, unthought of by the chirurgeon, appears. The wickedness, the great and many sins <\/P>

of Samaria, the royal city of the kingdom, where citizens, priests, prophets, and courtiers as much outsinned others as they exceeded them in wealth and ease. <\/P>

They commit falsehood; lying and cozening each other is acted as if it were a business they were bound to attend. <\/P>

The thief cometh in; secret thefts, or robbing others by subtle and undiscerned methods. <\/P>

The troop of robbers spoileth without; and open violence by hands joined to hands to spoil abroad. In a word, the strength and danger of their disease appears and increaseth more and more under endeavours to heal them. <\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

1. I would have healedIsrael<\/B>Israel’s restoration of the two hundred thousand Jewishcaptives at God’s command (2Ch28:8-15<\/span>) gave hope of Israel’s reformation [HENDERSON].Political, as well as moral, healing is meant. When I would havehealed Israel in its calamitous state, then their iniquity wasdiscovered to be so great as to preclude hope of recovery. Then heenumerates their wickedness: “The thief cometh in (indoorsstealthily), and the troop of robbers spoileth without”(out-of-doors with open violence).<\/P><\/p>\n

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

When I would have healed Israel<\/strong>,…. Or rather, “when I healed Israel” k; for this is not to be understood of a velleity, wish, or desire of healing and saving them, as Jarchi; nor of a bare attempt to do it by the admonitions of the prophets, and by corrections in Providence; but of actual healing them; and by which is meant, not healing them in a spiritual and religious sense, as in Ho 6:1<\/span>; but in a political sense, of the restoring of their civil state to a more flourishing condition; which was done in the times of Jeroboam the son of Joash, as Kimchi rightly observes; who restored the coast of Israel, from the entering of Hamath, unto the sea of the plain, 2Ki 14:25<\/span>;<\/p>\n

then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria<\/strong>; some refer this to the times of Jeroboam the first, and that the sense is, that the Lord having cured Israel of the idolatry introduced by Solomon, quickly a new scene of idolatry broke out in Ephraim, or the ten tribes, of which Samaria was the metropolis; for Jeroboam soon set up the calves at Dan and Bethel to be worshipped; but it does not appear that Israel was corrupted with the idolatry of Solomon, and needed a cure then; nor was Samaria built in Jeroboam’s time: others apply it to the times of Jehu, who, though he slew the worshippers of Baal, and broke his images, and destroyed him out of Israel, yet retained the worship of the calves at Dan and Bethel,<\/p>\n

2Ki 10:25<\/span>; so, though they were healed of one sort of idolatry, another prevailed. It is right, in both these senses, that the iniquity of Ephraim, and wickedness or wickednesses of Samaria, are taken for the idolatrous worship of the golden calves; but then it respects the times of Jeroboam the second, the son of Joash, in whose days Israel was prosperous; and yet these superstitious and idolatrous practices of worship were flagrant and notorious, were countenanced by the king and his courtiers that dwelt at Samaria, as is clear from Am 7:10<\/span>; which was an instance of great ingratitude to the Lord;<\/p>\n

for they commit falsehood<\/strong>; among themselves, lying to one another, and deceiving each other; or to God, deal falsely with him, are guilty of false worship, worshipping idols, which are vanities and lies:<\/p>\n

and the thief cometh in, [and] the troop of robbers spoileth without<\/strong>; which may be interpreted either of their sins, their sins in general, both private and public; and their sins of theft and robbery in particular; both such as were committed in houses by the thief privately entering there, and by a gang of robbers in the streets, or on the highway: so the Targum,<\/p>\n

“in the night they thieve in houses, and in the day they rob on the plain,”<\/p>\n

or fields: or else of punishment for their sins; and then the words may be rendered l, “therefore the thief entereth in, and the troop” or “army spreads without”; this thief was Shallum, who came in to kill and to steal; he slew Zachariah the son of Jeroboam, after he had reigned six months, and usurped the kingdom, and so put an end to the family of Jehu, according as the Lord had threatened, 2Ki 8:12<\/span>; the troop or army is the Assyrian army under Pul, who came against Menahem, king of Israel, of whom he exacted a tribute, and departed, 2Ki 15:19<\/span>; so Cocceius.<\/p>\n

k “dum curo”, Junius Tremellius “dum medeor”, Piscator, Zanchius, Calvin; “quando sanavi, vel sano”, Schmidt. l “ideo fur ingreditur”, Munster. So some in Drusius.<\/p>\n

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

In the first strophe (Hos 7:1-7<\/span>) the exposure of the moral depravity of Israel is continued. Hos 7:1<\/span>. “When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim, reveals itself, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they practise deceit; and the thief cometh, the troop of robbers plundereth without. <\/em> Hos 7:2<\/span>. And they say not in their heart, I should remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds have surrounded them, they have occurred before my face.<\/em> Hos 7:3<\/span>. They delight the king with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.” <\/em> As the dangerous nature of a wound is often first brought out by the attempt to heal it, so was the corruption of Israel only brought truly to light by the effort to stem it. The first hemistich of Hos 7:1<\/span> is not to be referred to the future, nor is the healing to be understood as signifying punishment, as Hitzig supposes; but the allusion is to the attempts made by God to put a stop to the corruption, partly by the preaching of repentance and the reproofs of the prophets, and partly by chastisements designed to promote reformation. The words contain no threatening of punishment, but a picture of the moral corruption that had become incurable. Here again Ephraim is not the particular tribe, but is synonymous with Israel, the people or kingdom of the ten tribes; and Samaria is especially mentioned in connection with it, as the capital and principal seat of the corruption of morals, just as Judah and Jerusalem are frequently classed together by the prophets. The lamentation concerning the incurability of the kingdom is followed by an explanatory notice of the sins and crimes that are openly committed. Sheqer <\/em>, lying, i.e., deception both in word and deed towards God and man, theft and highway robbery and not fear of the vengeance of God. “ Accedit ad haec facinora securitas eorum ineffabilis <\/em> ” (Marck). They do not consider that God will remember their evil deeds, and punish them; they are surrounded by them on all sides, and perform them without shame or fear before the face of God Himself. These sins delight both king and prince. To such a depth have even the rulers of the nation, who ought to practise justice and righteousness, fallen, that they not only fail to punish the sins, but take pleasure in their being committed.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Charge Drawn up against Israel; The Crimes of the Princes.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD>

B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 750.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE>

      1 When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and<\/I> the troop of robbers spoileth without.   2 And they consider not in their hearts that<\/I> I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.   3 They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.   4 They are<\/I> all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who<\/I> ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.   5 In the day of our king the princes have made him<\/I> sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.   6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.   7 They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is<\/I> none among them that calleth unto me.<\/P>

      Some take away the last words of the foregoing chapter, and make them the beginning of this: “When I returned,<\/I> or would have returned, the captivity of my people,<\/I> when I was about to come towards them in ways of mercy, even when I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim<\/I> (the country and common people) was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria,<\/I> the court and the chief city.” Now, in these verses, we may observe,<\/P>

      I. A general idea given of the present state of Israel, Hos 7:1<\/span>; Hos 7:2<\/span>. See how the case now stood with them.<\/P>

      1. God graciously designed to do well for them: I would have healed Israel.<\/I> Israel were sick and wounded; their disease was dangerous and malignant, and likely to be fatal, Isa. i. 6<\/span>. But God offered to be their physician, to undertake the cure, and there was balm in Gilead sufficient to recover the health of the daughter of his people; their case was bad, but it was not desperate, nay, it was hopeful, when God would have healed Israel.<\/I> (1.) He would have reformed them, would have separated between them and their sins, would have purged out the corruptions that were among them, by his laws and prophets. (2.) He would have delivered them out of their troubles, and restored to them their peace and prosperity. Several healing attempts were made, and their declining state seemed sometimes to be in a hopeful way of recovery; but their own folly put them back again. Note, If sinful miserable souls be not healed and helped, but perish in their sin and misery, they cannot lay the blame on God, for he both could and would have healed them;<\/I> he offered to take the ruin under his hand. And there are some special seasons when God manifests his readiness to heal a distempered church and nation, now and then a hopeful crisis, which, if carefully watched and improved, might, even when the case is very bad, turn the scale for life and health.<\/P>

      2. They stood in their own light and put a bar in their own door. When God would have healed them,<\/I> when they bade fair for reformation and peace, then their iniquity<\/I> was discovered<\/I> and their wickedness,<\/I> which stopped that current of God’s favours, and undid all again. (1.) Then,<\/I> when their case came to be examined and enquired into, in order to their cure, that wickedness which had been concealed and palliated was found out;<\/I> not that it was ever hid from God, but he speaks after the manner of men; as a surgeon, when he probes a wound in order to the cure of it and finds that it touches the vitals and is incurable, goes no further in his endeavour to cure it, so, when God came down to see<\/I> the case of Israel (as the expression is, Gen. xviii. 21<\/span>), with kind intentions towards them, he found their wickedness so very flagrant, and them so hardened in it, so impudent and impenitent, that he could not in honour show them the favour he designed them. Note, Sinners are not healed because they would not be healed. Christ would have gathered<\/I> them, and they would not.<\/I> (2.) Then,<\/I> when some endeavours were used to reform and reclaim them, that wickedness which had been restrained and kept under broke out;<\/I> and from God’s steps towards the healing of them they took occasion to be so much the more provoking. When endeavours were used to reform them vice grew more impetuous, more outrageous, and swelled so much the higher, as a stream when it is damned up. When they began to prosper they grew more proud, wanton, and secure, and so stopped the progress of their cure. Note, It is sin that turns away good things from us when they are coming towards us; and it is the folly and ruin of multitudes that, when God would do well for them, they do ill for themselves. And what was it that did them this mischief? In one word, they commit falsehood;<\/I> they worship idols (so some), defraud one another (so others), or, rather, they dissemble with God in their professions of repentance and regard to him. They say that they are desirous to be healed by him, and, in order to that, willing to be ruled by him; but they lie unto him with their mouth and flatter him with their tongue.<\/I><\/P>

      3. A practical disbelief of God’s omniscience and government was at the bottom of all their wickedness (v.<\/I><\/span> 2<\/span>): “They consider not in their hearts,<\/I> they never say it to their own hearts, never think of this, that I remember all their wickedness.<\/I>” As if God could not see it, though he is all eye, or did not heed it, though his name is Jealous, or had forgotten it, though he is an eternal mind that can never be unmindful, or would not reckon for it, though he is the Judge of heaven and earth.<\/I> This is the sinner’s atheism; as good say that there is no God<\/I> as say that he is either ignorant or forgetful, that there is none that judges in the earth<\/I> as that he remembers not the things he is to give judgment upon. It is a high affront they put upon God; it is a damning cheat they put upon themselves; they say, The Lord shall not see,<\/I> Ps. xciv. 7<\/I><\/span>. They cannot but know that God remembers all their works;<\/I> they have been told it many a time; nay, if you ask them, they cannot but own it, and yet they do not consider it;<\/I> they do not think of it when they should, and with application to themselves and their own works, else they would not, they durst not, do as they do. But the time will come when those who thus deceive themselves shall be undeceived: “Now their own doings have beset them about,<\/I> that is, they have come at length to such a pitch of wickedness that their sins appear on every side of them; all their neighbours see how bad they are, and can they think that God does not see it?” Or, rather, “The punishment of their doings besets them about; they are surrounded and embarrassed with troubles, so that they cannot get out, by which it appears that the sins they smart for are before my face,<\/I> not only that I have seen them, but that I am displeased at them;” for, till God by pardoning our sins has cast them behind his back, they are still before his face. Note, Sooner or later, God will convince those who do not now consider it that he remembers all their works.<\/I><\/P>

      4. God had begun to contend with them by his judgments, in earnest of what was further coming: The thief comes in, and the troop of robbers spoils without.<\/I> Some take this as an instance of their wickedness, that they robbed and spoiled one another. Nec hospes ab hospite tutus–The host and the guest stand in fear of each other.<\/I> It seems rather to be a punishment of their sin; they were infested with secret thieves among themselves, that robbed their houses and shops and picked their pockets, and troops of robbers,<\/I> foreign invaders, that with open violence spoiled abroad;<\/I> so far was Israel from being healed that they had fresh wounds given them daily by robbers and spoilers; and all this the effect of sin, all to punish them for robbing God, Isa 42:24<\/span>; Mal 3:8<\/span>; Mal 3:11<\/span>.<\/P>

      II. A particular account of the sins of the court, of the king and princes, and those about them, and the tokens of God’s displeasure that they were under for them.<\/P>

      1. Their king and princes were pleased with the wickedness and profaneness of their subjects, who were emboldened thereby to be so much them ore wicked (v.<\/I><\/span> 3<\/span>): They make the king and princes glad with their wickedness.<\/I> It pleased them to see the people conform to their wicked laws and examples, in the worship of their idols, and other instances of impiety and immorality, and to hear them flatter and applaud them in their wicked ways. When Herod saw that his wickedness pleased the people he proceeded further in it, much more will the people do so when they see that it pleases the prince, Acts xii. 3<\/span>. Particularly, they made them glad with their lies,<\/I> with the lying praises with which they crowned the favourites of the prince and the lying calumnies and censures with which they blackened those whom they knew the princes had a dislike to. Those who show themselves pleased with slanders and ill-natured stories shall never want those about them who will fill their ears with such stories. Prov. xxix. 12<\/span>, If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked,<\/I> and will make him glad with their lies.<\/P>

      2. Drunkenness and revelling abound much at the court, v.<\/I><\/span> 5<\/span>. The day of our king<\/I> was a merry day with them, either his birth-day or his inauguration-day, of which it is probable that they had an anniversary observation, or perhaps it was some holiday of his appointing, which was therefore called his day;<\/I> on that day the princes met to drink the king’s health, and got him among them, to be merry, and made him sick with bottles of wine.<\/I> It should seem the king did not ordinarily drink to excess, but he was not upon a high day brought to it by the artifices of the princes, tempted by the goodness of the wine, the gaiety of the company, or the healths they urged; and so little was he used to it that it made him sick;<\/I> and it is justly charged as a crime, as crimen ls majestatis–treason,<\/I> upon those who thus imposed upon him and made him sick;<\/I> nor would it serve for an excuse that it was the day of their king,<\/I> but was rather an aggravation of the crime, that, whey they pretended to do him honour, they dishonoured him to the highest degree. If it is a great affront and injury to a common person to make him drunk, and there is a woe to those that do it (Hab. ii. 15<\/span>), much more to a crowned head; for the greater any man’s dignity is the greater disgrace it is to him to be drunk. It is not for kings, O Lemuel! it is not for kings, to drink wine,<\/I>Pro 31:4<\/span>; Pro 31:5<\/span>. See what a prejudice the sin of drunkenness is to a man, to a king. (1.) In his health; it made him sick.<\/I> It is a force upon nature; and strange it is by what charms men, otherwise rational enough, can be drawn to that which besides the offence it gives to God, and the damage it does to their spiritual and eternal welfare, is a present disorder and distemper to their own bodies. (2.) In his honour; for, when he was thus intoxicated, he stretched out his hand with scorners;<\/I> then he that was entrusted with the government of a kingdom lost the government of himself, and so far forgot, [1.] The dignity of a king that he made himself familiar with players and buffoons, and those whose company was a scandal. [2.] The duty of a king that he joined in confederacy with atheists, and the profane scoffers at religion, whom he ought to have silenced and put to shame; he sat in the seat of the scornful,<\/I> of those that had arrived at the highest pitch of impiety; he struck in with them, said as they said, did as they did, and exerted his power, and stretched forth the hand<\/I> of his government, in concurrence with them. Goodness and good men are often made the song of the drunkards<\/I> (Psa 69:12<\/span>; Psa 35:16<\/span>); but woe unto thee, O land!<\/I> when thy king is such a child<\/I> as to stretch forth his hand<\/I> with those that make them so, Eccl. x. 16<\/span>.<\/P>

      3. Adultery and uncleanness prevailed much among the courtiers. This is spoken of Hos 7:4<\/span>; Hos 7:6<\/span>; Hos 7:7<\/span>, and the charge of drunkenness comes in in the midst of this article; for wine is oil to the fire of lust, Prov. xxiii. 33<\/span>. Those that are inflamed with fleshly lusts, that are adulterers<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 4<\/span>), are here again and again compared to an oven heated by the baker (v.<\/I><\/span> 4<\/span>): They have made ready their heart like an oven<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 6<\/span>); they are all hot as an oven,<\/I> v.<\/span> 7<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Note, (1.) An unclean heart is like an oven heated; and the unclean lusts and affections of it are as the fuel that makes it hot. It is an inward fire, it keeps the heat within itself; so adulterers and fornicators secretly burn in lust,<\/I> as the expression is, Rom. i. 27<\/span>. The heat of the oven is an intense heat, especially as it is here described; he that heats it stirs up<\/I> the fire, and ceases not from raising<\/I> it up, till the bread is ready to be put in, being kneaded<\/I> and leavened,<\/I> all which only signifies that they are like an oven when it is at the hottest; nay, when it is too hot for the baker<\/I> (so the learned Dr. Pocock), when it is hotter than he would have it,<\/I> so that the raiser up of the fire ceases as long as while the dough that is kneaded is in the fermenting, that the heat may abate a little. Thus fiery hot are the lusts of an unclean heart. (2.) The unclean wait for an opportunity to compass their wicked desires; having made ready their heart like an oven, they lie in wait to catch their prey. The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,<\/I> Job xxiv. 15<\/I><\/span>. Their baker sleeps all the night, but in the morning it burns as a flaming fire.<\/I> As the baker, having kindled a fire in his oven and laid sufficient fuel to it, goes to bed, and sleeps all night, and in the morning finds his oven well heated, and ready for his purpose, so these wicked people, when they have laid some wicked plot, and formed a design for the gratifying of some covetous, ambitious, revengeful, or unclean lusts, have their hearts so fully set in them to do evil that, though they may stifle them for a while, yet the fire of corrupt affections is still glowing within, and, as soon as ever there is an opportunity for it, their purposes which they have compassed and imagined break out into overt acts, as a fire flames out when it has vent given it. Thus they are all hot as an oven.<\/I> Note, Lust in the heart is like fire in an oven, puts it into a heat; but the day is coming when those who thus make themselves like a fiery oven with their own vile affections, if that fire be not extinguished by divine grace, shall be made as a fiery oven by divine wrath (Ps. xxi. 9<\/span>), when the day comes<\/I> that shall burn as an oven,<\/I> Mal. iv. 1<\/I><\/span>.<\/P>

      4. They resist the proper methods of reformation and redress: They have devoured their judges,<\/I> those few good judges that were among them, that would have put out these fires with which they were heated; they fell foul upon them, and would not suffer them to do justice, but were ready to stone them, and perhaps did so; or, as some think, they provoked God to deprive them of the blessing of magistracy and to leave all in confusion: All their kings<\/I> have fallen<\/I> one after another, and their families with them, which could not but put the kingdom into confusion, crumble it into contending parties, and occasion a great deal of bloodshed. There are heart-burnings among them; they are hot as an oven<\/I> with rage and malice at one another, and this occasions the devouring of their judges,<\/I> the falling<\/I> of their kings. For the transgressions of a land many are the princes thereof,<\/I> Prov. xxviii. 2<\/I><\/span>. But in the midst of all this trouble and disorder there is none among them that calls unto God,<\/I> that sees his hand stretched out against them in these judgments, and deprecates the strokes of it, none, or next to none, that stir up themselves to take hold on God, Isa. lxiv. 7<\/span>. Note, Those are not only heated with sin, but hardened in sin, that continue to live without prayer even when they are in trouble and distress.<\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

HOSEA – CHAPTER 7<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOD’S LAMENT AND CHARGES AGAINST ISRAEL, CONTINUED<\/p>\n

Verses 1-16:<\/p>\n

Verse <\/strong>1,first indicates a point at which God would have healed Israel, at the restoration of 20,000 Jewish captives, as this gave hope of their reformation, 2Ch 28:8-15<\/span>. Moral and political healing is meant. Then the sins of Ephraim the royal tribe, broke forth, as Samaria was her royal city. Then evidence of falsehood, theft, and robbery were discovered to be in the very fiber and tissue of their lives toward God and men.<\/p>\n

Verse 2 indicates <\/strong>that they were so blinded to their own sins, overlooking them, that they forgot that God could not and would not let them go unpunished, Num 32:23<\/span>; Deu 32:34<\/span>; Psa 90:8<\/span>. Like chains and fetters they were entangled and entrapped by their own sins, conforming to wicked laws and seductive, immoral, idolatrous rituals of kings and princes, Job 20:11<\/span>; Psa 9:16<\/span>; Pro 5:22<\/span>; Isa 26:16<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 3 testifies <\/strong>that the Israelites were flattered by the approval and applause of their rulers, as they responded to the wicked laws and seductive rites and ceremonies of heathen-bent idolatries and whoredoms, Act 12:13<\/span>; Rom 1:32<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 4 accuses <\/strong>all of being “adulterers”, like a long heated furnace. The kings, princes, and people were as one, in rebellion against God. Lust lived off of lust, and called for more, to satisfy a continuing carnal pursuit of inflamed moral and spiritual adultery and debauchery. The course of such religious sin is described as those “that cannot cease from sin,” 2Pe 2:14<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 5 describes <\/strong>the debauchery and conduct of inebriated kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, on days of coronation and feast days, as they were incited by their princes, toasting each other again and again with “bottles of wine,” not just glasses, drinking in excess, as they scorned, ridiculed, or made fun of holy things and holy people, speaking in derision of God, as recounted Dan 5:3-4<\/span>; Pro 20:1<\/span>; Pro 31:4<\/span>. Even John the Baptist was beheaded at a similar drunken feast, Mat 14:6-12<\/span>; Mar 6:14-29<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 6 indicates <\/strong>that priest and laymen in Israel made their hearts ready or open to sin. They literally sinned because they wanted to sin, waiting and looking for the occasion to sin. Like an oven, where the fire is shut in and kept burning all night, while the baker sleeps, but in the morning the flames are kindled for baking. Even so they brood, plan evil in their hearts, while their conscience is lulled to sleep, waiting for an occasion to commit wickedness, when opportunity affords. After Jeroboam II of the northern kingdom of Israel, they had murdered one king after another, in rapid succession.<\/p>\n

Verse 7 indicates <\/strong>that premeditated murder had become a pattern of their behavior so that judges and kings were destroyed like grass in an hot oven, 2I Kings ch. 15. The phrase “all their kings are fallen” seems to allude to the murder of Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah, at a time of civil war and turmoil among themselves. In fact six kings fell in succession among them, yet none sought help from God, Isa 64:7<\/span>. They all pursued their idolatrous ways, 2Ki 15:10<\/span>; 2Ki 15:14<\/span>; 2Ki 15:25<\/span>, about 722 B.C.<\/p>\n

Verse 8 charges that Ephraim had mixed himself among the people, the heathen, by idolatrous league or contract to engage in whoring idolatry. Because of this unholy league with heathen gods and idols Ephraim is compared with a “cake unturned,” burnt on one side, with dough on the other, only fit to be thrown to the dogs, inedible. The Easterns cooked their bread on the ground, covering it with coals, turning it every ten minutes, to bake it without burning, 1Ki 19:6<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 9 stresses <\/strong>that strangers, heathens, the Syrians from the East, had devoured (taken away) Ephraim’s strength, and Ephraim was ignorant of what had happened, as her kings had compromised, sold out to Assyria and Egypt for personal greed and gain, 2Ki 13:7<\/span>; 2Ki 15:19-20<\/span>; 2Ki 17:3-6<\/span>. Ephraim with gray hairs, (symbol of maturity, knowledge and wisdom) still held or exercised no wisdom in her behavior before God and the world, as she made covenants with heathens, embraced their gods, and gave her children in marriage to them against the Divine commands to Israel, <\/strong>Exo 20:1-5<\/span>; Levitus ch.18; Deu 7:3<\/span>; Jos 23:12<\/span>; 1Ki 11:1-13<\/span>; Ezr 9:10<\/span>; Neh 13:23<\/span>. The gray hair in this instance symbolized senility, rather than wisdom. She was ripe for destruction. Wisdom is not -always found with old age, Job 32:7<\/span>; Pro 23:33-35<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 10 reasserts <\/strong>the idea of Hos 5:5<\/span>, that the pride and obstinacy of Israel continued in her, in spite of the calamities that had and were befalling her, Isa 9:13-14<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 11 tells <\/strong>of Ephraim’s behavior, like a “silly dove without heart,” without heart or understanding, easily taken with a net and a little feed, Mat 10:16<\/span>; Eze 12:13<\/span>; Hos 11:11<\/span>. She had sought help from the heathen, in both Egypt and Assyria, only to be betrayed or entrapped by both. God had warned her to seek or enter no alliance with either, Exo 23:31-32<\/span>; Deu 7:11<\/span>; Deu 7:2<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 12 warns <\/strong>Ephraim and Israel that God will snare them like a dove when they go into Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, to enter into covenants and alliances in a breach of His law; They shall be frustrated, brought low, caused to shudder, to tremble when God spreads the net of His judgment over them, like the netting of a dove, a warning that had been given to the congregation of Israel many times, Eze 12:13<\/span>. These threatenings of the law had often been read to them in their assemblies, yet they did not heed, Lev 26:14-33<\/span>; Deuteronomy 28; Deuteronomy 15; 2Ki 17:13-18<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 13 pronounces <\/strong>woe upon the people of Ephraim and the northern kingdom of Israel, because of the base or low ingratitude shown to God, in spite of His redeeming them from Egypt, and from enemy nations repeatedly since. They had fled or flown away from God, like birds from their nests, though He would have healed them, Pro 27:8<\/span>; Isa 16:2<\/span>; Mic 6:4<\/span>. Though they “spoke lies” against Him, He still loved them. Psa 78:36<\/span>: Jer 3:10<\/span>. Pretending to be worshippers of God, they lied about it, worshipped idols, Exo 20:1-5<\/span>; Psa 115:5-9<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verse 14 describes <\/strong>their howling in woe upon their beds, but not in repentance to God, not from their hearts. They only felt selfishly sorry for themselves, because of due trouble that God had sent upon them. In anguish, deep affliction, and despair they cried, but not to God, as they had been directed to do, 2Ch 7:14<\/span>. They rebeled against and withdrew from God, continuing to worship before their adopted heathen idols, casting off every semblance of allegiance to God. In vain they prayed for corn and wine before idols, Job 35:9-10<\/span>; Psa 78:36-37<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Verses 15, 16, describe <\/strong>their grave ingratitude and the chastisement yet to come to them because of it. To “bind and strengthen” Israel’s arms in righteous warfare had once been God’s delight, before she apostatized, Psa 18:34-35<\/span>; Psa 144:1<\/span>. He had also given them victory over their enemies, when they had walked in His ways, 2Ki 14:25-27<\/span>.<\/p>\n

They are described in v. 16 as returning from beds of howling at home, but not to God, the most High, but to the false gods, the idols; In this they are like a bow with a crooked arrow, that misses the mark, Psa 78:57<\/span>. This they did in worshipping lifeless idols described as being <\/strong>deaf, dumb, blind, and without life or feeling, concluding that those who made them were like or similar to them, so was each who trusted in or prayed to them, Psa 115:1-9<\/span>. It is still that way today.<\/p>\n

Ephraim was to return to Egypt, who was to gather them up, take them in, and bury them, as a result of their blasphemy against God, Hos 9:3<\/span>; Hos 9:6<\/span>; 2Ki 19:4<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

God, that he might show how corrupt was the state of all the people of Israel, compares himself here to a physician, who, while he wishes to try remedies, acknowledges that there are hid more grievous diseases; which is often the case. When a sick person sends for a physician, his disease will be soon discovered; but it may be that he has for many years labored under other hidden complaints, which do not immediately come to the knowledge of the physician. He may indeed think that the symptoms of the disease are those which proceed from a source more hidden; but on the third or fourth days after having tried some remedies he then knows that there is some hidden malady. God then says, that by applying remedies he had found out how corrupt Israel was, While I was healing my people, he says, then I knew what was the iniquity of Samaria and of all Ephraim. <\/p>\n

By Samaria he means the principal part of the kingdom; for that city, as it is well known, was the capital and the chief seat of government. The Prophet therefore says, that the iniquities of Samaria were then discovered to be, not common, but inveterate diseases. This is the meaning. We now see what God had in view; for the people might deceive themselves, as it often happens, and say, “We are not indeed wholly free from every vice; but God ought not however to punish us so severely, for what nation is there under the sun which does not labour under the common diseases?” But the Prophet here answers, that the people of Israel were so corrupt, that light remedies would not do for them. God then here undertakes the office of a physician, and says, “I have hitherto wished to heal Israel, and this was my design, when I hewed them by my Prophets, and employed my word as a sword; and afterwards when I added chastisements; but now I have found that their wickedness is greater than can be corrected by such remedies.” The iniquity of Ephraim then has been discovered, he says, and then I perceived the vices of Samaria <\/p>\n

Now this place teaches, that though the vices of men do not immediately appear, yet they who deceive themselves, and disguise themselves to others, gain nothing, nor are they made free before God, and their fault is not lessened, nor are they absolved from guilt; for at last their hidden vices will come to light: and this especially happens, when the Lord performs the office of a physician towards them; for we see that men then cast out their bitterness, when the Lord seeks to heal their corruptions. Under the papacy, even those who are the worst conceal their own vices. How so? Because God does not try them; there is no teaching that cauterizes or that draws blood. As then the Papists rest quietly in their own dregs, their perverseness does not appear. But in other places, where God puts forth the power of his word, and where he speaks effectually by his servants, there men show what great impiety was before hid in them; for in full rage they rise up against God, and they cannot bear any admonition. As soon then as God begins to do the office of a physician, men then discover their diseases. And this is the reason why the world so much shun the light of heavenly doctrine; for he who does evil hates the light, (Joh 3:20<\/span>.) We may also observe the same as to chastisements. When God indulges the wicked, they then with the mouth at least bless him; but when he begins to punish their sins they clamour against him and are angry, and at length show how much fury was before hid in their hearts. We now see what the Prophet here lays to the charge of the people of Israel. It may also be observed at this day through the whole world, that the curing of diseases discovers evils which were before unknown. <\/p>\n

But we have said, and this ought to be borne in mind, that Ephraim is here expressly named by the Prophet, and also the city, Samaria, because he wished to intimate that their diseases were inveterate, existing not only in the extreme members, but deeply fixed in the head and bowels, and occupying the vital parts. It then follows, Because they have acted mendaciously, or, done falsely. The Prophet signifies by this expression, that there was nothing sound in the whole people, because they were addicted to their own depravities. By the word שקר, shikor, he means every kind of falseness, that is, that men were thoroughly imbued with depraved lusts, and that there was now remaining in them nothing sound or whole. This then is the main point, that the wickedness of the people was discovered, and that it could not be cured by moderate severity, because it had penetrated into the very bowels and spread over the whole body. <\/p>\n

What follows interpreters are wont to regard as the punishment which God had already inflicted. The Prophet says The thief has entered in, and the robber has plundered without. They therefore think that this is to be referred to the manner in which God had already begun by punishment to recall the people to a sound mind; as though he said, “You have been pillaged by thieves as well as harassed by robbers.” But I rather think that the Prophet here pursues the same subject, and shows that the people were inwardly and outwardly so infected with vices, that there was now no whole part; and that by mentioning a part for the whole, he here designates every kind of evil, for he specifies two kinds which may stand for all things in general. He therefore says, The thief has entered in, that is, stealthily, and does mischief insidiously, or even openly like robbers, who use open violence; which means, that impiety so prevailed, either by frauds or by open war, that they were in every way corrupt. But when he says, that the thief had entered in, he means, that many of the people were like foxes, who craftily do mischief; and when he says, that the robber had plundered abroad, he means that others, like lions, seized openly and without shame on what belonged to others, and thus by open force stripped and plundered the miserable and the poor. <\/p>\n

We now apprehend the meaning of the Prophet. Having said that the Israelites and the citizens of Samaria had conducted themselves so deceitfully, he now, by specifying two things, shows how they had departed from all uprightness, and prostituted themselves to every kind of wickedness; because where violence reigned, there also frauds and all kinds of evil reigned. The thief then had entered in, and the robber plundered abroad; that is, they secretly circumvented their neighbors, and also went forth like robbers openly and without any shame. It then follows — <\/p>\n

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

HOSEAOR GODS AFFECTION FOR <\/span>AN UNFAITHFUL PEOPLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 1:1<\/strong><\/span> to Hos 14:9<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

IT is our purpose in this series of articles on the Minor Prophets to throw such light upon these twelve Books as to make them meaningful and profitable to our readers. I suppose it may be safely said that the average Christian leaves these Books unstudied, and some of them unreada circumstance due to certain natural difficulties in their interpretation; but in greater measure still, to the poor work of present-day preaching. The custom of taking a text has wrought havoc in Bible study. Our fathers in the ministry were Bible expositors; their successors are textual preachers. The result is described in one of the minor Prophets:<\/p>\n

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of the Lord:<\/em><\/p>\n

And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it (Amo 8:11-12<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

There are some simple and yet fundamental facts regarding the prophecy of Hosea that are essential to its proper understanding. It was doubtless written by the man whose name it wears. It refers, unquestionably, to the time of Jeroboam the Second, when Elisha, the Prophet of God, was living, and Isaiah, that great Evangel of the Old Testament, was a babe; and when those kings of Judah Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiahwere successively occupying the throne. The date is supposed to be 790 to 725 B. C.<\/p>\n

Hosea was the great Evangel of his time. While he was an Elijah the Tishbite, in his stern denunciation of sin, he was a John the Apostle in his sense of Divine love and his eloquent call to repentance.<\/p>\n

Some of the Books of the Bible break easily into divisions, and some of the students of Hosea have seen fit to divide it into two such. But our research does not justify the method. To us it is one grand whole, with not a break in thought from first to last. It is a recital of Israels history in her unfaithfulness, and an illustration of Gods goodness to His own people.<\/p>\n

For our convenience, however, we divide it into four sections.<\/p>\n

<\/span>THE SYMBOLISM OF GOMERS SIN<\/strong><\/p>\n

And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim (Hos 8:2-3<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

These opening sentences of Hosea have given no small trouble to students. Some have received it historically; while others have insisted that God could not send the Prophet on any such mission, without Himself being a party to sin; and so have attempted to interpret it as a dream or vision. Following the custom which we have found alone to be safe, we believe with those who accept the Book at what it says. And yet we have not found the question involved so difficult of solution as some. When it is remembered that the whole people of Israel had already turned to idolatry, we can understand that any daughter selected from them could be spoken of in this language, since the charge of whoredom, with the false gods of the land, lay against every son and daughter of Israel. And even when the narrative seems to specifically charge this woman with this sin, it does not necessitate Gods participation in evil because He sends Hosea to wed her. You will see, ere the history ends, she is won to a righteous life again. So the Prophet is to her what he has become to all IsraelGods agent of salvation. But her sin is symbolical.<\/p>\n

It was a sin against law and love.<\/strong> The seventh commandment antedated Hosea and stood as a protest against the violation of that relation which husband and wife sustain to one another, as the whole decalogue stands as Gods protest against the violation of the relation which He and His people sustain to each other. When, therefore, Gomer forgets the law and despises the love of Hosea, she fitly represents the conduct of the whole kingdom in forgetting Gods Law and despising the Divine love. The man who, today, living under the reign of grace, disregards the moral Law and tramples it beneath his feet with impunity, is guilty of a crime of the first magnitude. But the man who adds to that an equal disregard of the Divine love takes the last step needful in the contemplation of his folly and the sealing of his fate.<\/p>\n

Paul wrote to the Hebrews:<\/p>\n

If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,<\/em><\/p>\n

But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.<\/p>\n

He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses;<\/p>\n

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the covenant, wherewith he wets sanctified, an holy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?<\/p>\n

For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I wilt recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people (Heb 10:26-30<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

This sin was again symbolical in that it was against good society.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The moment the foundations of domestic life are undermined the whole fabric of society is endangered. When lust assaults the home it strikes the essential pillar of the State. And when it overrides the law and love of domestic relation, it leaves desolation in its track and brings in a dark day for the people. When such a sin as this can be found in the first houses the very nation has fallen. Dr. Talmage said truly enough that where there is no pure home there are the Vandals and the Goths of Europe; the Numidians of Africa, and the Nomads of Asia. No home, no school; no household, no republic; no family, no church.<\/p>\n

But Gomers sin became more significant still, God made it to be a sorrowful instruction!<\/strong> Strange as it seems, it is yet probably according to the natural law in the spiritual world that Gods spokesmen must be sufferers. It was only after the iron had entered Moses soul as he watched the oppression of his own people from his position in the palace, and by his enforced exile spent forty years on the back side of the desert that he was eloquent as Israels leader. Joshua was fitted by forty years of wilderness wandering for his great work of commanding Israel and conquering Canaan.<\/p>\n

But no man could read this Book of Hosea without feeling that its authorour Prophethad suffered probably as much as either of these great predecessors. Joseph Parker says, Hoseas sorrow was of the deepest kind. The daughter of Diblaim was the daughter of the devil. He had no peace, no rest, no singing joy within the four corners of his own house. He lived in clouds; his life was a continual passage through a sea deeper than the Red Sea. If we may vary the figure, his wandering was in the wilderness, unblessed; cursed by the very spirit of desolation.<\/p>\n

And yet we do believe that strong natures have the very power to transmute their sorrows into eloquent appeals for righteousness; that the very intensity of their suffering adds solidity to their thought and eloquence to its utterance. We seriously doubt if Hoseas wife had not been a scarlet woman, as she was, whether he could ever have properly sympathized with God, the Father, in that Israel turned from Him to moral infidelity, by worshiping at false shrines and living wicked, sensual lives.<\/p>\n

John Bright, that marvelous leader of thought in England, started on his career of splendid service in consequence of an unspeakable sorrow. His young wife, to whom he was devoted, lay dead when Richard Cobden called on him. Having expressed, as best he could, sympathy and condolence, Cobden looked up and said, Bright, there are thousands and thousands of homes in England, at this moment, where wives and mothers and children are dying of hunger. Now when the first paroxysm of your grief has passed, I would advise you to come with me and we will never rest until the corn-laws are repealed.<\/p>\n

Cobden showed himself a philosopher that day. He knew full well that one way to recover from a personal pain was to take into ones heart as an antidote, the pain of the people.<\/p>\n

You will remember what had more to do, perhaps, with the declaration of war with Spain than any other single thing, the destruction of the Maine excepted. It was Senator Thurstons speech. And how did it happen that this Nebraskan, who had never before been eloquent, spoke before the Senate of the United States with such an appeal as to move even opponents to agree with him? That speech opened in these words,<\/p>\n

Mr. President: I am here by command of silent lips to speak once and for all upon the Cuban situation, and trust that no one has expected anything sensational from me. God forbid that the bitterness of a personal loss should induce me to color, in the slightest degree, the statements that I feel it my duty to make. I shall endeavor to be honest, conservative and just. Then he proceeded with such an oration as American law-makers of any decade seldom, if ever, heard. Concluding with these words, Mr. President, in the cable that moored me to life and hope the strongest strands are broken. I have but little left to offer at the altar of freedoms shrine. But all I have I am glad to give. I am ready to serve my country as best I can in the Senate or in the field. My dearest hope, my most earnest prayer to God is this, that when death comes to end all I may meet it calmly and fearlessly, as did my Beloved, in the cause of humanity, and under the American flag.<\/p>\n

There is but one explanation of such an address as that. The eloquence of it was born of the sorrow of burying a beloved wife in Cuban soil, and feeling in his heart that the pain of the oppressed people of that land had been already the occasion of her death; and to relieve it, was worthy the laying down of his life.<\/p>\n

The Psalmist said, I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred<\/em>. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was sorrow. It was that suffering that only a righteous man can feel when sinned against by her whom he loves most, that made Hosea understand the Divine Ones suffering in Israels sin, and adequate to its expression.<\/p>\n

PHASES OF ISRAELS INFIDELITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>It found first expression in unwarranted forms. There seems to be a general agreement between students of Hosea that the groves and altars, when first chosen and erected, were unto the Lord. But it does not take long for them to go from unwarranted forms to open infidelity. God did not command any of these at their hands. Her feast days, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts,<\/em> became occasions of Baal-worship. Instead of saying any longer, Ishimy husband, they turned to say, Baalimy lord. It is the history of unwarranted forms in all ages.<\/p>\n

When Christ came into the world He found the Church of the Old Testament cold in death, slain by the hands of ceremonialists,the Scribes and Pharisees of His time,who, with their hollow ritualism and hypocrisies, had driven many men to the infidelity of Sadduceeism; so that they said, There is neither angel nor spirit. <\/strong>Truly, as Frederick Robertson said,<\/p>\n

No self-righteous formalism will ever satisfy the Conscience of man; neither will infidelity give rise to a devoted spirit. Formalism in religion and infidelity in conduct often go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

Charles Dudley Warner tells us that after having traveled around the world he came back to Brindisi, Italy, a so-called Christian country, and entered a so-called Christian Church to see a figure of Christ, the Crucified One, set off in a dark corner with dust gathered on it, while a representation of Mary, the mother, clad with the latest mode of French millinery, flamed before an altar, and their knees bowed there.<\/p>\n

It was little better than the Baal-worship of Hoseas time. And if Jesus should come to that church He would have occasion to utter the words which He once addressed to Scribes and Pharisees.<\/p>\n

Thus have ye made the Commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,<\/p>\n

This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.<\/p>\n

But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.<\/p>\n

This degenerate worship was popularized by priest and prince.<\/strong> By reading fourteen verses of the fifth chapter you will see they were its chief patrons. The Prophet of God addressed them Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye House of Israel.<\/em> Then, after describing their participation in these false and foul ceremonies, he voices God as saying: I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the House of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away: I will take away; and none shall rescue him.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is a sad day for the Church when the prince, or the man in the place of power, is putrid. It is a darker day when the priest, or the leader in the Church of God, is correspondingly corrupt. When the time came that Tetzel could sell indulgences, with the consent of the priesthood of Rome, the very moral rottenness existing in the Name of Jesus, compelled the Reformation, and gave rise to Luthers opinions, and victory to his appeal. And when, at the present time, a Pastor, either by evil practices, leads his people into iniquity, or by his silence concerning the commercial and other sins of those who contribute to his salary, connives at iniquity, the condition becomes akin to that which Hosea was raised up to rebuke nearly three thousand years ago. And the result for the present day will be the very same as that which came to the Israel of Hoseas time.<\/p>\n

