Hosea

Chapter Introduction

God’s response to the cry of Israel from its sad state.  He could and would heal them if they would seek Him earnestly, forsaking all others.

Hosea 7:1-3

Looking back at the last verse of chapter six, you’ll notice that it was addressed to Judah.  Since the chapter breaks are manmade, this passage of chapter seven should be considered to be addressed at Judah also.  Israel was a nation created, delivered, and sustained by God, but the sin of man broke the nation into two pieces.  God would have healed the land, but the ongoing sin and unrepentant attitude of the people kept them from God. 

They were doing what was right in their own eyes and did not consider that God had seen their wickedness.  The subtle sins that seemed so small, the ordinary sins that everyone was doing, the stepping over the line but not too far, sins that seemed meaningless had become a sea of sin that engulfed their life.  The sins of the people were before the face of God.

It doesn’t say much for the kings and princes of that time when they were glad at the wickedness and lies.  This is likely because they were deceived.  Sin served them well and lifted them up over the people.  As the king goes, so goes the people; as the people go, so goes the king. 

Things had gotten so bad that four kings were assassinated during this time. Their poor leadership led the people to sin, in lawlessness, immorality, and disregard for the things of God. Those same sins created a culture where kings were assassinated. Their sin truly surrounded them and closed in around them.

Hosea 7:4-7

With almost every line we get a clearer view of the wickedness and a picture of their hearts.  Hosea paints them as adulterers hot with passion - like an oven stoked up, waiting and anticipating.  The king and those closest to him more closely resembled a frat party.  Their hearts were prepared like a baker's oven, heated and lying in wait.  The coals are burning low but not out.  In the same way, the dark hearts of these men were devising schemes that would stoke the fire to the full heat of their adulteress's hearts. 

They would once again burn hot to run from God and to other gods.  This oven of wickedness devoured the judges and killed off their kings.  It isn’t much of a stretch to say none calls on God.  They still sacrificed at the temple, but they were just going through the motions; they weren’t calling on God.

Hosea 7:8-10

Flour and oil might have been the main ingredients mixed to make this cake.  It would be ruined if the wrong ingredients were used or the cake was baked incorrectly.  Israel mixed itself among peoples, seeking help from Egypt and Assyria instead of the Lord.  The picture then is of this cake that went unturned.  We might see this as a pancake burned on one side and raw batter on the other side.  There was no balance, no evenness. 

Ephraim is half-baked.  The strength they used to enjoy was gone, and they didn’t realize it.  Have you ever seen an older person trying to act young and deny their age?  That’s what we see in verse 9.  The gray-haired man doesn’t realize he is gray but believes he is young.  They were so full of pride that they were blinded to their own life apart from God.  Their pride became testimony against them.  It kept them from the Lord; it was a separation keeping them from the Lord God. 

Hosea 7:11-12

The silly dove was a picture of ignorance and indecision.  They were without sense:

• Under king Menahem (ca. 743 or 738 b.c.) Israel submitted to Assyrian suzerainty (2 Kings 15:19–20).
• Under Pekah (ca. 734 b.c.) they joined a coalition against Assyria that was crushed by Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:29).
• Hoshea (ca. 732-722 b.c.) then acknowledged Assyrian rulership for a time but later stopped paying tribute and tried to make an alliance with Egypt (2 Kings 17:3–4a).  This brought the final destruction of the Northern Kingdom.

For twenty years, they sought to find a way to survive through foreign policy apart from God.  They didn’t seek God or his ways, and it led to their utter destruction.

Does this silly dove think it can escape?  God’s net will reach wherever they go.  They can ignore God and fail to acknowledge God; they can pursue their plans all they want, but they will not escape the judgment God has ordained for them.  

Hosea 7:13-16

They weren’t fast enough to flee from God. They couldn’t outrun the destruction ordained for them. God was faithful in His covenant relationship with them, but they had parted from Him. There was no faithfulness in them. God redeemed them, buying them back, and they turned on Him. This is an example of their lack of reverence and acknowledgment of what God had done for them. 

He spoke of woe and destruction to those who fled from Him and transgressed against Him.  What were the lies spoken?  There were probably many.  However, the biggest was their lack of faith in His ability to save them.  Instead of saving them, he ordained destruction because they had not repented. They simply didn’t like their circumstances.

They wailed on their beds, pitiful cries of a child who didn’t like the problems they faced.  However, they failed to recognize the sin that brought the problems to their lives.   They were unwilling to repent, reform their way, and learn to trust.

 The “assembly” of verse fourteen was likely for the ritual cutting of themselves in a Canaanite ritual to get good crops.  They rejected God’s discipline, turning against him and devising wickedness instead.  Their return wasn’t to God Most High.  They acknowledged their circumstances but failed to see the root of their problem.  They were like a faulty bow – incapable of shooting straight.  As the mechanics and physics of a bow and arrow result in a straight shot, logical thoughts and pursuit of God would result in a clear understanding of where they stood.  Israel couldn’t shoot straight, and they consistently missed the mark.  Missing the mark was a sin, and they were proficient in it.

The Big Idea

Sinful men who are not helped or healed will perish by their sins.  They cannot blame God.  He was always there, ready to heal them and their land.

©2006 Doug Ford; Further Study and Revision 2016, 2025