7Like Adam, they have broken the covenant—
they were unfaithful to me there.
8Gilead is a city of wicked men,
stained with footprints of blood.
9As marauders lie in ambush for a man,
so do bands of priests;
they murder on the road to Shechem,
committing shameful crimes.
10I have seen a horrible thing
in the house of Israel.
There Ephraim is given to prostitution
and Israel is defiled.
11“Also for you, Judah,
a harvest is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,
7:1whenever 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;
2but 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.
4They are all adulterers,
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,
and he joins hands with the mockers.
6Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7All 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 cake not turned over.
9Foreigners sap his strength,
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10Israel’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.
12When they go, I will throw my net over them;
I will pull them down like birds of the air.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13Woe 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 lies against me.
14They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail upon their beds.
They gather together for grain and new wine
but turn away from me.
15I trained them and strengthened them,
but they plot evil against me.
16They 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.
Original Meaning
SINCE HOSEA CONTINUES his messages beyond 5:15–6:3, one must assume that many did not immediately repent and seek God. Some came to the temple to give their sacrifices, but they did not truly love God with all their hearts (6:6). Since God refused to give up on his people (6:4), he sent Hosea to present additional reasons (beyond the fact that they did not acknowledge God) why the people should admit their guilt and seek the Lord. The next section of the covenant lawsuit against Israel (6:7–11:11) focuses on a second major charge: The people are not steadfast in their loving devotion to God, as demonstrated by their sinful behavior at the golden calves and their alliances with other nations.
Hosea does not give the date of these messages, but the mention of a battle in 8:1 and of the assassination of kings in 7:3–7 suggests that they were given during or near the time of the Syro-Ephraimite war (734–732 B.C.), probably shortly after 4:1–6:6.1 Although this gives a general dating for one portion of this long speech, it is impossible to securely date its many parts.
The structure of this second part of the covenant lawsuit fits the general pattern of the rest of Hosea, although it does not have any announcement of a case against Israel at the beginning, as in 4:1–3. These sermons include a series of accusations of sinfulness (6:7), a description of the punishment the nation will endure (8:1–9:17), another series of accusations (10:1–15), and a final message of hope (11:1–11). Hosea does not slavishly follow the lawsuit format throughout this section, but the broader framework of his approach draws on legal terminology and the punishment of people who fail to keep their covenant commitments.
In the first oracle of this new section (6:7–7:16) Hosea brings up additional examples to prove that the Israelites have broken their covenant with God. Their unfaithfulness includes a variety of sins. The priests (6:9) and political leaders (7:3–7) are singled out once again as those most to blame for the wickedness that is destroying the nation (see also 4:4–10; 5:1–2). They are evil people who selfishly do whatever they need to in order to get what they want. They rebel against God and do not turn to seek him.
This long series of accusations can be divided into several paragraphs: (1) 6:7–10 reveals how the sins of the priests have defiled the whole nation; (2) 6:11–7:2 explains that restoration is impossible because of Judah’s and Israel’s sins; (3) 7:3–7 deals with assassinations and corruption within Israel’s political system; (4) 7:8–12 condemns dependence on other nations instead of on God; and (5) 7:13–16 is God’s lament over Israel’s coming destruction. Though it may be impossible to identify any of these accusations with specific incidents, the events surrounding the Syro-Ephraimite war from 734–732 B.C. provide the general background.
The Sins of the Priests (6:7–10)
ANDERSEN AND FREEDMAN have made the attractive hypothesis that this passage is describing one event rather than a random collection of different acts of violence in Israel.2 If this is correct, the event took place in the territory of Gilead, on a road that goes to Shechem, and near the city of Adam. This city lies on the east bank of the Jordan River (Josh. 3:16) on the main road linking Shechem and Mahanaim.3 Some hypothesize that this violence may relate to the assassination of King Shallum or Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:25 even implicates people from Gilead), but the text is not that specific.
The priests’ violent action of shedding blood in some kind of ambush (Hos. 6:9) on the road to Shechem is characterized as “unfaithful[ness] to me” (6:7) and a “shameful crime” (6:9) because these “wicked men” have “broken the covenant” (6:7). These descriptive phrases depict an act that goes contrary to the regulations of the covenant—a betrayal that violates the agreement between God and Israel. Hosea does not explain exactly why the priests were involved in this crime, but if the spiritual leaders were a gang of murderers who killed to get their way, one can only imagine how bad things were in Israel.