<\/span>It produced the grossest idolatry and immorality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is not time to read to you these chapters,4 to 13,but if there were, the reading would only profit you by giving you pain as you looked upon Israels open sore.<\/p>\n

It was this principle that Hosea saw and clearly stated so many, many centuries ago,namely, when men become lawless, and are libertines, they cannot hope to keep women upon a plane of chastity and holiness. God distinctly declares that He would not punish their daughters for their sins, in view of the conditions of society, for which priest, prince and peasant were responsible.<\/p>\n

George Adam Smith reminds us that history in many periods has confirmed the justice of Hoseas observations, and by one strong voice after another, enforced his terrible warnings. The experience of ancient Persia and Egypt, the languor of the Greek cities, the deep weariness and sated lust which in Imperial Rome made human life a hell. It is only another illustration of the Apostle James words,When lust hath conceived, it bring eth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death <\/span>(Joe 1:15<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em><\/p>\n

THE FOLLY WHICH INFIDELITY EFFECTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

There can be traced in this volume a striking parallelism between the conduct of the individual and of the nation. Gomers treatment of Hosea was Israels treatment of God.<\/p>\n

There is a supreme insensibility to undeserved favor. <\/strong>The Prophet says, She did not know that I gave her corn,<\/em> etc.<\/p>\n

Insensibility to Divine favor has often marked the conduct of man. We easily forget that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights<\/em>. We quickly attribute our blessings to our own ingenuity, to the bounty of nature, or to luck, and just as easily forget Godthe Giver of all. Strange isnt it that the one creature made in His image, endowed with the highest faculties, blessed of Him thousands of times beyond all other works of His hands, should be insensible to what he had received, and to what he is receiving, and know not God gave corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied<\/em> * * silver and gold.<\/em><\/p>\n

If this spirit were all in the world it were not so bad; but Gomer is the Prophets wife, and Israel is espoused of God; and this insensibility to Divine favor has smitten the Church, and her children forget Me, saith the Lord.<\/strong> Sam Jones had a man come to him who said, Jones, the church is putting my assessment too high. How much do you pay? asked Jones. Five dollars a year, was the reply. Well, said Jones, how long have you been converted? About four years. What did you do before you were converted? I was a drunkard. How much were you worth? I rented land, and was plowing with a steer. What have you got now? I have a good plantation and a pair of horses. Well, said Jones, you paid the devil two hundred and fifty dollars a year for the privilege of plowing a steer on rented land, and now you dont want to give the God who saved you five dollars a year for the privilege of plowing your own horses on your own plantation. Insensibility to Divine favor! Moses had occasion for that passage in his song, They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy Father that hath bought thee? hath He not made thee, and established thee? (Deu 32:5-6<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em><\/p>\n

They were slow to realize the Divine intent of judgment. <\/strong>After announcing His purpose in judgment, I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the House of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him (Hos 5:14<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em> The Lord reveals His reasons by adding, I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early (Hos 5:15<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em> Deliverance is always the Divine purpose in Gods judgments against His people. The Psalmist said, Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word.<\/em> And it was only after the Lord had visited them with judgment that Israel could say, Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up (Hos 6:1<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em><\/p>\n

But, like sinners of all ages, Ephraim must be smitten, her root dried up, so that they shall bear no fruit, and they realize themselves utterly cast away because they did not hearken unto the Lord. It is only after Israel hath destroyed herself that she realizes the source of life in God.<\/p>\n

How strikingly this experience parallels that of weak men in all ages! Only when the prodigal, clothed in rags, starved to the point of sustenance on the honeysuckle, and sitting with the swine, does he come to himself. As a rule, the man that follows the lusts of the flesh, and goes the way of the libertine, or the drunkard, never sees the meaning of the Divine judgment until his sins have slain his manhood, wrecked his business, scattered his family, consumed his flesh, and left him as perfectly stranded as was ever a vessel when driven high upon the ragged rocks. It is amazing to study the folly of men who have departed from the Lord! Almost universally they are conceited up to the very day when they are undone. They think that they are going to recover themselves. Like Ephraim, strangers have devoured their strength, and they know it not: gray hairs are here and there upon them, and yet they know it not. They feed on the wind and follow after the east wind, and daily increase in desolation. They make a covenant with the Assyrians and boast their righteousness as Ephraim did, saying, In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.<\/em><\/p>\n

God can do nothing else with such men than to bring them low; nothing else than to whelm them with sorrow; nothing else than to strike them to the very earth with judgment; for they must be made to see that their condition is not due to circumstances, but to an evil spirit.<\/p>\n

Dr. Chapman tells the story of a woman who was seated in Central Park, New York, with her little child playing about her. Suddenly the child was startled by the barking of a dog. In her frightened state she ran into her mothers arms. When the dog ceased his barking she said, Why are you frightened, dear; he is quiet? Oh, yes, I know, mamma; but the bark is still in him.<\/p>\n

One thing always being said by unregenerate men is, If I could only remove to a new location; settle myself with new associates, and in new business employment, I would be all right. All right! And yet evil still in you! Better turn over to Gal 5:19-21<\/span>, and read, Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like<\/em> What one needs is not a change of location, but a change of nature, so that the incoming of the Holy Spirit shall give you the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Such folly is followed only by shame and degradation.<\/strong> The tenth chapter of Hosea illustrates the consequences of Israels conduct.<\/p>\n

Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.<\/em><\/p>\n

Their heart is divided: now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.<\/p>\n

For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us?<\/p>\n

They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.<\/p>\n

The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shalt mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.<\/p>\n

It shall be also carried into Assyria for a present to King Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.<\/p>\n

As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.<\/p>\n

The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.<\/p>\n

O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.<\/p>\n

It is in My desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.<\/p>\n

And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.<\/p>\n

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.<\/p>\n

Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.<\/p>\n

Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shahnan spoiled Betharbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.<\/p>\n

So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness; in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.<\/p>\n

<\/span>In conclusion we pass to<\/p>\n

GODS AFFECTION FOR AN UNFAITHFUL PEOPLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

That affection was expressed in undeserved words and acts. God bares His heart here as He has often done before, crying,<\/p>\n

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away (Hos 6:4<\/em><\/span><\/em>),<\/em><\/p>\n

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt,<\/p>\n

I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.<\/p>\n

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them (Hos 11:1<\/em><\/span>; Hos 11:3-4<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em><\/p>\n

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within Me, My repentings are kindled together.<\/p>\n

I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city (Hos 11:8-9<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

Beloved, one lesson that it seems difficult to learn is thisto remember the goodness of God. One should adopt the custom of thinking upon Divine favor. It is only as we forget the source of our blessings, of every good and perfect gift that we grow indifferent to the grace of our God.<\/p>\n

Dr. Torrey says, I was talking one night to one who was apparently most indifferent and hardened. She told me the story of her sin, with seemingly very little sense of shame, and when I urged her to accept Christ, she simply refused. I put a Bible in her hands and asked her to read this verse. She began to read, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,<\/em> and before she had finished reading the verse she had broken into tears, softened by the thought of Gods wondrous love to her.<\/p>\n

It is a strange thing that more people dont answer temptation as did Joseph,How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?<\/em><\/p>\n

When God executes judgment it is commonly for the purpose of correction.<\/strong> Take the reference in this volume,<\/p>\n

Therefore will I return, and take away My com in the time thereof, and My wine in the season thereof, and will recover My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness,<\/em><\/p>\n

And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of Mine hand,<\/p>\n

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts, And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them,<\/p>\n

And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and for gat Me, saith the Lord (Hos 2:9-13<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the purpose? He immediately proceeds to tell us, Therefore(God never employs that word without occasionit is the great conjunction with Him.)<\/p>\n

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her,<\/em><\/p>\n

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt (Hos 2:14-15<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

Beloved, there is a beneficent purpose when the fiery trial is on. The very whips with which He makes Israels back to bleed are not the expressions of His wrath; but, rather, of His love.<\/p>\n

Henry Ward Beecher declares that his father used to make him believe that the end of the rod that he held in his hand was a great deal more painful than the end which he applied to Henry. And the great preacher says, It was a strange mystery to me; but I did believe it, and it seemed a great deal worse to me to be whipped on that account.<\/p>\n

It ought to be so with the children of God. I once had in my church a woman who punished her children by vicarious suffering. When they misbehaved at the table she denied herself a meal, and she told me that it broke their hearts.<\/p>\n

Would to God that we were as sensitive to the suffering which our sin imposes upon the Heavenly Father, and as sensible concerning the purpose which He has in visiting correction against our sins.<\/p>\n

But, after all, God gave best evidence of His affection by,<\/p>\n

Keeping for His people an open heart.<\/strong> I like to dwell on the last chapter of this Book,<\/p>\n

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; * *<\/em><\/p>\n

Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously (Hos 14:1-2<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n

And I like to listen to Gods answer to this cry which He Himself seeks to put into their lips,<\/p>\n

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him.<\/em><\/p>\n

I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.<\/p>\n

His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? (Hos 14:4-6<\/em><\/span>; Hos 14:8<\/em><\/span><\/em>).<\/em><\/p>\n

It is a beautiful picture! It ought to encourage the children whose hearts have departed from the plain paths of privilege in Christ; it ought to incite hope in the heart of the individual who has played the prodigal and paid the penalty.<\/p>\n

I like to reflect upon the words of that sweet-spirited man, F. B. Meyer, as he speaks of Gods attitude toward those who turn again to Him, saying,<\/p>\n

Be sure that God will give you a hearty welcome. He has not given you up or ceased to love you. He longs for you. Read the last chapter of the Book of Hosea, which may be well called the backsliders gospel. Read the third chapter of Jeremiah, and let the plaintive pleadings to return soak into your spirit. Read the story of Peters fall and restoration, and let your tears fall thick and fast on John 21<\/span>: as you learn how delicately the Lord forgave, and how generously He entrusted the backslider with His sheep and with His lambs. Be sure that though your repeated failures and sins have worn out every one else, they have not exhausted the infinite love of God. He tells us to forgive our offending brother unto four hundred and ninety times; how much oftener will He not forgive us? According to the height of heaven above the earth, so great is His mercy.<\/p>\n

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

CRITICAL NOTES<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:1<\/span><\/strong>.]<\/strong> Exposure of wickedness continued. Healed<\/strong>] politically and morally. The danger of a wound only discovered when probed and healing attempted. Spoileth<\/strong>] Heb. strippeth off a garment: plunder extensive and without resistance. Falsehood<\/strong>] Deception toward God and man. Falsehood was the whole habit and tissue of their lives [Pusey<\/em>]. <\/p>\n

Hos. 7:2<\/span><\/strong>. Consider<\/strong>] Lit. say not to themselves in serious reflection. Rem<\/strong>.] Notice and punish (Deu. 32:34<\/span>; Psa. 90:8<\/span>). Beset<\/strong>] as fetters and witnesses against them (Psa. 9:16<\/span>; Pro. 5:22<\/span>). <\/p>\n

Hos. 7:3<\/span><\/strong>. Lies<\/strong>] People conformed to wicked laws and seductive rites of kings and princes; flattered and pleased them with applause and immoralities (Act. 12:13<\/span>). <\/p>\n

HOMILETICS<\/em><\/p>\n

A SAD DISCOVERY.Hos. 7:1<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The exposure of moral depravity is continued. The efforts of God to heal are frustrated by the disease. Greater iniquity is discovered. The grace of God is turned into lasciviousness.<\/p>\n

I. A disease malignant in its working<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

1. It was secretly hidden<\/em>. It broke out in one place when the physician was curing another. When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered. Sin is never hid from God. It lies concealed in the heart of man, and only waits for a chance to break out in acts. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. <\/p>\n

2. It was openly violent<\/em>. The thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. They were infested with thieves within and spoiled by foreign invaders from without. Wounded afresh day by day. No place was secure and free from sin. Secret sins indulged in become stronger and more violent in their manifestations. Spots break out in the character and errors in the life, like some malignant humour in the body. The body is robbed of its beauty, the mind of its vigour, and the life spoiled in its influence and end. <\/p>\n

II. A disease complicated in its symptoms<\/strong>. Within and without, politically and religiously, the disease was spreading. <\/p>\n

1. There was falsehood toward God<\/em>. For they commit falsehood. Falsehood in their worship and profession, in their principles and practices. They said they were willing to be healed and to be ruled by God: nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. <\/p>\n

2. There was treachery toward man<\/em>. Take away the fear of God and there will be no regard to man. He cannot be faithful to me who is unfaithful to God, said the father of Constantine the Great. Religion is the basis and cement of society. If we throw off fidelity to truth and God, what is there to bridle passion and check corruption? Treachery destroys all principles of confidence and security by which society is bound together. The Romans even disdained to practise it towards their enemies. How disgraceful for a Christian people to be guilty of it. Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother? <\/p>\n

III. A disease incurable in its nature<\/strong>. When I would have healedby the teachings of the prophets and the chastisements of Providencethey would not hearken nor be amended. The disease defied all remedy, was more irritated by it and laid open in its extent and malignity. Many distempered churches and afflicted nations neglect the hopeful crisis, then go from bad to worse, and never get cured. Their wickedness is incorrigible and their disease incurable. When once inwardly rotten and corrupt, the foulness will break out and be externally visible. No earthly physician can sew up or heal the wound. Death<\/em> in the body can never be cured. There is no death so sad and momentous in its results as the death of things which die within. The greatest epoch in a mans life is by no means the day of his physical death, but the day in which he died to something more important to him than the whole world. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed; forsake her.<\/p>\n

DIVINE REMEMBRANCE OF SIN.Hos. 7:2-3<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

God saw the wickedness of Israel. All things are naked and opened before him. The manifold and intricate ways of sin, with their surroundings and consequences, are known to him. They are before my face.<\/p>\n

I. God remembers the sins of men<\/strong>. I remembered all their wickedness. These words are full of awful truth, confirmed by Scripture and every-day experience. God is omnipresent;<\/em> beholds us everywhere; and we can never sin with security. If I wished to escape inspection, whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? God is omniscient<\/em>, having infinite and intimate knowledge of the affairs of men. He needs no light to discern sin, but the light of his countenance. Our open transgressions and secret sins are before his face. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. But this knowledge is remembrance<\/em>. Not that God ever forgets. Though punishment does not always immediately follow transgression, yet the sin itself is not forgotten or buried in oblivion. God sees and knows it. Men may wink at sin and forget it, but God never does. Gods remembrance is<\/p>\n

1. Minute<\/em>,even the most secret things are known to him. <\/p>\n

2. Constant<\/em>,remember continually. <\/p>\n

3. Individual<\/em>,their<\/em> wickedness. <\/p>\n

4. Universal<\/em>,all<\/em> their wickedness. <\/p>\n

III. Men think that God is indifferent to their sins<\/strong>. They consider not in their hearts. They forget God, and think that God forgets them. They say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. <\/p>\n

1. Men forget God in their thoughts<\/em>. They consider not. If they acknowledge him in words, they do not wish to have him near to them. They do not speak to their own hearts, nor listen to the voice of conscience within. The young and old, the rich and poor, the gay and busy, shun acquaintance with himput him in the background of life, and curtain him out of sight lest he should trouble them. They desire not the knowledge of his ways, wish to remain ignorant, and say, Depart from us. A French philosopher even declared, that the first duty of an intelligent and free man is to chase incessantly from the mind and conscience the idea of God. Practical atheism abounds now in the world. Men abandon faith in the unseen and spiritual, and virtually say, No God<\/em>. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God, God is not in all his thoughts. <\/p>\n

2. Men disregard God in their ways<\/em>. If God is not in our thoughts he will not be in our ways. Conduct results from thoughts, as fruit from a tree. Thought may not always be embodied in deed; may inadequately be represented by a mans life; but the connection of one with the other is like cause and effect. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. There are many devices in a mans heart which lead him to act independently and forgetfully of God. Scientific men talk of generative powers, vital energies, and eternal laws. We have the designs of Balak and Balaam, of Haman and Herod. Men take no account of God in their daily duties and avocations, their plans and pursuits. Self is their oracle. and self their counsellor, for they have perverted their way and forgotten the Lord their God. <\/p>\n

III. When men disregard God in their ways, they become more wicked in their lives<\/strong>. Due regard to God is essential to the order and harmony of society. What a desolation would happen to a world without the knowledge of God! The French Revolution is a lesson to all nations in this respect. The results of idolatry have been sad in the extreme. Even among the chosen people, amid light and privileges, when God was forsaken, every barrier was removed. Falsehood and injustice, cruelty and sensuality, increased more and more. They gave full play to passions and lusts; perpetrated sins without fear or shame; and indulged in unbridled folly. Two things are specially pointed out. <\/p>\n

1. The highest ranks were corrupted<\/em>. They made the king<\/em> glad with their wickedness. Those who should have been models of truth and virtue, encouraged the people to sin by their example and influence. Their unjust laws and customs were eagerly obeyed; they were pleased with the flattery, made glad with the homage of the people. In pomp and unbounded arrogance they proceeded further in sins, like Herod; and not only did the same, but had pleasure in them that did them. <\/p>\n

2. The lowest ranks were servile<\/em>. And the princes with their lies. An unhappy complaisance was the ruling character of Israel. Their consciences were versatile and accommodating to the circumstances of the day. They approved and followed whatever was commanded by those in power; acquiesced in legalized idolatry, and preferred their kings to their God. They pleased the king, but they were not sincere. They flattered the prince, but they lied in their hearts. They conformed to the customs, but cursed the persons of their rulers. Even now, men bow in homage to those who crush them to poverty; lose their manhood by worshipping the rich and the mighty. It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. Wicked sovereigns and wicked people are a curse to each other. When kings and princes are corrupted the people will be corrupted. Ahab preferred falsehood to truth, and was surrounded by lying prophets. Lies will be told to those that are ready to hearken to them. The sinful ruler is a tool for all kinds of wickedness. He drives the godly from his presence, and ever finds those that minister to his folly. If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked (Pro. 29:12<\/span>).<\/p>\n

ENCIRCLED IN SIN.Hos. 7:2<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

If the sinner pays no regard to reason and the All-seeing eye of God, he cannot hide his sins. They will chain and imprison him, go with him and encircle him at all times. His sins become a constant torment and a deadly punishment. Now their own doings have beset them about. The sinner is beset<\/p>\n

I. By the sting of conscience<\/strong>. He seeks to hide his sins, but conscience detects them, brings them to remembrance, and accuses him of guilt. The consciousness of sin haunts him continually, and his sin is ever before him. <\/p>\n

II. By the force of habit<\/strong>. Sin by repetition grows into habit. Habit becomes a ruling power, and cannot be given up easily. A rooted habit, says Tillotson, becomes a governing principle. Every lust we entertain deals with us as Delilah did with Samson; not only robs us of our strength, but leaves us fast bound. <\/p>\n

III. By the influence of example<\/strong>. The doings of men live before them in their effects upon others. They cannot die, but they encircle them in the bands of associates and companions. Example is repeated and imitated by others; goes forth with self-propagating power, and may descend from one generation to another. The evil that men do lives after them. <\/p>\n

IV. By the consequences of natural law<\/strong>. Punishment follows sin by a natural law, the law of causation. Even now men are encircled by their own doings, in loss of health and position; in decay of intellect and disorders of mind; in the torments of conscience and the tyranny of habit; in misery, despair, and death. In the future, punishment awaits the sinner. Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my treasures? Unless repented of, and washed in the blood of Christ, sins are destined to be cited against the sinner. In time and eternity his own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.<\/p>\n

ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 7<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:1<\/span>. If we had eyes like those of God, we should think very differently of ourselves. The transgressions which we see and confess are but like the farmers small sample which he brings to market, when he has left his granary full at home. We have but a few sins which we can observe and detect, compared with those which are hidden from ourselves and unseen by our fellow-creatures [Spurgeon<\/em>].<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:2<\/span>. Habits<\/em>. As impossible as it is for a blackamoor to cast away his skin and to become white, and for a leopard to put away his spots; so impossible is it for them that ensnare themselves, and accustom themselves with evil doing, to change their custom and do well [Cawdry<\/em>].<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

ISRAELS INGRATITUDELOVE OF SIN<\/p>\n

TEXT: Hos. 7:1-7<\/span><\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

When I would heal Israel, then is the iniquity of Ephraim uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood, and the thief entereth in, and the troop of robbers ravageth without.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness; now have their own doings beset them about; they are before my face.<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

They are all adulterers; they are as an oven heated by the baker; he ceaseth to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough, until it be leavened.<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

On the day of our king the princes made themselves sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with scoffers.<\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

For they have made ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait; their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.<\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

They are all hot as an oven and devour their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.<\/p>\n

QUERIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

a.<\/p>\n

Why would the king be glad about the peoples wickedness?<\/p>\n

b.<\/p>\n

Why the likening of the people to a bakers oven?<\/p>\n

c.<\/p>\n

How would the king stretch out his hand with scoffers?<\/p>\n

PARAPHRASE<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I attempted to heal the nation of Israel of her wound, the full extent of her cancerous sinfulness was exposed. Especially is the malignancy resident in Samaria, her capital city. The land is full of liars, thieves and bandits. And what is most disastrous of all, the people are wilfully ignorant of both their own wickedness and of My Perfect Omniscience and Justice, The people have so deceived themselves, they have so encircled themselves with iniquity, they have become slaves to their sins, Their sinful deeds betray them on every side and I am fully aware of it all. Their king takes pleasure in their wicked deeds and the princes of the court are pleased with the lies told by the people. The whole nation is a nation of adulterers. Their burning passion to do evil resembles a furnace which a baker heats in the evening, and leaves burning all night while the dough is leavening, and then causes to burn with a still brighter flame in the morning, when the dough is ready for baking. On special royal holidays the noblemen of the government make themselves sick by drunkenness. The king gathers about himself such drunken fools and scoffers as advisers and confidants. Evil is allowed to smolder and simmer in their hearts like an oven whose fire has been banked for the night. Then, suddenly, the smoldering coals of evil imaginations are fanned into a roaring fire and the evil deeds are committed. These roaring fires of evil thoughts and deeds so consume the people they are oblivious to the fact that every vestige of justice, right, goodness and law and order has fallen as kings and judges are overthrownthey do not see that anarchy is ruling. And in the midst of it all, not one of them has the faith to call on Me!<\/p>\n

SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n

The moral depravity of Israel which is leading her inevitably in a headlong plunge into anarchy is pictured by the prophet. The hearts of the people are so passionate for evil they are insensible to it all!<\/p>\n

COMMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos. 7:1<\/span> WHEN I WOULD HEAL ISRAEL . . . Like the surgeon who begins to dress a wound often exposes hidden contamination, so God as He began to heal Israel by sending the prophets to preach and by sending upon Israel certain providential, natural calamities, to call them to repentance, exposed the full content of the corruption of the nation. Especially was corruption rampant in Israels capital city, Samaria, We are reminded of Micahs searing accusations against the capital cities of both Israel and Judah. Crime and corruption most often germinates in the urban societies. And, just as in the days of the prophets, so now, very often people blind themselves to their own condition.<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:2<\/span> AND THEY CONSIDER NOT IN THEIR HEARTS . . . One cannot help but notice in this chapter how often the phrase knoweth it not recurs. Israel persistently ignored their own condition and persistently ignored God. It is dangerous for a nation to sin. But the most perilous condition possible is to sin and know it not. We shall have more to say about this condition in the next section. But here the prophet depicts the people as blissfully ignorant of God. They refuse to accept the fact that God is aware of their wickedness and that He will judge them for it. Their sin is apparent to everyone but themselves. They have became so captivated, enslaved in evil ways, it is their way of lifethey are beset about with it.<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:3<\/span> THEY MAKE THE KING GLAD WITH THEIR WICKEDNESS . . . Pusey writes, Wicked sovereigns and a wicked people are a curse to each other, each encouraging the other in sin. There are at least two reasons rulers are made happy by the sins of the people: (a) In most cases the rulers profit in a monetary way through the indulgence and excesses of the populace. For this reason evil rulers do all within their power to legalize crime and evil; (b) and furthermore good and serious people would be a reproach to the consciences of the rulersif therefore the people condone and practice the evil the rulers practice, they are an encouragement to evil to one another. It goes without saying that this is true of every form of government devised by man, including democracy. The only nation where this is not so is the chosen nation of God, the kingdom ruled over by the Holy and Righteous King, Jesus Christ, the church of the living God! The citizens of this nation have been reborn and are being transformed into the image of their Kingloving, righteous, holy, pure and just. Their King hates sin and is made to grieve when it occurs and so do His subjects, (cf. Isa. 9:6-7<\/span>; Isa. 11:1-10<\/span>; Isa. 35:5-10<\/span>).<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:4<\/span> . . . THEY ARE AS AN OVEN HEATED BY THE BAKER . . . The people allow their hearts to smolder and simmer with evil thoughts and imaginations and plans, like the smoldering fire built by the baker near which he places his kneaded dough ready to bake in the morning when he will fan the coals into a roaring fire. The people go to bed at night with their evil plans smoldering in their hearts to awake in the morning and fan the coals into roaring deeds of evil.<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:5<\/span> ON THE DAY OF OUR KING . . . Just what this day of our king was we do not know. It was probably either the kings birthday or the anniversary of his coronation. It was a holiday of some significance devoted to much excess in feasting and drinking. The leaders of the nation spent the day in revelry and carousel over indulging themselves to the point of nausea. The king, drunken with wine, let down his royal dignity and joined the crude, boisterous, sacrilegious scoffers (or blasphemers). Wine is a mocker (or scoffer) (Pro. 20:1<\/span>) and drunkenness removes all restraint revealing the evil which is in the man. The king, rather than stretching out his hand to protect the few in Israel who were being exploited and persecuted for their righteousness, stretched out his hand (or welcomed) to join with these profane, degraded men. How can any society survive when its leaders become examples of corruption and excess? How can any nation hope to be a master of its destiny when it enslaves itself to indulgence and excess? May God raise up prophets of righteous indignation and fearless courage to pronounce the judgments of God upon the leaders of nations today who enjoy wickedness and indulge in excesses because of the profit they make.<\/p>\n

Hos. 7:6-7<\/span> . . . THEY HAVE MADE READY THEIR HEART LIKE AN OVEN . . . THEY . . . DEVOUR THEIR JUDGES; ALL THEIR KINGS ARE FALLEN . . . Now Hosea looks to the consequences of Israels moral depravity. Perhaps such consequences are already beginning to take place. The leaders and the people are so saturated with sin they do not even let their hearts rest from devising new wickedness. The prophet is probably describing a scene of revelry, debauchery and scoffing which preceded the murder of Zechariah, king of Israel (became king in 753 B.C. upon the death of Jeroboam II). Zechariah was slain through conspiracy publicly in the open face of day, before all the people (2Ki. 15:9<\/span>), no one heeding, no one resisting, about 10 years after his coronation by Shallum. From then on it was almost complete anarchy with one king after another being slain in Israel. We quote from Pusey:<\/p>\n

The kingdom of Israel, having been set up in sin, was, throughout its whole course, unstable and unsettled. Jeroboams house ended in his son; that of Baasha, who killed Jeroboams son, Nadab, ended in his own son, Elah; Omris ended in his sons son, God having delayed the punisment on Ahabs sins for one generation, on account of his partial repentance; then followed Jehus to whose house God, for his obedience in some things, continued the kingdom to the fourth generation. With these two exceptions, in the houses of Omri and Jehu, the kings of Israel either left no sons, or left them to be slain. Nadab, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Jehoram, Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, Pekah, were put to death by those who succeeded them. Of all the kings of Israel, Jeroboam, Baasha, Omri, Menahem, alone, in addition to Jehu and the three next of his house, died natural deaths. So was it written, by Gods hand on the house of Israel, all their kings have fallen. The captivity was the tenth change after they had deserted the house of David. Yet such was the stupidity and obstinacy both of kinds and people, that, amid all these chastisements, none, either people or king, turned to God and prayed Him to deliver them. Not even distress, amid which almost all betake themselves to God, awakened any sense of religion in them. There is none among them, that calleth unto Me.<\/p>\n

QUIZ<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

Why was the iniquity of Israel uncovered when God set out to heal them?<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

Why was their wickedness so staggering or unnatural?<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

Why were the kings and princes glad at the wickedness of the people?<\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

What is the day of the king? How did the king behave?<\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

How did the people devour their judges and kings?<\/p>\n

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

(1) Translate, When I heal Israel<\/em> (referring to a cessation in the attacks of the menacing foe, or to such a thrill of finer feeling as that which is recorded in 2Ch. 28:8-15<\/span>), then is revealed the iniquity of Ephraim and the wickedness of Samaria, that they commit falsehood.<\/em> Samaria here sustains the same relation to Israel that Jerusalem does to Judah, and it is the very source of the corruption of the whole country.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

NEW PICTURE OF THE MORAL CORRUPTION AND RESULTING ANARCHY, Hos 6:11<\/span> to Hos 7:7<\/span>.<\/p>\n

1, 2<\/strong>. <\/strong> The mercy of Jehovah, manifesting itself in his willingness to “heal,” wrought no change for the better; it was interpreted as an indication of Jehovah’s weakness, and only increased the people’s recklessness. Iniquity discovered <\/strong> [“uncovered”] The reflexive force of the verb form may be expressed by rendering “displayed itself.” Iniquity broke out with ever-increasing force and prevented the carrying out of God’s gracious purpose. <\/p>\n

Samaria <\/strong> The capital of the northern kingdom mentioned because it was the center of the corruption. Wherein consisted the iniquity? <\/p>\n

Commit falsehood <\/strong> Practice fraud and deceit toward God and man. <\/p>\n

Thief cometh <\/strong> [“entereth”] in <\/strong> Into the house. Theft and highway robbery were common (Joe 2:9<\/span>). <\/p>\n

Spoileth <\/strong> [“ravageth”] The highways were made unsafe by robbers in quest of plunder. <\/p>\n

Consider <\/strong> Literally, they do not speak to their heart; <\/em> their consciences have become seared. <\/p>\n

I remember <\/strong> They have no thought that Jehovah will remember and punish, but they are mistaken; their sins are constantly before his face, where he can see them. <\/p>\n

Their own doings have beset them about <\/strong> They are completely surrounded by their wrongs, so that escape has become impossible; even repentance seems to be out of the question. The verse closes with a re-affirmation that Jehovah is not deceived about their real condition (Psa 90:8<\/span>).<\/p>\n

In Hos 7:3-7<\/span> the text is in places obscure, but concerning the general drift of the thought there can be no doubt. The prophet describes in vivid colors the corruption that pervades the whole nation, and shows that the existing anarchy is the inevitable result of the same: adultery, drunkenness, conspiracy, assassinations everywhere, not one redeeming feature. <\/p>\n

They make the king glad <\/strong> The subject is the same as in Hos 7:1-2<\/span>, the Israelites. As representatives of Jehovah king and princes should rejoice in righteousness and justice; their depravity is seen in the fact that they not only fail to punish crime, but actually delight in it. <\/p>\n

Princes <\/strong> See on Hos 3:4<\/span>. The Hebrew gives good sense; the emendation first suggested by Wellhausen and since adopted by many scholars, “they anoint” instead of “they make glad,” is not necessary, though it would give equally good sense and would make this passage agree in meaning with Hos 8:4<\/span>. <\/p>\n

They are all adulterers <\/strong> King, princes, and people are filled with unholy passions for revelry, licentiousness, etc. This is a new condemnation, and is not to be connected with the preceding as a circumstantial clause. The rest of the verse is doubtful. <\/p>\n

As an oven heated by the baker <\/strong> R.V. supplies “they are,” which is an improvement. A different division of the consonantal text would give, “they are like a burning oven,” and with “the baker” the new sentence might be begun.<\/p>\n

This is preferable. In their madness the people resemble a burning oven.<\/p>\n

The heart is the oven, the unholy passions the fire. Modern commentators are inclined to regard this clause, as well as the rest of Hos 7:4<\/span>, a later addition, a gloss to Hos 7:6<\/span>. Whatever one may think of the rest of the verse, which seems to be dependent on Hos 7:6<\/span>, this clause certainly sounds like a part of the original denunciation; Hos 7:5<\/span> would make a good continuation. <\/p>\n

The baker ceaseth <\/strong> As these words stand now they describe the apparent calm between one outbreak of violence and the next. “The baker ceases from stirring when the oven has reached a certain heat; and then he leaves the fire to smolder until the fermentation of the dough is complete and fresh heating is necessary. So after passion has been gratified it smolders for a time, but is afterward kindled to a greater heat than before, when some attractive object comes within range.”<\/p>\n

In Hos 7:5<\/span> the prophet evidently refers to a recent event Wellhausen thinks to a royal assassination when passion found unrestrained expression. <\/p>\n

Day of our king <\/strong> Perhaps the king’s birthday (Mat 14:6<\/span>), or the coronation day; at any rate, a day of joyful celebration. <\/p>\n

The princes have made him sick <\/strong> R.V., “made themselves sick.” Either translation is possible, though usage favors A.V. they made the king drunk and assassinated him (2Sa 13:28-29<\/span>). Royal assassinations are referred to in Hos 7:7<\/span>; in this verse, however, the thought implied in R.V. is more probable, though usage may favor A.V. they gave themselves to such excesses that they became ill. <\/p>\n

Bottles of wine <\/strong> Better, R.V., “heat of wine,” or “with fever from wine” (G.A. Smith). <\/p>\n

He stretched out his hand <\/strong> The meaning is uncertain, but it is generally interpreted as meaning that the king entered into intimate relations with scoffers, <\/em> that is, worthless, lawless fellows who are always devising mischief. Perhaps the words allude to “some lawless project decided upon in the intoxication of the revel.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:6-7<\/span> <\/strong> do not connect with 4, giving the explanation and ground for the simile of the oven, so that Hos 7:5<\/span> would be parenthetical (Keil); they contain a new assertion, co-ordinate with the statements in Hos 7:3-5<\/span>. The subject is the same as in the other verses, the Israelites. <\/p>\n

For <\/strong> Here not a causal conjunction, but, as often, a particle of asseveration “truly,” “indeed” (G.-K., 148d). <\/p>\n

Have made ready their heart like an oven, <\/strong> while they lie in wait <\/strong> The Hebrew contains several peculiarities, hence the translation and interpretation are uncertain. Many attempts have been made to interpret the present Hebrew text and not a few emendations have been suggested. It seems necessary to alter the text. Following in part LXX., we get, by only slight alterations, an excellent thought: “Indeed, like an oven their hearts burn with their intriguing” (compare Hos 4:1<\/span>, “There is no truth in the land”; Hos 4:2<\/span>, “There is naught but swearing and breaking faith”). <\/p>\n

Their baker <\/strong> Who is their baker? The subject of burneth <\/em> is the same in Hebrew as that of sleepeth. <\/em> Can it be said of the baker that he burns as a flaming fire? Two ancient versions, Targum and Peshitto, read “their anger” for “their baker”; this requires no change of the consonantal text in Hebrew and may be accepted as original: “Their anger sleepeth all the night.” The conspiracy is kept secret until it is matured, then it breaks forth. The darkness of the night is the time when the schemes are developed; in the morning, the time for action having arrived, the conspiracy blazes forth (compare Mic 2:1<\/span>). Hos 7:7<\/span> describes the result of these intrigues. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured <\/strong> [“and devour”] Need not be rejected as an unnecessary repetition; it sums up in a few words the thought of Hos 7:6<\/span>. It would be better, however, to translate it as a circumstantial clause, “Being (thus) hot like an oven, they devour.” <\/p>\n

Judges <\/strong> Not to be understood in the narrower sense of that term, but equivalent to rulers, <\/em> that is, king and princes as the guardians of the law and administrators of justice (Isa 40:23<\/span>; Psa 2:10<\/span>). <\/p>\n

Their kings are fallen <\/strong> By assassination; parallel to the preceding clause. 2 Kings 15<\/span> furnishes a commentary. In all probability the prophecy comes from the reign of Menahem, which was preceded by two royal assassinations, that of Zechariah after a reign of six months and that of Shallum after one month. There is none among the people that calleth unto me <\/strong> “A prophetic touch to the historical statement” which precedes. Notwithstanding the serious condition of affairs, no one appealed to Jehovah, who alone could bring relief.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

ISRAEL’S GROWING SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY AND DEGRADED BEHAVIOUR ARE DESCRIBED ALONG WITH THEIR RELIANCE ON IDOLS, FOREIGNERS, UNWORTHY KINGS AND THEMSELVES, AND THIS IN CONTRAST WITH YHWH’S STEADFAST LOVE FOR HIS FAILING SON ( Hos 6:4<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> to Hos 11:12<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ).<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hosea continues to describe the condition in which Israel find themselves, and rebukes their reliance on other things than YHWH. Conditions in Israel would appear to be politically much worse, and these words were therefore probably mainly spoken during the years of turmoil following the death of Menahem and his son Pekahiah, that is, during the reigns of Pekah and Hoshea. During this period there was an off-on relationship with Assyria which eventually caused the downfall of Pekah and the initial submission of Hoshea to Assyria, followed by his later turning to Egypt (and not to YHWH) in the hope of breaking free from Assyria’s yoke.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The Sinfulness Of Israel\/Ephraim Is Totally Exposed And Judah Is Briefly Warned Of What Will Come On Them As Well ( Hos 6:7<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> to Hos 7:2<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ).<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sinfulness of Israel is now exposed commencing from Gilead (Hos 6:8<\/span>), and moving through Shechem (Hos 6:9<\/span>) to Samaria (Hos 7:1<\/span>). They are revealed as covenant breakers (seen as a gross sin in those days) and murderers (Hos 6:7-8<\/span>), their priests are exposed as murderers, highway robbers and perpetrators of ‘mischief or ‘heinous crime’ (Hos 6:8<\/span>), the house of Israel is found to be guilty of ‘whoredom’, both literal and spiritual, and Samaria is described as a place of ‘wickedness’ where falsehood abounds, theft is commonplace, and bandits await any who leave the city. But what they overlook is that YHWH remembers all their wickedness, and that what they do so gathers round them as a spectacle that it is openly apparent before the face of YHWH.<\/p>\n

And this occurs despite YHWH’s desire to restore them (Hos 6:11<\/span> to Hos 7:1<\/span> a), a desire which proves futile because it only helps to reveal their sinfulness. Judah also are warned in a brief aside that they too have a harvest of judgment to reap (compare Mat 13:30<\/span> for the idea of a harvest of judgment).<\/p>\n

Analysis of Hos 6:7<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> to Hos 7:2<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> .<\/p>\n

a <\/strong> But they like Adam (or ‘like men’) have transgressed the covenant. There have they dealt treacherously against me (Hos 6:7<\/span>).<\/p>\n

b <\/strong> Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity, it is stained with blood (Hos 6:8<\/span>).<\/p>\n

c <\/strong> And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way towards Shechem. Yes, they have committed mischief (Hos 6:9<\/span>).<\/p>\n

d <\/strong> In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, there whoredom is found in Ephraim (Hos 6:10<\/span> a).<\/p>\n

e <\/strong> Israel is defiled (Hos 6:10<\/span> b).<\/p>\n

f <\/strong> Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you (Hos 6:11<\/span> a).<\/p>\n

e <\/strong> In my bringing back the captivity of my people, when I would heal Israel (Hos 6:11<\/span> to Hos 7:1<\/span> a).<\/p>\n

d <\/strong> Then is the iniquity of Ephraim uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria (Hos 7:1<\/span> b).<\/p>\n

c <\/strong> For they commit falsehood, and the thief enters in, and the troop of robbers ravages without (Hos 7:1<\/span> c).<\/p>\n

b <\/strong> And they consider not in their hearts, that I remember all their wickedness (Hos 7:2<\/span> a).<\/p>\n

a <\/strong> Now have their own doings beset them about, they are before my face (Hos 7:2<\/span> b).<\/p>\n

Note that in ‘a’ they have, like Adam, transgressed God’s covenant, and have dealt treacherously against Him, and in the parallel their own doings beset them about, and they are ‘before His face’ (compare how though Adam hid ‘from the face of YHWH’ in Gen 3:8<\/span>, he too had necessarily been ‘before His face’). In ‘b’ the iniquity of Gilead is revealed, and in the parallel their wickedness is remembered by God. In ‘c’ the priests are like troops of robbers, and they commit ‘indecency’, and in the parallel a troop of robbers ravages without, and Ephraim commit falsehood. In ‘d’ whoredom is found in Ephraim, and in the parallel the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered. In ‘e’ Israel is defiled, and in the parallel YHWH desired to heal Israel from her defilement. Centrally in ‘f’ a harvest of judgment is also appointed for Judah.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

In my bringing back the captivity (distressed state) of my people,<\/p>\n

‘When I would heal Israel,<\/p>\n

Then is the iniquity of Ephraim uncovered,<\/p>\n

And the wickedness of Samaria,<\/p>\n

For they commit falsehood, and the thief enters in,<\/p>\n

And the troop of robbers ravages without.’<\/p>\n

Having given his warning shot to Judah Hosea immediately turns back to Israel, citing the words of YHWH. He does not want to divert attention from what He is saying to Israel\/Ephraim. The word rendered ‘captivity’ may indicate that, in an attempt to heal Israel, YHWH was preparing to arrange for those already in exile to be returned, or it may simply indicate the distressed state into which Israel had fallen from which He wished to restore them. Either way His attempt fails because in seeking to attempt it He somehow ‘uncovers the iniquity of Ephraim’, and ‘the wickedness of Samaria’. Such language is of course anthropomorphic. His attempts may have taken place through men who were taking part in negotiations with Assyria, during which the perfidy of Israel was revealed. In mind may be attempts to parley with Assyria and leave the parts of Israel which had been captured in their hands as part of the price of relative freedom. In YHWH’s eyes this would have been seen as treachery indeed (Hos 6:7<\/span>). But primary to the verse is the fact of the sin that ‘His investigation’ has turned up. They were committing falsehood, there were a multiplicity of thieves breaking into other people’s properties, and the roads were unfit to travel because of lurking bandits (possibly partly to do with the priests in Hos 6:9<\/span>). Israel and Samaria are now therefore revealed as a hotbed of lawlessness. Justice is almost non-existent. This was the consequence of having lawless kings who were simply adventurers.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

