Unfaithfulness and Decadence (6:4–7:16)

Introduction

Last week we learned that God’s judgment on sin is inevitable, and that Israel’s only hope was to return to the Lord in his Call to Repentance, in 6:1-3. We now return to the problem at hand, and that is Israel’s Unfaithfulness and Decadence which we shall look at in the rest of chapter 6 and all of chapter 7.

So why does it seem that Hosea keeps beating a dead horse? Why do we need to hear one more time that Israel is under the judgment of God because of their sin? I believe this time we will see how deceiving sin really is. Though Israel has had every advantage of knowing God, the slow but sure deception of sin which began with disobedience has ended with decay.

It’s been said the sin will take you further then you ever wanted to go, and keep you longer then you ever wanted to stay, and make you pay more then you ever wanted to pay. How does it do that? Little by little, subtle changes, a little compromise here, a little change there until you’ve rotted from the inside out. This is the plight of Israel as we read this rather lengthly passage this morning.

Text: Hosea 6:4-7:16

Hosea 6:4–7:16 ESV

4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. 6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. 8 Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood. 9 As robbers lie in wait for a man, so the priests band together; they murder on the way to Shechem; they commit villainy. 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled. 11 For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed. When I restore the fortunes of my people, 1 when I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid outside. 2 But they do not consider that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds surround them; they are before my face. 3 By their evil they make the king glad, and the princes by their treachery. 4 They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven whose baker ceases to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. 5 On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers. 6 For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire. 7 All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen, and none of them calls upon me. 8 Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9 Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not. 10 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this. 11 Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria. 12 As they go, I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens; I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation. 13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. 14 They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me. 15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devise evil against me. 16 They return, but not upward; they are like a treacherous bow; their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Main Idea: Because sin is so deceptive, unless we stop the process through repentance and subsequent healing by God, we will decay beyond recognition.

Israel’s sins are far worse than simply violating the law: they denied the truth and validity of the gracious covenant that is the foundation of their life and hope.

I. Inconsistent Nature of Sin (6:4-11)

Yahweh begins with a probing question, as if he is baffled by the actions of Ephraim and Judah that they would continue in their sin in light of what was just said regarding repentance.

A. Optional Behavior (6:4)

(4) What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love (hesed - loyal covenantal love) is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.- Continuing the use of images from nature, God laments the temporary, transitory quality of Israel and Judah’s covenant love, in contrast with His own faithfulness (v. 3)

Somehow Israel and Judah felt it was no big deal or that repentance was optional since God would always keep his covenant.

B. Confused Pursuits (6:5-6)

(6:5) Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. - as light overcomes darkness and fills every dark space, so God’s commands and judgments were clearly shown without question.

Like the light of the sun whose rising dispels the darkness, God’s justice consistently and inevitably goes forth (cf. Ps. 37:6), exposing the sins of those who have broken the covenant.

Psalm 37:6 ESV

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

(6:6) For I desire steadfast love (hesed - loyal covenantal love) and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. - Covenant faithfulness or loyalty, not mere ritual, were required of the covenant people.

Micah 6:6–8 ESV

6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Jesus refers to this verse as he addresses the Pharisees who condemned him for eating with tax collectors and sinners:

Matthew 9:13 ESV

13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 12:7 ESV

7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

C. Convenant Breakers (6:7-11)

(6:7) But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. -

It is best to understand “Adam” as the name of the first man; thus Israel is like Adam, who forgot his covenant obligation to love the Lord, breaking the covenant God made with him (Gen. 2:16–17; 3:17).

Genesis 2:16–17 ESV

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:17 ESV

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

This also implies that there was a “covenant” relationship between God and Adam, the terms of which were defined in God’s words to Adam, though the actual word “covenant” is not used in Genesis 1–3.

The breaking of the Adamic covenant was only the start of mankind’s covenant breaking nature, and what is seen here in verses 6:8-10, are the natural results of this nature:

(6:8) Gilead (a mountainous region in the northern Transjordan and the place where Jephthah fought and conquered the Ammonites) is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood.

(6:9) As robbers lie in wait for a man, so the priests band together; they murder on the way to Shechem (An important religious and political center, Shechem was located between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal); they commit villainy.

(6:10) In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

(6:11a) For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed. - A harvest which is supposed to depict joy but which will instead depict tragedy. Thus it is a “harvest” of judgment

Joel 3:13 ESV

13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

(6:11b) when I restore the fortunes of my people. - the harvest of judgment stands in ironic contrast to the harvest of joy that will come to the faithful,

II. Blinding Nature of Sin (7:1-10)

A. Cannot See the Right Way (7:1-4)

(7:1) when I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid outside.