A second sin that implicates the spiritual leadership of the priests is the cultic prostitution that fills the land (6:10). God sees this “horrible thing” that defiles his holy land. It is not hidden from his sight, and he will not overlook it.
Restoration Is Impossible Because of Sin (6:11–7:2)
THE END OF the previous paragraph and the beginning of this paragraph are a matter of dispute. Some include 6:11a with the previous paragraph because the parallel constructions in 6:11b and 7:1a seem to bring 6:11b into the following paragraph.4 But the brief comment about Judah’s day of harvest in 6:11a (i.e., its judgment, as in 10:13; Jer. 51:33) does not fit well with all the accusations against Israel in the rest of Hos. 6:7–10. Its inclusion with the previous section also leaves the temporal “when” clause in 6:11b without an independent clause to modify. Since 7:1 also has a temporal “when” clause modifying an independent clause, one should probably understand 6:11 in a similar way. Just as Israel’s sins will be exposed when God comes to heal his people (7:1), so Judah’s judgment will be necessary when God comes to restore his people to their covenant relationship (6:11).
These two verses are not primarily salvation promises5 (although they recognize that healing will happen someday) because the main independent clauses (which are negative) determine the central emphasis of the sentence, not the subordinate “when” clauses. The focus is on the sinfulness of the people, which necessitates judgment. This sinful condition will delay God’s gracious restoration of his people.
In 7:1b–2 Hosea lists some of the sins that God will expose. The people are characterized by deceit and falsehood instead of righteousness and justice. They steal from private residences and mug people in public on the streets, rather than loving their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19:18). They have no respect for one another and do not treat each other as covenant members.
Most surprising is the utter callousness of the people toward these sinful acts. They do not seem to realize that these deeds are evil. Apparently these sins are normal, acceptable behavior in this society, since everyone seems to be doing them. They think nothing of these crimes and do not think God is paying any attention to them (Hos. 7:2). Their Canaanite worldview has eliminated a holy God of justice, who sees, hates, and punishes sin. In contrast to their blindness to sin, the stench of their vile lives has come up to God because he sees everything they are doing. These sins destroy the people’s covenant relationship with God.
Political Corruption in Government (7:3–7)
THE HEBREW TEXT of these verses is difficult,6 but there is no doubt that God is critiquing the behavior of kings and officials of government who cause other kings to fall from power (7:3, 7). The historical description of the assassination of the Israelite kings Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, and Pekah (2 Kings 15) provides the background to these accusations.7 The subject of the verbs is undefined in Hos. 7:3–4,8 so no specific group or person is identified at this point. Hosea is more interested in explaining what they do.
At first the people referred to here appear to be friends of the royal court (the king and his princes) because they delight the king by joining him in all kinds of evil deeds. Their deeds of deception may refer to conspiracies against an earlier king who was killed or to other unknown acts. This scheme to take political control through violence brings great joy to the victors in the royal court. Maybe the royal house is having a celebration marking the anniversary of the present king’s rise to power.
Hosea describes these new rulers as “adulterers” (Hos. 7:4), a word that refers to someone who is unfaithful to another person. He probably does not mean sexual infidelity9 here but political unfaithfulness to the king (see similar uses in Jer. 9:2; 23:10–12). Like a hot oven these people burn in their passion for political power. They are compared to a baker because they do not carefully pay attention to their duties (a baker was supposed to stir the fire and knead the dough). Instead of protecting the king, they are in on the plot against this new king.
At a special royal celebration everyone becomes drunk (Hos. 7:5), and scornful mockers join in the celebration. Instead of being guided by wise men with deep spiritual insight, like Daniel or Nathan, this king has surrounded himself with disrespectful fools. In their heated passion they wait all night to implement their ambush (NIV “intrigue”) of the king in the morning (7:6). In a final blaze of irrational passion they viciously attack and kill their ruler (7:7).
This human tragedy takes place again and again (four kings are assassinated), but none of these violent people ever inquires of God about what they are doing. These murderers do not seek him to gain wisdom; they have the scoffing mockers to guide them. They do not wait for God to send a prophet to anoint the next king; they depend on cunning plots of deceit to remove and set up new kings. They are not concerned about doing what delights God because they are only concerned about what delights themselves. They do not even ask God for help because they slyly make alliances with one group or another to protect their interests. God’s role of choosing each new king for the nation is usurped by vicious plots to grab power through violence.