The Moral Corruption of Israel<\/p>\n

v. 1. When I would have healed Israel,<\/strong> when the Lord attempted to remove their corruption, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered,<\/strong> it became known openly, and the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood,<\/strong> so that intercourse became impossible because no man could trust the other; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without,<\/strong> so that no traveler was sure of his life. <\/p>\n

v. 2. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness,<\/strong> that it is known and recorded in the book of God’s remembrances; now their own doings have beset them about,<\/strong> like mountains hedging them in on every hand; they are before My face,<\/strong> making it impossible to ignore them. <\/p>\n

v. 3. They,<\/strong> the criminals of every type, make the king glad with their wickedness and the princes with their lies,<\/strong> a fact which shows that the highest ranks of the people were infested with the corruption. <\/p>\n

v. 4. They are all adulterers,<\/strong> the spiritual and moral condition of the entire people being the very lowest, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising,<\/strong> that is, from heating the oven further, after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. <\/strong> The adulterous and idolatrous lust of the people was inflamed to such an extent that it was like a baker’s oven which was already at such an extreme heat that he could omit adding more fuel while the fermentation of his bread was finished. <\/p>\n

v. 5. In the day of our king,<\/strong> his birthday or the day of his inauguration, the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine,<\/strong> or, “the princes became ill with the heat of the wine”; he stretched out his hand with scorners,<\/strong> accepting their company with a ready spirit, making them his boon companions, so that everything which men hold sacred was dragged in the dust. <\/p>\n

v. 6. For they have made ready their heart like an oven whiles they lie in wait,<\/strong> that is, as men bring fuel for an oven, so they have brought their hearts into their cunning; their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. <\/strong> The baker is the ringleader, who inspires passion, who starts the conspiracy; the night provides a time of rest, so that the passion of idolatry, which burns throughout, may break forth with new strength and fierceness after the interval. When the evil thoughts of their hearts have fully matured, when they find time and opportunity for the execution of their plans, then they carry them out with eagerness. <\/p>\n

v. 7. They are all hot as an oven,<\/strong> aflame with the various passions to which they have yielded themselves, and have devoured their judges,<\/strong> their magistrates; all their kings are fallen,<\/strong> the references probably being to the time when the last kings of Israel, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah, followed one another in quick succession. There is none among them that calleth unto Me;<\/strong> for even the great calamities in which they found themselves did not cause them to repent. <\/p>\n

v. 8. Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people,<\/strong> by entering into friendships with heathen nations, adopting their ways and serving their idols. Ephraim is a cake not turned,<\/strong> like a pancake burned on the lower side, while the upper side is not yet done. The entire cake is then not fit for eating. <\/p>\n

v. 9. Strangers have devoured his strength,<\/strong> partly on account of the wars waged against Israel, partly as a consequence of the heathen ways which had been adopted in the northern kingdom, and he knoweth it not,<\/strong> he was not even aware of his unfortunate condition; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him,<\/strong> signs of the approaching national dissolution; yet he knoweth not,<\/strong> being blind to all evidences of the inevitable end. <\/p>\n

v. 10. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face,<\/strong> Cf Hos 5:5<\/span>, and they do not return to the Lord, their God, nor seek Him for all this. <\/strong> The situation was like that of which also other prophets complain when they state that the people have become hardened to the chastising hand of the Lord. Cf Isa 9:13<\/span>; Jer 5:3<\/span>. <\/p>\n

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

EXPOSITION<\/strong><\/p>\n

This chapter may be divided into three sections. In the first section, including Hos 7:1-7<\/span>, the prophet reproves with much but deserved severity the depraved morals of king and princes. In the second section, consisting of Hos 7:8-11<\/span>, he rebukes their sinfulness, silliness, pride, and stupid obstinacy, notwithstanding the many manifest tokens of decay. Otherwise the first section deals with the internal corruption of the northern kingdom, and the second exposes their sinful and harmful foreign policy. The third section, continuing from the twelfth verse to the end of the chapter, that is, Hos 7:12-16<\/span>, threatens the infliction of punishment incurred by their gross wicked. Hess and base ingratitude to God.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-3<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When I would hays healed Israel.<\/strong> We may, with some, understand this healing of those<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> prophetic admonitions and rebukes by which God designed to cure the transgressions and heal the backslidings of his people.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> It is more probable, however, that the reference is to the partial restoration of the national prosperity in the days of Jeroboam II<\/strong>; who “restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain.”<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Jerome’s exposition is not so natural when he says, “The sense is: When I wished to blot out the old sins of my people, on account of ancient idolatry, Ephraim and Samaria discovered new idols;” the old sins and ancient idolatry he refers to the making and worshipping of the golden calf in the wilderness, while the new idols were the calf-worship which Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim instituted, and the people of the capital, Samaria, adopted. When God would heal, or as often as he proceeded to heal, Israel, the evils broke out afresh, or came more fully to light, just like a wound the dangerous nature of which is discovered by the surgeon’s probe in the effort to heal it. Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria.<\/strong> The sin of the northern kingdom manifested itself in high quartersin the premier tribe of Israel, and in the capital city of Samaria. “Because,” says Abort Ezra, in his comment, “they said, He hath torn, and he will heal us, he says, When I was disposed to heal them, the wickedness concealed in their heart stood before my face, which they have not left off until the present time, for they practice falsehood; by night they steal, and by day troops (of bandits) spread themselves outside the cities.” Similarly, Rashi explains: “When I was willing to help and to heal them, their iniquities manifested themselves before me, for they practiced lying constantly; while thieves of their number entered in continually, and stole the wealth of their companions, and even their gangs spread themselves for robberies to rob men.” For they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth<\/strong> (margin, strippeth<\/em>) <\/em><\/strong>without.<\/strong> Here follows an enumeration of the crimes of which they were guilty. There was falsehood, or fraud, or deception generally, and that, not only in words, but in works; next comes dishonesty, both in public and in private. The thief privately entered the houses, and committed burglary; gangs of highwaymen publicly infested the roads, spoiling the passers-by, or rather roamed or spread themselves abroad for plunder, since it is the causative conjugation of pashat <\/em>that has the signification of stripping or spoiling others. The thief within, the rubber robs without.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:2<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And they consider not in their hearts<\/strong> (margin, say not to their heart<\/em>) <\/em>that I remember all their wickedness.<\/strong> Between the common reading libravken <\/em>and bilravken <\/em>found in several manuscripts by Kennicott and De Rossi, there is a not unimportant difference. The latter, equivalent to saying “in their heart,” which is the usual expression, denotes one’s inward thoughts or reasonings with himself; the former, equivalent to saying “to <\/em>their heart,” is an address to, or remonstrance with, the heart with the view of restraining its evil purposes. God’s remembrance of wickedness imports its punishment. Now their own doings have beset them about.<\/strong> Their doings<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> have become evident or conspicuous as a robe or garment with which a man is surrounded, or a troop of body-guards placed about him. Or<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> the terrors and penal consequences of their sins have surrounded them like a garment, as we elsewhere read, “He clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment.” In this latter sense the figure is rather taken from enemies besieging a town or city, and beleaguering it closely all around, or from lictors, i.e. <\/em>officers of the law surrounding them, or even witnesses confronting them on every side. Kimchi explains the sense as follows: “Now their evil deeds surround them, which were before my face and were not hidden from me; and, while they receive the punishment, they will remember that 1 know all the whole, and that it is I who return their reward upon their head.” They are before my face<\/strong>, in the last clause, has a striking and awe-inspiring parallel in the ninetieth psalm: “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” Aben Ezra’s exposition is somewhat obscure; it is as follows: “They think that I do not see them, and they do not observe that their actions encircle them, as they are before my face.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:3<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.<\/strong> The moral corruption and depravity of Israel were extreme and universal. They reached from the rabble to royalty, from the common people to the princes of the court. The king and princes were in full accord with fellows of the basest sort, taking pleasure in their wickedness trod applauding their lies.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> Rosenmller quotes the explanation of Abarbanel to the following purport: “He (the prophet) means to say that the violent men of that ago were accustomed to narrate their atrocities to their kings, that the latter might thence derive entertainment.” It is much the same whether the king and princes of that time took pleasure in the villanies which were perpetrated, or in the narratives of those villanies to which they listened,<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> A somewhat different rendering, and consequently different exposition, have much to recommend them: “In their wickedness they make the king merry, and in their feigning the princes;” their wickedness was their diabolical design to assassinate king and princes; with this object in view they make the king merry with wine so that he might fall an easy and unsuspecting victim; their feigning was their fell purpose of assassination under the profession of friendship. Such was the desperate treachery of those miscreant conspirators. This view tallies well with the context.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:4-7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:4<\/span>, Hos 7:6<\/span>, and Hos 7:7<\/span> are linked together by the figure of an “oven,” common to them; while 4 and 6 have also in common the figure of a “baker.” Further, we are helped to the literal meaning of the metaphorical language of Hos 7:4<\/span> and Hos 7:6<\/span> by Hos 7:5<\/span> and Hos 7:7<\/span> respectively. They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker.<\/strong> Whether the sin indicated was idolatry, which is often represented as spiritual adultery, or adultery in the literal sense, which was its frequent accompaniment; or in a larger sense faithlessness to solemn obligations such as treason, treachery, or perfidy in general; it was their habitual practice, as intimated by Piel participle in its iterative or intensive sense. The persons charged with this sin were kullam<\/em>, <\/em>all of themsovereign and subjects, princes and people alike. The traitors of the time referred to, or rather their heart heated with lawless lust and pernicious passion, is pictured by the prophet as an oven; and the oven is heated by tile baker, or more literally, burning from the baker<\/em>. <\/em>Who or what is represented by the baker? This may be a personification of the spirit of treason like the spirit of whoredoms (Hos 5:4<\/span>), or evil agency that impelled these men to their nefarious deeds; or we may understand by the “baker” those persons who were the prime movers in such matters, and who instigated others to become their tools and execute their plans. In either case the burning, once commenced, continued of itself; the primary instigators had no difficulty in securing agents ready and willing as themselves for such bad and bloody work, and who, once set ageing, needed no further impulse, but of their own motion delighted to carry it through. Who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.<\/strong> An interval of time elapses between the inception and execution of the work. The baker ceaseth from raising, more literally, from stirring or stoking; after kindling the fire in the oven he lets it burn on and leaves off stirring it until the kneaded dough is fully fermented. This respite is allowed that the leaven of wickedness may do its work, and completely pervade the minds into which it has been introduced, and until matters are thoroughly matured for action. Meantime the fire burns steadily and sufficiently, until the oven requires to be more highly heated for the well-prepared and perfectly leavened dough. The use of the participle is well explained by the principle stated by Ewald as follows: “Just as the idea of the verb ‘to be’ is placed in immediate construction with the word which more exactly forms the predicate, so also may those verbs which describe a somewhat more specific kind of being, e<\/em>.g<\/em>. <\/em>verbs which signify ‘commencing’ to be, i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>becoming verbs of hastening<\/em>, i<\/em>.e<\/em>. quickly becoming and those of ceasing <\/em>to be, Hos 7:4<\/span> The following verb, if such a word be required for the more specific predicate, most readily chooses the participial form.; verbs denoting continuance <\/em>would be constructed in the same way.” The particle , equivalent to usque ad<\/em>, <\/em>implies the completeness of the leavening.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:5<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the day of our king.<\/strong> This may mean the anniversary of his birthhis birthday celebration, or the anniversary of his accession or coronation; or it may have been used in an ambiguous sense, and to include the day of his destruction, like the tragic irony or contrast between the knowledge of the spectator and the supposed ignorance of the actor. The expression “our” is either a real acknowledgment of the kings of Israel, or rather the lip-loyalty of the traitorous princes who were compassing his ruin. The princes have made him sick with bottles of wine.<\/strong> The literal rendering is, have made sick the heat of him<\/em>; i<\/em>.e<\/em>. made him sick with heat from wine. The construction resembles Mic 6:13<\/span>, “I will make sick thy smiting;” i<\/em>.e<\/em>. I will make thee sick through smiting thee. The heat from wine repeats in some sort the preceding figure of a heated oven. The object of these wretches was twofoldto inflame their passion, and nerve their hands for the bloody work on which they were set; and to leave the king powerless, a helpless victim in their hands. He stretched out his hand with scorners. <\/strong>Whatever the real origin of this phrase may be, the meaning is plainhe joined in fellowship with those wicked princes, and took part on terms of equality with them in their brutish debauch and profane carousal. He stretched out his hand and hailed them as boon-companions.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:6<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.<\/strong> Their heart is the oven, as the comparison here teaches us; the fire by which it is inflamed is the fire of sinful passion, and the fuel that feeds the flame is the murderous machination on which they are at present so intent; the baker is either the original contrivers and prompters of their wickedness, or their own wicked spirit, or the evil one himself at the head of all. But, though there is a temporary suspension, there is no real cessation of their evil purpose; they are only biding their time, lying in wait; the baker sleeps, but it is only whilst the dough is leavening. Soon as the suitable time has come, soon as the occasion has arrived, and all circumstances in readiness, in the morning <\/em>the baker rouses from his nocturnal slumber, stirs up the fire, and sets the oven ablaze Now that the dough is sufficiently leavened, and the oven thoroughly heated, the bread is put inthe meditated assassination is accomplishedit<\/em> burneth as a flaming fire<\/em>. <\/em>This is the second and last stage of the proceeding, the last scene of the last act of the tragic drama,<\/p>\n

Hos 7:7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen<\/strong>. Here we have the application, and so the explanation of the figurative language of the preceding verse, which, as we have seen, is the second stage of the action. The heat of the oven denotes the intense violence of their passion, as also their fierce and fiery power of destruction. Inferior rulers and magistrates fell victims to it; while regicides in incredible number were the result of it. Three regicides were perpetrated in thirteen years; and four in less than forty, the victims being Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, and Pekah. Also Nadab, Elah, Zimri, Zibni, and Jehoram perished by their successors. There is none among them that calleth unto me. Amid such horrid scenes of blood and violence, of disorder and anarchy, there was none of them to realize the calamities of the times or recognize the cause. Consequently there was no one to discover the remedy, and apply to the true and only source of relief.<\/p>\n

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:4<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The difficulty of the section including Hos 7:4-7<\/span> has occasioned considerable difference of exposition; it may not, therefore, be amiss to supplement the foregoing observations.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Aben Ezra accounts for being accented as milel<\/em><\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> on the ground that, though a feminine formation, it is really masculine (to agree with ), like and , both of which, though feminine in form, are notwithstanding of the masculine gender. Abarbanel, who is followed by Wunsche,<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> takes as a participle feminine for or , which is justified by the circumstance that the names of fire and of what is connected therewith are feminine in the Semitic, so that is feminine.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The word , which Ewald and others take, properly we think,<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> as participle of Hiph; is treated<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> by Genenius and Maurer as infirmitive Qal with min <\/em>prefixed, which would occasion the awkward and unusual combination of two infinitives each prefixed with min <\/em>in immediate sequence; while<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Kimchi takes it as infinitive Hiph. contracted for .<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> More important still is the interpretation of the verse. There is<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> that already given, and which is in some measure supported by the following rabbinic comments: “Their evil passion,” says Rashi, “which stirs them up, rests from kneading the dough until it is leavened, i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>from the time that any one has thought on evil in his heart how he shall execute it, he rests and sleeps till the morning, when he shall be able to execute it, as the baker rests from kneading the dough until it is leavened, when he can bake it.” Similar and yet somewhat peculiar is the concluding portion of Kimchi’s comment: “As soon as he lays the pieces of wood into the oven, in order to heat it, he commands the women to knead, and he ceases to stir them (the women) up until the dough is leavened, as he estimates it in his heart, and then he rouses them to come with the dough to bake it. And this is the time when the oven is heated.”<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> The LXX<\/strong>. takes as a noun prefixed with the preposition min <\/em>( ), <\/em>and translates the whole as follows: “They are all adulterers, as an oven glowing from flame for hot-baking, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.” The interpretation<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> of Wunsche differs considerably from both the preceding; it is, “They are all adulterers, like an even, burning from a baker, who rests while stoking <\/em>from the kneading of the dough till its fermentation;” and he cites in favor of this view Aben Ezra as follows: “This verse is inverted, and accordingly the sense is: As the oven of a baker burneth from the kneading of the dough till its fermentation, so that the baker can scarcely cease to stir it up, but must stir it up and heat it violently.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:5<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A like diversity of exposition is found in connection with Hos 7:5<\/span>, at least it, first clause.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> There is<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> the rendering already given; but<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Wunsche, taking from , to begin, as is done by the LXX<\/strong>; Syriac, Chaldee, and Jerome, translates:” The princes begin [i<\/em>.e<\/em>. open] the day of our king in the heat of wine.” Consequently, yom <\/em>is <\/p>\n

(a)<\/strong> <\/em>the object of this verb; while,<\/p>\n

(b)<\/strong> according to the usual rendering, it is the accusative of time, equivalent to ; others again<\/p>\n

(c)<\/strong> take the word as a nominative absolute, or translate the clause as an independent one; thus Simson: “It is the day of our king.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Again, st. construct of , from the root or , (for the construct state is used, not only for the genitive-relation, but also before prepositions, the relative pronoun, relative clauses, even ray copulative, etc), is<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> the accusative of the clause, equivalent to “in the heat (proceeding) from wine;” or<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> be <\/em>may be understood; or<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> the preposition rain may be regarded as transposed,Rashi explains it: “From the heat of the wine that burneth in them;” or<\/p>\n

(4)<\/strong> may be supplied, as Wunsche suggests, equivalent to “possessors (bearers) of heat from wine.”<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> is a scoffer and worse than , a fool, or , a simpleton; the last acts through inexperience, the second from unwisdom, the first, though possessing in some measure both wisdom and experience, acts in disregard of both. The meaning is given by Kimchi in the following comment: “The sense of is that the one came with his bottle full of wine, and the other with his bottle; and they made the king sick;” and to this there is an exact parallel in Hab 2:15<\/span>, “Woe unto him that giveth his neigh-hour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also.” In the second clause the expression, “drawing out the hand,” is borrowed from drunken carousals, in which the hand is stretched out in asking, receiving, and handing the goblets; or, more simply, according to Pussy, who says, “Men in drink reach out their hands to any whom they meet, in token of their sottish would be friendliness.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:6<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This verse, Wunsche thinks, is probably the most difficult in the whole book.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The translation of the first clause in the Authorized Version is susceptible of a more literal and improved rendering.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> “For they bring near as an oven their heart, whilst they lie in wait;” that is, they approach the king with loyalty on their lips, but hatred in their heart. Their heart (which is the fact) is heated with evil passion, as an oven (which is the figure) is heated for baking purposes; while they are secretly set for wickedness.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Wunsche, after enumerating a great variety of renderings and expositions, with none of which he is satisfied, gives the following: “For they press close together; like an oven is their heart in their artifice (cunning).” The meaning, according to the same author, is that all, scoffers and king alike, press near each other, being of one heart and disposition; cunning makes them one single society.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Keil translates more simply as follows: “For they have brought their heart into their ambush, as into the oven.” In this rendering he combines the explanation of Ewald and Hitzig.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> In the second clause which Keil translates in the same sense as<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> the Authorized Version, Wunsche<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> changes the common reading into , equivalent to , their anger, and translates accordingly, “All night their anger sleeps, in the morning it burns like flaming fire.” That the reading here is somewhat doubtful may be inferred from the fact that the LXX<\/strong>. has : while the Chaldee and Syrian rugzehon<\/em>, <\/em>their fury; still, as it is only a conjectural emendation, we prefer abiding by the ordinary reading and rendering, at least in this instance. The following explanation of the whole verse by Aben Ezra gives a consistent sense: “By are meant their evil purposes, which they devise all night long. And their heart is like an oven, only with the difference that there the baker sleeps the whole night, and only in the morning kindles the oven; but their heart does not sleep at all, but devises evil the whole night.” It is curious how Rashi and Kimchi, while giving in the main the same explanation with Aben Ezra, differ from him about the meaning of the sleeping. The former has the following brief comment: “Their baker lights the oven. After they have prepared their heart and thought out the consummation of their wickedness, how they could carry the same into effect, then their baker sleeps, that is, they sleep till morning; at the break of day, however, they burn like <\/em>fire, until they have brought their wickedness fully to an end.” Kimchi goes into the matter a little more fully, as is usual with him; he comments as follows: “The heart is the instrument of the thought, and the power that works therein is the baker by way of figure. And as the baker lights the oven at night, and in the morning finds that the pieces of wood have burnt out, and he baketh therein the bread, which is the chief end of the work of heating; and lo, the baker sleeps in the night after he has put the pieces of wood into the oven, because he has nothing more to do till the morning. Just so the baker in this figurative sense, which is the power of thoughthe sleeps in the night; as if he said he lies there and rests, because the project comes not forth into execution until the morning; and the prophet calls him who thinks sleeping, because that there is no effort of the body in thought, In the morning he burneth, as if he said that they are in flame in the morning to execute the evil which they have devised at night.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> “To call unto me (God)” is to cry to God for help and succor, to seek safety and deliverance with him. It is not the same with that other expression, viz. “to call on the Name of Jehovah,” which is rather to reverence and worship Jehovah.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The word is more poetic than , though the meaning of both is “judging,” the latter probably derived from , to set, then to set right, defend.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Their not calling unto God is well explained by Kimchi as follows: “Also they (the people) had failed by the hand of their enemies, the kings of the Gentiles; but, notwithstanding this, no one among them calls to me. They should have thought in their heart, There is no power in the hand of our king to help us out of our distress; we will turn to Jehovah, for he will be our Helper.” This verse is not so difficult as the three preceding; we proceed, therefore, in regular order to the next.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.<\/strong> The people of the northern kingdom had fallen away from Jehovah, and mixed themselves with the heathen nationalities. They resembled a cake which, through neglect of turning, was burnt on the one side and raw on the other. The best commentary on the first clause of this verse is found in Psa 106:35<\/span>, Psa 106:36<\/span>, and Psa 106:39<\/span>; they “were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring with their own inventions.” The second clause is well explained by Bishop Horsley as follows: “One thing on one side, another on the other; burnt to a coal at bottom, raw dough at the top. An apt image of a character that is all inconsistencies. Such were the ten tribes of the prophet’s day; worshippers of Jehovah in profession, hut adopting all the idolatries of the neighboring nations, in addition to their own semi-idolatry of the calves.” Similarly, the Geneva Bible has, “Baked on one side and raw on the ether, he is neither through hot nor through cold, but partly a Jew and partly a Gentile.” Jehovah had chosen Israel out of the nations of the earth, and given them a special constitution. The object of this segregation was that Israel should be a peculiar people and a holy nation. Thus distinguished, they were to dwell alone; but, ungrateful for this high distinction, and unmindful of their high destiny, they mingled with the nations, learned their heathenish ways, and worshipped their hateful idols. Thus they forfeited their theocratic pre-eminence. While it was their privilege as well u duty to follow the precepts of Jehovah, and serve him with undivided affection, they fell away from his service and adopted the idolatries and habits of the heathen; it was only a just retribution, therefore, when God gave them ever into the hand of those heathen peoples to waste their resources and leave them shorn of their strength. The second clause is the counterpart of this; exactly like the peoples subsequently brought from Assyria, and planted in the lands of the dispossessed <\/em>Israelites, they worshipped the Lord, but served their own godsthey were neither true worshippers of Jehovah nor out-and-out followers of Baal. In religion they were mongrelsinconsistent <\/em>and worthless hybrids; they were, in fact, what Calvin in rather homely phrase says of them,” neither flesh nor fish<\/em>.” <\/em>The comment of Kimchi is concise as it is clear: “The prophet means to say, He (Israel) mixes himself among the peoples; though Godblessed be he Iseparated them from them, yet they mix them. selves among them and do according to their works.” His explanation of the second clause is not so satisfactory when he says, “As a cake which is baked upon the coals; if they do not turn it, it is burnt below and not baked above, so is the counsel that is not right when they do not turn it from side to side (sense to sense) until they bring it upon their wheels (into action). So (thoughtless and hasty) is Ephraim in his determination to serve the calves and other gods without proving and choosing what is good.”<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Other explanations need only be referred to in order to be rejected, as<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> that of Rashi, who is followed by Grotius. He takes the verb in the future sense: “Ephraim in exile shall be mixed among the peoples.” But it is obviously the present, not the future time, that is intendedthe present sin, not its future punishment. There is<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> the explanation of Aben Ezra, followed by Eichhorn and Maurer, referring to the alliances or treaties which the northern kingdom formed with their neighbors to repel their enemies, and by which the resources of the land were consumed; while the second clause,<\/p>\n

(a)<\/strong> according to Aben Ezra, refers to the over-hastiness and thoughtlessness with which Israel proceeded in their resolutions; and,<\/p>\n

(b)<\/strong> according to Maurer, Jerome, and Theodoret, it signifies what is spoiled, ill-advised, and worthless.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not.<\/strong> Israel’s intercourse with other nationalities could not but issue in disaster; a specimen of that disaster is here given. As the Greeks called all who did not speak the Greek language, whether they were savage or civilized, barbarians, so Israel called all foreigners, whether near or far off, strangers. The foreign nations here meant were those with which Israel had entered into treaties or formed alliances, in contravention of the constitution which God had given them. These nations, moreover, devoured their national resources by the imposition of taxes and hostile incursions; thus the King of Syria left “of the people to Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, and ton chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the King of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing;” again, when “Pul, the King of Assyria, came against the laud,” we read that Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the King of Assyria;” then, “in the days of Pekah King of Israel came Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazer, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. “The strength <\/em>here mentioned includes all those things which constitute the wealth and well-being of a country, the produce of the soil and the riches of its inhabitants. Thus Aben Ezra rightly explains this clause, referring it to “the tribute which the Israelites gave to Assyria and Egypt, as is written in the Book of Kings.” Yea, grey hairs are here and there<\/strong> (margin, sprinkled<\/em>) <\/em>upon him<\/strong>. What from foreign foes and internal feuds, the body politic was manifesting unmistakable symptoms of decay and decrepitude and approaching dissolution, just as grey hairs on the human body give indication of the advance of old age, with its decay of strength and nearness to the tomb. “The course of nature,” says Aben Ezra, “has sprinkled grey hairs upon him, just as grey hair comes on men in consequence of the course of nature;” this corresponds to the sentiment of the preceding clause, for, according to the commentator just named,” the grey hair denotes that their power is weakened and their possession perished.” Yet he knoweth not is parallel to<\/strong>. “And he knoweth (it) not,” and repeats the same sentiment, of course with emphasis of what was Israel thus ignorant? Not, surely, of the declining state of the national strength and the decay of the national importance. After so many drains upon their resources and the unsatisfactory position of their foreign relations, they could not shut their eyes upon the steadily and even rapidly approaching decadence. But though they could not pretend ignorance of the fact, they remained in ignorance of the cause, its consequence, and the cure. Notwithstanding the already exhausted condition of their country, and the process of exhaustion still going on, they overlooked the lamentable cause of all, which was their sin, national and individual, in departing from the Lord; and at the same time the dangerous consequences that were neither remote nor capable of being staved off; as also the only possible cure to be found in direct and immediate return and application to that God from whom they had so revolted. The “it” supplied in the Authorized Version<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> had better be omitted;<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> the construction adopted by Rashi and others, who make the first part of each clause the object of the second, is erroneous, as we have shown in the preceding observations. “They took it not to heart that the kings of Syria consumed them in the days of Jehoahaz” is the exposition of Rashi just referred to; but that of Kimchi favors the first and correct construction, as may be inferred from the words, “And he (Israel) knows not that on account of his iniquity all this has come upon him, and yet he turns not from his wickedness.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this <\/strong>(amid all this<\/em>). <\/em>If with Keil and others<\/p>\n

(1) we understand “the pride of Israel” to mean Jehovah the glory of Israel, and take the verb in the sense of “testify,” the meaning will be that Jehovah bore witness to the face of Israel by the weakening and wasting of their kingdom, as portrayed in the preceding verse. We prefer<\/p>\n

(2) to understand “the pride of Israel” in the souse of “the haughtiness” of Israel, and the verb in the sense of “being humbled,” as at Hos 5:5<\/span>. The real meaning, then, is expressed in the following rendering: And the haughtiness of Israel shall be humbled to his face<\/em>. <\/em>This humiliation is the effect of the wasting mentioned in the preceding verse; while the evidence of their humiliation is specified in the succeeding verse by their resorting to Egypt and repairing to Assyria from a consciousness of their helplessness. This rendering is countenanced by the LXX<\/strong>; both here and at Hos 5:5<\/span>; while Rashi says, “The verb has the meaning of “humiliation.” For all this<\/em>. <\/em>This emphasizes the obstinate blindness and perverseness of Ephraim, when, amid all the calamities and miseries of the kingdom both within and without, they turned not to Jehovah to solicit help and deliverance, but concluded treaties or made alliances with foreign nations in hope of being lifted up out of their national impotence. On this Aben Ezra makes the judicious remark: “They turned not to Jehovah as paupers who have nothing more to give foreign nations that they may help them.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart.<\/strong> The silliness of the dove, with which the stupidity of Ephraim is compared, is not manifested by its missing its nest and resting-place, and then helplessly fluttering about, according to Ewald; nor by its falling into the net of the bird-catcher in its effort to escape from the hawk, according to Hitzig; nor by its neither grieving nor searching for its young when it is robbed of them, according to Jerome; nor by its becoming dejected or devoid of consideration when it has lost its young, according to the Targum; but by its flying right into the net of the bird-catcher, without suspecting or observing it in its search for food, according to Rosenmller. Thus Kimchi explains it: “The prophet compares Ephraim to a dove which gets caught in a net owing to its simplicity, because it has no sense to perceive that, when it goes to gather grains of corn, a net is spread there to catch it. So Ephraim, when they went and asked help from Assyria or from Egypt, (did not perceive) that they went to their hurt, when they sought help from the foreign nations and not from Godblessed be he!in whose hand all is. And he mentions the dove, though it is the manner of other birds, because the dove has no bitterness, as if it went in simplicity and without apprehension of the evil that would come upon it.” They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.<\/strong> The position of Palestine exposed its inhabitants to attacks from the two great rival powers of Egypt and Assyria, or Babylon. “It stood midway,” says Stanley, “between the two great seats of ancient empire, Babylon and Egypt. It was on the high-road from one to the other of these mighty powers, the prize for which they contended, the battlefield on which they fought, the lofty bridge over which they ascended and descended respectively into the deep basins of the Nile and Euphrates.” Accordingly the rulers of the people sought help, now from Egypt to strengthen them against the oppression of Assyria; at another time they sought to secure the support of Assyria. The most powerful enemy of the northern kingdom was Assyria, which distressed that kingdom more and more, until at last they made an end of it. “But,” says Kimchi, “while they think to obtain help by them (Egypt and Assyria), they fall into the net of the Almightyblessed be heand this is what he says (in the following verse). As they go I spread my net over them.<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

Hos 7:12<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When they shall go, l will spread my net over them.<\/strong> Threats of punishment are contained in this and the following verses. He begins by the application of the comparison of Ephraim to a dove. Exactly as a dove in its silliness falls into the net set by the fowler, so Israel runs into the net of destruction in seeking help from Egypt and Assyria. The literal rendering is, according as they go<\/em>, <\/em>or, whatsoever way they shall go<\/em>. <\/em>God threatens to spread a net over them, from which there can be no escape. The chief aim of Hebrew sovereigns and rulers was to defend themselves from Egypt by the help of Assyria, or from Assyria by the aid of Egypt; in either case God threatens to spread over them the net of destruction as the bird-catcher. The application to one or other of these powers God forbade, but when they go to either for relief, the result is sure to prove fatal. The image of a net is frequent in Ezekiel; so in Job, he “hath compassed me with his net.” I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven<\/strong>. The comparison with birds and bird-catching continues. Though their sunward soaring flight be high as the eagle’s, or rapid as the soft swift wing of the dove, they cannot outspeed or escape the hand of God, but shall be brought down to earth. Or the idea may be that, swiftly as a bird of prey swoops down out of the free air of heaven upon its quarry on the low-lying earth, Jehovah will bring Israel down out of the air of freedom into the net of captivity. Thus in Oba 1:4<\/span> we read, “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord;” likewise in Amo 9:2<\/span>, “Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down.” I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard.<\/strong> The word is an anomalous Hiph. instead of , that is, yod<\/em> mobile instead of yod <\/em>quiescent or diphthongal zere<\/em>. <\/em>The literal rendering makes the meaning more obvious; it is: “I will chastise them according to the tidings [or,’ announcement ‘] to their congregation.” In the Law and by the prophets it was repeatedly declared that judgments would fall upon the disobedient and rebellions. As specimens of such announcements, we may refer to Le 26:14-39<\/span>; Deu 28:15-68<\/span>; and Deu 32:15-35<\/span> The prophet now assures Ephraim that the judgments so frequently and forcibly announced to the congregation of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and repeated in subsequent times by the prophets, would be executed on the rebellious rigorously, and in exact accordance with those many previous denunciations. Kimchi has the following comment: “I will assemble them through the chastisement of the peoples, as I announced to their assembly in the wilderness words of chastisement, which are written in the Law, if they will not hearken to the words of the Law.” The LXX<\/strong>. may have read , as their rendering is , equivalent to “‘I will chasten them with the<\/em> rumor of their <\/em>(coming) affliction<\/em>,” <\/em><\/p>\n

Hos 7:13<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction <\/strong>(margin, spoil<\/em>) <\/em>unto them! because they have transgressed against me. Of these exclamations, the first is general and indefinite, the second is specific and precise. The thought of coming chastisement calls forth the exclamation of woe; while the second exclamation fixes the character and explains the nature of that woe denounced. In neither case does or need to be supplied; the opposite expression is or In assigning the reason, there is a retrospective reference to the figures of the two immediately preceding verses. The word with rain is employed in relation to birds which, when scared from their nest, fly away. Kimchi thinks it applies to the abstention or withdrawal of the Israelites from Divine service in the national sanctuary in Jerusalem. His comment is: “They fly from me, from the service of the house of my sanctuary, to the service of the calves; and this is a breach of faith and defection from me.” The LXX<\/strong>. translate the beginning of the second clause freely by , equivalent to “they are cowards;” and Jerome by “miseri (maticulose) erunt, et semper timentis ac formidantes.” The cause assigned is their breaking covenant with God, which is expressed by , literally, “to break away from,” “tear one’s self loose from.” Though I have redeemed them<\/strong>. This first part of the last clause is rendered<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> as a past by some, as Jerome, who refers it to the redemption from Egypt; thus also the Chaldee: “And I was their Deliverer.” Rosenmller approves of this, but, instead of restricting it to the deliverance from Egypt, includes their recent deliverance from the Syrians by Jeroboam II<\/strong>. It is<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> better rendered in a voluntative or optative sense: “I would (should like) to redeem them, but they speak lies against (or, concerning) me.” The verb ‘ephdem<\/em> cannot with any propriety be taken for a preterit. Yet they have spoken lies against me; rather, but they on their part have spoken lies con<\/em>cerning me. The prophet had already charged them with lying at Hos 7:3<\/span>, and previously at Hos 4:2<\/span>; but their lies were not confined to their intercourse or dealings with their fellow-men; they spoke lies against <\/em>or, as the preposition sometimes signifies, concerning<\/em> God. The lies in question included, no doubt, a denial of his essential Deity or sole Divinity; of his power or willingness either to protect or punish. Or they might consist in their falsehood in drawing near to God with their lips without either true faith or real affection in their hearts; some were directly opposed to the claims of Jehovah, some insincere in his service, and others turned aside to the idolatry of the calvesall, with probably some honorable exceptions, had proved false to his covenant with Israel. The last clause has been taken<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> independently by Ewald, without any considerable alteration of the sense: “I, for my part, would redeem them, but they, on their side, speak lies against me.” Other acceptations,<\/p>\n

(a) <\/strong>interrogative and <\/p>\n

(b) <\/strong>conditional, evidently mistake the sense.<\/p>\n

The whole clause is correctly explained by Kimchi thus: “It was in my heart to redeem them out of their distress; but they speak lies against me, while they say that I know nothing nor exercise any providential care over their actions, whether their actions are good or bad. Therefore I have withdrawn my providential oversight, and have hidden my face from them, and they shall be consumed.”<\/p>\n

Hos 7:14<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds.<\/strong> This clause may be more correctly rendered, They did not cry to me in their heart<\/em>, but howl upon their beds<\/em>. <\/em>Their falsehood manifested itself in works as well as words; a practical example is here given. They did not, in reality, seek help from God; if they sought at all, it was insincerely. They cried to God, but that cry did not proceed from their heart. They gave vent to their feelings of distress by howlings upon their beds; but those howlings were the expression of unbelief and despair, not by any means evidences of faith. “They do not cry to me,” says Aben Ezra, “as the sick man cries to the physician.” The comment of Kimchi is still fuller and more explicit: “They have not cried to me in their heart, because of their notion that I do not see their cry nor know what is good or bad for them; but they howl upon their beds, i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>when they are upon their bed and when they think of that misfortune which is coming upon them. They howl and weep because of their evil case, and do not think that the evil falls on them from me, because they have broken faith with me.” The form of is correctly explained by Gesenius as future Hiph. with preformative put before the third person, the yod<\/em> of the simple form being superficially taken to belong to the stem. His derivation from , God, as if a cry to him for help, is incorrect; it is really an onomatopoetic word. They assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. <\/strong>What this<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> assembling of themselves was does not clearly appear; whether it was in the market-place or elsewhere to purchase corn in time of famine, as some think; or in idol-temples to propitiate their deities, like the Roman supplicatio<\/em> or lectiosternium<\/em>, as others <\/em>suppose; or for the performance of some extra rite of worship to Jehovah; or for the purpose of plunder in a season of scarcity; or generally their assembling in knots and crowds to discuss anxiously and lament despairingly the distressed state of the country;their chief design and highest aim being a good supply of corn and wine, that is, the supply of mere bodily wants.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> The LXX<\/strong>. seem to have read , as their rendering is , <\/em>equivalent to “they cut themselves,” or” pined for corn and wine;” corresponding to which rendering is Cyril’s exposition: “As enthusiasts and fanatics making incisions with steel in their breasts and both hands, and absurdly all but shedding in sacrifice their own blood, perhaps to graven images.”<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Jerome, taking the verb from , to ruminate, translates accordingly: “super triticum et vinum ruminabant<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

(4)<\/strong> The Syriac, tracing it to , to be afraid, translates: “They feared (or, were fearfully anxious) about corn and wine.” The common reading and rendering are clearly preferable; Kimchi’s exposition is in harmony therewith: “When corn or new wine comes into the city for sale, they all assemble at (or, round) it on account of the famine which is in the city; and yet they fall away from me.”<\/p>\n

The construction of the last clause is pregnant, that is<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> “they turn aside (and turn) against me.” Here, again<\/p>\n

(2) <\/strong>the LXX<\/strong>. seem to have read , to which their translation, , <\/em>equivalent to “they were instructed by me,” corresponds.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Though I have bound<\/strong> (margin, chastened<\/em>) <\/em>and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. <\/strong>The first clause of this verse is more accurately translated as follows: And yet I have instructed<\/em>, have strengthened their arms<\/em>. <\/em>Here we have another instance of God’s goodness and Israel’s ingratitude. He had done much for them, and would fain have done more; and yet the return they made was devising mischief against him. The arms are the seat and symbol of strength, as the hands and fingers symbolize skill; thus, in reference to the latter the psalmist says, “Blessed be the Lord my Strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight;” and with regard to the former he says, “He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” Two benefits are here included in the prophet’s enumeration. He instructed the arms, by which is meant that he showed them how and where to get strength. But this was not all; he not only directed to the source, and taught the secret of acquiring strength, he actually supplied strength, thereby giving them power to contend against and conquer their enemies. At a time when “there was not any shut up, nor any left [that is, ‘neither bond nor free’] nor helper for Israel the Lord saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.” Notwithstanding all this, they<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> acted the part of apostates and rebels against him: they devised mischief against him by their idolatry which denied him the Godhead glory which was his due, and by their rebellion which aimed at depriving him of his kingly power and dignity. The reference of the last clause,<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> according to Ewald, is to the treaties which Israel entered into with Assyria and Egypt for safety and defense; and<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> according to Kimchi, to Israel’s false representations of the government and providence of Jehovah: “For they say the good or evil does not come to them from me, but is purely accidental.” With respect to , it must be borne in mind that, like , it has two meanings, viz. the chastisement of punishment () and the chastisement of love ().<\/p>\n

Hos 7:16<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

They return, but not to the Most High.<\/strong> This verse is closely connected in sense with the preceding. Their God-defying attitude, as described in Hos 7:15<\/span>, is represented in Hos 7:16<\/span> allegorically as a deceitful bow, which fails to scud the arrow to the mark; also their unsuccess is represented as exposing them to the derision of Egypt; while the princes who spake so exceeding proudly, and who instigated their ungodliness and consequent wretchedness, would be slain with the sword. This is the drift of the whole verse; its details, however, demand more particular consideration.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The word is by some identified in meaning with<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> the adjective , equivalent to “the Most High;” by others<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> it is taken adverbially, and translated “upwards.”<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> The Septuagint does not express it. translating , <\/em>“They turned aside to that which is not [literally, ‘nothing’].”<\/p>\n