Ephraim…Samaria - Both terms refer to the northern kingdom, of which Samaria was the capital

(7:2) But they do not consider (They have deceived even themselves) that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds surround them (not allowing them to see the right way); they are before my face (corem deo). - their sin deceives them away from God, causing them to foolishly reason that God cannot see them.

Psalm 139:7–12 ESV

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

(7:3-4) By their evil they make the king glad, and the princes by their treachery. They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven whose baker ceases to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

The Simile oven (Hb. tannur), repeated three times in these verses (vv. 4, 6, 7), can designate either a fixed or portable structure. This oven is made of earthenware and is used especially for bread. The comparisons of adulterers with an oven are both progressive and overlapping.

(7:4) like a heated oven - represents a quiet passion that does not go out even though the baker ceases to stir the fire. - very similar to sin that was never dealt with and remains dormant within, blinding the sinner to its existence.

B. Do not See the Passage of Time (7:5-10)

(7:5) On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers. - The king and princes participate in sin with the people, pointing to the need for a faithful king. Christ is the faithful king in the line of David (Matt. 1:1–16)

(7:6) For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire. - this time the oven is seen as a suppressed passion, like anger smoldering, that unexpectedly and violently erupts; it blazes like a flaming fire. It is as if the suppressed fire of sin comes to life and erupts into the actions that define its existence.

(7:7) All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen, and none of them calls upon me. - Then finally, the oven depicts a consuming passion that will devour … rulers and all their kings. Many relate this to the political intrigue that marked Ephraim’s final hours. Four of the last six kings of Israel were assassinated. None of them calls upon God (v. 7). Here is a close association between an unquenchable zeal for political control and unbridled lust.

Unbridled lust is the result of smoldering sin that was never dealt with through repentance and therefore never goes out but eventually erupts into decadent sinful activities.

James 1:14–15 ESV

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

(7:8) Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned (half baked). - Ephraim is no longer a leader of men, but has become one who mixes himself with the nations and is no good as either God’s people or the nations with whom he mixes. He becomes, half baked and good for nothing.

When we compromise with our lives to live in both worlds, God’s and Satan’s, we end up good for nothing.

(7:9) Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not (The nation is like a man who has suddenly grown older and weaker but does not yet realize it). The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this. -

time is passing and their sin continues to the point of no return. The longer they continue in sin, the more difficult it becomes to return and repent because of their pride.

One of the greatest tools of our enemy is procrastination. He says, there is time, enjoy yourself now and repent later. The bible says however:

2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV

2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

III. Destructive Nature of Sin (7:11-16)

A. No Sense of Direction (7:11-13)

(7:11-12) Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria. As they go, I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens; I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation. - Ephraim lived in a constant state of confusion, having left their navigator, they sought help from Egypt and Assyria, thus showing a true lack of direction.

We too live in a time when we have a world without direction. Sin has been allowed to go unbridled; repentance is not even an option, and as a result, we are a nation and world who do not know where we are going.

(7:13) Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. - the result is destruction for those who refuse repentance. Note here the willingness of Yahweh to redeem those who would repent.

B. Outside of Reality (7:14-16)

(7:14-15) They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves (Probably as a means of invoking Baal); they rebel against me. Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devise evil against me. -

Israel has lost all sense of reality, as they cry out to their idols and not to the one who, trained and strengthened their arms, they both rebel and devise evil against the only answer, Yahweh and his hesed love!

(7:16) They return, but not upward; they are like a treacherous bow; their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

They return, but not upward - insincere repentance; seeking only to keep from destruction.

they are like a treacherous bow - like a deceitful bow that looks like it is aiming at the right target but in reality, it never hits it because the bow or arrow are deformed. Or a half-hearted attempt at shooting at the right target.

insolence of their tongue - they bad mouthed God and his prophets.

Egypt - The Egyptians would soon mock at the fall of those who only intermittently solicited their help.

So What?

As a child of God, do we seek to live a consistent God glorify life in everything we do?

This means that we deal with sin as God the Holy Spirit reveals it to us.

If we do not, we will be plagued with a life of inconsistent behaviour.

Are there any sins that we are harboring that blind our decisions and direction?

Hidden, unconfessed sin will cloud our spiritual and physical reasoning and causes us to wonder aimlessly.

Are you here this morning and know the destructiveness of sin?

Then take heart, God has said that when we repentant of our sins and turn to him for healing, he will heal us.