Political Dependence on Alliances (7:8–12)
INSTEAD OF DEPENDING on God to protect them and guide their political decisions, the new kings consolidate their power by forming alliances with other nations (7:8). When Hoshea became king, he dissolved the nation’s political alliances with Syria, Philistia, and Egypt and created a new political alliance with the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III (7:11; see 2 Kings 15:30), and then turned around and made a secret alliance with Egypt (2 Kings 17:4). The “mixing” imagery (Hos. 7:8) draws on the bread metaphor in the previous verses, but in this case the king is so negligent that God views the nation as useless, unturned bread.10
These alliances are hurting the nation because they require payment of heavy tribute and encourage cultural and religious compromises to keep the peace with the Assyrians. This syncretistic trend drains the nation of its financial resources, its independence, and its moral strength (7:9). The surprising thing is that the people do not see how this creeping compromising (like the slow process of getting gray hair) is gradually undermining their identity. These are selfish acts of pride and self-determination that are not based on God’s direction (7:10). Israel’s leaders act independently and without reliance on God. Why should they bother mixing religion with their politics by asking God what he wants? Are they not able to handle things themselves through their alliances? How can God ever help the situation? Now that they have peace with Assyria, everything will be fine.
But Israel’s situation changes, and soon there are attempts to make new alliances. Like a foolish dove Israel’s foreign policy flips and flops back and forth without consistency or any lasting commitment (7:11). Although the specific event is unknown, the disloyalty of Israel is illustrated by King Hoshea’s duplicity. First he paid tribute to Assyria, then a short time later he tried to make a new alliance with Egypt (2 Kings 17:3–4). God responds (Hos. 7:12) by capturing these senseless birds in his net and “disciplines” (see 5:9, not “hear them flocking together,” as in NIV11) them when a certain report is received. The ambiguity of this line makes interpretation difficult, but T. McComiskey suggests that this refers to God’s decision to destroy Israel once the news of her deceptive alliance with Egypt is known.12
God Laments Israel’s Coming Destruction (7:13–16)
THIS SERIES OF accusations reaches its climax with God’s sorrowful lament over his hopelessly sinful people. This poem is similar to the cry of woe people mournfully express at the funeral of a loved one, or when they hear that a relative is about to die. God is singing his wailing lament over his people because it is now decided that they will soon die. He weeps because he has done so many good things for his people, but his people and their leaders have rejected him.
God’s act of redemption in Hos. 7:13 is interpreted as a question by D. Stuart (“How can I redeem them?”) and as a wish by most others (NASB; RSV; NIV). Andersen and Freedman, however, believe that God’s two gracious deeds (7:13b, 15a) on behalf of his people refer to past events.13 Long ago God graciously redeemed his people from Egyptian slavery (Ex. 3–15) to demonstrate his love and make them his own special people. Over the years since that time, God “trained” or instructed his people through divine revelation and the hard knocks of experience (Hos. 7:15), in order to help them know what to avoid and to teach them the limitations of their covenant relationship. God also strengthened them in times of peace and war so that they would be able to defeat their enemies and defend themselves against oppressors (7:15). God did not fail to care for his people but faithfully demonstrated his steadfast covenant love for them. It is heart-breaking now when they do not appreciate or respond positively to such great acts of love.
The reactions of God’s people to his great deeds of power and grace are lamentable. They have rebelled against his authority, strayed from his instruction, and lied about their love and loyalty to him (7:13). They do not cry out to God from a heart of love, but when they worship and bring their sacrifices to the temple, they worship other gods, using pagan methods (7:14).14 That “they plot evil” against God may refer to political or religious actions that undermine the instructions and character of God (7:15). They are no longer loyal to God, their covenant partner; instead, they do whatever they want. The people are compared to a deceptive bow with defects. Like an arrow shot from a twisted bow, they miss the mark and serve other gods.
The consequence of Israel’s action is “destruction” (7:13) and the military defeat of her leaders. All their deception will catch up with them, and then their former allies will laugh and “ridicule” them (7:16). Israel will get what it deserves from God and receive no sympathy from its former political partners. What a sad end for such a great people.