(4)<\/strong> Jerome translates it as is , were equivalent to “yoke: They returned that they might be without a yoke.” Their return, according to Jerome, would be to their pristine condition before the can of Abram, like the other nations, without yoke or knowledge of law.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The return spoken of implies that there were junctures at which they seemed disposed to return to religiousness, but ere long they again relapsed into idolatry. They disappointed the high hopes raised, and missed their own high destiny, and thus they resembled a bow, of which the string, losing its elasticity, could not propel the arrow to the object aimed at. Appearing to return to the worship of Jehovah, they turned aside to an idol. Thus in Psa 78:57<\/span>, they “turned back and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.” <\/p>\n

HOMILETICS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Crimes charged on Israel; people and princes.<\/p>\n

It was a time of great corruption and of atrocious crimes. Nor were those crimes committed only by persons “of the baser sort;” people and princes alike, rulers and ruled, had their share in them; the country and the capital, Ephraim and Samaria; the chief tribe and the chief city, with the common people as well as elite<\/em>, <\/em>in the former, and members of the court in the latter. All classes contributed their portion to the national tins, and sins of almost all classes were freely indulged in.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CHARACTER<\/strong> OF<\/strong> SIN<\/strong> AS<\/strong> A DISEASE<\/strong>. Sin is represented in Scripture as a diseasean all-pervading disease; it is as universal as the race, for all have sinned; it is an all-embracing disease, for it extends to the faculties and feelings of the soul, and employs as its instruments all the members of the body. It infects whole peoples as well as individual persons. The description which Isaiah gives of its widespread ravages applies to the body politic as well as to the body human: “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores.” It is thus a loathsome disease, a dangerous disease, a deadly disease; and, unless arrested in time, it is a fearfully fatal disease. The Apostle James gives us the genesis and development of this disease: “When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death;” and the symbol of this spiritual malady is leprosyone of the most frightful scourges of humanity.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> MEANS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> HEALING<\/strong> EMPLOYED<\/strong>. The disease is so desperate that God alone can cure it.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> If there is balm in Gilead and a physician there, God himself is that Physician, and a Physician who not only supplies the balm but applies it; he has provided the remedy and prescribed the way in which it is made available. Thus the Prophet Jeremiah prays,” Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my Praise.” To a people as well as a person laden with sin, God promises relief when it is earnestly sought and properly applied for; thus we read in 2Ch 7:13<\/span>, 2Ch 7:14<\/span>, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, which are called by my Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” If, then, sin-sick souls are not healed, it is not that God is either unwilling or unable to heal them. When Christ would have gathered the people of Palestine, or the inhabitants of its principal city, with all the tenderness and all the carefulness that the parent bird exercises in gathering its brood under its outspread wings, they would not. So is it still; sinners condemnation is self-procured as well as justly deserved, while the salvation of the righteous is only of the Lord.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The means which God employs for healing, though various, are yet pretty much the same at all times. One of these means, and that most commonly employed, is the Word of his grace read, preached, or meditated on. In all ages the chief instrumentality for reclaiming men has been his message of mercy. Thus he dealt with his ancient people: “The Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy” (margin, “healing”). Other means used for the same end are afflictions and adverse circumstances of whatever kind; cases of thin sort, such as dearth, or famine, or pestilence, or impoverishment, or sore sickness and of long continuance, were frequent experiences of God’s people in the past. But the purpose was benevolent and salutary: “By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.” It is so still; for while “no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Again, God sends intervals of prosperity with like design. This he did with Israel in the reign of Jeroboam II<\/strong>; in the days of Joash, and at other periods in their history, in order to wean them from sin and win them to himself. Another means of healing which God resorted to in the case of his ancient people was the removal of ringleaders in iniquity and notable apostates, as when he made an end of the dynasty of Ahab. Not a few similar instances in subsequent and modern times might be, pointed out.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> EXTENT<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THE<\/strong> HURT<\/strong> DISCOVERED<\/strong> BY<\/strong> THE<\/strong> ATTEMPT<\/strong> AT<\/strong> HEALING<\/strong>. While God was manifesting his intentions of mercy towards Israel, the virulence of their disease became evident. God here, in condescension to our weakness, accommodates himself to the manner of men and adopts their mode of speech. As though he had not known the desperate state of matters before, he speaks of it being now discovered. It is by probing a wound that a surgeon discovers its depth, and whether it reaches some vital part; it is only by careful examination a physician detects the character of his patient’s disease, and whether it is curable or likely to prove fatal. So with the good physician on closely examining the state of Israel; he found it even worse than had been supposedmuch worse than it appeared to the superficial observer. Much, no doubt, must have appeared on the surface, and much lay hid in secret; it had been, in fact, “half revealed, half concealed.” When the iniquity of Ephraim was fully discovered and the wickedness of Samaria clearly seen, it proved incurable, so enormous was their guilt, so hardened were they in their transgressions, above all, so impenitent were they and so unwilling to be helped and healed. Their obduracy barred the door against the entrance of mercy, their refusal to part with their enormities checked the outgoings of the Divine goodness towards them. Nay more; as when a rock rises up in a river-bed, or the stream is narrowed by the encroaching banks, the water rushes with greater violence and is lashed into foam, so the very attempt to repress the sin of Israel rendered it more violent and outrageous. The rulers and those who occupied high places, as the inhabitants of the metropolis Samaria, and the people of the preeminent tribe of Ephraim, proved the most incorrigible of all. Among the vices of the time were falsehood and fraud, and the fraud was both private and public.<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SINS<\/strong> CHARGED<\/strong> AGAINST<\/strong> ISRAEL<\/strong> ARE<\/strong> COMMON<\/strong> TO<\/strong> THEM<\/strong>, WITH<\/strong> THE<\/strong> UNGODLY<\/strong>, AT<\/strong> ALL<\/strong> TIMES<\/strong>. This assertion is proved by the further enumeration of these sins by Hosea. There was also sinful security and senseless stupidity.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> They did not confer with their own hearts in reference to their state in the sight of God, nor impress on themselves their responsibility to him. They were strangers to any right searching of heart, or any serious reflection on the issues of their conduct and conversation. It is thus with hundreds of our fellow-men; want of consideration has ruined thousands Both for time and eternity; hence the earnest wish of the great lawgiver, “Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” Hence, too, the solemn command of “the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The want of consideration or of communing with their own heart had special reference to the relationship in which they stood to God. They did not reflect that God remembered all their wickedness, consequently they did not recollect their liability to punishment for their wickedness at the hand of God, and therefore they did not feel any remorse on account of their wickedness when committed. Being spared after their wickedness, and not visited with immediate vengeance because of their wickedness, they thought themselves certain of impunity; enjoying a season of prosperity notwithstanding the greatness of their wickedness, they were emboldened in their wicked ways.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Atheism, theoretical or practical, or both, was at the root of the matter with them. The first article of belief embraces the existence of God, and the existence of God implies a Being of Divine attributes and infinite perfections; the second article includes a belief in God that he is a Recompenser of men’s actionsa Rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and a Punisher of all workers of wickedness. They rejected, at least practically, these rudiments of the faith, these primary articles of belief; “as if God could not see their wickedness, though he is all eye; and did not heed it, though his name is Jealous; or had forgotten it, though he is an eternal mind that can never be unmindful; or would not reckon for it, though he is the Judge of heaven and earth. This is the sinner’s atheism; as good say there is no God, as say he is either ignorant or forgetful; none that judgeth in the earth, as say he remembers not the things he is to give judgment upon; it is a high affront they put upon God, it is a damning cheat they put upon themselves, when they say, The Lord shall not see” nor remember.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> The eyes of such shall be opened one day. They shall wake up out of their daydream, and their delusion shall vanish when their doings shall beset them about and the sad effects thereof shall entangle them as in a net. They shall see their sins in the punishments they bring upon them; they shall feel them in the sorrows and sufferings that attend them; and they shall recognize that God had them before his face all the time, having knowledge of them when committed, taking notice of their demerit, and remembering them for the exercise of his retributive justice. Even men’s secret sins God sets in the light (literally “luminary<\/em>,” maor<\/em>) <\/em>of his countenance; the fire-flashing eye of the Omniscient penetrates the deep recesses of the human heart, and brings forth its secret workings into the sight of the sun and the broad light of day.<\/p>\n

V.<\/strong> OBSEQUIOUSNESS<\/strong> TO<\/strong> RULERS<\/strong> IN<\/strong> THEIR<\/strong> SINFUL<\/strong> COMMANDS<\/strong> OR<\/strong> COURSES<\/strong> IS<\/strong> EXTREMELY<\/strong> PERNICIOUS<\/strong>. It may please ungodly sovereigns or civil rulers to find subjects so pliable as at once to fall in with their wicked works and ways; or to he flattered by them; or to hear the upright who oppose their vileness slandered; or to listen to the lies by which the unscrupulous seek to ingratiate themselves; but such pandering must prove pitiful and profitless work for both the persons who indulge in it and the princes who encourage it. The former have often realized, though not perhaps to the same extent, the hitter experience of the great cardinal when he said-<\/p>\n

“Oh, how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes’ favors
I There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have;
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again …
Had I but served my God with half the zeal
I served my king, he would not in mine age
Have left me naked to mine enemies.”<\/p>\n

There is an alternative interpretation of verse 3 which presents the other side, and another aspect of the case, namely, when deceitful men wickedly and mendaciously impose on the credulity of princes by false professions of friendship at the very time they are plotting their downfall and planning their destruction. The ordinary acceptation, however, suits the sense of the passage very well. When people are so wicked as to conform to the idolatrous worship prescribed by godless rulers, or to imitate their impious and immoral practices, or to applaud their worthless favorites, or to calumniate those known to be obnoxious to them, those rulers are more than gratified add gladdened by such lying and baseness, they are encouraged and stimulated in their wrongdoing, while a terrible responsibility rests upon the head of both. Thus Herod, after harassing the Church and slaying games the brother of John, “because he saw it pleased the Jews, proceeded further to take Peter.” People, again, when they see that their acts of wickedness please their rulers, or their accounts thereof amuse them, are emboldened to proceed yet further. Thus sovereigns and subjects encouraging each other in sin ultimately work each other’s destruction. There is probably a reference to the people’s facile complaisance with the idolatry of the calves legalized by Jeroboam, or of Baal by Ahaba conscienceless acquiescence which in the end was fraught with the most baneful results to princes and people.<\/p>\n

VI.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> COURSE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> SIN<\/strong> IS<\/strong> A DOWNWARD<\/strong> SLOPE<\/strong>. After reprehending the profligate pleasure which both princes and people took in sin, the prophet reproves the servile submission of the latter to idolatry, and the debaucheries of the former. The adultery which he proceeds to stigmatize may be understood literally as welt as spiritually, the former being so <\/em>frequent an accompaniment of the latter. In this case the heart is aptly compared to an oven, its lusts the fire with which it is heated; while Satan supplies by his temptations the fuel to the fire, and at the same time puts the leaven in the dough. Whether the baker, after kindling the fire, ceases from stirring it till morning, by which time the dough is leavened and ready for the oven, which he then raises to a greater heat; or whether he rests comparatively while still stoking during the interval that elapses from kneading the dough till it is leavened and ready for use; in either case there is a respite, not from the fire of lust abating or the fuel of temptation ceasing, but from want of opportunity or courage or ability. Soon, however, as the occasion presents itself or opportunity is afforded, or means of gratification are available, or hope of impunity is cherished, the fire of lust that seemed smoldering flames up with increased intensity; the wicked plot is executed; the covert passion breaks out into the overt act; the half-stifled concupiscence finds vent; the lustful, covetous, or ambitious project is accomplished.<\/p>\n

VII.<\/strong> DRUNKENNESS<\/strong> IS<\/strong> A PREPARATION<\/strong> FOR<\/strong> OTHER<\/strong> WICKEDNESS<\/strong>. The reference to it in verse 5 is interjected between the mention of adultery and other enormities, as if it were an incentive thereto,<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The occasion on which the intemperance took place was a celebration day, whether the king’s birthday, or the day of his accession to the throne, or his coronation day. As it was, it is; days of celebration, while not improper in themselves, may be turned into days of sinful carousal. Days of high festival that ought to be days of thanksgiving to God, of grateful praise and holy joy, are too often taken advantage of for purposes of intemperance, gluttony, or dissipation. Days that should be consecrated to religious exercises or real national rejoicing are too frequently desecrated by irreligious sensuality and anti-religious debauch.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> According to the common rendering, the health of the king suffered; according to another rendering, which some prefer, the day was begun <\/em>so that his honor was tarnished. According to either, his high dignity was leveled in the dust. It is bad enough and sad enough to see any man indulge in the sin of intemperancea sin which deranges and disorders the body, damages the soul and its eternal interests, dishonors God, and degrades man below the beast that perisheth. But for a king who is appointed to govern others to lose the government of himself through such scandalous excess, is the extreme of vileness; hence the faithful admonition, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine.”<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> While the duty of a king was neglected, the dignity of a king was sacrificed. Kimchi has the following judicious remark in reference to this matter: “The prophet says, What was the business of the princes with the king? There was no conversation about the might and conquest of the enemies and about the establishment of justice, as it becomes the king of a free nation, but their business consisted in eating and drinking until they made the king sick from the excessive drinking of wine.” Even worse, if possible, was the fact of his debasing himself by companionship with profane scoffers. Rashi aptly observes, “The king withdraws his hand from the good and worthy in order to join in fellowship with scorners. The men that put the bottle to his mouth with professed friendliness were, as the event proved, plotting his ruin and preparing for his assassination.”<\/p>\n

VIII.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SEEMING<\/strong> RESPITE<\/strong> FROM<\/strong>, AND<\/strong> REACTIONARY<\/strong> NATURE<\/strong> OF<\/strong>, SIN<\/strong>. The respite was not a real rest from sin; it was only the interval while the mischief was being premeditated, and the opportunity for putting it in practice waited for.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> In the morning, at the first and earliest opportunity, soon as the plot was matured and the favorable moment for its execution arrived, the fire of passion or lust that had been burning slowly all the time broke out afresh and with greatly increased vigor. They made ready, applied, or, as Pusey says,” literally brought near their heart. Their heart was ever brought near to sin, even while the occasion was removed at a distance from it.” While the leaven is commingling with the dough and the fuel combining with the fire, the baker may sleep, or seem to do so; so, while temptation, like fuel, is acting on the fire of lust within, and the evil suggestion of Satan is pervading the powers of the soul in which it has found lodgment, the tempter may appear to slumber. The work is going on internally, and once the occasion offers it shall be carried out externally in full force and certain effect.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> A man throws a stone in the air and it comes back on his own head; men sin themselves or tempt others to sin, and the consequences recoil on themselves. The Israelitish kings, from the period of the disruption in the days of Jeroboam, corrupted the worship of God or acquiesced in that corruption, and induced the people to conform to that corruption and other sinful courts that followed in its wake; and all for their own political advantage and private selfish endsto prevent, if possible, the return of power to the Davidic line, and the reunion of the ten tribes with the two. But the time of reaction arrived, and the retributive Nemesis began to work; the people who had been corrupted by their rulers now turned against their corrupters; disloyalty to God brought in its train disloyalty to man; kings and subordinate rulers perished in quick succession. And notwithstanding the times of anarchy, insecurity for life and property, and general upheaval of social orderamid all those scenes of terrible confusion, there was none among them to realize the fact that “for the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof.” Consequently there was none among them to call upon God in supplication for relief and preservation.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8-11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The silly sinful pride and obduracy of Israel, in spite of many manifest tokens of decay, or their disastrous foreign policy.<\/p>\n

The prophet had described the corruption; he now turns to the state of the country. From the iniquity of the princes he descends to the sin of the people. The figure of baking is still present to the prophet, as is evident from the metaphor of a cake.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> INCONSISTENCY<\/strong> AND<\/strong> WORTHLESSNESS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> DIVIDED<\/strong> ALLEGIANCE<\/strong>. God had intended to separate Israel from the rest of the nations, and by prohibiting intermarriages to keep them distinct.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The great purpose of this separation was to prevent their associating with their heathen neighbors, and conforming to their idolatries and immoralities. Thus they were to conserve the doctrines of the Divine unity, the knowledge of the true God, and the purity of his worship. But by intercourse with their neighbors, and forming alliances now with one then with another, in order to secure their helpthe help of one against anotherthey got mixed up with them, and became like a cake in which two ingredients at least, Judaism and Gentilism, were kneaded together. The consequence of such admixture, as the word () implies, was confusion.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> But, in addition to baking the cake of such heterogeneous elements, there was the defective evening, or rather imperfect hardening of the cake by fire, so that one side was burnt and blackened, the other doughy and dampneither roast nor raw, and consequently useless. Thus Israel was often, as in the days of Ahab, halting between God and Baal; now zealous for the latter and indifferent to the former, or the converse; more commonly cold towards Jehovah and warm for Baal; frequently neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. They blended Gentile idolatry with the worship of the true God; they joined in the calf-worship at Dan and Bethel, while they swore by the Name of Jehovah. It is thus also with many professing Christians: they have a name to live, but are dead; they have a form of godliness, but want the power; they are hypocritical professors, but are devoid of real godliness. Whatever outward services they perform, it is for parade or to be seen of men, while they are strangers to the practice of piety and exercise of charity. The Targum explains this of punishment rather than of position. “The house of Ephraim is like to a cake baked on coals, which before it is turned is eaten;” that is, they are suddenly destroyed by their enemies, who are like hungry men that, without waiting for the turning and proper baking of a cake, snatch it up, though only half baked, and speedily devour it.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> TOKENS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> DIVINE<\/strong> DISPLEASURE<\/strong>. When God is displeased with a person or a people, one way in which he manifests such displeasure is by desertion. He leaves them in the hands of their enemies. On the contrary, when a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes his enemies to be at peace with him. When Israel, in consequence of sin, was thus deserted, strangers devoured his strength, that is to say, his substance; they robbed him of his wealth, they wasted the fruits of his field, they dismantled his fortresses, they destroyed the flower of the population, and they imposed oppressive tribute. The strangers referred to included several nationalities. The Syrians had so weakened and distressed Israel in the reign of Jehoahaz that they had made them “like the dust by threshing.” Then came the Assyrians under Pul in the days of Menahem King of Israel, and exacted a tribute of a thousand talents of silver, thus draining their resources and devouring their strength. Subsequently, Tiglath-pileser, monarch of Assyria, captured many of the Israelitish fortresses, and carried the inhabitants into captivity. By such exactions and devastations strangers exhausted the strength of Israel<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> MARKS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> NATIONAL<\/strong> AND<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong>. Grey hairs, if plentiful, are a sign that old age has already arrived; grey hairs, when sprinkled here and there, are symptoms of its approach, and of life’s decline.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Grey hairs had at this time appeared here and there in Israel, and thus proved the kingdom to be in a weak and declining state; they were not only symptomatic of the present, but prognostic of the future. The afforded proof plain and palpable of national declension at present existing through the depredations and exactions of the enemy; they also foreboded the melancholy fact that utter decay was near at hand.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> But there is also spiritual decay, and the life of the soul is subject to it. How many professing Christiansmembers of the visible Churchare in this sad condition of spiritual declension, and hardly conscious of it! Grey hairs are here and there upon them, and they know it not. The dwelling-place of God is not so lovely, nor the tabernacles of iris grace so amiable, as they once were; there is not the same relish for the Word of God as there once was; prayer is not so fervent or so frequent as formerly; prairies are not so hearty nor so heavenly as when the Christian life began;all such circumstances give evidence that grey hairs are here and there upon persons in the condition indicated, whether they perceive them or not. But we cannot stay to dwell on the nature of spiritual decay and the marks thereof; we may, however, briefly sum them up. They are such as the following: diminished appreciation of the Divine Word, without self-application of it or growth in the knowledge of it; restraining prayer before God, without supplication for one’s self on special occasions and under particular circumstances, and without earnest intercession for others; less love to Christ and less leaning on him; less hatred of sin and less esteem for the righteous.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> It is of prime importance to ascertain the causes of decay. What caused the national decay of Israel? There was the prevalence of lust: “They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker;” this was one of the causes of Israel’s decline. Another cause was their intercourse with the ungodly: “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people.” These may be taken as specimens of the causes which brought about the national decline of Israel. When lust prevailed, or when they associated freely among the nations instead of dwelling alone, grey hairs appeared here and there upon them. So is it with spiritual decay in the case of Christians. When sensual lust, or last for gold, or for pleasure, or for praise, overmasters a follower of Christ, decay has set in, grey hairs show themselves here and there upon him. Again, when worldly society is eagerly sought and keenly relished by Christians, forgetful that, like Israel of old, they are a peculiar people, as our Lord has said, “Ye are not of the world, as I am not of the world,” then spiritual affections are decaying, grey hairs are here and there upon them.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> The most surprising circumstance of all is the ignorance of those who are sufferers by this process of decay. Israel did not know because he did not wish to know, as if by ignoring it he could conceal it from himself or others. “He knoweth not,” says Pusey, “the tokens of decay in himself, but hides them from himself; he knoweth not God, who is the Author of them; he knoweth net the cause of them, his sins; he knoweth not the end and object of them, his conversion; he knoweth not what, since he knoweth not any of these things, will be the issue of them, his destruction.” Somehow thus it is with spiritual decay. Most persons dislike the idea of growing old, or even of being thought old. They care not to notice themselves, and they conceal from others as much as possible, the marks of age and the progress of decay. All the while grey hairs multiply, and old age creeps on apace, almost imperceptibly and without being observed, so that in a certain sense many persons become old without fully realizing the fact. Likewise in the decay of life in a Christian’s soul, it goes on secretly, and little, if at all, noticed, like the silent advance of age with its gradually increasing decrepitude and decay; grey hairs are here and there upon him, and he knows it not. Let us beware of the insidious approach of spiritual decay, and be on ore’ guard against it.<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> PRIOR<\/strong> RAISES<\/strong> A GREAT<\/strong> BARRIER<\/strong> BETWEEN<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SOUL<\/strong> AND<\/strong> GOD<\/strong>, Notwithstanding Israel’s decline, pride attended them still; it remained unsubdued; it prevented their return to God; it stood in the way of their seeking him. Or, if the other translation be preferred, and if it be granted that Israel’s pride was humbled by the calamities that had come upon them, those calamities had not been sanctified, and so they returned not to nor sought the Lord. For all this, <\/em>and in spite of all God’s merciful dealings with them, they persisted in their impenitence and stood out against the Most High. God had shown them his loving-kindness, and again he had visited them with severe corrections; he had almost exhausted the resources of his grace; and yet they were in no way bettered, but rather grew worse. So is it with many. God’s gracious dealings fail to draw them to God; his afflictive dispensations too often drive them away from God. And yet, when he sends affliction, it is a loud call on men, not only to seek relief from God, but also to seek God himself, his face and favor-free as well as that help which he alone can give; whereas obstinate impenitence frustrates the dispensations of Providence, and afflictions unsanctified in no way better men or improve their <\/p>\n

V.<\/strong> FOLLY<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CAUSE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> MEN<\/strong> NEGLECTING<\/strong> THE<\/strong> RIGHT<\/strong>, AND<\/strong> RESORTING<\/strong> TO<\/strong> WRONG<\/strong> SOURCES<\/strong> OF<\/strong> SUCCOR<\/strong> AND<\/strong> RELIEF<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Simplicity with godly sincerity, in accepting the Word of God and in obeying the will of God, is estimable and highly commendable; simplicity without a heart to love God, following his guidance, and delighting in his governance, is both wrong-headed and reprehensible. With regard to the former there is the promise, “The Lord preserveth the simple;” in relation to the latter the solemn question is asked, “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?” The union of simplicity or ingenuousness of purpose with understanding of heart is commended by the exhortation of our Lord, “Be ye wise as serpents, harmless [or, ‘simple ‘] as doves.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The silliness of Israel was simplicity in its bad sense, as we learn from the specimen <\/em>of their conduct which the prophet subjoins. The calamities which befell them were so many calls to them to return to God and seek his merciful interposition; but, instead of applying to God, they exhibited unspeakable folly in having recourse to one or other of the two great rival powers, Egypt and Assyria, of which the former was as unreliable as a broken reed, piercing the hand that leans on it, and the latter crushing and cruel as the king of foreign beasts in devouring his prey. “Egypt,” it has been well said, “was a delusive promiser, not failing only, but piercing those who leant on it; Assyria was a powerful oppressor.”<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> The miseries which Israel brought upon himself, and in which men frequently involve themselves by taking a similarly silly and simple course, were<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> inescapable, and such as they could by no possibility extricate themselves from, for the net of God would ensnare and envelop them.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> They are unquestionably certain; for however high hopes men may entertain of their carnal confidences, to whatever height of temporary prosperity they may be elevated, God is sure to bring them down, and their fall will be disgraceful in proportion to the elevation they fancied themselves to have attained.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> They will consist of sore chastisements, and all the sorer from being so well deserved.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> The folly of such conduct in the face of warnings so great and manifold is as inexcusable as undeserving of pity. Israel sent southward to Egypt or traveled northward to Assyria in search of human helps, all the time turning their back on God; while to all the exhortations and remonstrances addressed to the congregation of Israel they refused to lend an ear. Line upon line they had been favored with in the book of the Lawin the blessings on obedience and the curses on disobedience which Ebal and Gerizim respectively re-echoedin the teachings of other prophets, in the appeals of Hosea himself; their heedlessness to all these disentitled them to sympathy from man or succor from God.<\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY C. JERDAN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sins of court and country.<\/p>\n

The reproofs contained in this chapter lay special emphasis upon the sins of the upper classes. But the prophet brands the whole nation also for its irreligion and immorality, and (in the second part of the chapter) for its political corruption.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> EXPOSURE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> ISRAEL<\/strong>‘S SIN<\/strong>. The wickedness of the people is portrayed, both as regards principles and individual acts. It may be described as:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Gold-blooded in its principles<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:1-3<\/span>) These showed themselves in habits of:<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> “Falsehood.” (Hos 7:1<\/span>) There was “no truth in the land” (Hos 4:1<\/span>). The life of the nation had become a lie. Towards God there was chronic hypocrisy, and towards man habits of theft and robbery (Hos 6:6-10<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Sympathy with sin and crime<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:3<\/span>) The ruling classes had become morally so corrupt that not only was their example always evil, but it also gave them positive satisfaction to take note of the immoralities of their subjects. Such satisfaction is itself the climax of human wickedness (Rom 1:32<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Spiritual inconsiderateness<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:2<\/span>, Hos 7:7<\/span>) The root of all the evil was Israel’s forgetfulness of God. They failed to remember his holiness, his justice, his omniscience. And, in ignoring these truths, they neglected also their own highest interests; for, from the lack of timely repentance, their sins “beset them about.” This inconsiderateness is the cardinal error of all ungodly men. Multitudes, like Ephraim, have had their attention loudly called to spiritual things by the voice of temporal blessings, of gospel promises, and of providential chastisements; but they will not hear! But, again, Israel’s sin was:<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Hot-blooded in its acts<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:4-7<\/span>) Here the people are com- pared three several times to a baker’s “oven,” the meaning being that in doing their deeds of guilt they were enthusiastic and passionate, They sinned hotly in the direction of:<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> Idolatry<\/em>. (Hos 7:4<\/span>) “They are all adulterers;” i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>king, princes, and people alike were guilty of apostasy from Jehovah, and shared in the dissoluteness which was associated with the worship of the Phoenician deities. “They had violated their faith pledged to God, they gave themselves up to filthy superstitions, and they had wholly corrupted themselves; for faith and sincerity of heart constitute spiritual chastity before God” (Calvin). Their souls were inflamed with their idolatrous lusts like a burning oven.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Debauchery<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:5<\/span>) Both the king and the nobles followed habits of intemperance. At the banquet held on the royal birthday he and they “erred through strong drink,” and scoffed together at the majesty of Jehovah. In our own country, too, how many there are who spend Christmas as if they were celebrating the birth of the devil rather than that of the Redeemer!<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Anarchy<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:6<\/span>, Hos 7:7<\/span>) The fiery passions of the people caused the land to be long torn by disorder and revolution. Their rulers became fuel for the fire of their anger. “All their kings are fallen;”Zechariah was murdered by Shallum, Shallum by Menahem, Pekahiah by Pekah, etc. Indeed, very few of the monarchs of the northern kingdom died in peace. During its entire course, the heat of political violence devoured like a furnace; and in the deepest national calamities none sought the aid of the Divine King.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> WHAT<\/strong> LED<\/strong> TO<\/strong> THIS<\/strong> EXPOSURE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The<\/em> encircling presence of their sins<\/em>. <\/em>(Verse 2) The people sinned so deeply and so boldly that their enormities grew up around them like a rampart. Wherever they went their wickedness attended them, and became a swift witness against them. A man’s iniquity wraps him round like a poisoned tunic. He is “holden with the cords of his sins” (Pro 5:22<\/span>); and it is his own hands, alas! that have forged and riveted his chains. Evil doings “beset” a man through the accusations of conscience, through the power of habit, through the action of natural law, and through the providence of God, which makes sure that his “sin will find him out.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> God<\/em>‘s remembrance of their sins<\/em>. <\/em>(Verse 2) The Lord must take notice of sin, for he must punish it. Although the sinful nation has forgotten this, the fact remains. “They are before my face;” i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>ever present to me; I cannot avoid seeing them. “These words [“before me”] in the first commandment teach us that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god” (Westminster Assembly’s Shorter Catechism).<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> God<\/em>‘s efforts to cure them of their sins<\/em>. <\/em>(Verse 1) As the depth and seriousness of a wound are often not known until the surgeon probes it, and as the nature of a disease may not be fully understood for some time after the physician has begun to grapple with the case, so the depravity of Israel was adequately exposed only when God adopted strong measures in connection with it, by the chastisements of his providence, and the warning voices of his prophets. For the people refused to obey each summons to repentance; and, instead of placing confidence in Jehovah, “they called to Egypt, and went to Assyria” (verse 11). So the very means of grace which God used in order to save Israel, became the occasion of showing how far the nation had already wandered from him, and even of inducing them to wander still further. And thus is it still, when God deals with men by his Word and Spirit. “By the Law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20<\/span>). The primary work of the Holy Ghost is to “convince the world of sin” (Joh 16:8<\/span>). By his common grace he gives, even to the unconverted, a partial view of their own unworthiness. And, in the case of all who enter upon the Christian life, he uses the disclosure of sin to lead the penitent to renounce all self-righteousness, and to fall at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy.C.J.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A cake not turned.<\/p>\n

There are many striking sayings in Hosea. This one, in particular, has a quiet touch of humor in it, as well as a severe reproof. There is nothing conventional in the style of the Bible writers. When they have anything practical to say, they do not wrap it up in verbiage. The Book of Hosea contains strains of poetry of surpassing splendor; yet here is an illustration from the cottager’s kitchen. Let us look at this cake. It is burnt to a cinder on one side, and remains lamp and doughy on the other. It is partly underdone, partly overdone; and thus, being neither dough nor bread, it is quite spoiled, and fit only to be thrown away. The metaphor reminds us of the English legend of good King Alfred, when a wanderer in the forest of Selwood: the royal fugitive kept mending his bow and arrows, and forgot to turn the cakes which the neat-herd’s wife had committed to his care. The first part of the verse helps us to understand the metaphor in its application to the kingdom of the ten tribes. Ephraim had “mixed himself among the people,” i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>entered into political alliances with the heathen round about, and conformed to their idolatrous usages. Yet he did not wish to break with Jehovah altogether; the Israelites continued to observe the sabbaths and the feast-days (Hos 2:11<\/span>). But the simile before us may be used with a still wider application. It describes<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> NATURAL<\/strong> STATE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> MANKIND<\/strong>. Human nature since the Fall has been spoiled and worthless. There clings to it a radical defect Godward. Man is like a cake which has its warm side to the earth, and its cold side towards heaven. Some unrenewed men are very kindly in feeling and unselfish in action towards their fellow-men, but all the while their hearts remain cold and ungrateful towards God. We remember the young man who came to Christ, of whom it is said that “Jesus, beholding him, loved not turned.”<\/p>\n

“Low, but majestic, though most strangely formed
Of contradictions and antitheses,
With head of gold and feet of miry clay,
One half of dust, one half of deity;
Touching the angel here, and there the brute.
Here, ‘thoughts that wander through eternity;’
There, passions sounding all the sties of time;
His rooted selfishness and lofty love,
His little life, his princely intellect,
His pure desires, his hateful selfishness,
Deeds of darkness, and his thoughts of light.”<\/p>\n

(Gilfillan)<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CHARACTER<\/strong> OF<\/strong> MANY<\/strong> WHO<\/strong> MAKE<\/strong> A PROFESSION<\/strong> OF<\/strong> RELIGION<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> In this connection <\/em>various ideas are suggested.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Hypocrisy<\/em>. <\/em>Ephraim boasted that he was a nation sacred to Jehovah all the while that he addicted himself to the idolatry of Baal and Ashtaroth. So, still, the man who shags at meeting and swears at market is a hypocrite. It is in vain to call out “Lord, Lord,” if we do not the things which Christ says. Obedience in the letter is valueless, when divorced from obedience in the spirit. The bottles of profession are of no use if we do not pour into them the wine of principle.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Inconsistency<\/em>. <\/em>The people of the northern kingdom betrayed this in “mixing themselves” spiritually with the uncircumcised and unclean Gentiles. And, in our own day, how many there are whose fixed resolve seems to be to wear the Christian name, and at the same time take care not to part from the world! Their business habits assume the form of an ingeniously adjusted compromise between the service of God and that of mammon. And in social and domestic life they try to retain some relish for the pleasures of religion, even amidst the pursuit of amusements that are distinctively worldly. But it is a wretched thing to be “neither fish nor flesh” as regards character. It is impossible to “run both with the hare and the hounds.” Spiritually, each of us is really either one thing or the other, and we should seem to be what we are. The Lord’s command is,” Be not conformed to this world” (Rom 12:2<\/span>); “Come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2Co 6:17<\/span>).<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Half-heartedness<\/em>. <\/em>There are many who name Christ’s Name by partaking of the Lord’s Supper, whose religion, as reflected in their daily lives, seems little more than nominal. You cannot say that they are wicked sinners, but neither dare you call them saints. They are too good to ban, and too bad to bless; too good for hell, but not nearly good enough for heaven. Their character is one of insipid negative respectability. Then there are those also who make only a half-and-half professionwho confess Christ’s Name so far as to attend public worship, but stop short at the threshold of the guest-chamber, where the Lord’s Supper is spread. Perhaps they think that only conscientious scruples keep them back; but God, who knows the heart, may judge that it is rather half-heartedness. For, if Christianity be true, it is a tremendous verity. And if it be right to hear Christ’s gospel preached, it is dutiful also to obey his other precepts; as, e<\/em>.g<\/em>; to “do this in remembrance of him,” and, “whatsoever we do, to do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus.”<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> CONDITION<\/strong> OF<\/strong> MANY<\/strong> TRUE<\/strong> CHRISTIANS<\/strong>. Indeed, we might almost say, of all<\/em>. <\/em>For where is the believer whose spiritual condition satisfies his own enlightened convictions as to what he ought to be? Our personal deficiencies abound; and these are due either to our moral ignorance or to our moral supineness.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Our Christian character lacks thoroughness<\/em>. <\/em>The process of sanctification is designed to renew us “in the whole man,” and yet we know that in fact a holy character is never perfected in this life. Every believer has within him a mixture of good and evil, and the purer he becomes he is the more ready to acknowledge the imperfection of his nature. Many true Christians, however, do not co-operate with God’s Spirit so earnestly as they might, in striving to rid themselves of indwelling sin. They carry with them that Laodicean lukewarmness which the Lord abhors (Rev 3:16<\/span>); their Christian character, in wanting thoroughness, is like “a cake not turned.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> It also lacks all-sidedness<\/em>. <\/em>A man may be a true believer for a lifetime, and yet neglect entirely to bring some important departments of conduct into contact with the fire of Divine grace. He may try to regulate his domestic affairs by the law of Christ, and forget all the while to subject his business concerns to the same law. Some good men trust God absolutely about their souls, but only partially about their temporal affairs. Some are zealous workers in the cause of Christ, but would rather avoid putting money into his treasury; while others seldom refuse to give a subscription, but give it on the understanding that they are not to be expected to take any personal trouble. Now, if we distinguish in this way between one duty and another, both of which are equally binding, what are we but “a cake not turned”? To avoid such defects, we must enlighten conscience and strengthen its authority; and expose our whole nature, in spirit and soul and body, to the fire of gospel truth and grace.C.J.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Grey hairs.<\/p>\n

In Scripture these are sometimes associated with sentiments of honor and reverence, for they suggest the thought of ripe wisdom and venerable piety (Le 19:32<\/span>; Pro 16:31<\/span>). Here, however, they are viewed simply as premonitions of old age, and of an old age, besides, that was premature. There is a lesson in our text, taking it even in its most literal sense. The believer’s first grey hairs should remind him that the grace of God will enable him to “grow old gracefully.” Bat the “grey hairs” spoken of in this verse are, of course, figurative. We may consider the text in connection with<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DECLINE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> NATIONS<\/strong>. Its primary reference is to “Ephraim,” and to the symptoms which Ephraim showed of approaching national ruin. But the whole Bible, and especially the Old Testament, is full of teaching about the decadence of nations. The Hebrew prophets point to “the giant forms of empires on their way to ruin.” Hence the priceless value of their writings to the Christian patriot, and to the devout student of history. What are some of the “grey hairs” which forebode national decay?<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Idolatry<\/em>. <\/em>The northern kingdom had departed from God, first in worshipping Jeroboam’s calves, and afterwards in serving the idol-deities of Phoenicia. And now, in his time of political need, Ephraim was looking for help to Egypt and Assyria (Hos 7:8-11<\/span>), instead of returning to Jehovah as his Portion. This “grey hair” led quickly to the degradation and ruin of the kingdom. So, still, those nations that will not serve the Lord our God shall perish, and be utterly wasted.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Immorality<\/em>. <\/em>A people may increase greatly in civilization and intellectual culture, and yet be sprinkled all over with this “grey hair.” Ancient Greece, when it was the land of art and poetry and philosophy, was morally all the while a mass of corruption. Rome, during the first century of the Christian era, was even worse. Juvenal calls it “a filthy sewer,” and Seneca “a cesspool of iniquity.” When immorality is rampant, it marks the commonwealth as moribund, and forebodes its “decline and fall.”<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Vicious<\/em> luxury<\/em>. <\/em>It was a sign of decay when Ephraim began to” live deliciously,” like ancient Tyre and Babylon (Amo 6:3<\/span>, et seq<\/em>). <\/em>In the palmy days of the Roman commonwealth the Romans were brave, hardy, and victorious; but under the Empire the inner life of the people was gradually eaten away by the canker of luxury. Our own nation, and all the great Anglo-Saxon communities at the present time, need to guard against this “grey hair.”<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Oppression of the poor<\/em>. <\/em>If a nation is to continue safe against dissolution, it must be governed by justice and humanity. The French revolution of 1789 was the result of the sinful waste of the Bourbon kings, and the misery of the French peasantry. But every nation is in danger which takes no care <\/em>to “judge the poor of the people.” This text reminds us, accordingly, of our duty as citizens<\/em>. <\/em>We must take order that our political representatives shall act in all public matters with justice and honor. Every Christian elector <\/em>should use his ballot-paper under a sense of his responsibility to the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of nations; and he ought to do what he can otherwise to strengthen public opinion in the direction of wise political principles, and of a healthy condition of the national conscience<\/em>.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DECLINE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> CHURCHES<\/strong>. For, alas! the marks of decay <\/em>are often found there also. It was so with the seven Churches of proconsular Asia in the first century. In most of the epistles which the Lord addressed to them (Rev 2:1-29<\/span>; Rev 3:1-22<\/span>) he points out the “grey hairs.” How gradually, too, premonitions of spiritual decline <\/em>appeared in the Church of Rome! The student of Church history sees at first only one or two “grey hairs” upon its head. We may indicate some of the signs of spiritual decay in Churches.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Prevalence of unsound doctrine<\/em>. <\/em>A Church, to be spiritually healthy, must be thoroughly evangelical. Its ministers must not regard themselves merely as the educators of some native goodness in man; and they must not preach as if the cross were only a myth, or the Holy Ghost a metaphor. The Church’s best times are those in which it teaches most clearly and emphatically the three evangelical “R’s,” viz. ruin by the fall, redemption by the Lord Jesus, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Lack of missionary zeal<\/em>. <\/em>This detect frequently accompanies unwholesome doctrine. The continued vigor of a Church depends upon its aggressiveness as a crusading institute in opposition to the sin and misery of the world. It is not enough that it provide carefully for its own edification, and know that its members are benefited by its services. It will decline in spiritual life if it forgets those around who perish “for lack of knowledge.”<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Decadence of family religion<\/em>. <\/em>In the Bible the true ecclesiastical unit is not the individual, but the family. Holy Scripture magnifies “the Church in the house.” And experience shows that a congregation, to be strong and healthy, must be composed of well-trained, intelligent, and devout families. What both the Church and the nation greatly need today is godly households. The lack of family religion is a precursor of spiritual ruin.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> The<\/em> spirit of worldliness<\/em>. <\/em>The Lord Jesus detected this “grey hair” in the Church of Ephesus (Rev 2:4<\/span>) and in the Church of Laodicea (Rev 3:15<\/span>). And those of our own day are not untainted with the same spirit. It is a mark of decay when a denomination or congregation <\/em>plumes itself upon its social importance; or when it makes an idol of decorum and good taste; or when it becomes formal in spirit, and discourages religious enthusiasm; or when it relaxes in faithfulness of discipline.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DECLINE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> LIFE<\/strong> IN<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SOUL<\/strong>. The figure appropriately describes the backslidings of true and professed believers. We shall mention one or two symptoms which even those who themselves manifest them are prone to fail to recognize.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Habits of sin<\/em>. <\/em>It may be that seeds of evil which we sowed long ago in our hearts are growing up now, and occasioning us spiritual failure and confusion. Little sins are like these” grey hairs;” e<\/em>.g<\/em>. <\/em>the spirit of over-carefulness, the spirit of caviling, the spirit of ostentation in religious duties, the unforgiving spirit, undue love of human praise, uncharitable judging, etc.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Neglect of ordinances<\/em>. <\/em>Christ has given us his Word, and has invited us to come to the throne of grace, and has spread for us the communion-table. But how gradually may we lose our relish for these means of grace, and how easily may the habit of neglecting them steal in upon our souls!<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Covetousness<\/em>. <\/em>Some one has described the love of money as “the Church member’s sin.” Thomas Binney has said of it that it is “about the only great damning vice which can be indulged and clung to in connection with a recognized modern religious profession.” There is no sin more insidious; it may occupy the heart and one “not know” it.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Conformity to the world<\/em>. <\/em>The daily circumstances of our lot constantly appeal to sense and self, and continually tempt us to give up trying to lead a spiritual, pure, and consecrated life. Even a true believer, before he knows it, may be “following afar off,” and slowly abating his testimony as a nonconformist to the ungodly customs of the world. <\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>. We require frequently to “examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith.” We ought constantly to hold up before our eyes the clear mirror of Holy Scripture, that we may detect the “grey hairs.” We must also see reflected in it the glorious form of the Lord Jesus, the one Image of perfect manhood. There are no “grey hairs” upon him; “his locks are bushy, and black as a raven” (So Rom 5:11<\/span>). We must seek grace to give ourselves constantly to the imitation of Christ.C.J.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11-16<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ephraim’s folly and falseness.<\/p>\n

