Hosea 7
Summary for Hos 7:1-2: 7:1-2 a I want to heal Israel: God’s overwhelming desire was to heal Israel’s harlotry (see 14:4 b) and restore her to right relationship with him, but she was filled with liars, thieves, and bandits.• The Israelites might have thought that the Lord was unaware of their sins, but he was watching them, and he saw everything they did.
Summary for Hos 7:3-7: 7:3-7 c The northern kingdom of Israel saw a succession of seven different kings during the final twenty-five years of its existence, four of whom were assassinated by usurpers. This passage refers to the vicious and bloody political intrigue that characterized these years. 7:3 d The prophet did not record the name of this king, but many believe he was Hoshea, the northern kingdom’s last monarch.
7:4 e adulterers: Hosea used this term earlier to describe spiritual apostasy (3:1 f); it refers here to those who were disloyal to the king.
7:6 g A simile aptly compares the plots and political intrigue during this turbulent time to a red-hot oven that breaks out to ignite the entire land.
7:7 h They kill their kings: The people of Israel assassinated one king after another as they desperately attempted to save their nation and their lives from the invading Assyrian army. Throughout these last years, they relied upon their own plans and plots and never thought to cry out to the Lord, their only true source of help.
Summary for Hos 7:8-12: 7:8-12 i Israel ignored the Lord in their international politics as well as in their domestic policies. Like silly, witless doves, they had flown in a frenzy between Assyria and Egypt, the major powers of their day, vainly trying to make treaties and alliances that would save their land. 7:8 j The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners: By relying upon foreign nations rather than God for security, the Israelites were no longer a pure, holy nation, set apart for the Lord.
• Flatbread must be turned over at the proper time to ensure that it is baked on both sides rather than burned on one side and raw on the other. Israel was a half-baked cake and was therefore worthless.
7:9 k foreign gods (literally foreigners): Israel’s political involvement with foreign nations had harmed their spiritual well-being.
7:11 l When invaded by Assyria, Israel turned to Egypt for help. When Egypt proved powerless, Israel tried to appease Assyria by becoming its vassal (a subservient kingdom).
7:12 m Like a fowler hunting birds, the Lord would throw his net over silly, witless Israel to punish them.
7:13 n What sorrow: This word (Hebrew ’oy) was used at funerals to mourn the dead. In God’s eyes, Israel was as good as dead because they had rebelled against him. Rebellion against a human king was a capital crime; how much more serious it was for God’s people to rebel against their heavenly king.
• I wanted to redeem them: This Hebrew word means paying a fee to repatriate someone who has been enslaved. It is often associated with the exodus from Egypt. The Lord desired to do for the Israelites what he did when he brought their ancestors out of their slavery to pagan gods, but they ... told lies about him.
7:14 o They cut themselves: Self-mutilation was characteristic of Canaanite worship (see 1 Kgs 18:28 p); it was prohibited in Israel (Deut 14:1 q).
7:16 r A crooked (literally loose) bow cannot propel its arrow to the target; it depicts Israel’s futility apart from God (see 7:8 s, 11 t).
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