Hosea 7 Commentary
Hosea references the turbulence of Israel’s kingship. Verse 7. In less than 20 years, we have had several coups and assassinations; 4 different kings rule the kingdom. There is disloyalty; there is also treachery. They cheat one another. And the LORD finds it difficult to heal the nation.
Their days are numbered but who cares? Hosea is to Israel what Jeremiah would be to Judah. They both announce the end of the story for the two sister kingdoms though separated by a little more than a hundred years. Israel’s increased idolatry means the nation goes into exile first.
Lack of trust in the LORD their God means the nation now must rely on foreign powers for military assistance. A nation that once dominated the landscape during the times of David and Solomon must now rely on human help. And it doesn’t work!
Their worship of me is false, the LORD laments. One may want to escape with the thought that they go to church, at least. But is their worship of the LORD the right kind?
What about the saint who forgets that the LORD has elevated them? Then they turn to the gods of iron and silver! Actually, it is easier than we think! Who do we praise for our success? The devil is great at diverting praise from the Creator God to himself. Let no man praise the LORD. They either praise satan or praise themselves or praise the gods of “iron and silver”.
Israel will die a violent death, and Egypt will laugh. The prophet references Israel’s long-held record of victory over Egypt as Israel matched out of “the land of Ham” unharmed. It was a military victory that the LORD won for Israel! Israel will have worked so hard to reverse the gains and the “old enemy” stands to laugh them down. What a shame! A great shame for the nation that was meant to be the head and not the tail. What a shame!
The scripture invites the reader to ponder the losses that the saint suffers because of wickedness. There is a position of peace in the presence of the LORD that is lost each time humanity turns away from the LORD.
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