In this passage the Lord threatens the northern kingdom for its unnatural and untheocratic policy of seeking support from the neighboring heathen powers. These verses, therefore, deal primarily with the sins of the court and the government. The nation is to be punished for<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> POLITICAL<\/strong> INFATUATION<\/strong>. (Hos 7:11<\/span>, Hos 7:12<\/span>) The true resting-place of the commonwealth was in God; but Ephraim had wandered from him, and was fluttering about inconsiderately “like a silly senseless dove,” now seeking help from Egypt and now from Assyria (2Ki 17:3<\/span>, 2Ki 17:4<\/span>). How prone are governments to lay stress upon statecraft and diplomacy, when they should be simply trusting in God and following righteousness! Dr. Pusey aptly refers in this connection to “the balance of power” which for so long a period controlled the policy of European statesmen. But this theory has of late years largely lost its influence, and given place to a policy of non-intervention, accompanied with an enormous increase of military armaments. The true balance of power will be established only when the nations everywhere acknowledge the kingship of Christ, and deal with one another on the principles of justice and amity which his Law enjoins. As Ephraim was caught in the “net” of his own foreign entanglementsthese becoming his ruinso will all those nations be that forget God, and make flesh their arm. In the case of Israel, “their congregation had heard” the threat of such chastisement from Moses and the prophets; while modern states “hear” it from the Word of God, and witness its execution in the retributions of history.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> MORAL<\/strong> INGRATITUDE<\/strong>. (Hos 7:13-15<\/span>) During the whole career of the Hebrew people God had lavished upon them his tender love and compassion; but they had requited him with the basest ingratitude. They had been unthankful and evil, although he was:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Their Redeemer<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:13<\/span>) Jehovah had delivered them from Egypt; he had protected them in the desert; he had raised up the judges to repel their foreign oppressors; he had “saved” the northern kingdom “by the hand of Jeroboam II<\/strong>; the son of Joash ‘ (2Ki 14:27<\/span>). The Lord had constantly redeemed them; and he was prepared to do so again, if they would but turn to him in penitence and faith. But, alas! Ephraim persisted in his apostasy, and by his idol-worship and insincerity “made God a liar,” and his own national life also a lie.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The Giver of their harvests<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:14<\/span>) In the time of prosperity Israel ignored Jehovah as the Author of fruitful seasons (Hos 2:8<\/span>). In the time of famine, however, the people in their distress wildly” howled” for bread; but if they cried to Jehovah at all, they did not do so “with their heart.”<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Their Physician<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:15<\/span>) Jehovah had acted towards Israel like a wise and skilful surgeon. He had seen their power enfeebled, like a relaxed or dislocated arm; and he had bound the arm, to make it once more strong and sinewy. Yet the first use to which Israel put the healed arm was to raise it to strike the Healer. What a warning have we here against the sin of unthankfulness! The Lord’s reproach reminds us that apart from the grateful heart there can be no true piety. Gratitude is inseparable from faith in God. And the reflex influence of gratitude upon the soul is to inspire and ennoble it. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!”<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> INSTABILITY<\/strong>. (Hos 7:16<\/span>) The princes of Israel were constantly changing their policy; but they never, amidst all their changes, really turned towards God. The nation often professed to seek him, but their evil heart constantly drew them aside to idols. “They are like a deceitful bow,” which has either been faultily constructed at the first, or the string of which has lost its elasticity, and which, therefore, disappoints the archer by sending forth the arrow wide of the mark. So Ephraim had given a wrong direction to his whole spiritual life. The nation had failed to accomplish the end for which God had chosen it. Its profession and its practice were at variance. Its arrows were not directed towards the Divine glory, and therefore it must presently “fall by the sword,” and suffer the “derision” of Egypt, in whom it had foolishly trusted. But does not this graphic metaphor, “a deceitful bow,” describe the character of every unbeliever; and of every Christian, in so far as he trusts in his own strength? “In like way doth every sinner act, using against God, in the service of Satan, God’s gifts of nature or of outward means, talents, or wealth, or strength, or beauty, or power of speech. God gave all for his own glory; and man turns all aside to do honor and service to Satan” (Pusey). We must be daily strengthened with the grace that is in Christ Jesus, if our bow is to “turn not hack,” but to “abide in strength.”C.J.<\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY A. ROWLAND<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:2<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

An unconsidered truth.<\/p>\n

Two facts are suggested here.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> GOD<\/strong> REMEMBERS<\/strong> THE<\/strong> WICKEDNESS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> MAN<\/strong>. “Wickedness” may exist in thought or intention (Psa 139:23<\/span>, Psa 139:24<\/span>), in word (Mat 12:36<\/span>), in act (Psa 51:4<\/span>).<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> This fact is proclaimed in God<\/em>‘s Word<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> Statements<\/em>. <\/em>Jer 14:10<\/span> proves God’s watchfulness, Jer 17:1<\/span> his recollection, Isa 44:22<\/span> his record, etc.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Examples <\/em>seen in the sin of Adam, the antediluvians, Joseph’s brethren, Abraham in Egypt, David, etc.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> This fact is necessitated by the Divine nature<\/em>. <\/em>God’s omnipresence, omniscience, and immutability imply it. His absolute perfection makes impossible either defect of knowledge or decay of faculty.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> This fact is exemplified in the life of the Lord Jesus<\/em>. <\/em>“He knew what was in man;” “He knew their thoughts,” etc. Show how completely he detected the plots of his foes, knew the doubts of his disciples (Joh 20:27<\/span>), overheard the discussions of distant followers (Mar 9:34<\/span>), perceived the unexpressed longings of the unpardoned (Mat 9:2-7<\/span>), and read the secrets of a sinful life (Luk 7:37-50<\/span>).<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> This<\/em> fact is a requisite to a just judgment<\/em>. <\/em>See references to the coming judgment (Ecc 12:14<\/span>; Jer 32:18<\/span>, etc). No fair decision could be given except by One who knew all our sins and struggles, and had forgotten none of their circumstances.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> MAN<\/strong> FORGETS<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SUPERVISION<\/strong> OF<\/strong> GOD<\/strong>. “They consider not,” etc. It is not said man has no knowledge of the fact, but that he does not reflect upon it. To “consider in the heart” is to think over the truth seriously, closely, with sincere application to ourselves. If the charge were not true, we should no longer continue in sin; we should not attempt to extenuate it; we should mourn over it as an offence against God rather than as a cause of dishonor or loss to ourselves. Show the sinfulness of this.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> It is disobedience to the exhortation of God<\/em>. <\/em>“Now therefore consider your ways;” “Oh that they were wise, that they would consider,” etc.!<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> It is rebellion against the rule of conscience.<\/em> Show what conscience is to the child at his first offence, and what it becomes through continued heedlessness.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> It is encouragement to secret <\/em>s\/n. “They say, Doth God know?” etc. Many sins are disguised from the world, unsuspected by our friends, from which, therefore, no regard for reputation will save us. The secret sin undermines the character. Open sin follows. Even if it does not, the judgment of God is against those that do such things.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> It is a hindrance to true repentance<\/em>. <\/em>Men do not come to Christ until they feel their need of him, who “saves his people from their sins.”A.R.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The sin of half-heartedness.<\/p>\n

When the discipline which God sends to arouse men to thought fails of its purpose, it cannot but harm the nation or the individual receiving it. There is a light from heaven which ushers in the new day, and wakes the world to life and joy; but there is also a light from heaven, seen in the lightning-flash, which serves only to make the darkness visible; and this, not that, was the emblem of the light shed upon Israel by exhortation and discipline in Hosea’s times. They were scorched, not blessed, because they refused to turn to the Lord. SubjectThe sin of half-heartedness <\/em>is set before us in the graphic imagery of our text.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CAUSE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THIS<\/strong> SIN<\/strong>. Doubtless it varies according to the circumstances and the character of each one who is guilty of it. Sometimes the sin results from weakness of character and vacillation of purpose, and sometimes from want of earnest consideration. But the cause mentioned in our text is by no means infrequent. “Ephraim hath mixed himself among the people,” i<\/em>.e<\/em>. the heathen. Israel was ordained to be a separated people (Exo 34:12<\/span>, Exo 34:13<\/span>; Le Exo 20:24<\/span>). Balaam was shrewd enough to see that their strength lay in their separateness (Num 23:9<\/span>). He knew that the curse Balak sought against them would fall, if only they could be blended with the idolatrous people around. Partakers in guilt, they would be partakers in punishment. To us the restrictions placed on their marriage and their commerce appear illiberal; but he who imposed them understood the weakness of this people, and estimated rightly the universality and intensity of idolatry. Results justified God’s ordinance. Jeroboam’s residence in Egypt brought calf-worship into Israeli Ahab’s marriage with Jezebel introduced the rites of Baal and Ashtaroth. In Hosea’s time the people were leavened by idolatry, and the allusion here is to this fact, and not to the political alliances formed with heathen empires, or to the conquest of parts of Israel’s territory by idolatrous kings. To him loss of character was more ominous than loss of territory. Israel was no longer worth preserving. The object of their existence, to witness to the one living and true God, could no longer be attained. The salt had lost its savor, and was henceforth good for nothing. With their remembrance of Mosaic Law and their practice of idolatrous rites, they were like “a cake not turned”irremediably spoilt. Show from this the importance of right companionship, especially to those whose characters are in the formative stage. Jealously as parents watch against the intrusion of one who is suffering from infectious disease, how much less watchful and firm are they against the introduction to their homes of those whose presence cannot fail to be a source of moral infection! When the result of such association is not seen in outward depravity, it is often seen in a wasted and frivolous life. The effect is gradually produced. The Rhine and the Arno flow side by side in the same channel without mingling their waters; but though the swifter stream keeps clear for a while, at last it is defiled; and it is the turbid stream that conquers. “Gather not my soul with sinners;” “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> NATURE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THIS<\/strong> SIN<\/strong>. The cake (uggah<\/em>) <\/em>was a thin circular pancake, exposed to the scorching heat of red-hot stones, and of necessity must be quickly turned, or it would be burnt on one side and moist dough on the other: spoilt, because not penetrated. A good figure to represent this people, who knew God’s Law, remembered his worship, but were in practice idolaters. They refused to turn to God the other half, the practical part of their being. Give examples of those who have served God by halves; belonging neither to the world nor to the Church. In Elijah’s days the people were impressed by the power of Jehovah, yet loved the pleasures of idolatry; hence the question of the prophet, “How long halt ye between two opinions?” Christ Jesus had around him those who admired his teaching; but they would not risk being put out of the synagogue, nor associate with illiterate peasants, nor follow One who would lead them to the cross; so to them he said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” See also the condition of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-18<\/span>). Such a character is discoverable still, in those who join in worship, though in heart they neither pray nor praise; in those conscious of sin, yet not justified by faith; in those using the words of prayer, without any speaking to the Father who seeth in secret, etc. God seeks not for such. We are to be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; whole-hearted in all we offer to himnot as Ephraim, the cake not turned.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> EFFECTS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THIS<\/strong> SIN<\/strong>. We are responsible for our unconscious influence over others. Our Lord condemned the scribes and Pharisees; “for,” said he, “ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” Better far would it have been had they been openly irreligious. Picture a man standing near the door of the arka wise and prominent man in antediluvian society, hesitating whether to believe Noah or the skeptics; while others wait to see his decision. How deep and loud their curses afterwards if he decided not to enter, or if he hesitated so long that it was too late for him and them! Apply this to modern life. A father has children whose characters are rapidly forming; and he is not in the kingdom, though not far from it. They naturally say, “We are waiting for father; he is a hearer of the truth; he knows more than we; he is an upright man; if it be right to be wholly on Christ’s side he will be, so let us wait for his decision.” For the sake of others let procrastination come to an end, and be it yours to say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> PERILS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THIS<\/strong> SIN<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> You strengthen temptations against yourself<\/em>. <\/em>You say in effect to influences for evil,” Don’t give me up yet, for I am not decided.” A candidate, who in canvassing finds one voter who has not made up his mind, will call again with others who have more influence than himself, and the waverer is won ever. In the counsels of the wicked concerning one who is half-hearted it is said, “We will ask him again; his answer was not decided; he is not an avowedly Christian man; by a little pressure we can bring him over.” How can such a man pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”?<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> You weaken powers for good<\/em>, and lessen hope of the future<\/em>. <\/em>There is a blossoming time for every tree, a flowering time for every corn-field, and then the future is decided, for fruit or for barrenness. Our Lord comes down to listen at every heart for prayer, to see the effect of all he has done for each. He looks and feels for fruit amidst the leaves of the fig tree, and finding none he finally utters the word, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.”A.R.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The unperceived signs of moral decay.<\/p>\n

This chapter is occupied with a denunciation of the sins of the princes and chief men in Israel, who are designated (in Hos 7:1<\/span>) by “Ephraim,” the principal tribe, and “Samaria,” the principal city. Such men are ever most condemned in Scripture, because they have<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> more opportunity of knowing God’s will, and <\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> more influence over others (see <\/em>Mat 11:20-24<\/span>).<\/p>\n

A godless lad who has been brought up under Christian influence, and has seen the Christian life represented in his home, is more deserving of condemnation than the waif thrown up by the sea of irreligious life, who has been unblessed by teaching and prayer. The man successful in business or scholarship, the attractive and popular visitor, the gifted writer, the eldest in a family, the leader in policy, etc; have heavier responsibilities than others because they have nobler powers. The sins condemned here were<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> drunkenness, which specially prevailed on the king’s birthday (Hos 7:5<\/span>) and at similar festivities;<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> passion for idolatry and its licentious rites, the heart of the people being like the oven heated hot, and needing only the stirring of opportunity to burst into flame (Hos 7:4<\/span>, Hos 7:6<\/span>, Hos 7:7<\/span>);<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> refusal to believe in God’s presence and watchfulness (Hos 7:2<\/span>). These and other sins were the signs of moral decay, which were reflected in national disasters. Yet none of these were perceived by the infatuated people. (See Keil and Delitzsch in justification of the rendering “He knoweth it not” in both clauses) SubjectUnnoticed signs of moral decay<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> MORAL<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong> HAS<\/strong> ASCERTAINABLE<\/strong> CAUSES<\/strong>. Exemplify from the sources of Israel’s decadence.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Want of consideration<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:2<\/span>; Isa 1:3<\/span>; Hag 1:5<\/span>) Every faculty fails after disuse; e<\/em>.g<\/em>. <\/em>the eyeless fishes of lakes in dark caverns. Muscular and mental development or decay, by exercise or inertness. He who will <\/em>not think of God, at last cannot <\/em>think of him.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Association with evil<\/em>. <\/em>(Hos 7:8<\/span>) Show the effects of unconscious influence in the formation of character. They must be jealously watchful over themselves who are necessarily associated with the godless. The companionship of books equally important. Sensuous or skeptical literature may emasculate character.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Forgetfulness of God<\/em>. <\/em>All are prone to this. Material life becomes increasingly aggressive in thought. The hurry of business, the whirl of society, lessen the frequency and intensity of prayer.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Self-indulgence<\/em>. <\/em>Israel gave way to drunkenness and the licorice of idolatry. It was the opportunity for gratifying the worst passions that made the worship of the groves so popular. Many begin by staining the imagination who end by defiling the life. Depict the ruin of the drunkard, who once perhaps was a leader in Christian and benevolent enterprise.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> MORAL<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong> HAS<\/strong> OBSERVABLE<\/strong> SYMPTOMS<\/strong>. “Strangers have devoured his strength.” Egypt and Assyria had despoiled Israel, sometimes by exacting tribute, sometimes by violent attack (2Ki 13:7<\/span>; 2Ki 16:9<\/span>). Compare the condition of the Roman empire just before its ruin by the Goths. With Israel the losses were the direct result of leagues made, contrary to God’s will, with idolatrous nations around; for they became thereby involved in their disputes and disasters. Still this was not perceived. These and other signs of wasting and decay were visible to the prophet, and seemed to him like grey hairs sprinkled here and therethe effects of declining age, the tokens of decay. Point out symptoms of spiritual decline in the soul.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Want of appetite for what is good<\/em>. <\/em>The house of God neglected, the old service forsaken, the infrequency and unreality of prayer, etc.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Want of sensibility to what is evil<\/em>. <\/em>Contentment with a lower standard for Christian life, flippancy in dealing with infidelity, indifference to acts and words which at one time would have raised a flush of shame, etc.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> MORAL<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong> HAS<\/strong> IRREVERSIBLE<\/strong> ISSUES<\/strong>. These grey hairs were the precursors of death. Israel would never be restored. The life was lived, was nearly over, and without hope of resurrection. Christ Jesus speaks of a time of probation given now which will not be given hereafter. He will do all that can be done even for a fruitless fig tree, but at last must say, “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> MORAL<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong> MAKES<\/strong> IMPERCEPTIBLE<\/strong> ADVANCE<\/strong>. At first grey hairs are sprinkled here and there. How fast they multiply, though no one notices the change in each hair! When first noticed, an endeavor may be made by nostrums to disguise the fact; but the decay goes on. The march of old age, as he sprinkles his snows, is not really checked. If a man could persuade himself as well as others that he was still young, that would not prolong his life. But it is far easier to disguise from ourselves the signs of moral decay, and this has been done with fatal frequency. The old world, though often warned,” knew not till the flood came and swept them all away.” Samson betrayed the source of his strength and lost it; but when he rose against his foes as aforetime, “he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.” King Saul was robbed of his means of defense and refreshment, but he still slept on (1Sa 26:1-25<\/span>). So Israel shut its eyes to the loss of strength and hope. Beware lest character be like the cliff, secretly honeycombed by the sea, until in an unexpected moment it falls in irreparable ruin.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>. Address the aged<\/em>. <\/em>There is a natural decay, which may be the precursor of destruction or the promise of resurrection (1Co 15:1-58<\/span>).<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> “The hoary head is a crown of glory<\/em>, if it be found in the way of righteousness<\/em>.” <\/em>Eleazar said, “I will not do that which seems to be evil, lest I should spot my white head.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The hoary head is a call to repentance<\/em>, if it be found in the way of wickedness<\/em>. <\/em>“I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”A.R.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:14<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Useless prayers.<\/p>\n

Two instances in Scripture of true repentance at the point of death. Manasseh in the Old Testament, the dying thief in the New Testament. These save from despair, yet are too few to allow any to presume on them, Four characteristics of the useless prayer mentioned in the text,<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> A DEFERRED<\/strong> PRAYER<\/strong>. “On their beds.” In health and strength the idols had been worshipped. Now death seemed near, the Name of Jehovah was on the trembling lip. Mercifully, delay is not of itself <\/em>sufficient to make a cry to God useless. David lingered in sin till Nathan rebuked him. The prodigal dwelt in the far country till all was gone, etc. Still it is perilous to defer any known duty, most of all that of coming to God.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> AN<\/strong> INSINCERE<\/strong> PRAYER<\/strong>. “They have not cried unto me with their heart.” This fact would make any prayer useless. “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit, and in truth.” Compare the prayers of the Pharisees’ m the temple or the street with those of publicans and sinners (Mat 6:7<\/span>; Mat 15:1-39<\/span>, etc).<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> A DESPERATE<\/strong> PRAYER<\/strong>, “They howled upon their beds.” The agony of paint or the dread of meeting God, not the consciousness of sin, caused this. Repentance is not the dread of sin’s punishment, but the turning from sin because of its sinfulness. Contrast the cry of the condemned criminal with the prayer of the dying Christian. Depict, for example, the death of Stephen, and the utterance of Paul about his departure (2Ti 6:6).<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> UNAVAILING<\/strong>. The unreality of the prayer was seen in the subsequent conduct of those who offered it. This is described in the next clause. No sooner were they restored to health than “they assembled for corn and wine,” i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>went back to the old revelries and forgetfulness. How many have dealt thus with God I Brought back from the gates of death, the spared life is no more sober, devout, and holy than the past. Let us beware lest we harden ourselves through the deceitfulness <\/em>of sin. If, of those restored, so small a proportion prove that the prayers and vows in illness were genuine and availing, how can we indulge much hope of those whose future is not in time but in eternity?<\/p>\n

In view of this solemn subject:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Urge Christians to speak faithfully to sinners in the day of health<\/em>.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Urge sinners to come humbly to the Savior in the day of hope.<\/em>A.R. <\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY J.R. THOMSON<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:2<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

God’s memory of man’s wickedness.<\/p>\n

There is something to all unreconciled and unpardoned sinners very terrible in this assertion, “I <\/em>remember all their wickedness.”<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> GOD<\/strong> REMEMBERS<\/strong> MAN<\/strong>‘S WICKEDNESS<\/strong> IN<\/strong> THE<\/strong> EXERCISE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> HIS<\/strong> OMNISCIENCE<\/strong>. “All” here comprehends every kind of wickedness, in thought, word, and deed; every instance of wickedness, whether noted or not by fellow-men; the aggravations of wickedness which has been more serious because of the light and privileges notwithstanding which the sinner has transgressed.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> GOD<\/strong> REMEMBERS<\/strong> MAN<\/strong>‘S WICKEDNESS<\/strong> IN<\/strong> HIS<\/strong> CHARACTER<\/strong> OF<\/strong> A PERFECTLY<\/strong> HOLY<\/strong> BEING<\/strong>. It is not simply a matter of knowledge; the evil he knows God hates. Every such recollection is accompanied with displeasure. “He is angry with the wicked every day;” and whilst men, through familiarity with human sins, often become either indifferent or cynical, the Most Holy retains his disapproval and his loathing undiminished.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> GOD<\/strong> REMEMBERS<\/strong> MAN<\/strong>‘S WICKEDNESS<\/strong> IN<\/strong> HIS<\/strong> CHARACTER<\/strong> OF<\/strong> A RIGHTEOUS<\/strong> JUDGE<\/strong>. The upright and pure man may view the prevalence of wickedness with revulsion and distress; but “vengeance belongeth unto God.” As the sovereign Ruler of the universe, bound by his own nature to maintain his authority, and to do righteously as the Judge, the Lord exercises his judicial attributes and functions. And what he remembers he will one day bring forward, for the confusion of the impenitent.<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> GOD<\/strong> HAS<\/strong> PROMISED<\/strong> THAT<\/strong>, IF<\/strong> THE<\/strong> SINNER<\/strong> WILL<\/strong> REPENT<\/strong>, HE<\/strong> WILL<\/strong> REMEMBER<\/strong> HIS<\/strong> SINS<\/strong> NO<\/strong> MORE<\/strong>. We need not trouble ourselves with the attempt to reconcile what may seem to us conflicting statements, which, however, are both necessary to set forth all the truth. Let the impenitent bear in mind the fact that the righteous God remembers all their iniquities; and let the penitent and believing hearers of the gospel rest assured that a merciful God will cast their sins behind his back, and sink them in the depths of the unfathomable sea of oblivion.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

None calleth unto God.<\/p>\n

The calamities and miseries which befell Israel were in themselves awful, but perhaps the most terrible circumstance connected with them was this: they failed to lead the people to a better mind, to true repentance, to sincere supplication unto God.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> HAND<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> AFFLICTS<\/strong> ALONE<\/strong> CAN<\/strong> HEAL<\/strong>. Chastisement is necessary in the economy of Divine government; yet our heavenly Father chastens, not for his pleasure, but for our profit. He is more ready to cherish and to comfort than to smite. And when he has afflicted, it is vain to look elsewhere than to him for solace.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CALLOUSNESS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> SINNERS<\/strong> MAY<\/strong> PREVENT<\/strong> THEM<\/strong> FROM<\/strong> SEEKING<\/strong> DIVINE<\/strong> MERCY<\/strong> AND<\/strong> CONSOLATION<\/strong>. Surely the first thing for those to do who are smarting beneath the rod is to humble themselves beneath the mighty hand of God, to repent of sin, to entreat clemency, favor, forgiveness. But so hardening is the effect of sin, that there are many cases in which this is the last thing that occurs to the mind. It is an addition to the heinousness of sin, when the sinner refrains from bringing his transgression with penitence before the throne of him whom he has offended.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> YET<\/strong> THERE<\/strong> IS<\/strong> NO<\/strong> RELIEF<\/strong> EXCEPT<\/strong> UPON<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CONDITION<\/strong> OF<\/strong> APPLICATION<\/strong> TO<\/strong> THE<\/strong> ALL<\/strong>–MERCIFUL<\/strong>. TO<\/strong> call upon man is vain. To sink into apathy is to despair. Hope is in one direction only. Let the sinner call upon God, and God will hear, answer, and save.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

They return not unto the Lord.<\/p>\n

The life of man is a journey, and the sinner has taken the wrong roadthe road which leads to destruction.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> IMPORTANCE<\/strong> AND<\/strong> NECESSITY<\/strong> OF<\/strong> RETURNING<\/strong> UNTO<\/strong> THE<\/strong> LORD<\/strong>. The further the sinner proceeds the nearer he approaches final ruin, and the harder it is for him to reverse his steps.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> METHOD<\/strong> OF<\/strong> RETURNING<\/strong> UNTO<\/strong> THE<\/strong> LORD<\/strong>. The sinner must change his view of God and his view of himself. He must repent of sin and believe the gospel<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> ENCOURAGEMENT<\/strong> TO<\/strong> RETURN<\/strong> UNTO<\/strong> THE<\/strong> LORD<\/strong>. There are the express directions, and the faithful promises of Heaven.<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> RESULTS<\/strong> OF<\/strong> RETURNING<\/strong> UNTO<\/strong> THE<\/strong> LORD<\/strong>, To return to God is to return to holiness and happiness, to peace and hope. Truly to return to him is to remain forever in his favor and his fellowship.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11<\/span><\/strong>, <\/strong>Hos 7:12<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The silly dove.<\/p>\n

The folly of sin is a frequent topic with the inspired writers, and is urged upon the attention of some who may be more fearful of lacking wisdom than of grieving God. In this passage the prophet makes use of a homely and striking similitude with a view to impress upon the rebellious the vanity and simple credulity of their sinful conduct.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DOVE<\/strong>‘S PERPLEXITY<\/strong>. Alarmed by a bird of prey hovering over her and ready to seize her, the simple dove is ready to rush into any danger. An emblem of Israel of old. placed between Assyria and Egypt, and, when alarmed by the threats of one power, ready to court the alliance of the other. And an emblem of foolish sinners, of all nations and of all times, whose only safety and whose only guidance is in God, but who are ever prone to look hither and thither, to human counselors and to human helpers.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DOVE<\/strong>‘S FLIGHT<\/strong>. As the simple dove, in her danger and perplexity, makes straight for the fowler’s net, so Israel, seeking security by her fancied policy, which in reality was short-sighted and vain, again and again brought herself into national disaster and misery. “They said, We will ride upon horses.” “Therefore,” was the responsive prediction, “shall ye flee.” Where is the foolish rebel against God who has not by his own unwise precipitation brought himself into ruin and calamity?<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DOVE<\/strong>‘S CAPTURE<\/strong> IN<\/strong> THE<\/strong> NET<\/strong>. The dove fails to escape, falls into the snare of the fowler, and perishes. Israel, however she might forget and forsake God, could not evade the penalties of disobedience; for she could not get beyond the range of the Divine government and judicial sway. “I,” said Jehovah, “will chastise them, according to the announcement to their congregation.” “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished.” Let none imagine that there is a possibility of eluding Divine justice.<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/strong> The way of wisdom is the way of safety; and “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.” It is better to flee to the Lord as to a Tower of refuge, than to fall into the net of retribution.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:14<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Failure to cry unto the Lord.<\/p>\n

As a child in trouble calls aloud upon his father for help, as a soldier in danger calls upon a comrade for succor, so sinful, feeble, helpless man calls upon his God for deliverance and consolation, and does not call in vain. The guilt and folly of Israel was great in sinning, but far greater in neglecting to call upon the Lord with the heart. It appears when it is considered that this duty was neglected<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> ALTHOUGH<\/strong> CIRCUMSTANCES<\/strong> MIGHT<\/strong> HAVE<\/strong> IMPELLED<\/strong> TO<\/strong> SUCH<\/strong> AN<\/strong> INVOCATION<\/strong>, Many a time had Israel been afflicted, and her afflictions were intended in mercy to drive her to the God she had forsaken. No one of us has been without occasion, urgent and distressing occasion, to seek God. Providence has not left us without the inducement, furnished by great straits and sore needs, to seek the God of salvation.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> ALTHOUGH<\/strong> NO<\/strong> OTHER<\/strong> REFUGE<\/strong> OR<\/strong> HELPER<\/strong> COULD<\/strong> BE<\/strong> FOUND<\/strong>. Israel was ever seeking safety by heathen alliances, by the policy of diplomacy, or by the might of arms. Yet events constantly taught the unwisdom of such recourse to human aid. It is well when the soul is led to exclaim, “Beside thee there is none else;” “To whom shall I go, but unto thee?”<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> ALTHOUGH<\/strong> ENCOURAGED<\/strong> BY<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CHARACTER<\/strong> AND<\/strong> THE<\/strong> PROMISES<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DIVINE<\/strong> HELPER<\/strong>. AS<\/strong> in the history of Israel, so through all time, the great Ruler has revealed himself as the great Deliverer. To us as Christians this revelation is especially plain and effective; for in Jesus we see the salvation of the Eternal.” If it be hard to cry upon a God who is known to us only as a just and almighty Judge, surely it is not hard to call upon a God who has come to us in the person of his Son, full of “grace and truth.”<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> ALTHOUGH<\/strong> THE<\/strong> VANITY<\/strong> IS<\/strong> APPARENT<\/strong> OF<\/strong> CALLING<\/strong> UPON<\/strong> THE<\/strong> LORD<\/strong> ONLY<\/strong> WITH<\/strong> THE<\/strong> LIPS<\/strong>. We have only to consider our own spiritual nature, and to remember that God is a Spirit, in order to feel the absurdity and uselessness of offering to Heaven the homage of the lips, and withholding the reverence, the faith, the aspirations of the heart, Ye shall find the Lord, if with all your heart <\/em>ye truly seek him.T. <\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY D. THOMAS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:2<\/span><\/strong>, <\/strong>Hos 7:3<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

God’s remembrance of sin.<\/p>\n

“And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.” These words contain three facts.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> That God REMEMBERS<\/strong> men’s sins. “I remember all their wickedness.” This is a wonderful <\/em>fact. When we think of the infinite greatness of him to whom the universe is as nothing, we are struck at first with amazement that God <\/em>remembers the sins of a creature so frail, so insignificant as man. Still, as we reflect, we soon get the conviction that there is nothing absurd, nothing unreasonable, in the fact. To the Infinite there is nothing great or small; to the Omniscient there is nothing unobserved; to the Holy there is nothing so distressing, so oppressive, as sin. Sin is no trifle in the eye of him whose glory is his holiness. This is not only a wonderful, but a solemn <\/em>fact. God not only observes and knows my sins, but he remembers themdoes not lose sight of one. They are in his memory. What a book is the memory of God! The whole history of the universe is there! Every sin that has ever been committed by any moral intelligence in the creation, however insignificant, has record there. “Thou art acquainted with all my ways; for there is not a word in my tongue, but thou, Lord, art acquainted with it altogether.” “Doth not he see all my ways, and count all my steps?” “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” “Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.”” How much more then the hearts of the children of men!” How useless the attempt to dissemble our sins from him! How awful the revelations of the last day!<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> MEN<\/strong> DISREGARD<\/strong> God’s remembrance of their sins. “They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness.” “They say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.” Sinners, the world over, are indifferent to this fact. So far from considering that all their sins are in the memory of the holy and just One, they practically ignore his very existence. In their plans, engagements, and avocations they take no account of him. Why do they not consider? Is it because the thought strikes them as so manifestly improbable as not worthy of their attention? Assuredly not. They have only to reflect on this subject to see that it must be so. Why, then?<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Because other thoughts engross their minds<\/em>thoughts <\/em>of worldly wealth and power, thoughts of selfish gains and sensual pleasures. They are too full of vain and worldly thoughts to admit an idea so grand and solemn as this.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Because this thought, if it occurs to them for a moment, is too painful to be entertained<\/em>. <\/em>The corrupt nature revolts from it, expels it the moment it gains admission, and bolts every door against it, environs itself with associations that keep it far away in the distance. “It desires not a knowledge of it.”<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> That men’s disregard of God’s remembrance of their sins LEADS<\/strong> THEM<\/strong> TO<\/strong> REVEL<\/strong> IN<\/strong> INIQUITY<\/strong>. “Now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.” Here we have their sins:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> In general<\/em>. <\/em>They are abundant and daring. Their sins encompass them on all sides, and they perpetrate them without shame under the very face of God himself; they give full play to all their passions, an unbridled license to all their sinful impulses and lusts.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> In particular<\/em>. <\/em>Some of their sins are specified here. “They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.” “It pleases them,” says an old writer, “to see the people conform to their wicked laws and examples in their worship of their idols, and other instances of impiety and immorality, and to hear them flatter and applaud them in their wicked ways. When Herod saw that his wickedness pleased the people he proceeded further in it. Much more will the people do so when they see that it pleases the prince” (Act 13:3<\/span>). Particularly, they made them glad with their lies<\/em>, <\/em>with the lying praises with which they crowned the favorites of the prince, and the lying calumnies and censures with which they blackened those whom they knew the princes had a dislike to. Those who show themselves pleased with slanders and ill-natured stories shall never want those about them who fill their ears with stories. Pro 29:12<\/span>, “If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked,” and will make him glad with their lies.D.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/span><\/strong>, <\/strong>Hos 7:9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sad aspects of character.<\/p>\n

“Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” The primary application of these words to Ephraim is obvious from the context, anti from the history of Israel at the time. We shall use them as indicating certain bad aspects of human character.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> WRONG<\/strong> COMPANIONSHIP<\/strong>. “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people.” The reference is here not to the punishment or dispersion of the Israelites among the nations, but to the state in which Israel was at the time. Heaven’s plan was that the Hebrew people should separate from the nations, and be holy to him (Le 20:24-26<\/span>); to be as Balaam predicted, “a people dwelling alone” (Num 23:9<\/span>). But in opposition to this the ten tribes had mingled with the heathen, learned their works and served their idols. Now, what is a wrong mixing with the people? Not intermixture in marriages<\/em>. <\/em>It appears to us that the mingling of the different tribes of mankind in matrimonial alliances is, according to the plan of the Creator, highly promotive of the good of the entire race. Not intercourse in business<\/em>. <\/em>Such is the state of human society that good men are bound in worldly affairs to have dealings with the irreligious and depraved. Not associating with them for spiritual usefulness<\/em>. <\/em>Those who think that the saints of God should shut themselves up from the world, dwell in monasteries, and live as hermits, make a great mistake. The more Divine love and truth a man has in him, the more bound is he to be out in the world, and to let the light of his doctrines and his character flash widely and strongly upon the heart of his compeers. The man who has “mixed himself with others” does as did the ten tribes now; for worldly advantage and unholy gratifications make bad people companions. It is said that Pythagoras, before he admitted any one into his school, inquired who were his intimates, justly concluding that they who could choose immoral companions would not be much profited by his instructions.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> MORAL<\/strong> WORTHLESSNESS<\/strong>. “Ephraim is a cake not turned.” The Easterns hake their bread on the ground, covering it with embers, and turn it every ten minutes to bake it thoroughly without burning it (1Ki 19:6<\/span>). Without the turning it would be charcoal on one side and dough on the other, and the bread would be worthless. Worthlessness is the idea. Ephraim or Israelfor the words seem to be used convertiblyhad become utterly useless <\/em>in a spiritual sense. It no longer fulfilled its Divine mission maintaining and promoting the worship of the one true and living God. As the unturned cake would be thrown away as utterly unfit for human food, Israel was to be thrown away by God as utterly unfit to fulfill its mission. What a sad thing to be utterly worthless in a moral sense!salt that has lost its savor, only fit to be trodden underfoot; trees that have lost their fruit, only fit for the fire! Usefulness is the grand purpose of our being. The man who does not make the world better than he found it, must be accursed.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> SOCIAL<\/strong> DESPOILMENT<\/strong>. “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not.” The reference probably here is to the fact that Shalmaneser King of Assyria finally carried away Israel captive because of the defection of Hoshea King of Israel to So King of Egypt (see 2Ki 13:7<\/span>; 2Ki 15:19, 2Ki 15:20<\/span>; 2Ki 17:3<\/span>, 2Ki 17:6<\/span>). In consequence of their unholy mingling with idolatrous people and their dependence upon foreign nations, they got rifled of their property, their power, and their influence. Thus strangers devoured their strength. How many souls in all ages lose their “strength” under the influence in which they mingle! Their intellectual power, social sympathies, moral sensibilities, get used up, and they become the mere creatures of others and of circumstances. The man of society “has his strength devoured;” he loses freedom and force and manhood.<\/p>\n

IV.<\/strong> UNCONSCIOUS<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong>. “Yea, grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” Moral strength goes so slowly from men that they are often not conscious of its loss until they are reduced to the utmost prostration. Thus with Samson, “He wist not that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him.” Nations have their grey hairs, and they don’t know it; Churches have their grey hairs, and are unconscious of them. So also with individuals; decay is so gradual that the subject is unconscious that death is working its ruin.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>. Let us look at these aspects of character and learn practical wisdom. Form no friendship with sinners; come out from amongst theme “the companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Avoid a worthless life. Be not like the unturned cake; render some service to the universe. Allow not the social influences of your sphere to steal away your strength, to eat up your manhood; conclude not that decay is not working within you because you are unconscious of it. Wake up to the great realities of your spiritual being, and be strong in the Lord.D.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The silliness of sin.<\/p>\n

“Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart.” “There is much force and beauty in this comparison of Ephraim to a ‘silly dove without heart,’ or rather without understanding, which when pursued by a bird of prey trusts to the rapidity of its flight; that is, relics upon its own powers for the means of escape, instead of at once throwing itself into the nearest recess, where the interference of man or the narrowness of the place might render it secure from molestation. Israel, instead of taking shelter under the wing of the Almighty, who is a God near at hand<\/em>, <\/em>and not afar off, rested his hope of defense upon the celerity of his movementsstretching his wing towards Assyria or Egypt; but in the length of the flight is overtaken, secured, and dies in the cruel talons of his unrelenting pursuer” (‘Pictorial Bible’). The passage may be used to illustrate the silliness of sin<\/em>. <\/em>Men under the influences of sin are as silly as the dove. What do naturalists say about the dove?<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> TOO<\/strong> SILLY<\/strong> TO<\/strong> DEFEND<\/strong> ITS<\/strong> OWN<\/strong>. Most creatures will stand by their young and fight for them to the last, but the dove, it seems, cares but little for them, and allows them to be captured without resistance. Ephraim had sunk into this state; his most distinguished blessings were going from him, and he struggled not to retain them. The sinner will not battle with the devil to defend his ownhis force of thought, his sensibility of conscience, his freedom of will, his purity of love; he allows these precious things to be taken from him without a struggle.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> TOO<\/strong> SILLY<\/strong> TO<\/strong> FEEL<\/strong> ITS<\/strong> LOSS<\/strong>. It is said that the dove will lose its nest and not feel it. The tree seems as attractive to it without its nest as with it. Men under the influence of sin do not feel their loss. Though sin has broken up their nest, they still strive to make the world a resting-place. Whatever is taken from them, they still cling to earthly things.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> IT<\/strong> IS<\/strong> TOO<\/strong> SILLY<\/strong> TO<\/strong> ESCAPE<\/strong> DANGER<\/strong>. More dull than other fowls, it discovers not its perils; it “hasteneth to the snare, and knoweth not it is for her life” (Pro 7:23<\/span>). Thus it was with the ten tribes politically, and thus it is with all souls morally in their fallen state. They will not flee to the right place of safetytoo silly to be calm under trial. It is said of the dove that it has not courage to stay in the dove-house when frightened, where it is safe under the careful protection of its owner, but flutters and hovers, seeking rest first in one place and then in another, and thus exposes itself to new and greater dangers. Thus with Ephraim: instead of settling down under the protection of God, he hurried forth in quest of foreign help, and was the more exposed to calamities and ruin. Thus, too, with souls under the influence of sin.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>. Sin is folly. The fool and the sinner are, in God’s vocabulary, convertible terms. Oh, how sad it is to see human souls hovering and fluttering about like silly doves, with no sense of their loss, no resting-place, no security, no peace!<\/p>\n

“A soul immortal spending all her fires,
Wasting her strength in strenuous idleness,
Thrown into tumult, raptured, or alarmed,
At aught this scene can threaten or indulge,
Resembles ocean into tempest wrought,
To waft a feather or to drown a fly.”<\/p>\n

(Young)<\/p>\n

D.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:12<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The fowler of retribution,<\/p>\n

