seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Hosea 7:1 Whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.
They practice deceit,
thieves break into houses,
bandits rob in the streets;
2 but they do not realize
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them;
they are always before me.
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.
They practice deceit,
thieves break into houses,
bandits rob in the streets;
2 but they do not realize
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them;
they are always before me.
3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers,
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,
and he joins hands with the mockers.
6 Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.
the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers,
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,
and he joins hands with the mockers.
6 Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.
8 “Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,
but despite all this
he does not return to the Lord his God
or search for him.
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,
but despite all this
he does not return to the Lord his God
or search for him.
11 “Ephraim is like a dove,
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,
now turning to Assyria.
12 When they go, I will throw my net over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe to them,
because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me falsely.
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[a] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,
but they turn away from me.
15 I trained them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,
now turning to Assyria.
12 When they go, I will throw my net over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe to them,
because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me falsely.
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[a] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,
but they turn away from me.
15 I trained them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
a. Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together
If Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over..... is Ephraim half baked?
This is from Bible-studys.org.
The figure of “an oven heated by the baker” refers to the schemes of the wicked. Like a baker who kneads his “dough,” keeps it warm by “night” as he sleeps, and then with the dough raised, bakes the bread, so the wicked lay their plots and await the opportune time to carry out their conspiracy against the crown. Four of Israel’s last six kings were assassinated.
Even the kings and prices in Israel were wicked, with hearts that burned “like an oven” for more power. This likely refers to the assassination of four Israelite kings during Hosea’s life (2 Kings 15:8-26).
At Israel’s invitation, foreign nations made debilitating inroads into her national and religious life. This intrusion was making her like “a cake not turned,” burned on one side and raw on the other. Payment for this foreign assistance would “devour” her strength, and make her old and feeble without noticing it.
Like a dove, reputed to lack good sense (compare Matt. 10:16), so Israel had sought assistance from Egypt and Assyria, rather than from the Lord, who would ultimately trap her.
This is from the easy English site.Hosea uses a picture of a baker to say several things. The meaning is not clear. Perhaps the picture means that the baker went to sleep. This was when his oven was too hot. Then the bread burnt. Bakers made bread in large ovens. They were round. They had a large door on the top of them. The bakers made a fire inside them. They shut the door. The bread then cooked for a long time. The leaders of Israel were like this bread. They did not care when the people’s sins were very ‘hot’. These sins were destroying people but the leaders did not care. God did not want this. The leaders were hot because they drank too much wine (verse 5). The wine that they drank made them do silly things. They wanted to be friendly with people who did not believe in God. Perhaps the leaders were friendly with other people who did evil things. The leaders never stopped thinking about evil things (verse 6). In the night, the oven became cool. But in the morning, someone made sure that the oven became hot again. The leaders of Israel were like the oven. It is only at night that they stopped thinking of evil things. The leaders have killed other leaders. They came to power because they have killed kings. There was only one king, Menahem, that the leaders did not kill. This was after the death of Jeroboam 2nd. Israel was burning in its anger. There was nothing to stop it.
In these verses, Hosea uses more pictures to say things. He continues to use the picture of an oven . The people are like bread. They are burnt on one side. This is the side that looks to other countries for help. The other side is not cooked. This is the side that should look to God for help. At this time, Assyria became more powerful. So, Israel needed other countries to help her. Israel went to Egypt, Syria-Damascus and Philistia. Israel hoped that these countries would help to defend her. She did not want to hope in God. In 732 BC, Hoshea, after he had killed Pekah, travelled to Egypt, Philistia and then to Aram-Damascus. He tried to get their help. He then put his hope in Assyria. Then, after a few years, he changed and went back to Egypt. This is what ‘mixing’ means. The bread became flat. It was not strong. War had made Israel become old. She had to pay too much money to other countries. She was now poor. She would die soon.
‘The people of Israel are very proud’. They ask, ‘Who needs God? Why should we go to him?’ Israel wants to stay away from God’s covenant. God thinks Israel is like a dove. Doves are stupid birds. They do not fly away from danger. It was easy for other countries to use their power against Israel. Egypt and Assyria could not help Israel.
Hosea continues to use the *dove picture in verse 12. God will catch the doves in his net. This means that he will bring his judgement. As Israel flies to other nations, God will catch them. They were wrong to look for help from other countries. Also, they changed the countries that they looked to. God needs to punish them. Then he will take them to a prison.
It is probable that the ‘beds’ were part of a meal. The meal was part of a sacrifice when the Israelites rested near the altar (see Isaiah 57:7; Amos 2:8). This was when the people cried and cut themselves.
Israel is like a child that a parent cannot punish. The laws said that a child like this should die. Israel was breaking the laws. The people were making sacrifices at Bethel and sacrifices to Baal. These were the ‘false gods’ and they were making Israel weak. The bow is not strong. It will not send arrows very far. It has very little use. So, other nations will be able to attack Israel easily. Egypt will not be able to help Israel. Egypt will enjoy seeing Israel so weak.
Unlike the commentaries.... I don't want to dwell on the oven or the doves.... so I'm glad those commentaries are already posted. I want to find out what all of this has to do with the mess in the middle east today. So I'm going to look at the defense plan Israel was employing. Once again the descendants of Jacob [Israel] were going to the Egyptians for help. They were paying money out for protection.... and it was emptying the treasury.If I had a buddy who was strong enough to lift a mountain and hurl it into the ocean....... and I had another buddy who had a little bow and arrow..... which would I choose to defend me? Well the descendants of Jacob [Israel] chose the little guy with the bow and arrow.... and they paid him handsomely to do so. Meanwhile.... the guy with the bow and arrow.... what's to keep my buddy from pocketing the cash and walking away giggling. Stupid humans.
Meanwhile.... my buddy who can lift a mountain and hurl it into the ocean is quite insulted by the shun. Here my buddy had extended his hand and promised to care for the descendants of Jacob [Israel] and those stupid humans rejected His help.
Hosea doesn't call the descendants of Jacob [Israel] "stupid humans"..... He calls them "stupid doves"......