Bridging Contexts
THIS SECTION DESCRIBES the sins of Israel. It is an ugly picture of rejection, violence, deceit, betrayal, robbery, and arrogance. These sins are primarily the work of the priests (6:7–10) and political leaders (7:3–13). In both cases these leaders have rejected God’s standards of morality that govern the behavior of covenant partners. Both groups take control of their situation and enforce their will through violence. No one seems concerned about what God wants; in fact, Hosea observes a purposeful rejection of God’s ways. Although the principles in this passage specifically apply to spiritual and political leaders, in the broader perspective God’s condemnation of these sins relates to anyone who acts as these wicked Israelites do.
Who is a sinner? Hosea’s main goal is to convince his audience that they are sinners who deserve God’s judgment. He accomplishes this purpose by reciting the many sins of the spiritual and political leaders. The list is depressing and far too long:
6:7 break the covenant, unfaithful
6:8 wickedness, shedding blood
6:9 set ambushes, murder, shameful deeds
6:10 done horrible things, prostitution, defiled
7:1 crimes, deceit, thievery, banditry
7:2 evil deeds, sins
7:3 wickedness, lies
7:4 adulterers
7:5 inflamed with wine, joins with mockers
7:6 intrigue/deception, intense passion
7:7 destroy rulers, cause kings to fall, do not call on God
7:8 mix with the nations
7:9 do not realize how foreigners influence
7:10 arrogance, do not turn to God
7:11 deceived and senseless, depend on other nations
7:13 stray from God, rebelled against God, speak lies against God
7:14 do not cry to God from their hearts, sacrifice without turning to God
7:15 plot evil against God
7:16 do not turn to the Most High
Hosea uses every possible means to communicate that these people are sinners. Several sins stand out because they are repeated. God hates (1) deceit, plots, and lies; (2) violence and killing; and (3) not calling on or turning to God. Many in Hosea’s audience do not realize these things are so bad. They foolishly think God will not remember their sins (7:2). But Hosea announces that God hates these sins. He will not treat them lightly because they destroy his covenant relationship with his people. He will punish, even destroy, those who do these things.
(1) One of the major sins that God will judge is deception. This was true in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3), and it is true today. God had warned Israel not to be deceived by their prosperity in Palestine and turn to other gods (Deut. 11:16). He condemned Achan, who stole things sanctified to God and deceived the leaders by hiding what he took (Josh. 7:11). Jeremiah warned that the human heart is deceptive and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9), and he announced that the arrogance of the Edomites had deceived them (49:16). Paul warns people not to deceive themselves because whatever one sows, that one will also reap (Gal. 6:7). John’s final vision recognizes that the devil is the great deceiver (Rev. 20:10). When people lie and deceive, God is sure to judge. There is no such a thing as a harmless white lie. God desires truth.
(2) God’s hatred for violence and murder is also found throughout the Bible. It was one of the main reasons for the Flood (Gen. 6:11, 13). It was the chief sin of the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:8) and the complaint Micah brings against the rulers of Jerusalem (Mic. 3:10). The prophets complain of the violence of kings and princes who strut their power to gain status and financial rewards (Jer. 22:17; Ezek. 8:17; Hos. 4:2; Amos 3:10; Mic. 6:12; Hab. 1:2; Zeph. 1:9).
Although violence is not mentioned as often in the New Testament, the Roman rule of Nero spread a reign of terror in the area around Rome, which brought persecution to Christians. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin are modern examples of political leaders who have ruled by violence. The final days of this earth will be full of violence and tribulation for all people on earth (Dan. 7–8; 11; Rev. 6ff.), but God’s new kingdom will bring about an era of peace.
(3) Not calling on God (Hos. 7:7, 14) or not turning to him is the ultimate snub of defiance (7:10, 14, 16). These people act as if God does not exist. Whenever people ignore him, they assume that he has no power or sovereignty over this world. In other words, they deny his divinity by their actions. They do what they wish, somehow thinking that God does not know and does not see what they are doing (7:2). By this perverse conception of God they recreate a divine being that fits their own perspective on things. They present sacrifices to their made-up god, but they are turning away from the real God when they worship. Such behavior attempts to put humanity as the creator of reality and demotes God into an inferior human construction of reality.
Although God wants to restore his people and bless them, this is impossible if they continually reject him and refuse to maintain their covenant relationship with him (6:11–7:1). Sin prevents God from pouring out his blessings and eliminates the possibility of healing. The negative themes of death, falling by the sword, destruction, and ridicule are the rewards of sin. It is a terrible thing to fall from God’s grace and suffer the wrath of his punishment.