“When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven.” Tills should be translated, “As they go I spread my net over them; I bring them down as fowls of the heavens” (Keil and Delitzsch). “As they go.” Whither? “The preceding verse answers the question: to Egypt and Asshur seeking help in their difficulties rather than to Jehovah. Israel, here spoken of as Ephraim, being sorely pressed by Asshur, at one time seeks help from <\/em>Egypt against Asshur; whilst at another they try to secure the friendship of the latter. For what threatened Israel was the burden of ‘the king of princes.’ And that they tried to avert, partly by their coquettish arts (Hos 8:9<\/span>), and partly by appealing to the help of Egypt; and while so doing, they did not observe that they had fallen into the net of destruction by the power of Assyria. In this net will the Lord entangle them as a punishment. As they go thither God will spread his net over them like a bird-catcher, and bring them down to the earth like flying birds; i<\/em>.e<\/em>. <\/em>bring them from the open air, that is to say, from freedomunto the net of captivity or exile.” Here the work of retribution is spoken of as the work of the fowler, and it includes two thingsentrapment and abasement.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> ENTRAPMENT<\/strong>. The spreading of the net refers to the taking of the birds that lay on the ground. The literal reference here is to 2Ki 17:4<\/span>. Here the retributive providence of God employed the Assyrians as a net, but so ensnared the Israelites that they could not escape. Eliphaz observed this ensnaring work of Providence: “He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” So did David, who says, “He made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” How often in the history of the world is this retributive entrapment witnessed I The cases of Joseph’s brethren and the crucifixion of Christ are striking examples in sacred history. Popery confined Luther in the Wartburg Castle, but there he translated that Bible which shattered the whole system. Anglican bigots confined Bunyan in Bedford Jail; there he produced a book that has given him immortal fame. The net that entangled sinners is not manufactured in heaven; it is made on earth, made by themselves. Righteous Providence allows them to be so ensnared by it as to render that enthrallment painful and lasting. Take care of the net.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> ABASEMENT<\/strong>. “I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven.” However high up they may tower in their ambitious work, retribution has missiles to bring them down. “Thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.” There are men on earth who in their worldly prosperity, pride, and ambition soar like the eagles high up in heaven above all the rest. It is said that an ancient philosopher, when once asked what Jupiter did in the highest heaven, replied, “He pulls down the haughty, and exalts the humble.” Hear these words: “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.”<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>. Ponder well thy condition, sinner. Not only is the eye of retributive justice upon thee wherever thou art and whatever thou dost, but it has all the machinery for thy ruin. Art thou down groveling in the earth, working out thy sordid soul? it has nets that will ensnare thee there! Or art thou high up in the heavens of worldly prosperity and haughty ambition, proudly exulting in thy superiority? it has shots that will reach thee and bring thee down to the dust. Thy only safety is the cross.D.T.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Divine dispensations abused.<\/p>\n

“Though <\/em>I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.’ This text has received different translations. “And I have instructed them and strengthened their arms, and yet they think evil against me” (Delitzsch). “Whether I chastised or strengthened their arms, yet they thought evil against me” (Elzas). I accept the latter translation; then the idea is, that God’s treatment of man, whatever its character, afflictive or otherwise, is abused. Observe<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> GOD<\/strong>‘S DISPENSATIONS<\/strong> WITH<\/strong> MEN<\/strong> ARE<\/strong> CHARACTERIZED<\/strong> BY<\/strong> VARIETY<\/strong>. “I have bound and strengthened,” or, “I have chastised and strengthened.” The events of human life are of a mixed and conflicting character. There is affliction and health, prosperity and adversity, friendship and bereavement, sorrow and joy, wounding and healing. All these conflicting events are under the direction of the great Father, whose aim in all is to make his children “meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” As the soil to be fruitful requires the frosts of winter as well as the sunbeams of spring and summer, man requires trials as well as joys to make his spirit fruitful in good works. As the loving father has the good of his child at heart whether he chastens him with a rod or presses him to his bosom, so has the Almighty Father in all his dispensations with men, whether the painful or the pleasant. “All these things worketh God oftentimes in man, that he may bring him back from the pit and enlighten him with the light of the living.”<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THAT<\/strong> WHATEVER<\/strong> THE<\/strong> CHARACTER<\/strong> OF<\/strong> THE<\/strong> DIVINE<\/strong> DISPENSATIONS<\/strong>, THEY<\/strong> ARE<\/strong> OFTEN<\/strong> PERVERTED<\/strong>. “They imagine mischief against me<\/em>.” <\/em>It matters not what the treatment, they continue to rebel. They are like the sterile ground to which all seasons, all weathers, are alike. Observe:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The force of the human will<\/em>. <\/em>It can oppose the influences of God, and turn what he designs for good to in. Man is no passive being. He is not to be acted upon as a machine, not to be coerced either by anathemas or benedictions. He is a voluntary agent. This links him to moral government, makes him responsible for his actions, and invests his existence with a momentous solemnity.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The depravity of the human heart<\/em>. <\/em>This force of will explains, not man’s rebellion, for regenerate souls and holy angels have it, and they run in the way of the Divine commandments. The reason of the rebellion is the depravity of the human heart, which is desperately wicked.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>. Open your hearts to the various dispensations of Heaven. Be thankful for their variety. One is designed to touch a chord within thee that another cannot reach. The one may strike conviction of sin, another may tune thy heart to gratitude and hope.<\/p>\n

“God, full as kind as he is wise,<\/p>\n

So tempereth all the favors he will do us,<\/p>\n

That we his bounties may the better prize,<\/p>\n

And make his chastisement less bitter to us.<\/p>\n

One while a scorching indignation burns<\/p>\n

The flowers and blossoms of our hope away,<\/p>\n

Which into scarcity our plenty turns,<\/p>\n

And changeth new-mown grass to parched hay;<\/p>\n

Anon his fruitful showers and pleasing dews,<\/p>\n

Commixed with cheerful rays, he sendeth down,<\/p>\n

And then the barren earth her crops renews,<\/p>\n

Which with rich harvests hills and valleys crown.<\/p>\n

For, as to relish joys he sorrow sends,<\/p>\n

So comfort or temptation still attends.”
(George Wither)<\/p>\n

D.T.<\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY J. ORR<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:1<\/span><\/strong>, <\/strong>Hos 7:2<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sin’s malignancy.<\/p>\n

Jehovah was Israel’s Healer (Exo 15:26<\/span>). His constantly cherished desire was to do them good. He had labored for this end by his prophets, by chastisements, and 1,y exhibitions of kindness. All had been in vain. The people would not permit the Lord to be their Healer. If sin was checked for a little, it was only to break out again in worse forms than before. The more he sought to heal them, only the more clearly was their iniquity discovered. We note here concerning Ephraim’s wickedness<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> ITS<\/strong> INVETERATE<\/strong> MALIGNANCY<\/strong>. “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria” (Hos 7:1<\/span>). The evil of sin is revealed in the very attempt to cure it.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The cure of sin makes necessary the laying bare <\/em>of its evil. The wound must be probed before remedial measures can be adopted. It is when he begins to probe it that the physician discovers its dangerous character. So, when God would heal us, he begins by discovering to us the truth about our spiritual state. He calls sin by its right name. He tells us of our depravity, our corruption, and brings into light the transgressions we had covered up. This was the work of the prophets of Israel. It is the work of the Law, and of God’s Word generally. Till we are thoroughly convinced of sin, recovery is hopeless. “By the Law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20<\/span>).<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The evil of sin is discovered in its resistance to cure<\/em>. <\/em>An ordinary disease yields to remedies. Where these are employed and no improvement is manifest, we pronounce the case a serious one. Its resistance to treatment evinces its malignity. It is thus that Ephraim’s sin was discovered by God’s attempts to heal him. Every means of remedy had been tried, but without success (Hos 6:4<\/span>). Wickedness seemed at a greater height than ever. Sin is no skin-deep disorder. The difficulty of its cure is sufficient proof of the inveteracy of its hold. So depraved is the heart, that nothing will remedy it but complete renewal. We have evidence every day of the determined resistance which sin is capable of offering to God. We see it in others, and we know it in experience.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> The attempt to cure sin often results in aggravated manifestations <\/em>of it. The. sinful heart is roused to antagonism. Its latent enmity to God comes more fully out. It rages in its opposition to his servants. When the commandment comes, sin revives (Rom 7:9<\/span>). Temporary amendment is followed by greater outbursts of wickedness (Hos 6:8-10<\/span>; Luk 11:24-26<\/span>).<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> ITS<\/strong> BALEFUL<\/strong> MANIFESTATIONS<\/strong>. “For they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without” (Hos 7:1<\/span>). We have here:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Falsehood<\/em>. <\/em>Israel was guilty of falsehood<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> towards God, in breaking his covenant, in proving faithless to their vows of amendment, and in “speaking lies” concerning him (Hos 7:13<\/span>);<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> towards their allies, in disregarding treaty engagements; and<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> towards one another. Deceit had become part of their nature. When falsehood becomes a habit, moral recovery is scarcely possible. The ingrained liar is an almost hopeless subject for conversion.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Robbery<\/em>. <\/em>Justice is itself a species of truth, and with the loss of the sense of truth there is undergone a corresponding loss of the sense of justice. Each regards his neighbor as his lawful prey. He robs him if he can. Thefts, heartless frauds, organized robberies, are of frequent occurrence.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Violence<\/em>. <\/em>From robbery to violence the transition is not great. When men cease to live by honest labor, they do not stick at trifles. If a slack state of the law permits, crimes will abound. Where, as was the case in Israel, the throne is built on murder, it need not surprise us that lawlessness spreads in the community.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> ITS<\/strong> PITIFUL<\/strong> DELUSION<\/strong>. (Hos 7:2<\/span>) “They consider not in their hearts,” etc. The point here is the obliviousness of the wicked to God<\/em>‘s knowledge of their doings<\/em>. <\/em>They extrude God from their thoughts. “They say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?” (Psa 73:11<\/span>). On this notice:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The<\/em> wicked have<\/em>, in secret<\/em>, more knowledge of God than they pretend<\/em>. <\/em>Israel, with a prophet like Hosea in its midst, could not be entirely ignorant of God. It showed that it had some <\/em>knowledge of him, by its cries to him in trouble, and by brief periods of amendment. This extrusion of him from the thoughts was, therefore, voluntary. It was Israel’s will <\/em>not to know God. Thus there lurks in the sinner’s consciousness a spark of knowledge which renders him inexcusable for his habitual forgetfulness, He may banish God from his thoughts, and try to persuade himself that God does not remember his wickedness. But if he does so, it is because he prefers <\/em>to live in a delusion which at bottom he knows to be such.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The<\/em> wicked<\/em>, as a rule<\/em>, do succeed in expelling God from their thoughts<\/em>. <\/em>They get their own way. They soon perfect themselves in the art of forgetting their Creator. Like the ostrich, which is fabled to hide its head in the sand as a protection from the hunters, they think that when they have succeeded in putting God out of their remembrance they have somehow got rid of him.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> The delusion in which the wicked encourage themselves does not in the least alter the real state of the case<\/em>. <\/em>Sinners may shut out the thought of God’s knowledge of their doings, but none the less is God cognizant of everything they are about. “Their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.” This is the folly of sin; it cannot by its forgetfulness and denials alter the actual state of the facts. The sinner’s deeds are his own. He remains answerable for every one of them. With all his doings about him, he stands daily, hourly, constantly, in fall view of the eye of God (Psa 139:1-24<\/span>). He will be called to an account.J.O.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:3-7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The oven and the baker.<\/p>\n

High and low united in the wickedness which has been described, and is to be described. The example of the king and court gave the key-note to the subjects, and they in turn pleased the king and his princes by a hearty imitation of their vices. “They made the king glad with their wickedness”themselves living lives of debauchery and ungodliness; “and the princes with their lies”offering them flattery, and siding with them in ridicule of the prophet’s teachings A new image is here employed to set forth the enormity of the wickedness which prevailedthat, viz; of the heated oven and the baker. The elements of the figure may be thus analyzed. The oven is the heart; the fire, unholy lust, appetite, or passion; the dough, the evil intent or plan. This is prepared beforehand, while the fire smolders beneath; when it is matured for execution, the firelust or passionis stirred up to a flame, and the act of wickedness is consummated. The general thought is the systematic character of the sin, its deliberateness in being previously conceived, planned, prepared forthe soul, thereafter, being held as it were in readiness for its execution. Three illustrations, though the figure applies strictly only to the first and last.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> HEAT<\/strong> OF<\/strong> LUST<\/strong>. (Hos 7:4<\/span>) “They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker,” etc. Their debaucheries, i<\/em>.e<\/em>; were not the fruit of mere impulse. They were gone into as the result of forethought and preparation. Libidinous thoughts were encouraged. New gratifications were planned; the matter was reflected on and matured; the act of indulgence was anticipated in imagination. Time was thus given for the lustful desire to permeate the whole nature, when, like dough fully leavened, the evil intent was ready to be converted into deed. Lust, to use the figure of James, conceives, and brings forth sin (Jas 1:15<\/span>). Learn:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The importance of guarding against the inception of lust<\/em>. <\/em>It is in its beginnings that lust is most dangerous. The wrong thought, the lustful look, the dallying with desire,it is there the evil lurks. From this there is but a step to evil intent. The fire burns, the dough is prepared; it will be a wonder if actual sin is not some day the outcome.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The importance of regulating thought as a means to the control of the passions<\/em>. <\/em>Thought can be so directed as to feed and inflame passion; it can also be so ruled as to check and control it. The wicked use this power of thought for a bad purpose; nor less earnestly should we attempt to use it for a holy one. It is only through care of the thoughts, and through strict control exercised over them, that inward and outward purity can be preserved.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> HEAT<\/strong> OF<\/strong> WINE<\/strong>. (Verse 5) “In the day of our king the princes have made him sick [or, ‘are sick ‘] with heat of wine,” etc. Royal feast days were days of recognized and premeditated debauch. Wine maddens and inflames the nature.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Drunkenness stands in close relation to lust<\/em>, <\/em>with which it is here brought into connection. It is lust’s most powerful auxiliary. “Whoredom and wine” (Hos 4:11<\/span>). Sensuality, in turn, predisposes to excess in drinking. It loosens restraint. It destroys self-control. It inclines to animal indulgence generally.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Drunkenness is degrading in its own effects<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> Degrading to the body<\/em>“made sick.” It sickens and bestializes. It injures health. It bloats and disfigures the countenance. A more degrading spectacle can hardly be conceived than a helplessly intoxicated man.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Degrading to the soul<\/em>. It takes from it its self-respect. It begets a heartless, scoffing, irreverent disposition, and leads to association with those who are of this character. The King of Israel is here represented as striking up fellowship with “scorners “mockers at Divine things.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Drunkenness prepares the way for strife and plotting<\/em>. <\/em>The drunkenness is the nexus between the adulteries and the conspiracies. Pot-companions are rarely stable friends. They do not really trust each other. Carousals lead to quarrelling. The strong and unscrupulous see with contempt the weaknesses of the rulers, and plot against them.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> HEAT<\/strong> OF<\/strong> ANGER<\/strong>, (Verses 6, 7) “They have made ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait,” etc. We have here the result of the carousals and the scorning in plots and conspiracies. These are:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Secretly prepared<\/em>; <\/em>like the oven got ready beforehand, the dough also being kneaded and leavened.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Silently waited <\/em>upon. It takes time for a plot to mature, as it takes time for the leaven to permeate the dough. A good example is furnished in the case of Absalom, who first, by fair speeches and complaisances, stole the hearts of the people of Israel; then, after the leaven had had time to work, got leave of absence, and, with two hundred men accompanying, had himself proclaimed king (2Sa 15:1-14<\/span>).<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Hotly executed<\/em>. <\/em>There is no mercy in the fierceness which at length breaks out in bloody deeds. The pent-up heat burns like an oven. The anger of the wicked is ruthless, cruel, unsparing. It had proved to be so in Israel’s history. Dynasty after dynasty had been swept away by assassination. Pekah, probably the then reigning king, was himself afterwards murdered by Hoshea. Yet Israel refused to take the lesson. “There is none of them that calleth upon me” (verse 7).J.O.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8-10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mixing with the ungodly.<\/p>\n

“Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people “had adopted heathenish ways, had sot at naught the command of God requiring separation from the ungodly, had intimately associated himself with the idolatrous nations around. The mixing, as Keil well points out, was an inward one before it became an outward one. There is first a mixing in the heart with the spirit <\/em>of the world, then comes outward worldly conformity. It is this which Christians have constantly to guard against (Rom 12:2<\/span>). Their calling is to be separate (2Co 6:14-18<\/span>). They need to remember that “the friendship of the world is enmity with God” (Jas 4:4<\/span>) and that “if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1Jn 2:15<\/span>). Mixing with the worldthe sin of the Church today, as it was the sin of Israel of oldhas its effects.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> INCONSISTENCY<\/strong>. “Ephraim is a cake not turned”overdone on the one side, underdone on the other; not of a piece throughout; one side “scorched and black, the other steamed, damp, and lukewarm; the whole worthless, spoiled irremediably, but only to be cast away” (Pusey). The unturned cake is an emblem:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Of partial conversion<\/em>. <\/em>We have this where the Divine life has not penetrated the nature, but affects only parts and sides of it. The conscience is sensitive on some points, but not on others. Favorite duties are attended to, while others not less important are neglected. The conduct in some things shows the power of religion, in others it appears untouched by its influence. There is a want of pervasion<\/em>, <\/em>of through-and-throughness in the character. An illustration is afforded in what Stanley says of Saul: “He became ‘ another man,’ yet not entirely. He was, as is so often the case, half converted, half roused. His mind moved unequally and disproportionately in its new sphere. Backwards and forwards in the names of his children we see alternately the signs of the old heathenish superstition, and of the new purified religion of Jehovah. His religion was never blended with his moral nature. It broke out in wild ungovernable acts of zeal and superstition, and then left him more a prey than ever to his own savage disposition.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Of zeal for the forms of religion combined with denial of its power<\/em>. <\/em>Pharisaism was an instance of this. We have other examples in Judah and Israel. The people of the two kingdoms seem never to have failed in their zeal for the outward services of religion. They kept up sacrifices and offerings (Hos 6:6<\/span>); observed the feast days (Hos 2:11<\/span>; Isa 1:11-14<\/span>; Amo 5:21<\/span>, Amo 5:22<\/span>); were unusually attentive to these forms when trouble seemed impending. With all this they were iniquitous in heart and life. They neglected the weightier matters of the Lawjudgment, mercy, and faith (Mat 23:23<\/span>). With excess of zeal for the forms, there was no zeal at all for the reality. For this, God likens them to an unturned cake.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Generally, of religious profession<\/em>, with inconsistency of conduct<\/em>. <\/em>Religion is intended to pervade the life. It should be as manifest on week-days as on Sundays; in the ordinary business of life as in the devotions of the sanctuary. Yet how many fail in thus carrying out the life of the gospel! What grievous inconsistencies are seen in their conduct I They maintain their profession, yet “mix with the people,” and fall in freely with the world’s ungodly ways. Surely this is to be “a cake not turned.”<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> DECAY<\/strong>. “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, grey hairs,” etc. Ephraim had already suffered much from the people among whom he had chosen to mix himself. But even he was not aware of the amount of harm they had done him. He did not perceive how this intercourse with the heathen had sapped the moral strength of the nation; had deteriorated its politics; had beguiled it into a false dependence on foreign helpers; had given a mighty impetus to every disintegrating force already at work in the kingdom. The grey hairssignificant of decaywere thickly strewn upon him, but he perceived it not. Deterioration inevitably results from the mixing of Christians with the world.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Worldly conformity leads to a decay of inward religious earnestness<\/em>. <\/em>The diversion of thought and affection from spiritual things to the objects about which alone the world cares necessarily brings about this result. The temperature of the spiritual life fails in conformity with its environment. Interest in religion gives place to interest in the things which are the constant subjects of thought, talk, and concern in the circles in which we move. It is, besides, soon found that participation in the world’s pleasures and follies is incompatible with serious attention to the things of the soul, and the latter, accordingly, is soon abandoned.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Inward spiritual decay reveals itself by various outward tokens<\/em>. <\/em>As grey hairs upon the head reveal the gradual approach of age. Among the indications of decay of piety we may notice neglect of prayer, and of the reading of God’s Word; aversion to religious conversation; the preference of the society of the worldly to the society of God’s people; neglect of the sanctuary; a light, depreciating way in speaking of religious earnestness, etc.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> The progress of spiritual decay is often not noticed by the sinner himself<\/em>. <\/em>It comes on gradually. There is an unwillingness to look closely into the spiritual state. The power of spiritual perception gets lost.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> SPIRITUAL<\/strong> BLINDNESS<\/strong>. Ephraim did not know, and would not be warned. Darkness had blinded his eyes. “The pride of Israel” testified to his face, but Ephraim understood neither<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> the plain speaking of the prophets; <\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> the signs of internal decay; <\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> the voice of external judgments.<\/p>\n

“For all this” he would not return to God. Sin is blindness, fatuity, folly. The worldly conformist speedily becomes blinded. The god of this world blinds him, and he is willing to be blinded (2Co 4:4<\/span>). He “cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2Pe 1:9<\/span>). “He knoweth nothing,” says Pusey.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> “He knoweth not the tokens of decay in himself, but hides them from himself; <\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> he knoweth not God, who is the Author of them; <\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> he knoweth not the cause of them, his sins; <\/p>\n

(4)<\/strong> he knoweth not the end and object of them, his conversion; <\/p>\n

(5)<\/strong> he knoweth not what, since he knoweth not any of these things, will be the issue of them, his destruction.”J.O.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11-16<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ephraim’s flight from God.<\/p>\n

Every sinner may read a warning in the words here addressed to Ephraim.<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> FLEEING<\/strong> FROM<\/strong> GOD<\/strong>. (Hos 7:11<\/span>, Hos 7:12<\/span>) The wicked “say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways” (Job 21:14<\/span>). They themselves try, though vainly, to escape from God. They would fain put a great distance between him and them (Jonah; the prodigal).<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Fleeing from God is sin<\/em>. <\/em>It is an attempt on the part of the creature to establish an independence which the Creator does not allow. Even the attempt at such flight God must check and punish.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Fleeing from God is folly<\/em>. <\/em>It is foolish<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> because it is an attempt at the impossible; and<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> because, if the wicked could succeed in the attempt, it would still be to their own hurt. Abandoning God, the soul is doomed to the pursuit of vanity. It cannot rest in itself, for it is not self-centered; but neither can it rest in the creature, for the creature is constantly proving itself a false support. Besides, life without God has no longer a proper aim. The soul is thus smitten with restlessness; its movements become vague, methodless, erratic. “They call to Egypt; they go to Assyria.” It flits from one object to another, and finds repose in none. Existence is a succession of new trials, and a series of new disappointments.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Fleeing from God is destruction<\/em>. <\/em>God declares that when the sinner flees, he will pursue (Hos 7:12<\/span>). No matter how lofty their soarings, he will spread his net for them, and bring them down. He has forewarned them of this, and they will find it true, Jonah found, when he tried to escape, that God’s net was spread for him. Every sinner will find the same. The net which God spreads for the haughty, would-be independent ones is that of his punitive justice. Their pride will end, as all evil ends, in destruction.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> FALSE<\/strong> DEALING<\/strong> WITH<\/strong> GOD<\/strong>. (Verses 13-16) A main part of the charge against Ephraim is falsehood (verses 1, 3). The falsehood is primarily falsehood towards God. We have here three phases of it.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Insincerity in repentance<\/em>. <\/em>“They have not cried with their heart, when they howled upon their beds, etc. (verse 14). The insincerity of their repentance was evinced:<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> By the very noise they made about it “they<\/em> howled<\/em>,” <\/em>etc.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> By their unabridged indulgence in sin: “They assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.” They insulted God by lying protestations of a desire to return to him, while openly dishonoring him by their wickedness. It is not loud outcries, but changed actions, which show the reality of repentance (Mat 3:8<\/span>).<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Speaking lies against God<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> God had attested his willingness to redeem, but they alleged that he would not do so. “I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me” (verse 13). It was easier to profess doubt of God’s Word than to fulfill the moral conditions necessary for the securing of the blessing.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> God had shown himself their true Helper” I instructed and strengthened their arms”yet they plotted alliances with heathen powers, disowning his past goodness. “They imagine mischief against me” (verse 15). Thus, doubly, they made God a liar. But their whole life and worship was a denial of his Word. They gainsaid the Word sent them by the prophets, denied his anger at their sins, changed his truth into a lie in the worship of the calves, etc.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Faithlessness in promises<\/em>. <\/em>Even when, for a brief moment, they seemed wishful of amendment, their goodness did not last (Hos 6:4<\/span>). Their promises were broken. They did not keep faith with God. They were as “a deceitful bow” (verse 16). The deceitful bow:<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> Holds out a promise. The person who shoots thinks he can depend upon it. It seems a bow that will serve his ends.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Suggests an aim. The use of a bow is to drive the arrow to the point aimed at. God had an aim in the calling of Israel. It was his desire to reach that aim through the obedience of the nation. He has an aim in our own creation, calling, and moral discipline.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Proves treacherous on trial. It either does not shoot at all, or sends the arrow but a little way, or turns it off in a different direction from that which the shooter intended. In any case, it proves not to be depended on. Confidence cannot be placed in it. It deceives and disappoints. Israel had thus repeatedly disappointed the expectations raised by repentances and vows.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> A LAUGHING<\/strong>–STOCK<\/strong> TO<\/strong> MEN<\/strong>. (Verse 16) “This shall be their derision in the, land of Egypt.” Their princes had used boastful language”the rage of their tongue.” Once their pretensions were exposed, they would become a mockery to those for the sake of whose friendship and help they had deserted God.J.O.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>When I would have healed, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> Some commentators close the foregoing chapter with the former clause of the last verse; and read the present verse thus, When I would have turned away the captivity of my people, when I would have healed, <\/em>&c.and the wickedness of Samaria; that they committed falsehood; and the thief, <\/em>&c. <\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

2. Chiefly against the Court<\/em><\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-16<\/span><\/p>\n

1 When I would heal Israel,<\/p>\n

Then the iniquity of Ephraim is made manifest,
And the evil deeds of Samaria.
For they have worked deceit, and the thief enters (the houses).
A band of robbers plunders in the street.<\/p>\n

2 And they will not say to their heart,<\/p>\n

(That) I have remembered all their wickedness;
Now their deeds have beset them round;
They are before my face.<\/p>\n

3 By their wickedness they have pleased the king,<\/p>\n

And by their falsehood the princes.<\/p>\n

4 All of them (are) adulterers,<\/p>\n

(They are) like an oven heated1<\/span>by the baker,<\/p>\n

Who rests, stirring up (the fire),
From the kneading of the dough, until it is raised.<\/p>\n

5 On the (feast-) day of our king,<\/p>\n

The princes begin in the heat2<\/span> of wine<\/p>\n

He draws out his hand [goes hand in hand] with scorners.<\/p>\n

6 For they draw close together; like the oven is<\/p>\n

Their heart in its craftiness;
Their anger3<\/span> sleeps the whole night,<\/p>\n

In the morning it burns like a flame of flre.<\/p>\n

7 All of them are heated like the oven,<\/p>\n

And devour their judges,
All their kings have fallen,
And there is none among them that cries to me.<\/p>\n

8 Ephraim mingles with the heathen,<\/p>\n

Ephraim has become a cake not turned.<\/p>\n

9 Strangers devour his strength,<\/p>\n

Yet he does not know it.
Gray hairs are also sprinkled over him,
And he does not know it.<\/p>\n

10 And the pride of Israel testifies to his face;<\/p>\n

Yet they do not return to Jehovah their God,
And do not seek Him with [in spite of] all this.<\/p>\n

11 And Ephraim became a silly dove, without understanding.<\/p>\n

To Egypt they called:
To Assyria they went.<\/p>\n

12 As they are going<\/p>\n

I will spread over them my net;
As a bird of heaven I will bring them down.
I will chastise them,4<\/span> according to the announcement to their congregation.<\/p>\n

13 Woe to them that they have wandered from me!<\/p>\n

Destruction upon them, that they have sinned against me!
For I would have redeemed them5<\/span><\/p>\n

But they spoke lies against me.<\/p>\n

14 They did not cry to me with their heart,<\/p>\n

For they shrieked upon their beds;
For corn and new wine they distress themselves;6<\/span><\/p>\n

They apostatized from me.<\/p>\n

15 And I instructed (them),<\/p>\n

I strengthened their arm;
But they devised evil against me.<\/p>\n

16 They will not return upwards7<\/span> [to God],<\/p>\n

They have become like a deceitful bow.
Their princes will fall by the sword,
On account of the rage of their tongues:
This7 (will be) their scorn in the land of Egypt.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-2<\/span>. When I would heal Israel<\/strong>, etc. It was just when God attempted to heal them that their corruption was displayed in its full extent. If it had not been so great the attempt would not have been vain. The latter consisted in the chastisements themselves, but also in the discourses of the Prophet calling them to repentance. Now follows a description of their dreadful condition: lying, theft, and robbery. In the midst of it all, the greatest security, not a single thought of divine punishment. Their deeds have beset them round<\/strong>. This expresses evidently the boldness of their sinning=their sins have so increased as to become mountains hedging them round.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:3<\/span>. The situation is the more desperate as the corruption extends to the highest ranks.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:4<\/span>. They are all adulterers<\/strong>. The whole people are such, not merely the king and princes, though these are necessarily included. The adultery in this connection (comp. Hos 7:2<\/span> : lying, thieving, and robbery, and Hos 7:5<\/span> : debauchery) is to be taken in its literal sense. The comparison of the adulterer to a burning oven is here decisive; which does not suit adultery in the figurative application=idolatry, but expresses well the burning of lust. , literally: burning from the baker=heated by the baker. This burning of the oven is further described still more closely and figuratively, and that with relation to the increase of the heat, in the following words: . Wnsche: Who rests, stirring up, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened, i. e.<\/em>, when he has kneaded the dough, he rests, namely from kneading, which is the most fatiguing part of the whole process of bread-baking, but then does something else, which compared with the other is resting, namely, heats the stove and stirs it up from the time the dough is kneaded until it is raised. During this time while the process of fermentation is going on, the stove is being heated so as to become quite hot, i.e.<\/em>, hot enough for baking. The Part. therefore is not used for the Inf. depending on =who ceases to stir up. It would be strange if emphasis were to be laid upon ceasing, leaving off, when the object is to show that the heat increases. And Wnsche remarks rightly that it would be out of place to heat the oven before the dough was kneaded, and then to cease heating it, but that the contrary process is the one followed. [Henderson takes in the sense of heating, as also does Gesenius. His application is as follows: To place the violent and incontinent character of their lust in the strongest light, the Prophet compares it to a bakers oven which he raises to such a degree of heat that he only requires to omit feeding it during the short period of the fermentation of the bread. Such was the libidinous character of the Israelites that their impure indulgences were subject to but slight interruptions. But it is evident that the Prophet did not intend to call attention to any interruption of indulgence (and if he had the mode of conveying that notion would not have been very natural), but to emphasize its constant commission. Horsley takes in the sense of stoker, one who attends to the fire, and makes it the subject of : the stoker desists after the kneading of the dough until the fermentation be complete. He then gives a most fanciful application to the act of indulgence. For a sufficient explanation of the images see the Doctrinal and Ethical<\/strong> section, No. 1.M.]<\/p>\n

Hos 7:5<\/span>. But they are not only adulterers; they are also drunkards. They are heated with wine as well as with lust. The rulers here lead the way by their example. In the day of our king<\/strong> = festal day, probably birth-day. A banquet is referred to, given by the king to his nobles. By the phrase, our king, Hosea indicates his citizenship in the kingdom of Israel.<\/p>\n

: the LXX., Syr., Chald., and Jerome: they began. Others: they are diseased. But the Hiphil does not mean: to be sick . The king is the subject; literally: draws out [stretches out] his hand with. This means: he holds out his hand constantly to them=keeps company, goes hand in hand with them. Scorners<\/strong>, men who throw ridicule upon what is sacred, and is regarded as sacred. Such derision is specially natural in a state of intoxication. Hence the connection in which it stands here with the drinking-bout, a connection which is certainly not fortuitous.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:6<\/span>. The figure of the heated oven is again taken up. But it becomes here an image of the heat of anger which burns in their hearts, which, being craftily concealed, does not at first make itself manifest, but which grows only the more surely, and at last breaks out in deeds of violence. (Just so is it in Hos 7:4<\/span> with the heat of the bake oven.) The notion is evidently this, that the cordiality of the princes towards the king in the banquet is only apparent, only the result of cunning. It ends with an insurrection, with the murder of the king, who has certainly richly deserved such a lot. . This is a difficult expression Some: they have made their heart approach (resemble) an oven. But this is languid. Would any one say, in giving an illustration, that the object was only approximately like the image ? Besides, with would be superfluous. Keil: they have brought their heart into their craftiness as into an oven. The cunning is compared with the oven; the heart with the fuel. This clearly gives a plain sense. It would be perhaps more correct to detach from what follows as forming a clause by itself. Simson: they (the conspirators) approach. Wnsche, perhaps better: they draw close together, namely, in the banquet, at all events, as conspirators. The following words then mean simply: like an oven is their heart in their malice. Thus the malicious heart is like an oven which only waits for the kindling of a fire. ; according to the Masoretic punctation: the whole night sleeps their baker. Baker would then =he who heats the oven, i.e.<\/em>, their heart inflames them. By the baker might be understood passion (Ewald, Keil). This would rather be compared to the fire. The baker sleeps would then be explained as meaning that the baker after kindling the fire, cared no more about it. But it would not be exactly suitable to conceive of passion as sleeping, that is, not stirring up the fire. Simson refers baker to a person, the leader of the conspiracy. But the following member of the verse creates most difficulty. introduces another subject, the oven. It is therefore naturally suggested (Wnsche) to change the pointing into , =their anger. This is represented as fire, and this sleeps in the night, i.e.<\/em>, it burns on, unperceived, during the whole night, until in the morning it becomes a clearly burning flame. So with their anger. Night and morning allude primarily to the figure of the fire, but probably also to the thing represented itself, especially if it be supposed that at the end of the feast, which has lasted the whole night, the anger breaks forth in the morning in violent acts, which are more particularly described in<\/p>\n

Hos 7:7<\/span>. All of them<\/strong>, probably not merely the princes, but the whole people, together with the princes, who gave the impulse to the rest. They devour their judges<\/strong>, i.e.<\/em>, the kings. The following clause: all their kings<\/strong> fall, does not add anything new, but only expresses what is meant by the judges. This applies, to the period, succeeding that of Jeroboam II., when in swift succession Zachariah was overthrown by Shallum, Shallum by Menahem, and Menahems son Pekahiah by Pekah, and between Zachariah and Shallum eleven years anarchy prevailed. The Prophet alludes here to such events, certainly to a number of such events (perhaps also to earlier revolutions in the succession), as the plural, judges, kings, plainly shows. Yet the particular description in Hos 7:5-6<\/span>, suggest the conjecture that the Prophet had in mind a special case, and then in Hos 7:7<\/span> gives a general view. And there is none amongst them who calls upon me<\/strong>. The reference probably is to the kings. The sentence thus indicates briefly but strikingly the complete estrangement from God, the deplorable situation of these kings. Keil supposes the whole nation to be referred to: no one is brought to reflection in the midst of these mournful circumstances, that he should return to the Lord.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/span>. Ephraim mingles itself up with the nations.<\/strong> This refers certainly not to the invasion of the Israelitish possessions by the heathen, nor merely to alliances with them (Hos 7:11<\/span>), but in addition to something more profound, it supposes that through idolatry heathen practices were followed. Com. Psa 105:35-36<\/span>; Psa 105:39<\/span>, which passage furnishes a commentary upon ours (Wnsche). A cake not turned<\/strong>, and therefore burnt on one side (while it is not baked at all on the other). The idea is plain. [On the preceding sentence, Henderson: In Psa 105:35<\/span> a similar expression is used of promiscuous intercourse with idolaters. That such intercourse generally, and not specifically the entering into leagues with them, is meant, appears from the following clause, in which, to express the worthlessness of the Ephraimitish character, the people are compared to a cake, which, from not having been turned, is burnt and good for nothing. Such was the state of the apostate Israelites; they had corrupted themselves and were fit only for rejection.M.]<\/p>\n

Hos 7:9<\/span>. Their being burnt declared figuratively that strangers devoured their strength.<\/strong> This is not merely an outward devastation by war, but an inner consumption by the inroads of heathen practices. Indications of old age also are apparent in Israel as tokens of speedy decay.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:10<\/span>. See Hos 5:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11<\/span>. A consequence of impenitence. Israel is like a simple dove, which, not observing the snare set for her, is caught in it (Hos 7:12<\/span>). They called out to Egypt; they went to Assyria.<\/strong> As syria threatened Israel. The latter then turned immediately to Egypt, to obtain help against Assyria, and partly sought to gain the favor of Assyria (Hos 8:9<\/span>). And after all they fell into the net of Assyria.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:12<\/span>. It is the Lord who inveigles them into destruction. According to the announcement to their congregation<\/strong> = according to the oft-repeated threatening against the people (comp. in the Law, Lev 26:14<\/span> ff.; Deu 28:15<\/span> ff.).<\/p>\n

Hos 7:13<\/span>. They spoke lies conerning me<\/strong>, namely, that I would not help them. And they, in effect, lie when they do not call out for help.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:14<\/span>. And they did not cry out to me with their heart<\/strong>, even if they did cry with the mouth. Their cry was one of unbelieving despair. , according to Frst, to distress themselves, parallel to . Others: assemble themselves in crowds, i.e.<\/em>, with eager desire for corn and wine. [See Grammatical Note.]<\/p>\n

Hos 7:15<\/span>. They devise evil against me<\/strong>, namely, in their apostasy.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:16<\/span>. , probably adverb=upwards. [See Grammatical Note]<\/p>\n

A deceitful bow<\/strong>: a bow upon which the archer cannot depend, which, when he is in the act of shooting, he fears may cause him to miss his aim. So God cannot depend upon Israel, is deceived in them every moment, cannot reach the aim with them which He desires. Others claim for the meaning: slackness, therefore, a slack, bow, which cannot carry the arrow to the mark. Each meaning affords essentially the same result. The princes are emphasized, because they were the seducers of the people. This (will become) a scorning in the land of Egypt; that is: the scorn of Egypt will fall upon them for this reason, namely, on account of the falling of the princes just mentioned. Not=because they placed their trust in Egypt and fell notwithstanding (Keil), for this would rather earn them the scorn, of Assyria. They would be ridiculed by Egypt because of the weakness revealed in their fall, while they had magnified their strength before Egypt.<\/p>\n

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The Prophet assails the practices of the court without ceremony, and brands them with some powerful strokes, as a course of life, in which the nobles are as ready to carouse together as to conspire against one another. All discipline, as well as all fidelity, is wanting. Even when they hold a feast in honor of their king, there is no end to their gorging, lewdness, carousing, etc. The more vilely they behave, the better they suppose they shall celebrate the day of the king. On the other hand, when they are dissatisfied with their king they are as eager and anxious to murder him, as they formerly were to drink his health until they became intoxicated. The spirit which governs these circles is aptly compared to a fire, for it is a powerful passion by which they are driven about, revealed in various forms, partly in the form of sensual and fleshly lust, and partly in the form of craft, rage, and party-intrigue. With the loss of morality, frivolity goes hand in hand, partly as consequence and partly as cause. The courtiers together with the king are scorners, or make common cause with them. The scorner, , is the presumptuous, haughty, puffed-up (enlightened) man, who sets himself above what is and is regarded as sacred, and so practices his scornful amusement. Comp. also Hos 7:16<\/span> : the insolence of the tongue.<\/p>\n

2. The decay of the kingdom is already patent. Hos 7:9<\/span> : Gray hairs show themselves. But where the mistake lies, namely, in apostasy from Jehovah, those of the upper circles will not regard it (for it is these that the Prophet has specially in mind, comp. also Hos 7:16<\/span>). Therefore, instead of returning to Him and seeking Him (Hos 7:10<\/span>), the opposite means are seized upon, which have a result just the opposite of what they desire: help is sought in the world-powers (Hos 7:11<\/span>). Not merely the vanity but the disastrous nature of such dealing is now clearly expressed; for Israel is just preparing the way for its own ruin. It is like a silly dove, which does not see the net; and so straightway falls into it, i.e.<\/em>, the world-powers are preparing its destruction. In truth, however, it is God who employs them to punish his faithless people (Hos 7:12<\/span>). And thus will be fulfilled the previous announcement of punishment by the prophets (according to the declaration to their congregation, Hos 7:12<\/span>). It is not yet particularly indicated how the world-powers are to accomplish their destruction, nothing being as yet said of a captivity.<\/p>\n

3. We may collect the other scattered strokes delineating Israels conduct towards God (for in such brief touches are the moral and religious views of our book exhibited).<\/p>\n

Hos 7:2<\/span> describes the insensibility of the conscience, which in the commission of evil deeds ignores Gods omniscience, while nothing is more certain than that God knows themthey are before his face.<\/p>\n

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pfaff<\/strong>. Bibelwerk<\/em>: Hos 7:1<\/span>. When God lays his hand upon the conscience and his Spirit chastens it, then is first truly felt the greatness of sin. O, that we would subject ourselves to such chastening of the Spirit, and we would be saved!<\/p>\n

Cramer<\/strong>: When a sinner is about to receive help, it is with him as with many patients. They often do not feel their disease and danger, until the physician comes and reveals them.<\/p>\n

Pfaff<\/strong>. Bibelwerk<\/em>: Hos 7:2<\/span>. It is great simplicity on the part of the ungodly to suppose that God does not know their wickedness. Mark, soul, the eyes of the Lord are like flames of fire, and know even the most secret things of thy heart, and accompany thee in all thy evil ways.<\/p>\n

[Matt. Henry<\/strong>: This is the sinners atheism. As good say there is no God, as say He is either ignorant or forgetful; none that judgeth in the earth, as say He remembers not the things He is to give judgment upon.M.]<\/p>\n

Pfaff<\/strong>. Bibelwerk<\/em>: Hos 7:4<\/span>. Ye lustful men who burn so in your lascivious desires, know that a fire is prepared for you in the other world where you will burn forever.<\/p>\n

Pfaff<\/strong>. Bibelwerk<\/em>: Hos 7:7<\/span>. What a deplorable situation men are in, when they have no longer confidence to cry out to God for help in their distress, because conscience tells them that they have made Him their enemy. But it is a great consolation to the pious that, when there is none to take their part, they have free access to God and his help.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/span>. Beware of heathenish desires and practices. As soon as thou dost admit themand they may obtain entrance in all kinds of seemingly harmless shapes, even in a refined formthey injure thy religious nature. The result is a stupefying of the spiritual sense, the loss of spiritual taste, then only remains an unturned, insipid, and disgusting cake.<\/p>\n

[Pusey<\/strong>: Hos 7:9<\/span>. Thy gray hairs are thy passing-bell, says the proverb.M.]<\/p>\n

Pfaff<\/strong>. Bibelwerk<\/em>: Hos 7:10<\/span>. Man, thy sins condemn thyself. What! wouldst thou exculpate thyself? Turn only to thy conscience and ask it; it will soon utter thy condemnation.<\/p>\n

[Pusey<\/strong>: Hos 7:13<\/span>. To be separated from God is the source of all evils. Whoever seeks anything out of God or against his will, whoever seeks from man or from idols, from fortune or from his own powers, what God alone bestows; whoever acts as if God were not a good God ready to receive the penitent, or a just God who will avenge the holiness of his laws and not clear the guilty, does in fact speak lies against God.M.]<\/p>\n

Hos 7:14<\/span>. Is it the worst with thee when prosperity is past? To be vexed at the loss of temporal blessings, is a mourning of this world, and does not lead to life.<\/p>\n

Matt. Henry<\/strong>: To pray is to lift up the soul unto God; this is the essence of prayer. If that be not done, words, though never so well worded, are but wind; but if there be that, it is an acceptable prayer though the groanings cannot be uttered.M.]<\/p>\n

[Pusey<\/strong>: Hos 7:15<\/span>. The creature can neither hurt nor profit the Creator. But since God vouchsafed to be their King, He designed to look upon their rebellions as so many efforts to injure Him.M.]<\/p>\n

Hos 7:16<\/span>. Whither dost thou turn? Upwards or downwards?<\/p>\n

[Pusey<\/strong>: Like a deceitful bow<\/em>. In like way doth every sinner act, using against God in the service of Satan, Gods gifts of nature or of outward means, talents or wealth, or strength, or beauty, or power of speech,God gave all for his own glory; and man turns all aside to do honor and service to Satan.M.]<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/span>Hos 7:4<\/span>. is accentuated as Milel, probably because the Masorites took objection to the fem. form, which is elsewhere masculine. But the names for fire and anything connected therewith are in the Semitic languages usually fem. Hence is to be regarded as actually fem., and to be pointed [See Green, Heb. Gr.<\/em>, 196 c.. takes in the construct inf. the fem. ending, like (Eze 16:5<\/span>).M.]<\/p>\n

[2]<\/span>[Hos 7:5<\/span>. is an example of a construct before a noun having a preposition. This may denote the direct and powerful influence of the wine upon the revellers, or it may merely be an example of a poetical usage, Green, 255,1. . . Some assume a verb , but Gesenius, Frst and most regard the form as Piel Part. of with dropped. Houbigant would change the reading into , but needlessly.M.]<\/p>\n

[3]<\/span>[Hos 7:6<\/span>.Henderson objects, to the change of reading to , that this never occurs in the sense, ira, furor, eorum.<\/em> But as anger is a frequent sense of the dual form, and as the exigencies of the case seem to demand another reading, it seems reasonable to adopt the emendation. The conjecture has also the support of antiquity, as the Targum renders and the Syr.; Only it is not necessary to retain the ; the form given in the Exposition is probably the correct reading.M.]<\/p>\n

[4]<\/span>Hos 7:12<\/span>.. This form is from the Hiphil for .<\/p>\n

[5]<\/span>Hos 7:13<\/span>. is a voluntative<\/em> or optative<\/em>: I would or would like to redeem them.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/span>Hos 7:14<\/span>.The LXX. have read : they wound themselves. [But authority vastly preponderates in favor of the received reading.M.]<\/p>\n

[7]<\/span>[Hos 7:16<\/span> . It is agreed that the Kamets is due to the pause and that the normal form is . Critics are divided as to whether this should be regarded as a noun used collectively (they return to no-gods=idols; or as an adverb: upwards=to heaven, where God is. The word means properly an elevation, summit; hence the notion that it might be used concretely=most High. In Hos 11:7<\/span> this certainly seems the true meaning. Again it might be used adverbially, as in 2Sa 23:1<\/span>. The best lexicographers (Gesenius, Frst) approve the former sense here; some of the best Expositors (Manger, Ewald, Keil, and others) prefer the latter. The Anglo American expositors, generally, agree with the first named class. Newcome prefers to read : that which cannot profit.M.]= , . .<\/p>\n

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

CONTENTS<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The subject of reproof is continued through this Chapter. But it is mingled with mercy. Here are many blessed marks to show that the Lord had mercy in reserve for his people.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Hos 7:1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The mercy of God here spoken of cannot be considered as intended only, and not executed, but rather the words should be read, when I had healed Israel. For Christ the Almighty healer had been set up, as the lamb slain from everlasting. And it appears to me by the expression, as a beautiful instance of the freeness, and greatness of sovereign grace, that the remedy for sin went before the disease. And certain it is, that the fall of man, as is here said of Ephraim’s iniquity, becomes more discovered in the prevenient grace and mercy which the Lord had provided against it. What Paul said of himself, in respect of his ignorance of sin, but by the law, is equally true of our discovery, through God the Holy Ghost, of our fallen state, by beholding the previous provision made for our recovery by the Lord Jesus Christ. See Rom 7:7<\/span> .<\/p>\n

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

VIII<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

THE BOOK OF HOSEA PART 2<\/p>\n

Hos 4:1-14:9<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

What has previously been presented in figure and symbol in the first section of the book is now plainly and literally stated. Jehovah’s controversy with Israel is set forth in Hos 4:1-5<\/span> . Someone has called this “The Lord’s Lawsuit” in which he brings grave charges against Israel for sins of omission followed by sins of commission. The sins of omission which led to the sins of commission are that there were no truth, no goodness, and no knowledge of God in the land. These omissions led to the gravest sins of commission, viz: profanity, covenant-breaking, murder, stealing, and adultery. The evidence in this case was so strong that there was no plea of “not guilty” entered, and Jehovah proceeded at once, after making the indictment, to announce the sentence: Destruction!<\/p>\n

This verdict of destruction was for the lack of knowledge, which emphasizes the responsibility of the opportunity to know. They had rejected knowledge and had forgotten the law of Jehovah, and as the priests were the religious leaders and instructors of the people, the sentence is heavy against them, but “like people, like priest” shows the equality of the responsibility and the judgment. There is no excuse for either. He who seeks to know the agenda, God will reveal the credenda. The sentence is again stated, thus: Rejection, forgetting her children, shame, requite them their doings, hunger and harlotry. Such a sentence hung over them like a deadly pall.<\/p>\n

In Hos 4:11-14<\/span> whoredom and wine are named together, not by accident but because they are companion evils, which is the universal testimony of those who practice either. Here they are said to take away the understanding, or as the Hebrew puts it, the heart. Both are literally true. That the understanding is marred and blighted by these evils is evidenced in the case of the thousands who have rendered themselves unfit for service anywhere by wasting their strength with wine and harlots. That the heart, the seat of affections, is destroyed by these evils witness the thousands of divorce cases in our courts today. By such a course the very vitals of man are burnt out and he then becomes the prey to every other evil in the catalogue. Let the youth of our country heed the warning of the prophet. Here Israel, engrossed with these sins, is pictured as going deeper and deeper in sin and degradation until they pass beyond the power of description. Notice that the Lord here holds the men responsible and pronounces a mighty invective against the modern double standard of morals. In God’s sight the transgressor is the guilty party, whether man or woman.<\/p>\n

Though Israel has played the harlot, Judah is warned in Hos 4:15-19<\/span> that she may not follow the example of Israel. The places of danger are pointed out and the example of Israel is used to enforce the warning. Israel is stubborn; Ephraim is joined to his idols; let him alone. Israel is wrapped in the winds of destruc-tion and shall soon be put to shame, therefore, take heed, Judah.<\/p>\n

There are several notable things in the address of Hos 5:1-7<\/span> : First, the whole people priests, Israel, and the royal house was involved in the judgment because each one was responsible for the existing conditions, their great centers of revolt against Jehovah being pointed out as Mizpeh, east of the Jordan; and Tabor, west of the Jordan. Second, the fact that Jehovah himself was the rebuker of them. God is the one undisputable judge and he will judge and he will judge them all. Though the mills of God grind slowly, Yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, With exactness grinds He all,<\/p>\n

Third, God’s omniscience: “I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me.” So he knows us and there is nothing hid from him. Fourth, men are hindered from turning to God by their gins. Fifth, positive instruction awaits the sinner (Hos 5:5<\/span> ). Sixth, sacrifices and seeking are too late after doom is pronounced. Repentance must come within the space allotted for it; otherwise, it is too late.<\/p>\n

The cornet and trumpet in Hos 5:8-15<\/span> signifies the alarm in view of the approaching enemy. In the preceding paragraph the prophet signified their certain destruction and now he indicates that it is at hand, again assigning the reason, that Judah had become as bold as those who remove the landmarks, and Ephraim was content to walk after man’s commandments. Then he shows by the figure of the moth and the woodworm that he is slowly consuming both Israel and Judah, but they were applying to other powers for help to hold out and that the time would come when he, like the lion, would make quick work of his judgments upon Israel and Judah; that they will not seek him till their affliction comes.<\/p>\n

Paragraph Hos 6:1-3<\/span> is the exhortation of the Israelites to one another at the time of their affliction mentioned in the last verse of the preceding chapter and should be introduced by the word, “saying,” as indicated in the margin of Hos 5:15<\/span> . The expressions, “He hath torn” and “he hath smitten,” evidently refer to the preceding verses which describe Jehovah’s dealing with Israel and Judah as a lion. This exhortation represents them after their affliction, saying to one another, “Come, and let us return unto Jehovah,” etc. The “two days” and the “third day” are expressions representing short periods, not literal or typical days. They are then represented as pursuing knowledge which is the opposite to their present condition in their lack of knowledge. Now they are perishing for the lack of knowledge but then they will flourish as land flourishes in the time of the latter rain. There is a primary fulfilment of this prophecy in the return after the captivity but the larger fulfilment will be at their final return and conversion at which commences the revival destined to sweep the world into the kingdom of God. As Peter says, it will be “the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Act 3:19<\/span> ).<\/p>\n

A paraphrase of Hos 6:4-11<\/span> shows its interpretation and application, thus: “O Ephraim, O Judah, I am perplexed as to what remedy next to apply to you; your goodness is so shallow and transitory that my judgments have to be repeated from time to time. I desire goodness, i.e., works of charity, the right attitude of life, and the proper condition of the heart, rather than sacrifice. But instead of this you have, like Adam in the garden of Eden, transgressed my covenant and have dealt treacherously against me, as in the case of the Gileadites and the case of the murderous priests in the way to Shechem, and oh, the horribleness of your crimes! and, O Judah, there is a harvest for you, too.”<\/p>\n

In the charges against Israel in Hos 7:1-16<\/span> the prophet gives the true state of affairs, viz: that the divine desire to heal was frustrated by the discovery of pollution, and by their persistent ignoring of God; that the pollution of the nation was manifest in the king, the princes, and the judges; that Ephraim was mixing among the people and had widespread influence, over the ten tribes, yet he was as a cake not turned; that he was an utter failure, being developed on one side, and on the other destroyed by burning; that he was unconscious of his wasting strength and ignored the plain testimony of the Pride of Israel; that as a silly dove, he was indicating fear and cowardice. Then the prophet concludes the statement of the case by a declaration of the utter folly of the people whom God was scourging toward redemption, to which they responded by howling, assembling, and rebelling.<\/p>\n

Now we take up Hos 8<\/span> . From the statement of the case the prophet turned, in Hos 8:1-14<\/span> , to the pronouncement of judgment by the figure of the trumpet lifted to the mouth, uttering five blasts, in each of which the sin of the people was set forth as revealing the reason for judgment. The first blast declared the coming of judgment under the figure of an eagle, because of transgression and trespass. The second blast emphasized Israel’s sin of rebellion, in that they had set up kings and princes without authority of Jehovah. The third dealt with Israel’s idolatry, announcing that Jehovah had cast off the calf of Samaria. The fourth denounced Israel’s alliances and declared that her hire among the nations had issued in her diminishing. The fifth drew attention to the altars of sin and announced the coming judgment.<\/p>\n

These judgments in detail are given in Hos 9<\/span> . Its first note was that of the death of joy. Israel could not find her joy like other peoples. Having known Jehovah, everything to which she turned in turning from him, failed to satisfy. How true is this of the individual backslider! The unsatisfied heart is constantly crying out, Where is the blessedness I knew, When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view Of Jesus and his word?<\/p>\n

The second note was that of actual exile to which she must pass: back to the slavery of Egypt and Assyria and away from the offerings and feasts of the Lord. The third was that of the cessation of prophecy. The means of testing themselves would be corrupted. The fourth declared the retributive justice of fornication. The prophet traced the growth of this pollution from its beginning at Baal-peor, and clearly set forth the inevitable deterioration of the impure people. The fifth and last was that of the final casting out of the people by God so that they should become wanderers among the nations.<\/p>\n

In Hos 10<\/span> we have the prophet’s recapitulation and appeal. This closes the section. The whole case is stated under the figure of the vine. Israel was a vine of God’s planting which had turned its fruitfulness to evil account and was therefore doomed to his judgment. The result of this judgment would be the lament of the people that they had no king who was able to deliver them, and chastisement would inevitably follow. The last paragraph is an earnest and passionate appeal to return to loyalty.<\/p>\n

Some things in Hos 10<\/span> need special explanation: First, note the expression here, “They will say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.” This furnishes the analogue for the final destruction of the world and the judgment as given in Luk 23:30<\/span> and Rev 6:16<\/span> . Here the expression is used to indicate the horrors of the capture and destruction of the kingdom of Israel, the sufferings and distress of which are a foreshadowing of the great tribulation at the end of the world.<\/p>\n

Second, the reference to Gibeah in Hos 10:9<\/span> needs a little explanation. This sin of Gibeah is the sin of the shameful outrage which with its consequences is recorded in Judges 19-20. That sin became proverbial, overtopping, as it did, all the ordinary iniquities, by its shameless atrocity and heinousness. By a long-continued course of sin, even from ancient days, Ephraim had been preparing for a fearful doom.<\/p>\n

The third reference is to Shalman who destroyed Betharbel (Hos 10:14<\/span> ). There are several theories about this incident. Some think that “Shalman” is a short form of “Shalmaneser,” that Shalmaneser IV, who in the invasion which is mentioned (2Ki 17:3<\/span> ) fought a battle in the valley of Jezreel, in which he broke the power of Samaria in fulfilment of Hos 1:5<\/span> and about the same time stormed the neighboring town of Arbela, but who this “Shalman” was and what place was “Betharbel” are only matters of uncertain conjecture. All that is positively known is that the sack of Betharbel had made upon the minds of the Israelites an impression similar to that which in the seventeenth century was made far and wide by the sack of Madgeburg.<\/p>\n

According to our brief outline the title of section Hos 11:1-14:8<\/span> is “Pollution and Pity.” This third cycle of the prophecy sets forth the pity which Jehovah has for his sinning people, and contains a declaration of Jehovah’s attitude toward Israel notwithstanding her sin. Chapters 11-13 are for the most part the speech of Jehovah himself. He sums up, and in so doing declares his sense of the awfulness of their sin, pronouncing his righteous judgment thereupon. Yet throughout the movement the dominant notes are those of pity and love, and the ultimate victory of that love over sin, and consequently over judgment. Three times in the course of this great message of Jehovah to his people (Hos 11:1-13:16<\/span> ), the prophet interpolates words of his own.<\/p>\n

This message of Jehovah falls into three clearly marked elements which deal: (1) with the present in the light of past love (Hos 11:1-11<\/span> ); (2) with the present in the light of present love (Hos 12:7-11<\/span> ) ; (3) with the present in the light of future love (Hos 13:4-14<\/span> ).<\/p>\n

The prophet’s interpolations set forth the history of Israel indicating their relation to Jehovah, and pronounce judgment. They form a remarkable obligate accompaniment, in a minor key, to the majestic love song of Jehovah, and constitute a contrasting introduction to the final message of the prophet. The first of them reveals the prophet’s sense of Jehovah’s controversy with Judah, his just dealings with Jacob, and, reminiscent of Jacob’s history, he makes a deduction and an appeal (Hos 11:12-13:6<\/span> ). The second traces the progress of Israel to death (Hos 12:12-13:3<\/span> ). The third declares their doom (Hos 13:15-16<\/span> ).<\/p>\n

Then in general, Jehovah’s message in Hos 11:1-11<\/span> is as follows:<\/p>\n

In this first movement, Jehovah reminded the people of his past love for them in words full of tenderness, setting out their present condition in its light, and crying, “How shall I give thee up?” Which inquiry was answered by the determined declaration of the ultimate triumph of love, and the restoration of the people.<\/p>\n

There are two incidents of Israel’s history cited in this first part of Jehovah’s message. The first incident cited is the calling of Israel out of Egypt, which is quoted in Mat 2:15<\/span> and applied to our Lord Jesus Christ as a fulfilment of this prophecy. Hosea clearly refers to the calling of Israel out of Egypt, the nation being elsewhere spoken of as God’s son (Exo 4:22<\/span> ; Jer 3:9<\/span> ). But there is evident typical relation between Israel and the Messiah.<\/p>\n

As Israel in the childhood of the nation was called out of Egypt, so Jesus. We may even find resemblance in minute details; his temptation of forty days in the desert, resembles Israel’s temptation of forty years in the desert, which itself corresponded to the forty days spent by the spies (Num 14:34<\/span> ). Thus we see how Hosea’s historical statement concerning Israel may have been also a prediction concerning the Messiah, as the Evangelist declares it was. It is not necessary to suppose that this was present to the prophet’s consciousness. Exalted by inspiration, a prophet may well have said things having deeper meanings than he was distinctly aware of, and which only a later inspiration, coming when the occasion arose, could fully unfold BROADUS on Mat 2:15<\/span> . The second incident in the history of God’s people cited is the destruction of Adman, Zeboim, Sodom, and Gomorrah, all of which are mentioned in Deu 29:23<\/span> as destroyed by Jehovah for their wickedness. The warning is a powerful one to Ephraim, or Israel, who are here threatened with destruction.<\/p>\n

The prophet’s message in his first interpolation (Hos 11:12-12:6<\/span> ) is a lesson from the history of Jacob showing Israel’s relation to him. The prophet here goes back to the earliest history of Jacob showing God’s dealing with him from his conception to his settlement at Bethel, where God gave him the promise of a multitude of descendants. This bit of history includes the struggle between him and Esau before birth, and his wrestling with the angel.<\/p>\n

In Hos 12:7-11<\/span> Jehovah sets out their present sin in the light of his present love. The sin of Ephraim and its pride and impertinence are distinctly stated and yet over all, love triumphs. Jehovah declared himself to be the God who delivered them from Egypt, and who would be true to the message of the prophets, to the visions of the seers and to the similitudes of the ministry of the prophets. There is an allusion in verse 7 to Jacob’s deception of Isaac, which characteristic seems to have been handed down to his posterity, as here indicated.<\/p>\n

In the prophets second interpolation (Hos 12:12-13:3<\/span> ) he traces the progress of Israel to death, beginning at the flight to the field of Aram, through the exodus from Egypt and the preservation to the present, in which Ephraim was exalted in Israel, offended in Baal and died. Their certain doom is here announced.<\/p>\n

Then follows Jehovah’s message in Hos 13:4-14<\/span> in which he sets forth the present condition of Israel in the light of his future love. Sin abounds, and therefore judgment is absolutely unavoidable. Nevertheless, the mighty strength of love must overcome at last.<\/p>\n

There are several things in the passage worthy of special note. First, the allusions here to Jehovah’s dealings with them from Egypt to their destination in Canaan, their exaltation and his destruction of them. Second, the allusion to their history under kings, beginning with Saul, whom he gave them in his anger and whom he took away in his wrath. The statement may apply to the long line of kings of the Northern Kingdom, but it fits the case of Saul more especially and throws light on the problem of Saul’s mission as king of Israel. Third, the promise of their restoration under the figure of a resurrection (Hos 13:14<\/span> ), which is quoted and applied to the final resurrection by Paul (1Co 15:55<\/span> ) and which shows the typical import of this passage. It is like a flash of light in the darkest hour of despair.<\/p>\n

Dr. Pusey on this passage has well said:<\/p>\n

God by his prophets mingles promises of mercy in the midst of his threats of punishment. His mercy overflows the bounds of the occasion upon which he makes it known. He had sentenced Ephraim to temporal destruction. This was unchangeable. He points to that which turns all temporal loss into gain, that eternal redemption. The words are the fullest which could have been chosen. The word rendered “ransom” signifies rescued them by the payment of a price; the word rendered “redeem” relates to one who, as the nearest of kin, had the right to acquire anything as his own by paying the price. Both words in their exactest sense, describe what Jesus did, buying us with a price . . . and becoming our near kinsman by his incarnation. . . . The words refuse to be tied down to temporal deliverance. A little longer continuance in Canaan is not a redemption from the power of the grave; nor was Ephraim so delivered.<\/p>\n

The expression, “repentance shall be hid from mine eyes,” means that God will never turn from his purpose to be merciful to Israel.<\/p>\n

In the prophet’s last interpolation (Hos 13:15-16<\/span> ) he goes back to the death sentence showing the complete destruction of Ephraim and Samaria by the Eastern power, Assyria. The reference to Ephraim’s fruitfulness goes back to the promise of Jacob to Joseph, “He shall be a fruitful bough,” though Ephraim had turned this fruitfulness to evil and thus is brought to desolation.<\/p>\n

Hos 14<\/span> gives us the final call of the prophet with the promise of Jehovah. The call was to the people to return because they had fallen by iniquity. It suggests the method of returning, as being that of bringing words of penitence, and forsaking all false gods. To this Jehovah answered in a message full of hope for the people, declaring that he would restore, renew, and ultimately reinstate them. There is no question but that this final word of prophecy has a reference to the return from the exile but that this return does not exhaust the meaning of this prophecy is also very evident. The larger fulfilment is to be spiritual and finds its expression in the final conversion of the Jews as voiced by Peter: “Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Act 3:19<\/span> ).<\/p>\n

The book closes with a brief epilogue, which demands attention to all the prophet has written, whether for warning, or reproof, or correction in righteousness, or encouragement to piety and virtue. Like the dictates of the Word, so the dispensations of his providence are to some the savor of life, to others the savor of death. So it is added that, while the righteous walk therein, in them the wicked stumble.<\/p>\n

In closing this chapter I will say that Hosea occupies a period of transition in developing the messianic idea from the earlier prophets to Micah and Isaiah, in whose writings abounds the messianic element:<\/p>\n

(1) Hosea, like Amos, predicts the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, but he looks beyond it to a brighter day, when the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea in number, will be accepted of Jehovah as sons and daughters, and Judah and Israel will have one head, Christ (Hos 1:10-2:1<\/span> , et al).<\/p>\n

(2) Hosea’s experience with an unfaithful wife is an object lesson of God’s forgiveness of Israel. Their spiritual adultery must lead them into exile but Jehovah will betroth Israel to himself in righteousness, and take the Gentiles into the same covenant (Hos 2:2-3:5<\/span> ; Rom 9:25-26<\/span> ).<\/p>\n

(3) Hos 11:1<\/span> was fulfilled in the return of Joseph and Mary from Egypt with the babe, Jesus (Mat 2:15<\/span> ). So Jesus the antitype of Adam, Israel, and David.<\/p>\n

(4) Hos 11:8-11<\/span> expresses Jehovah’s promise to restore Israel.<\/p>\n

(5) Hos 13:14<\/span> is a messianic promise foreshadowing the resurrection.<\/p>\n

(6) Hos 14:1-8<\/span> is a messianic promise of Israel’s final repentance, God’s reinstatement of them and their abundant blessings in the millennium.<\/p>\n

I quote Dr. Sampey: In general, the earlier prophets describe clearly a terrible captivity of Jehovah’s people, to be followed by a return to their own land, where they were to enjoy the divine blessing. The everlasting love and compassion of Jehovah are repeatedly described, and the future enlargement of Israel is clearly set forth. The person of Messiah, however, is not distinctly brought before the reader. Isaiah and Micah will have much to say of the character and work of the Messaih Himself<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. What the character of this division, as contrasted with the first three chapters of Hosea?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

2. What Jehovah’s controversy with Israel as set forth in Hos 4:1-5<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

3. Why the verdict of destruction, as set forth in Hos 4:6-10<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

4. What two practices are named together in Hos 4:11-14<\/span> , and what their effect upon the mind of man?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

5. What warning to Judah in Hos 4:15-19<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

6. What the notable things in the address of Hos 5:1-7<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

7. What the significance and the application of the cornet and trumpet in Hos 5:8-15<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

8. What the interpretation and application of Hos 6:1-3<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

9. Paraphrase Hos 6:4-11<\/span> so as to show its interpretation and application.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

10. What the charges against Israel in Hos 7:1-16<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

11. How does the prophet pronounce judgment and what the significance in each case (Hos 8:1-14<\/span> )?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

12. Describe these judgments in detail as given in Hos 9<\/span> .<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

13. State briefly the prophet’s recapitulation and appeal (Hos 10:1-15<\/span> ).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

14. What things in Hos 10<\/span> need special explanation, and what the explanation in each case?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

15. According to our brief outline what the title of section Hos 11:1-14:8<\/span> , and what in general, are its contents?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

16. What the general features of the message of Jehovah?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

17. What the general features of the prophet’s interpolations?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

18. What, in general, is Jehovah’s message in Hos 11:1-11<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

19. What two incidents of Israel’s history cited in this first part of Jehovah’s message, and what their interpretation and application?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

20. What the prophet’s message in his first interpolation (Hos 11:12-12:6<\/span> )?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

21. What, in general, Jehovah’s message in Hos 12:7-11<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

22. What allusion to an incident in the life of Jacob in this passage?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

23. What the substance of the prophet’s second interpolation (Hos 12:12-13:3<\/span> )?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

24. What, in general, Jehovah’s message in Hos 13:4-14<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

25. What things in the passage worthy of special note?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

26. What the prophet’s message in his last interpolation (Hos 13:15-16<\/span> )?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

27. What the contents of Hos 14<\/span> ?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

28. Give a summary of the messianic predictions in the book of Hosea.<\/p>\n

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1 When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, [and] the troop of robbers spoileth without.<\/p>\n

Ver. 1. When I would have healed Israel, &c.<\/strong> ] Whereas Israel, hearing of a happy harvest promised to Judah, Hos 6:11<\/span> , and themselves excluded, might complain of hard dealing; God shows them here, that crudelem medicum intemperans aeger facit,<\/em> the fault was merely in themselves. God came with his healing medicines to have cured them, but they hated to be healed, and, like madmen, railed and raged against the physician, spilt the portions, would have none of those slibber-sauces, a<\/em> as they accounted them; yea, as if on purpose to cross God, <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness ( malitia multiplex<\/em> ) of Samaria] Of so perverse a spirit were they; and therefore (in Solomen’s judgment, Pro 12:8 ) worthy to have been despised and let alone to perish in their corruptions. In Hippocrates’ time the physicians were bound by oath to leave such under their wounds to perish by them as were unruly, and would not be ordered. “We would have healed Babylon,” (saith the Church), “but she would not be healed; forsake her therefore,” saith God, Jer 51:9<\/span> . “Let them alone,” saith Christ, Mat 15:14<\/span> . That which will die, let it die: a fearful sentence. Let them swelter and pine away in their iniquities, Lev 26:39<\/span> . In their filthiness is lewdness, their disease is complicated, it is the leprosy in the head, it breaketh forth in their forehead, and my people love to have it so; but “what will they do in the end thereof?” Jer 5:31<\/span> . Ephraim here discovereth a headstrong wilfulness that was uncounsellable, incurable. He runs away after conviction, with a bit between his teeth, as it were; he runs, I say, upon the rock, Amo 6:12<\/span> , where he first breaketh his hoofs, and then his neck. Some grow desperately sinful, like those Italian senators, that despairing of their lives (when upon submission they had been promised their lives, yet), being conscious of their villany, made a curious banquet; and at the end thereof every man drank up his glass of poison: and killed himself. So men, feeling such horrible hard hearts, and privy to such notorious sins they cast away souls and all for lust; and perish woefully, because they lived desperately, and so securely. It is a fearful sign of reprobation when God’s means and medicines do men no good, but hurt rather; when medicine, which should remove the disease, doth co-operate with it, then death comes with the more pain and speed. The stronger the conviction of sin is the deeper will be the wrath against it, if it be not by repentance avoided. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For they commit falsehood<\/strong> ] They do not the truth, 1Jn 1:6<\/span> , but deal falsely, Jer 6:13<\/span> , every one of them, from the prophet even to the priest; they work a deceitful work, Pro 11:18<\/span> , their bellies prepare deceit, Job 15:35<\/span> , they have an art in lying, in stitching one lie to another, as the word signifieth, Psa 119:69<\/span> , Assuunt mendacium mendacio.<\/em> Idolatry is a real lie, as she in the Book of Martyrs answered the doctor, that asked her, Dost thou believe that the body of Christ is in the sacrament of the altar really and substantially? I believe, said she, that so to hold is a real lie, and a substantial lie. These idolaters having played false with God, and treacherously dealt with him, what wonder though they lie, deceive, rob, spoil, both within doors and without, in private negotiations and public transactions? but especially forge lies against those that withstood their superstitious vanities, and prey upon their goods, as Heb 10:34<\/span> . Sublata pietate tollitur fides,<\/em> is a truth irrefutable. Take away piety, and fidelity is gone; as we see in that unrighteous judge, Luk 18:2<\/span> , and as Abraham concluded of the men of Gerar, Gen 20:11<\/span> , and lastly, as Constantinus Chlorus, the father of Constantine the Great, experimented in his own councillors and courtiers; whence that famous maxim of his, recorded by Eusebius: He cannot be faithful to me who is unfaithful to God; religion being the ground of all true fidelity and loyalty. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

a<\/em> A compound or concoction of a messy, repulsive, or nauseous character, used esp. for medicinal purposes. D<\/p>\n

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Hos 7:1-7<\/p>\n

1When I would heal Israel,<\/p>\n

The iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered,<\/p>\n

And the evil deeds of Samaria,<\/p>\n

For they deal falsely;<\/p>\n

The thief enters in,<\/p>\n

Bandits raid outside,<\/p>\n

2And they do not consider in their hearts<\/p>\n

That I remember all their wickedness.<\/p>\n

Now their deeds are all around them;<\/p>\n

They are before My face.<\/p>\n

3With their wickedness they make the king glad,<\/p>\n

And the princes with their lies.<\/p>\n

4They are all adulterers,<\/p>\n

Like an oven heated by the baker<\/p>\n

Who ceases to stir up the fire<\/p>\n

From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.<\/p>\n

5On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine;<\/p>\n

He stretched out his hand with scoffers,<\/p>\n

6For their hearts are like an oven<\/p>\n

As they approach their plotting;<\/p>\n

Their anger smolders all night,<\/p>\n

In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.<\/p>\n

7All of them are hot like an oven,<\/p>\n

And they consume their rulers;<\/p>\n

All their kings have fallen.<\/p>\n

None of them calls on Me.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:1 When I would heal Israel The content of this line of poetry seems to go best paired with the last line of chapter 6 (LXX, Peshitta, Vulgate, NKJV, NASB).<\/p>\n

heal The word heal (BDB 950, KB 1272, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is used often by Hosea to describe God’s spiritual renewal of His people from the sickness of rebellion (e.g., Hos 5:13; Hos 6:1; Hos 7:1; Hos 11:3; Hos 14:4). In the OT sin is described as a sickness (e.g., Psa 103:3; Isa 1:5-6). See Special Topic: Healing .<\/p>\n

iniquity Israel’s sin is described as iniquity (i.e., corruption, Hos 4:8; Hos 5:5; Hos 8:13; Hos 9:7; Hos 9:9; Hos 10:10; Hos 12:8; Hos 13:12; Hos 14:1-2, BDB 730) and evil deed (BDB 949, cf. Hos 7:2-3; Hos 9:15; Hos 10:15[twice]).<\/p>\n

uncovered This VERB (BDB 162, KB 191, Niphal PERFECT) means to reveal by uncovering (e.g., Hos 2:10; 1Sa 2:27; 1Sa 14:8; Isa 53:1). It has a sexual aspect in Isa 57:8, as it does here (i.e., fertility worship).<\/p>\n

NASB, NRSVthey deal falsely<\/p>\n

NKJVthey have committed fraud<\/p>\n

TEVthey cheat<\/p>\n

NJBfor deceit is their principle of behavior<\/p>\n

The VERB (BDB 821, KB 950, Qal PERFECT) addresses Israel’s fraud and lies (cf. Jer 6:13; Jer 8:8; Jer 8:10).<\/p>\n

The thief enters in,<\/p>\n

Bandits raid outside The enter in and on the outside may be a way of referring to (1) the sin of all the people or (2) invasion (e.g., Jer 18:22) and exile.<\/p>\n

The thief (literally band BDB 151 I) was used earlier in Hos 6:9 (cf. 2Ch 25:9-10; 2Ch 25:13).<\/p>\n

Israel. . . Ephraim. . .Samaria These are three terms used to describe the Northern Ten Tribes after the division of the people of God in 922 B.C. between Jeroboam I, a labor leader from the tribe of Ephraim, and Rehoboam, Solomon’s son.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:2 I remember all their wickedness. . .They are before My face This refers to God’s documentation of the sins of His covenant people. To forgive is to forget (e.g., Isa 1:18; Isa 38:17; Isa 43:25; Isa 44:22; Jer 31:34; Eze 18:22; Eze 33:16), but to remember (cf. Hos 8:13; Hos 9:9) is the sign of unrepentance (they do not consider in their hearts) and the consequent judgment that follows (e.g., Jer 14:10; Jer 44:12).<\/p>\n

their deeds are all around them This VERB (BDB 685, KB 738, Qal PERFECT) is used of a military or enemy surrounding someone (e.g., Job 16:13; Psa 17:11; Psa 88:11). This same term is used again in Hos 11:12, where Ephraim surrounds God with lies.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:3 they There has been much discussion about who they refers to in Hos 7:3-6. There are two main theories. This refers to political conspirators (cf. Hos 7:7 and NET Bible) who are somehow related to the bandits and thieves that are mentioned in Hos 7:1. Openly their loyalty is to the king, but privately they plot his assassination (cf. Hos 8:4). 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. 2Ki 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. 2Ki 17:4).<\/p>\n

This refers to priests who have been the object of Hosea’s scorn since Hos 4:4-14; Hos 5:1-7. And now they are involved in political unrest. It is possible that these two can be combined. It is the priests who are functioning along with the princes as political conspirators.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:4 They are all adulterers This is either (1) another reference to the fertility worship (literal) or (2) a reference to their covenant faithlessness (figurative, cf. Jer 9:2). See Special Topic: Adultery .<\/p>\n

Like an oven heated by the baker There is an illusion to these political conspirators or priests as being bakers and ovens. The metaphor seems to be (1) that they rise early to plan their treason (cf. Hos 7:6-8 b) or (2) that they do not pay attention to their task and ruin the bread.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:5 On the day of our king This possibly refers to an annual coronation celebration, a birthday celebration, or a special day honoring a military victory.<\/p>\n

the princes This could refer to the king’s family or to courtiers. They are mentioned often in Hosea (cf. Hos 7:5; Hos 7:16; Hos 8:4; Hos 8:10; Hos 9:15; Hos 13:10).<\/p>\n

became sick with the heat of wine The political leaders are liars (Hos 7:3), drunkards (Hos 7:5), and schemers (Hos 7:5-7). Drunkenness is a major problem of fallen mankind (cf. Pro 20:1; Pro 23:29-35; Isa 28:1; Isa 28:7). It is often used as a metaphor for God’s judgment.<\/p>\n

NASB, NKJVscoffers<\/p>\n

NRSVmockers<\/p>\n

TEV——-<\/p>\n

NJBpeople who laugh at him<\/p>\n

This term is found only here. It can mean rebel (i.e., plan a takeover with rebels) or from another root, mock (i.e., receive counsel from drunken courtiers).<\/p>\n

Hos 7:6 plotting This term (BDB 70) refers to an ambush (cf. Jer 9:8, the VERB form in Jer 51:12). This is the premeditated murder that Exo 20:13 and Deu 5:17 restrict!<\/p>\n

Hos 7:7 All their kings have fallen See note at Hos 7:3.<\/p>\n

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

spoileth = strippeth. <\/p>\n

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Chapter 7<\/p>\n

The Lord continues His response to them.<\/p>\n

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief comes in, and the troop of robbers spoils without. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face ( Hsa Hos 7:1-2 <\/p>\n

).<\/p>\n

People forget that God remembers. You don’t hide anything from God. You think you’re getting by with it. “They don’t consider in their hearts that I remember.”<\/p>\n

And they make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. They are all adulterers, as an oven that is heated by the baker ( Hsa Hos 7:3-4 ),<\/p>\n

That is, that the heat of passion.<\/p>\n

Like an oven heated by the baker, who ceases from rising after he has kneaded the dough, until it be leavened ( Hsa Hos 7:4 ).<\/p>\n

The bakers would usually set the fire in the ovens at night and after building the fire in the oven at night, they would go to bed. They would knead the dough, set it aside and they’d go bed and they wouldn’t rise until the dough had been leavened. And, of course, when they rose then the oven was all heated and ready for the bread. And so he uses that as a figure of speech actually, the heated oven to the heated passions of these people in their adulterous relationships.<\/p>\n

In the day of our king, the princes have made him sick with the bottles of wine ( Hsa Hos 7:5 );<\/p>\n

That is, drinking until they were so drunk they were vomiting all over the place.<\/p>\n

he stretched out his hand with the scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait ( Hsa Hos 7:5-6 ):<\/p>\n

That is, lying in wait for their neighbor’s wife or whatever.<\/p>\n

the baker sleeps all the night; and in the morning it burns as with a flaming fire. They are all as hot as an oven, they’ve devoured their judges; and their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calls unto me ( Hsa Hos 7:6-7 ).<\/p>\n

And so God is giving His indictment against Israel and why His judgment must fall.<\/p>\n

Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned ( Hsa Hos 7:8 ).<\/p>\n

Like a pancake, it’s burning on the bottom but the top is still raw. It’s really good for nothing. Just, you know, you can’t eat it; just throw it out. Ephraim is a cake not turned.<\/p>\n

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he doesn’t know it ( Hsa Hos 7:9 ):<\/p>\n

You remember Samson when he said, “I will rise up as I did before,” and he knew not that the Spirit of God had departed from him. Tragic when people are still going on with motions but God has left and they’re not even aware that God is gone because the motions are still there. We’re still doing the right thing, we’re still doing the religious thing, but what’s in your heart? They knew not that their strength were gone.<\/p>\n

yea, the gray hairs are here and are upon them, yet they don’t know it ( Hsa Hos 7:9 )<\/p>\n

Again, not really knowing that the things that have come upon them.<\/p>\n

The pride of Israel testifies to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all of this. Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria ( Hsa Hos 7:10-11 ).<\/p>\n

Now doves are silly. They make their nest in the most stupid places. A dove is really stupid. Watch them in their nest building, they don’t really make a neat nest at all and they’re not really careful where they make their nest. They oftentimes will make their nest even within an easy reach. And you can remove the eggs out of a dove’s nest and he’ll continue to sit on the thing. They’re just silly. I remember as a kid we used to go out with slingshots and you just miss the dove, you know, the rock just goes shooting passed him and just barely miss him and he wouldn’t fly; he wouldn’t move. He’d just, you know, look around. I used to say, “You dumb thing. I’m not gonna miss you the next shot.” But they just don’t seem to have much sense. They surely don’t show very good judgment. And so God likens Ephraim to a silly dove flying off to Assyria and then flying down to Egypt, looking again to the help of man rather than turning to God.<\/p>\n

God said,<\/p>\n

When they go, I’m going to spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: and though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. And though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. They return, but not to the Most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt ( Hsa Hos 7:12-16 ).<\/p>\n

So God’s response to Ephraim and to Judah. “<\/p>\n

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1-7<\/p>\n

ISRAELS INGRATITUDE-LOVE OF SIN<\/p>\n

TEXT: Hos 7:1-7<\/p>\n

The moral depravity of Israel which is leading her inevitably in a headlong plunge into anarchy is pictured by the prophet. The hearts of the people are so passionate for evil they are insensible to it all!<\/p>\n

Hos 7:1 When I would have healedH7495 Israel,H3478 then the iniquityH5771 of EphraimH669 was discovered,H1540 and the wickednessH7451 of Samaria:H8111 forH3588 they commitH6466 falsehood;H8267 and the thiefH1590 cometh in,H935 and the troop of robbersH1416 spoilethH6584 without.H2351 <\/p>\n

Hos 7:1 WHEN I WOULD HEAL ISRAEL . . . Like the surgeon who begins to dress a wound often exposes hidden contamination, so God as He began to heal Israel by sending the prophets to preach and by sending upon Israel certain providential, natural calamities, to call them to repentance, exposed the full content of the corruption of the nation. Especially was corruption rampant in Israels capital city, Samaria, We are reminded of Micahs searing accusations against the capital cities of both Israel and Judah. Crime and corruption most often germinates in the urban societies. And, just as in the days of the prophets, so now, very often people blind themselves to their own condition. <\/p>\n