Contemporary Significance
HOSEA’S SITUATION DURING the Syro-Ephraimite war is vastly different from the context of most readers today. Thus, the sins of people in the twenty-first century will not be identical to those of the Israelites in the time of Hosea. To create a parallel list of the ways people sin today, one could survey the newspaper or listen to one evening of TV, paying special attention to sins that overlap with those mentioned by Hosea. This list will demonstrate the pervasiveness of sin in society and raise the issue of God’s attitude toward sin. We should also note whether these sins are presented as normal behavior or deviant acts that are wrong and deserve punishment.
Convincing people that they are sinners is the first step to getting right with God. This passage supports the broad principle that human sinfulness brings God’s judgment. This is a basic idea that every evangelist must make in leading people to repentance. If people reject the concept that they have sinned against God, they will never turn to him for forgiveness. They must also accept the fact that God hates these sins and will judge sinners. Only then will people ask if there is some way of avoiding that deserved judgment and so turn to him for redemption. It all begins with an acknowledgment of sin.
In his excellent work on evangelism M. McCloskey says: “We must be ready to challenge all men and women with an accurate biblical analysis of their predicament before their creator. If evangelism is the cure to a terminally ill patient, we must help the patient realize the true nature of his disease.”15 McCloskey maintains that secularism is one of the main problems in our culture. By secularism, he means the concern for things in this present life and a consequent lack of concern about God and life after death.16 As Michael Novack has said, “It is taken for granted in most intellectual circles that an intelligent person does not believe in God.”17
Like the Israelites of Hosea’s day, such people do not turn to or call on God (7:7, 14, 16). They believe that they can control their own future and determine what is right and wrong. They feel independent and self-sufficient enough to live without God. Jonathan Edwards faced this problem long ago, since many in his day deceived themselves into thinking that they could do whatever they wanted. They thought there was no life after death where they would be held accountable.18
It is easy for people to accept the educational propaganda drilled into their heads: “You can be whatever you want to be.” Many teach that you are in control of your own destiny, with the result that God’s design for a person’s life is not even considered. Modern culture encourages self-reliance, worships individual freedom to do your own thing, and requires everyone to be tolerant and accept the lifestyle of others as legitimate. When cultures forget God, as Israel’s did and ours does, sin becomes defined away. It becomes what I define it—abusing my rights or being intolerant of my chosen lifestyle.
In general in our society, sin is not defined by moral absolutes revealed in the Bible. When there are no higher moral principles, almost nothing is defined as a sin except a narrow-minded rejection of this permissive philosophy. When everything is permissible, the end justifies the means. In such a situation there is no need to tell the truth, no need to avoid violently killing unborn babies, and no need to depend on God. People learn that you can get what you want through skillful office politics, lies on the resume, or sleeping with the boss.
Such activities have become so accepted that people no longer look at them as sin. Instead, these evils are sensationalized in movies as exciting, the way to make the most of your opportunities. Go ahead and use your brain to advance yourself in whatever way you can. Like the priests and politicians in Hosea’s day, people still believe the arrogant lie that self-determination through aggressive self-promotion and deceit is the way the system works.
Essentially, evangelism requires us to persuade people to reject the sinful philosophical underpinnings of a society that rejects God and removes the stigma of sin. Hosea calls these acts wickedness, injustice, crimes, deceit, arrogance, senselessness, straying from God, evil plots, a turning away from God, and rebellion against God. An evangelist today must likewise confront the immoral behavior of people and call it sin. A person of faith who loves God cannot condone or keep quiet about sin.
The Israelites were wrong to mix faith in God with dependence on Egypt and Assyria, and people today are in a similar danger when they try to mix Christianity with a “godless culture.” Followers of God must reject all forms of sin and depend on God alone. This is not a rejection of any culture or modernity per se, but a repudiation of the godless beliefs and sinful behaviors that a secular society legitimates as appropriate, and sometimes even as virtuous.
God still hates sin, and the result of sin is still death. Destruction and ruin are part of his divine plan of justice in this world. Hosea makes it clear that God wants to and will eventually redeem his people and heal them (Hos. 6:11–7:1), but restoration is impossible if people continue to sin. God laments the fact that when sin rules, death will be close behind (7:13–16). Evangelists must faithfully persuade their secular friends and neighbors that after death there will be a court of justice, where all people must give an account of their deeds (Rom. 14:10–12). The great hope for redemption from the penalty for sin has been provided through the death of Jesus Christ.