Zerr: Hos 7:1. Iniquity of Ephraim was discovered. God does not have to discover a fact, as we commonly use that word, in order to learn of it. He knows all about everything even before it happens. The word is from GAUAH, which Strong defines, “A primitive root; to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively to reveal, The term as used in this passage means that God would have been inclined to heal or approve Israel as being acceptable, but the iniquity of the nation was so evident or hare that He could only condemn her. Ephraim was one of the tribes, and Samaria, the capital city, was situated in the possession of that tribe.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:2 And they considerH559 notH1077 in their heartsH3824 that I rememberH2142 allH3605 their wickedness:H7451 nowH6258 their own doingsH4611 have beset them about;H5437 they areH1961 beforeH5048 my face.H6440 <\/p>\n

Hos 7:2 AND THEY CONSIDER NOT IN THEIR HEARTS . . . One cannot help but notice in this chapter how often the phrase knoweth it not recurs. Israel persistently ignored their own condition and persistently ignored God. It is dangerous for a nation to sin. But the most perilous condition possible is to sin and know it not. We shall have more to say about this condition in the next section. But here the prophet depicts the people as blissfully ignorant of God. They refuse to accept the fact that God is aware of their wickedness and that He will judge them for it. Their sin is apparent to everyone but themselves. They have became so captivated, enslaved in evil ways, it is their way of life-they are beset about with it. <\/p>\n

Zerr: Hos 7:2. In spite of all the experiences that Israel had known directly, and the record of God’s dealing with unrighteous persons in the past, they seemed to feel as if He did not know what was going on. And even if the Lord had been unable to see the future or to know about facts that were invisible, He would have known all about the iniquity of Israel for it was before his face.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:3 They make the king gladH8055 H4428 with their wickedness,H7451 and the princesH8269 with their lies.H3585 <\/p>\n

Hos 7:3 THEY MAKE THE KING GLAD WITH THEIR WICKEDNESS . . . Pusey writes, Wicked sovereigns and a wicked people are a curse to each other, each encouraging the other in sin. There are at least two reasons rulers are made happy by the sins of the people: (a) In most cases the rulers profit in a monetary way through the indulgence and excesses of the populace. For this reason evil rulers do all within their power to legalize crime and evil; (b) and furthermore good and serious people would be a reproach to the consciences of the rulers-if therefore the people condone and practice the evil the rulers practice, they are an encouragement to evil to one another. It goes without saying that this is true of every form of government devised by man, including democracy. The only nation where this is not so is the chosen nation of God, the kingdom ruled over by the Holy and Righteous King, Jesus Christ, the church of the living God! The citizens of this nation have been reborn and are being transformed into the image of their King-loving, righteous, holy, pure and just. Their King hates sin and is made to grieve when it occurs and so do His subjects, (cf. Isa 9:6-7; Isa 11:1-10; Isa 35:5-10). <\/p>\n

Zerr: Hos 7:3. The pronoun they refers to the people in general, and their conduct was agreeable to the king and princes, because all classes had conspired to corrupt the law of the Lord. (See Jeremiah 5; Jeremiah 31.)<\/p>\n

Hos 7:4 They are allH3605 adulterers,H5003 asH3644 an ovenH8574 heatedH1197 byH4480 the baker,H644 who ceasethH7673 from raisingH4480 H5782 after he hath kneadedH4480 H3888 the dough,H1217 untilH5704 it be leavened.H2556 <\/p>\n

Hos 7:4 . . . THEY ARE AS AN OVEN HEATED BY THE BAKER . . . The people allow their hearts to smolder and simmer with evil thoughts and imaginations and plans, like the smoldering fire built by the baker near which he places his kneaded dough ready to bake in the morning when he will fan the coals into a roaring fire. The people go to bed at night with their evil plans smoldering in their hearts to awake in the morning and fan the coals into roaring deeds of evil. <\/p>\n

Zerr: Hos 7:4. This is an unusual and highly figurative passage, intended to illustrate the intensity of Israel’s lusts. While the baker is mixing the dough, he is also applying the fuel to the oven. After the mixing is done it will not require very long for it to rise or become leavened. And it is only during that short space that he does not apply any more fuel to the oven, which indicates that it is hot enough to bake the dough, and hence a fitting comparison for the heat to their corruptions.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:5 In the dayH3117 of our kingH4428 the princesH8269 have made him sickH2470 with bottlesH2534 of wine;H4480 H3196 he stretched outH4900 his handH3027 withH854 scorners.H3945 <\/p>\n

Hos 7:5 ON THE DAY OF OUR KING . . . Just what this day of our king was we do not know. It was probably either the kings birthday or the anniversary of his coronation. It was a holiday of some significance devoted to much excess in feasting and drinking. The leaders of the nation spent the day in revelry and carousel over indulging themselves to the point of nausea. The king, drunken with wine, let down his royal dignity and joined the crude, boisterous, sacrilegious scoffers (or blasphemers). Wine is a mocker (or scoffer) (Pro 20:1) and drunkenness removes all restraint revealing the evil which is in the man. The king, rather than stretching out his hand to protect the few in Israel who were being exploited and persecuted for their righteousness, stretched out his hand (or welcomed) to join with these profane, degraded men. How can any society survive when its leaders become examples of corruption and excess? How can any nation hope to be a master of its destiny when it enslaves itself to indulgence and excess? May God raise up prophets of righteous indignation and fearless courage to pronounce the judgments of God upon the leaders of nations today who enjoy wickedness and indulge in excesses because of the profit they make. <\/p>\n

Zerr: Hos 7:5. The people of Israel were corrupt both fleshly and morally. They were guilty of unfaithfulness both literally and figuratively, and all classes conspired together in the iniquity. (Jer 5:31.) Day of our king probably refers to one of his birthday anniversaries. It was celebrated in drunkenness and association with evil characters like the heathen nations around them.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:6 ForH3588 they have made readyH7126 their heartH3820 like an oven,H8574 whiles they lie in wait:H693 their bakerH644 sleepethH3463 allH3605 the night;H3915 in the morningH1242 itH1931 burnethH1197 as a flamingH3852 fire.H784 <\/p>\n

Hos 7:7 They are all hotH2552 H3605 as an oven,H8574 and have devouredH398 (H853) their judges;H8199 allH3605 their kingsH4428 are fallen:H5307 there is noneH369 among them that callethH7121 untoH413 me. <\/p>\n

Hos 7:6-7 . . . THEY HAVE MADE READY THEIR HEART LIKE AN OVEN . . . THEY . . . DEVOUR THEIR JUDGES; ALL THEIR KINGS ARE FALLEN . . . Now Hosea looks to the consequences of Israels moral depravity. Perhaps such consequences are already beginning to take place. The leaders and the people are so saturated with sin they do not even let their hearts rest from devising new wickedness. The prophet is probably describing a scene of revelry, debauchery and scoffing which preceded the murder of Zechariah, king of Israel (became king in 753 B.C. upon the death of Jeroboam II). Zechariah was slain through conspiracy publicly in the open face of day, before all the people (2Ki 15:9), no one heeding, no one resisting, about 10 years after his coronation by Shallum. From then on it was almost complete anarchy with one king after another being slain in Israel. We quote from Pusey:<\/p>\n

The kingdom of Israel, having been set up in sin, was, throughout its whole course, unstable and unsettled. Jeroboams house ended in his son; that of Baasha, who killed Jeroboams son, Nadab, ended in his own son, Elah; Omris ended in his sons son, God having delayed the punisment on Ahabs sins for one generation, on account of his partial repentance; then followed Jehus to whose house God, for his obedience in some things, continued the kingdom to the fourth generation. With these two exceptions, in the houses of Omri and Jehu, the kings of Israel either left no sons, or left them to be slain. Nadab, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Jehoram, Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, Pekah, were put to death by those who succeeded them. Of all the kings of Israel, Jeroboam, Baasha, Omri, Menahem, alone, in addition to Jehu and the three next of his house, died natural deaths. So was it written, by Gods hand on the house of Israel, all their kings have fallen. The captivity was the tenth change after they had deserted the house of David. Yet such was the stupidity and obstinacy both of kinds and people, that, amid all these chastisements, none, either people or king, turned to God and prayed Him to deliver them. Not even distress, amid which almost all betake themselves to God, awakened any sense of religion in them. There is none among them, that calleth unto Me. <\/p>\n

Zerr: Hos 7:6. The prophet continues the figure of a baker and his oven, and the thought is the same that was contained In the illustration before. While the people were waiting for the opportunity to practice their wickedness, they were stirring up the fierce anger in their hearts. Baker sleepeth all the night is a figure of speech, referring to the periods of inactivity during which the people were awaiting an opportunity of doing some mischief, at the same time working up their wicked hearts to the point of a blaze. In th& morning (the moment at the end of the period of waiting) the pent up heat bursts out into a flaming fire. Hos 7:7. They had not literally devoured their Judges, but the conspiracy was so strong that it engulfed even the rulers and other leading men. This is evidently the meaning, for the result of the heat is directly expressed by the closing words none among them that calleth unto me.<\/p>\n

Questions<\/p>\n

1. Why was the iniquity of Israel uncovered when God set out to heal them?<\/p>\n

2. Why was their wickedness so staggering or unnatural?<\/p>\n

3. Why were the kings and princes glad at the wickedness of the people?<\/p>\n

4. What is the day of the king? How did the king behave?<\/p>\n

5. How did the people devour their judges and kings?<\/p>\n

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The prophet then declared more particularly the true state of affairs. The divine desire to heal was frustrated by the pollution and the people’s persistent ignoring of God. Hosea graphically described the widespread pollution. The king, the princess, and the judges were corrupt. All were affected as by the heat of wine and the leaven of evil.<\/p>\n

With reference to the widespread influence of Ephraim, the prophet described the tribe as mixing among the people. This ancient tribe was like a cake not turned, a symbol of utter failure, undeveloped on one side, and burned on the other. Moreover, it was, like a silly dove in its manifestation of fear and cowardice. The statement of the case was concluded by a declaration of the utter folly of the people. God was scourging them toward redemption, and in the process they were howling, assembling, and yet continuing in rebellion.<\/p>\n

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Iniquity Uncovered <\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-16<\/p>\n

The last clause of the previous chapter belongs to this. God desired to turn aside the captivity of His people and to heal Israel, but His pleading was unavailing because of their inveterate sin. This evil-doing witnessed against them, Hos 7:2. Their passions did not need incitement, just as an oven retains its heat without the bakers continued attention. The royal birthday was celebrated with drunken orgies, and the national religion had become a confused mixture of Gentile superstition and the old Hebrew faith. In this Israel resembled a cake not turned-crisp on one side, sour and uneatable on the other, Hos 7:8.<\/p>\n

What a searching suggestion comes in Hos 7:9! Can it be that strangers have been stealing away our strength, without our realizing that deterioration is creeping steadily through our religious life? Silently the frosty air steals the warmth from boiling water; silently the fungus pitches its tent in the autumn woods; silently old age fastens on the stalwart frame. Thus also our spiritual strength declines, unless we watch and pray; and when it ebbs away, we become foolish as the dove which flies straight into the snare, and useless as the deceitful bow which turns aside in the archers hand, Hos 7:11; Hos 7:16. <\/p>\n

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Chapter 7<\/p>\n

A Cake Not Turned<\/p>\n

Judgment is Gods strange work. He had no desire to punish the people He had taken into covenant-relation with Himself, but who had violated the covenant from the first. On the other hand, blessing and restoration had ever been offered them, conditioned on repentance. But when He would have healed Israel – had there been any evidence of self-judgment – He had to say the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the evils of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in and the troop of robbers spoileth without (ver. 1). No sign of contrition for all their offences could His holy eye detect, only sin and lawlessness deliberately persisted in, despite every entreaty to cease therefrom. In carnal security they considered not in their hearts that He remembered all their wickedness, till their own doings had beset them round, so that they were openly before His face. Their rulers delighted in the debauched state into which they had fallen, taking an unholy satisfaction in the dishonesty and wickedness prevailing (vers. 2, 3).<\/p>\n

In verse four, a most significant picture is presented for our contemplation. They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough until it be leavened. The leaven of unrighteousness had long since been secretly working in the nation, but now was energetically and openly corrupting the whole. Satans effort had been only too successful. Idolatry having been early introduced, and never thoroughly judged, had permeated the entire nation. To this passage the apostle Paul doubtless would have directed the minds of the Corinthian saints when he wrote, Know ye not that a little leaven leaven-eth the whole lump? Upon the Galatians he also pressed the same serious principle (1Co 5:6; Gal 5:9).<\/p>\n

Leaven, in Scripture, never typifies that which is good; it is always significant of some form of evil. Here we see all Israel leavened with the unholy system of idolatry, with its corrupting influences, doing its deadly work for centuries. Once the leaven is inserted in the dough, the baker knows it will act according to its nature; he sleeps now through the night, but the oven is prepared for the morning. The oven was to be the furnace of judgment.<\/p>\n

In Christendom we see the same thing. The Lord Jesus told of a woman who hid leaven in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened. Be it noted: there is no such thing as the leaven of the gospel. Of the leaven of the Pharisees, of the Sadducees and of the Herodians we are warned. They seem to speak of hypocrisy, false teaching and worldliness. The leaven of malice and wickedness we are told of in 1 Cor. 5; but of the leaven of grace there is not a hint in the sacred writings. Consequently we infer that just as, in Israel, the leaven of idolatry was introduced when they made the calf in the wilderness, and, being never fully judged, worked on till it had permeated the whole nation; so, early in the Churchs history, did a woman, the false church, insert the leaven of error into the food of the people of God, which has never since been put away, but is rapidly leavening the whole lump: it is identical with the mystery of iniquity of which the Holy Ghost warns us in the second chapter of the second epistle to the Thessalonians, which will soon be headed up in Babylon the Great and the Antichrist.9<\/p>\n

Believers are called upon to purge out the old leaven, whenever it is made manifest in their assemblies. If, however, the mass are already so corrupted that there is no activity in obeying the word of the Lord, he who would be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Masters use, must purge himself from the unholy mixture, walking in separation from that which is opposed to the holiness that becomes Gods house, and finding his fellowship with those who follow righteouness, faith, love, peace, and call upon the Lord out of a pure heart (see 2Ti 2:16-22).<\/p>\n

For Israel there was no hope. The entire body politic was symbolized in the king at their head, made sick with the wine of fleshly exultation and stretching out his hand with the scorners. Their own hearts were as the oven of the baker, who could sleep in the night while the leaven wrought, and the fire was prepared to heat the oven for the baking of the coming day. Thus they themselves should work out their own judgment, because there were none who called upon God (vers. 5-7).<\/p>\n

Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people [as one with the nations]; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek Him for all this (vers. 8-10). It is their unconsciousness of their true condition which this section emphasizes. Like a cake placed upon the coals and forgotten by the house-wife, till, left unturned, it is all burned on one side; so they were quite indifferent to their actual state before God. The mass taking no heed to the prophets warnings, went carelessly on in their own way, taking it for granted that all was as it should be, when, in reality, everything was all wrong. It is this apparently unconscious backsliding that is so sad a feature in many today. Away from the Lord, yet professing, and even supposing, that all is well-how many are thus like a cake not turned! This one-sidedness is what tells the tale to an observant, anointed eye, that something is radically wrong in many a case. Often saints make much of the truth as a matter of doctrine while allowing themselves to become utterly negligent as to walking in that truth from day to day. They are like a cake not turned, all brown on one side and raw dough on the other. Doctrinally, they may be very particular. Practically, they are loose and unconcerned.<\/p>\n

At other times the case is just reversed: much is made of experience, with little or no heart for what is slightingly termed dry doctrine. But it is as necessary to hold fast the form of sound words, as it is to seek to live in a godly way. In fact, doctrine is the root of all practice; and our experience will prove a very faulty one if it be not the result of a knowledge of the mind of God as revealed in His Word.<\/p>\n

Let us never forget that truth and practice go together, even as position and condition must never be divorced.<\/p>\n

Ephraims first grave mistake was in mixing himself among the people. God had called Israel to dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations. Nothing but evil ever resulted from mixing with those from whom they had once been separated. It was the mixed multitude who first caused them trouble in the wilderness, and started their murmuring and longing for Egyptian food in place of the bread from heaven -type of our Lord Jesus Christ come down in grace to meet His peoples need. See Exod. 16; Num. 11; and compare with John 6. Again, when Balaam could not curse because God had blessed, he taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel by causing them to mix with the daughters of Moab; the result of which brought dire judgment upon them -stayed only by the javelin of Phinehas.<\/p>\n

This mixing among the people was the ruin of Samson, the mighty Nazarite, who gave up the secret of his strength when he lay upon the lap of Delilah. Alas, how many a valiant servant of God has become weak as other men in a similar way since!<\/p>\n

And so we might trace the same evil practice all down through the history of the chosen race, until at last it ended in their being cast out by the Lord, in judgment, to mix among the nations till they should have their fill of the society of the strangers who devoured their strength and brought them to desolation.<\/p>\n

The lesson is an important and salutary one for us who have been called with a higher calling, and are commanded to walk apart from a godless world and a corrupt Church. Indifference as to this separation of the clean from the unclean has had a lamentable effect upon the testimony and experience of thousands. Yet we learn so slowly. Oh, that there were in us hearts to cleave to the Lord, heeding His word, Come out from among them, and be ye separate!<\/p>\n

It is as vain to hope to reform and recover what is not of God, by intermingling therewith in fellowship and intimate association, as it would be to try to teach sparrows or linnets to sing like a warbler by placing a canary in a cage with them. The only result would be that the canary would lose its song, while the sparrows would chirp on as before. Alas, how many a once joyous saint has lost his song by mixing among the people of the world and the world-church! Such an one may boast of his liberality and breadth of mind, and be as unconscious as was Ephraim of the true state of affairs; but the spiritually-minded shake their heads in sorrow as they say, Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.<\/p>\n

The gray hair is the sign of departing strength, and tells the tale that its owner is going downhill-age and decrepitude are coming on. But Ephraim, like many another backslider in heart, was quite unaware of the true condition of affairs. In such a case others may note the gray hairs here and there upon him-the carelessness here-the indifference there-a growing fondness for worldly companionship-less and less time spent in prayer and over the Word of God-increased love for that which is light and frivolous-the name of Jesus less frequently upon the lips, and a growing fondness for conversation that is not for profit. Contrast with this 1Ti 4:15,16.<\/p>\n

Accompanying this, will invariably be found an assumption of easy-going superiority. The pride of Israel testifieth to his face; but there will be no turning to God and seeking to get His mind regarding it all, till broken by discipline.<\/p>\n

Ephraim, like a silly dove, without affection for Him that had carried them in His bosom, had turned to Egypt, then to Assyria, for help when the hour of trial came. But the Lord loved them too much to permit them to find anything stable in what spoke of the world and its vain pomp and show. So He would spread His net upon them, like one taking a bird in a snare. He cannot allow those who are in covenant-relationship with Him to go on in their own way for long (vers. 11, 12).<\/p>\n

They had transgressed against Him, though He had redeemed them; reminding us of some in a later day, who, having drifted away from God, had forgotten that they were purged from their old sins: with supreme indifference to their actual state they blamed Him for what had come upon them as though they themselves were blameless; so that He charges them with speaking lies against Him. I sometimes think, said one,10 that God has been hard with me, when I forget how hard I have been with God! This is ever the tendency of a heart not before Him in self-judgment (ver. 13).<\/p>\n

And so, for long years had they gone on, neither seeking Him when alone in the secrecy of their own chambers, upon their beds, nor when gathering together in what should have been a solemn assembly, but was really a season of godless merriment. They howled upon their beds, but not in repentance, only bewailing His discipline instead of their own evil ways. Jehovah had indeed trained them to confide in Him, and strengthened their arm against their adversaries, but in recompense they think ill of Him, turning to any expediency rather than turning to God-so incorrigible is the heart of man, even of a saint, when away from God. So they must be left to sound deeper depths of sorrow and disaster, like the incestuous man of 1 Cor. 5, who was delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Their princes were to be destroyed, and they themselves would become a laughing-stock to their Egyptian allies, upon whom they had vainly depended (vers. 14-16). Surely, the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man to direct his own steps. Therefore the need of brokenness of spirit and self-judgment before God, that He may lead in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:2<\/p>\n

I. Look at the fact of God’s remembrance of sin. (1) God remembers all kinds and degrees of sin; secret and open, wilful and negligent. (2) God remembers the sins of all men; the sins of the young and of the aged, of the well-known citizen and of the stranger. (3) God remembers the sins of all men accurately and completely. (4) God remembers continually and for ever. (5) God remembers with a practical result; He remembers thai He may act upon His recollections. He remembers as a Ruler, and He either forgives or He punishes.<\/p>\n

II. Look at this fact as forgotten by those who, ought to remember it. “They consider not in their hearts;” they do not think. Lack of thought often accounts for lack of religion.<\/p>\n

III. Turn to God’s complaint of this forgetfulness. God complains of the state of the heart. God complains of forgetfulness; and why? Because it sears the conscience, leads to false views of a man’s position, is personally offensive to God, and is frequently the occasion of final ruin.<\/p>\n

S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 4th series, No. 18.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8<\/p>\n

There is something in the character of some men which resembles a burnt loaf: a cake left too long with one side exposed to the fire till it has caught and been scorched, while the other side is still mere dough.<\/p>\n

The character described is easily legible. It is that in which there is a too-much and a too-little. Every part of the mind and life-the principles, the affections, the temper, and the spirit; the motives and conduct, the feelings towards God and the feelings towards man-ought to be alike and equally influenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within. The cake is imperfectly mixed, imperfectly leavened, or imperfectly baked if it be not so. It is the want of this unity, this coherence and consistency of parts, this combination and harmony of all elements in one whole, which makes the words true of any human character, “Ephraim is a cake not turned.”<\/p>\n

I. There is, first, the case which the context seems to point to; an inconsistency arising from too much of voluntary intermixture with the world.<\/p>\n

II. Or again, there is the still sadder case, if it be possible, of one who is tied and bound by the chain of some evil habit.<\/p>\n

III. How applicable is the description of the text to some characters to which we can scarcely deny the title of religious; some which, perhaps, most confidently arrogate that title to themselves. How often have we seen in such persons zeal without tenderness; energy without repose; eagerness for what they deem truths, without charity towards those whom they count in error.<\/p>\n

IV. And if applicable thus far to Christian men, what shall we say of the bearing of the subject upon persons who have not yet taken a decisive step towards Christ’s service. In many of them conscience is at variance with practice, conviction with conduct. You will never be really happy until your life is at one. Unity is happiness, and unity is strength. If you see that the Lord is God, follow Him; follow Him whithersoever He goeth.<\/p>\n

C. J. Vaughan, Lessons of Life and Godliness, p. 65.<\/p>\n

References: Hos 7:8.-Spurgeon, Morning, by Morning, p. 175; J. Baines, Sermons, p. 100.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:9<\/p>\n

Gray hairs are a sign of decay. They are here the marks of age, the premonitory symptoms of dissolution; and so the truth the text announces is that men, many men, live in ignorance, and act in disregard, of signs that should warn and alarm them.<\/p>\n

In illustration of this I remark-<\/p>\n

I. It appears in the history of states. The words were first spoken of the kingdom of Israel. In the oppression of the poor and the sighing of the needy, in the corruption of morals and the decline of true religion the prophet saw the signs of his country’s decay,-these were the gray hairs that were here and there upon them, and they knew not. Kingdoms, as well as men and women in decline, stricken with a mortal malady, have descended into the grave, blind to their dangers and their doom. (2) My text applies to the false security of sinners. Be our profession what it may, if we have habits if sin-these are the gray hairs that, unless grace convert and mercy pardon, foretell our doom. So long as you see one star in the sky, the sun is not risen; so long as one leak admits the water, the ship is not safe; so long as one sin reigns in a man’s heart, and is practised in his life, Jesus is neither his Saviour nor his King. The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. (3) This appears in men’s insensibility to the lapse and lessons of time. The nearer we draw to our end, through a natural callousness or otherwise, the less sensible we grow to the evils and approach of age. And when a man has not left his peace with God to seek in old age, his greatest work to a time when he is least fit to do it: in such a case it is a most blessed thing that old age does not make our hearts old, or benumb our feelings-that gray hairs are on us, and yet we know not. But where, in such a case, is the hope of those who have trusted to turning religious when they grow old, and attending to the concerns of a better world when they have ceased to feel any interest in this?<\/p>\n

T. Guthrie, Speaking to the Heart, p. 1.<\/p>\n

How comes it that a man may slip away from earnestness in the Christian life, into a condition of spiritual decrepitude, without knowing it?<\/p>\n

I. Because we are all inclined to look more favourably on ourselves than on others. The man who is himself declining in spiritual health may be, very often is, blind to his own defections, while yet he has a clear perception of the backsliding of others. How shall this evil be prevented? By trying ourselves fairly by the standard of God’s Word, and by laying ourselves open in earnest supplication to the inspection of the Lord Himself.<\/p>\n

II. This insensibility to spiritual deterioration may be largely owing to the gradual way in which backsliding steals upon a man. No one becomes very wicked all at once; and backsliding, as the term itself implies, is a thing not of sudden manifestation, but of gradual motion. We shall know where we are when we test ourselves by the Word of God, as that has been vindicated for us by the example and the spirit of the Lord Jesus. Let us not compare ourselves simply with that which we were yesterday, or last week, or last year; but let us rather take daily sights of the Sun of Righteousness, and shape our course accordingly.<\/p>\n

III. This unconsciousness of backsliding may be largely accounted for in many cases by the fact that the individuals are absorbed in other matters to such an extent that the state of the heart is forgotten. Just in proportion as their business prosperity increases their spiritual health diminishes. Here, again, the question arises, How is this danger to be obviated? And the answer is, In one of two ways: either (1) by curtailing the business, or (2) by consecrating it as a whole to God.<\/p>\n

W. M. Taylor, Limitations of Life, p. 327.<\/p>\n

References: Hos 7:9.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xiv., No. 830; H. M. Arthur, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxvi., p. 282; Parker, Pulpit Notes, p. 73.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:14<\/p>\n

I. The grand motive which should influence the sinner in turning to God is love to the kind and gracious Father, who has so long borne with his waywardness; and a sincere desire to promote His glory.<\/p>\n

II. A reliance on a deathbed repentance implies a doubt of the declarations of the Bible, that God expects us to walk before Him during the days of our earthly pilgrimage in holiness and righteousness.<\/p>\n

III. It is a prominent feature in the great plan of redemption, that we should openly acknowledge our allegiance to God, by becoming a member of His Church. If all should look to a deathbed repentance, the very groundwork of the system of faith would be overturned.<\/p>\n

IV. Besides faith and repentance, habitual obedience is required of every one who truly turns to God. Is a deathbed the place we should choose to root out sinful passions and desires, subdue habits indulged in for years, and form plans for amendment of life? If we ever intend to save our souls, we should set about it now.<\/p>\n

J. N. Norton, Old Paths, p. 172.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Sermon Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

CHAPTER 7 <\/p>\n

The Moral Depravity of Israel<\/p>\n

1. Their moral depravity (Hos 7:1-7) <\/p>\n

2. Mingling with heathen nations (Hos 7:8-16) <\/p>\n

Hos 7:1-7. All the gracious efforts of the Lord to heal Israel resulted in a greater manifestation of the iniquity of Ephraim. Instead of turning to Him in true repentance and self-judgment their evil heart turned away from Jehovah, and they continued in their downward course. They did not consider that the Lord would remember all their evil deeds and punish them for it. The king and the princes, the political heads were as corrupt as the priests, they were pleased with the impenitence and wickedness of their subjects. Then follows a graphic description of their moral depravity. They were adulterers, burning with lust, like an oven heated by the baker, who rests, stirring up (the fire), after he has kneaded the dough until it be leavened. They indulged in all the vile, obscene practices connected with the idol worship of the heathen about them. They were also drunkards and were heated with wine as they were with lust. They made their heart like an oven; their baker (meaning their own evil will and imagination) slept all night, but, awakening in the morning, their lust is stirred up again. Nor did anyone call upon the name of the Lord.<\/p>\n

Such was the moral depravity of a people with whom the Lord had entered into covenant, the favored nation. The source of it was unbelief and the rejection of His Word. The sad history of Israel is repeated in professing Christendom today.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8-16. The Lord called Israel to be a separated nation, but Ephraim mingled with the heathen (not, people) and is compared to a cake not turned. They adopted heathen ways, heathen manners and heathen vices. Like an unturned cake, which is black and burnt on the one side, while above it is unbaked, such was Ephraims condition. Such a cake was fit for nothing; it had to be thrown away. The strangers with whom they mingled devoured their strength, nor did they not notice the signs of their speedy national decay. This is the meaning of the statement, Gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he does not know it. Furthermore, Ephraim is likened to a silly dove without understanding. Instead of flying back to Jehovah their help and rest, they fluttered, like a moth around the flame, around Egypt and Assyria, trying to find deliverance there. But while fluttering from Egypt to Assyria and from Assyria to Egypt, they did not see the net which was spread for their destruction–that net was Assyria itself. In this net the Lord caught them; their freedom would be ended and captivity begin. Then follows the divine Woe. Woe unto them! for they have wandered from Me. Destruction upon them, that they have transgressed against Me! The divine lament cried after them, I would have redeemed them, but they spoke lies against Me. While they may have cried with their mouth, their heart did not. They were like a deceitful bow on which the archer cannot depend, so the Lord could not depend upon Israel. God had, to apply the symbol, bent Israel as His own bow against evil and idolatry, but they turned themselves against Him.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

I would: Jer 51:9, Mat 23:37, Luk 13:34, Luk 19:42 <\/p>\n

the iniquity: Hos 4:17, Hos 6:8, Hos 8:9, Isa 28:1, Mic 6:16 <\/p>\n

wickedness: Heb. evils, Hos 8:5, Hos 10:5, Eze 16:46, Eze 23:4, Amo 8:14 <\/p>\n

they commit: Hos 5:1, Hos 6:10, Hos 11:12, Hos 12:1, Isa 59:12, Jer 9:2-6, Mic 7:3-7 <\/p>\n

the troop: Hos 6:9 <\/p>\n

spoileth: Heb. strippeth <\/p>\n

Reciprocal: Exo 22:2 – breaking Deu 33:17 – the ten thousands Jer 33:6 – I will bring Eze 16:57 – thy wickedness Eze 22:27 – princes Eze 23:18 – discovered Eze 24:13 – because Hos 11:3 – I healed Mic 1:5 – is it Mic 6:12 – spoken Joh 10:10 – thief Eph 5:13 – reproved<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1. Iniquity of Ephraim was discovered. God does not have to discover a fact, as we commonly use that word, in order to learn of it. He knows all about everything even before it happens. The word is from GAUAH, which Strong defines, “A primitive root; to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively to reveal, The term as used in this passage means that God would have been inclined to heal or approve Israel as being acceptable, but the iniquity of the nation was so evident or hare that He could only condemn her. Ephraim was one of the tribes, and Samaria, the capital city, was situated in the possession of that tribe.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1. When I would have healed Israel When I would have reclaimed them from their sins, and in consequence thereof have averted their judgments. The Hebrew, , is, as I was healing: dum in eo essem ut sanarem. At the very time when I was about to heal them; or, as the Seventy render it, , When I was in the very act of healing Israel. Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered Literally, was uncovered, or made bare, that is, showed itself openly, or was avowed and undisguised. The people gave me fresh provocations, especially the inhabitants of Samaria, the principal seat of the kingdom. For they commit falsehood Or, carry on delusion; literally, practise deceit, or a lie. The thing meant here seems to be the carrying on of a premeditated plot, or scheme, for the subversion of the true religion, and the establishment of idolatry. And the lie, falsehood, or delusion which they wrought, was every thing that was seductive in the external rites of the false religions: see Horsley, who, in a note on this passage, observes, The particular time alluded to is, I think, the reign of the second Jeroboam, when the kingdom of Israel seemed to be recovering from the loss of strength and territory it had sustained in the preceding reigns, by the encroachments of the Syrians; for Jeroboam restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, 2Ki 14:25. The successes vouchsafed to this warlike prince against his enemies were signs of Gods gracious inclination to pardon the people, and restore the kingdom to its former prosperity. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was bitter, &c. See 2Ki 14:26-27. But these merciful purposes of God were put aside by the wickedness of the king and the people. For this same Jeroboam did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, &c. And the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers, &c. They are guilty both of the secret methods of fraud, and the open violence of rapine and oppression.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 7:1. When I would have healed Israel, by Jehus zeal for the Lord, then the idolatrous priests, like troops of robbers, gathered round him with lies in their mouth, and persuaded him to retain the golden calves which Jeroboam had set up in Bethel and in Dan.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:7. All their kings are fallen. Hosea saw in his own times four of their kings besieged, vanquished, and murdered. Zachariah was killed by Shallum, and Shallum by Manahem. Pekahiah was destroyed by Pekah, and Pekah by Hoshea. 2 Kings 15. How afflictive must the state of the nation have been, when military captains fight for the throne. This was the case with the old Roman empire when she fell.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:8. Ephraim is a cake not turned. The Cornish people sweep their hearth, and lay down the cakes on the hot stone. They then turn a pan, the pan in which they boil their meat, with the mouth downward upon it, scraping the hot embers and ashes round about it. Lastly, they burn rubbish on the top, and know by the clock precisely when it will be ready. This mode of baking is used by the poor throughout all western Asia. See Harmers Observations. Ephraim is here compared to a burnt cake, and consequently more displeasing to God than burnt bread is to the human taste. Ephraim is like a heated oven, burning with desire, and inflamed with wine.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:11. Ephraim is like a silly dove without heart, without courage and understanding. Being unable to protect herself against the hawks, the Assyrian kings, she flies to Egypt praying for help, and exposes herself to derision and contempt, as in Hos 7:16. After harvest the doves leave home, and return few in number, the rest being caught in the fowlers nets.<\/p>\n

REFLECTIONS.<\/p>\n

What sins, what troubles afflicted Israel; and all by forgetfulness of God. Let us reflect, that all our sins are before God, in the book of his remembrance; and that for all these things he will bring us into judgment.<\/p>\n

We may here observe the odious nature and mischievous effects of drunkenness. The princes thought they might indulge more than ordinary on the kings day, but see what an effect it had upon him; and his companions, we may suppose, were no better. This vice makes men sick, and injures their health; this alone is sufficient to deter any wise man from it. It makes them scorners; men in their cups are prone to make a jest of religion, to talk and act as the fools and sots their companions do. How careful then should we be to guard against excess, to be sober and temperate in all things.<\/p>\n

How lamentable, and yet how common it is, for men to be ignorant of their own characters and declensions: Hos 7:9, This is sometimes the case of states and kingdoms, often of particular professors of religion. All about them see their grey hairs, observe that they grow more peevish, more covetous, or indifferent to ordinances and religion; but they themselves see it not, and are angry if it is hinted to them, or if they are only exhorted to enquire into their state. Have we not great need to watch over ourselves, lest we insensibly decline; and to guard against the first tendency to apostasy.<\/p>\n

We may observe how abominable professions of repentance and amendment are to God, when they are not made with sincerity. Israel is often charged with this; they committed falsehood, were like a half baked cake, burned on one side, and dough on the other. This is a horrid prevarication with God, and tends more than any thing to displease him, and to sear the conscience. When men deal deceitfully with God, it is just in him to make them a scorn among their fellow creatures, and to bring woe and destruction upon them.<\/p>\n

From hence we may be certain, that God will fulfil all the threatenings of his word against sinners: Hos 7:12. The Israelites had heard those threatenings from the law, which was read among them, and from the warnings of their prophets; yet they hoped to escape. But here the Lord assures them, and every sinner likewise, that he will be as good as his word, and will not deny himself. And the warning they have had of this will make their guilt greater, and their punishment heavier. Have we not need then to take notice of every word of God which we hear in the congregation; for the time will come when we shall find it all to be true, and that not one word is fallen to the ground. <\/p>\n

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Hos 6:4 to Hos 7:2. Israels Moral Condition Hopelessly Corrupt.The shallow expressions of loyalty by the fickle people mean nothing, and cannot avert Yahwehs inevitable judgment. He looks for real loyalty, not for a hollow ritual of sacrifices (Hos 6:4-6). Examples of the anarchy and crime that prevail, involving even the priests in the charge of murder and immorality, are given, demonstrating Israels utter corruption, Judah also (Hos 6:11 a, if this is not a gloss) being involved (Hos 6:7-11 a). Every attempt to heal the disease only reveals how deep-seated and universal it is (Hos 6:11 b Hos 7:2). The section appears to be composed of three originally independent fragments (Hos 6:4-6, Hos 6:7-11 a, Hos 6:11 b Hos 7:2).<\/p>\n

Hos 6:4. Judah: Marti and Nowack read Israel.goodness: render love, i.e. either love to God (loyalty to Yahweh) or love of neighbour.<\/p>\n

Hos 6:5. read (mg.) light: i.e. lightning. Such prophets as Elijah and Elisha are meant.<\/p>\n

Hos 6:6. Cf. 1Sa 15:22.mercy: render love (cf. Hos 6:4*).<\/p>\n

Hos 6:7. like Adam: a place-name is required. Read either in Adam (cf. Jos 3:16) or perhaps in Adman (Hos 11:8). Some place where there was a sanctuary may be referred to.<\/p>\n

Hos 6:8. Gilead: a town of this name is perhaps referred to in Jdg 10:17, here as another centre of the cultus.<\/p>\n

Hos 6:9. The sanctuary at Shechem is a den of thieves, the priests being the thieves, and the victims the pilgrims. Some incident well known to contemporaries may be alluded to.lewdness: render, enormity.<\/p>\n

Hos 6:10. In the house of Israel: read, in Bethel (cf. Hos 10:15, Amo 5:6).<\/p>\n

Hos 6:10 b. Read, there Ephraim hath played the harlot.<\/p>\n

Hos 6:11 may be a gloss. The following words; When I would heal Israel, are omitted by Wellhausen. He begins the section at, The iniquity of Ephraim is discovered.<\/p>\n

Hos 7:1. Read, entereth into the house (cf. LXX).spoileth: read mg.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

7:1 When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and {a} the thief cometh in, [and] the troop of robbers spoileth without.<\/p>\n

(a) Meaning that there was no one type of vice among them, but that they were subject to all wickedness, both secret and open.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Internal corruption 7:1-7<\/span><\/p>\n

This section focuses on Israel’s domestic sins.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The Lord longed to heal Israel, but when He thought about doing so new evidences of her sins presented themselves. The prophets He sent to them were mainly ineffective in stemming the tide of rebellion. Most people’s reaction to their messages was rejection and further heart hardening. The people lied to one another and stole from each other. These two crimes are a synecdoche for civil and social injustices in general.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

3. REPENTANCE FALLS<\/p>\n

Hos 5:15 – Hos 7:2<\/p>\n

Seeing that their leaders are so helpless, and feeling their wounds, the people may themselves turn to God for healing, but that will be with a repentance so shallow as also to be futile. They have no conviction of sin, nor appreciation of how deeply their evils have eaten.<\/p>\n

This too facile repentance is expressed in a prayer which the Christian Church has paraphrased into one of its most beautiful hymns of conversion. Yet the introduction to this prayer, and its own easy assurance of how soon God will heal the wounds He has made, as well as the impatience with which God receives it, oblige us to take the prayer in another sense than the hymn which has been derived from it. It offers but one more symptom of the optimism of this light-hearted people, whom no discipline and no judgment can impress with the reality of their incurable decay. They said of themselves, “The bricks are fallen, let us build with stones,” and now they say just as easily and airily of their God, “He hath torn” only “that He may heal: “we are fallen, but” He will raise us up again in a day or two.” At first it is still God who speaks.<\/p>\n

“I am going My way, I am returning to My own place, until they feel their guilt and seek My face. When trouble comes upon them, they will soon enough seek Me, saying”:-<\/p>\n

“Come and let us return to Jehovah; <\/p>\n

For He hath rent, that He may heal us, <\/p>\n

And hath wounded, that He may bind us up. <\/p>\n

He will bring us to life in a couple of days; <\/p>\n

On the third day He will raise us up again, <\/p>\n

That we may live in His presence.”<\/p>\n

“Let us know, let us follow up to know, Jehovah: <\/p>\n

As soon as we seek Him, we shall find Him <\/p>\n

And He shall come to us like the winter-rain, <\/p>\n

Like the spring-rain, pouring on the land!”<\/p>\n

But how is this fair prayer received by God? With incredulity, with impatience. What can I make of thee, Ephraim? what can I make of thee, Judah? since your love is like the morning cloud and like the dew so early gone. Their shallow hearts need deepening. Have they not been deepened enough? “Wherefore I have hewn” them “by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgment goeth forth like the lightning. For real love have I desired, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.”<\/p>\n

That the discourse comes back to the ritual is very intelligible. For what could make repentance stem so easy as the belief that forgiveness can be won by simply offering sacrifices? Then the prophet leaps upon what each new year of that anarchy revealed afresh-the profound sinfulness of the people.<\/p>\n

“But they in human fashion have transgressed the covenant! There”-he will now point out the very spots-“have they betrayed Me! Gilead is a city of evil-doers: stamped with the bloody footprints; assassins in troops; a gang of priests murder on the way to Shechem. Yea, crime have they done. In the house of Israel I have seen horrors: there Ephraim hath played the harlot: Israel is defiled-Judah as well.”<\/p>\n

Truly the sinfulness of Israel is endless. Every effort to redeem them only discovers more of it. “When I would turn, when I would heal Israel, then the guilt of Ephraim displays itself and the evils of Samaria,” these namely: “that they work fraud and the thief cometh in”-evidently a technical term for housebreaking -” while abroad a crew” of highwaymen foray. And they never think in their hearts that all their evil is recorded by Me. Now have their deeds encompassed them: they are constantly before<\/p>\n

Evidently real repentance on the part of such a people is impossible. As Hosea said before, “Their deeds will not let them return.” {Hos 5:4}<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, [and] the troop of robbers spoileth without. 1 7. The moral degradation of Israel, especially of its ruling class, which, so far from stemming the tide of corruption, … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hosea 7:1”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}