Presents
Pamphlet #8067
Hosea chapter 7
What is it that our Father desires from His children? If you are a parent yourself then the answer to this question is intuitive for He wants the same thing from His children as you want from yours. In other words, He wants His children to love Him and listen to His wisdom, His Word, so they can be happy and successful, which thus gives Him great pleasure and joy, which is WHY He created His children in the first place (Rev. 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.) The question is, "Have you given Him much pleasure lately?"
Did you know that you can be a "very religious" person, a "good" Christian(by your own definition) (Mat. 7:22), and yet give your Father no pleasure at all? That's exactly what this verse implies. In fact, this is the "root" of the message of Hosea, the book of the salvation of His children. You see, you can be a fine upstanding member in your church and yet be a whore, an adulterer (idolater) in the eyes of God! How so? Because you listen to men and do what the church system teaches you to do instead of seeking Him and receiving your instructions directly from His Word.Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
We now begin our study of Hosea chapter 7, which opens with another heartfelt acknowledgment from our Father in which He expresses that He wants so much to heal His people Israel, but their adulterous (idolatrous) sins and their wickedness stand in the way.
You see, you cannot reward wicked and disobedient children, for then you send the wrong message whereby they believe their evil ways can produce good fruit and bring them the same rewards as those bestowed upon good and obedient children.
To have one's iniquity "discovered" means to be denuded as in "laid bare" before Him. Ephraim of course was the largest of the 10 Tribes of Israel, even as America is the largest of those same tribes today, and is used in a figurative sense (a Synecdoche - of the part) to represent of the whole house. Samaria was the capital of the northern 10 tribes, House of Israel, where the leaders assembled, the so-called guardians of the people. Isn't it interesting that "Samaria" means "watch mountain", which is "an appropriate designation for a city on a hill" (see "Davis Dictionary", Baker Publishers).Hosea 7:1
When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.
Guess what we call the place where our leaders meet in Washington, D.C.? Capitol Hill, "Samaria" indeed! Are there any falsehoods (lies) committed on Capitol Hill or do any "thieves" enter therein? Well, if there is such a thing as a dumb question, that's it! And while the leaders, the insiders, plunder "on the hill", the "troop of robbers", which if you recall from the last chapter (vs. 9) are the preachers and priests, "spoileth" without. The definition of the Hebrew word for "spoileth" says it all:
And so our people are "stripped" bare by both their politicians and their preachers, the latter stripping them of their spiritual clothing (and in too many cases as much money as possible).spoileth = pashat*, paw-shat', Hebrew 6584; a primitive root; to spread out (i.e. deploy in hostile array); by analogy to strip (i.e. unclothe, plunder, flay, etc.) :- fall upon, flay, invade, make an invasion, pull off, put off, make a road, run upon, rush, set, spoil, spread selves (abroad), strip (off, self).
They think the phrase "One Nation Under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance is just words, not a reality! Woe unto them! If they think they are going to get away with their iniquity they are in for a rude awakening because as we just read from the great Book of Hosea, their "own doings (works)" are right there in front of our Father's face. You see, our Father's data collection and storage systems operate in the spiritual dimension, which means they not only include a precise record of their actions, they do so even in the first person, which then includes a record of their motives and inner thoughts. Yes, just like parents compile "Baby Books" and "Picture Albums" and record videos of their children as they grow up, our Father likewise keeps complete records on His children, which records are called "books". And He has one with your name on it which is your complete testimony from birth (even from before the foundation of the world) unto death, both the first and the second if need be! Rev. 20:12 "... and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead (spiritually dead) were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." The good news for God's children who love Him is that when they repent and ask for His forgiveness, He erases their sin from their book, as if it was never written there![2] And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.
Hey, the Executive branch and the Legislative branches love the corruptness of the thieves who come in! Some translations read, "the kings and princes are won over, or beguiled, by their wickedness and treachery". Today we call that methodology, "lobbying" on Capitol Hill. There's nothing like a corrupt king or president, is there? It just reminds me of one of the favorite sayings of a former employer of mine, "A Fish Smells From the Head Down"![3] They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
They are ALL adulterers (idolaters), the kings, the princes and the people! In fact, they are so adulterous they never cool the fires of their lust until the next "go 'round", which is what this analogy of the baker and his oven, having been somewhat botched in the KJV translation, explains. In other words, like a baker with a "ready hot oven", they are eager to slam another loaf of bread into it even before the leaven has had time to make the dough rise properly! Plain and simply, they walk around like a bunch of dogs in constant heat! Got it?Hosea 7:4
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
This verse also loses somewhat in the English translation. The word "him" should be read "themselves" (see note in Companion Bible). What is being said is that after they have beguiled the king and taken advantage of him with their treachery, they "party it up" by drinking wine and flattering themselves (look up "sick" in Strong's) at the king's own celebrations and yet he stretches out his hand to these scorners and scoffers. In other words, the king, therefore the government, supports these corrupt left wing, no good thieves and adulterers.[5] In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.
You see, the left wing enemies of our people, with their perverse and idolatrous agendas, are always "hot", like a flaming oven ready to burn God's people at anytime, day or night. The phrase "to lie in wait" is a figure of speech meaning to premeditate, which is what murderers do. And the phrase "their baker* sleepeth all the night" simply means that their "anger (hatred of that which is right, i.e. God's ways) smolders all night long" and in the morning it bursts into flames again. (Maybe that's where the phrase "Flaming Idiots" comes from!)[6] For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.
* Due to a transcription error where the Hebrew letter "Ayin" was mistaken for the letter "Aleph" because they look so similar, the word "baker" in this verse should be translated "anger". Further explanation and documentation, with references to Dr. Ginsburg's Massorah, can be found in the marginal notes for verse six in the Companion Bible.
So do not be deceived. The heat from the fiery darts of the dragon devours all those who do not have on the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6), i.e. seek the Lord!
No matter what lies and falsehoods the ACLU or anyone else tries to tell you, we are a Christian* nation, "One Nation Under God", the God of the Bible, and the strength and blessings of our people and our nation come from following God and His ways. PERIOD! It does not come from diversity or technology or reliance on treaties with other nations! Do our judges and heads of state call upon the Lord, as in seeking wisdom and knowledge from His Word? No, they do not! They have even permitted the courts to throw God and the Bible out of our schools. And then they have the nerve to go to parties and celebrations and "stretch out their hands" to these scorners and scoffers! Yes, though some of our judges and leaders may occasionally acknowledge God's existence, they do not CALL UNTO HIM nor seek His counsel! That will soon change when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns and God's elect, the Zadok, will judge and reign for a thousand years (Ezek. 44) according to His Word.Hosea 7:7
They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
* All one needs to do to document that we are a Christian nation is to simply look out across our country on December 25th; and read the inscriptions on the walls of our early 1800s government buildings.
Ephraim, the largest of the 10 tribes of Israel used figuratively to represent the whole House of Israel, has mixed himself among the people to the point that he has lost his identity. He does not know the simple history of the migrations* of his forefathers who went north over the Caucasus Mountains following their captivity by Assyria, and became known as the Cimmerians and the Celts, the Saxons, "Saac's sons", i.e. Isaac's sons. And thanks to the influence of the "strangers*", Ephraim, the true house of Israel (not the house of Judah), even considers himself to be among the ethos, i.e. as a gentile people, instead of the house of Israel. Therefore, he is like a half-baked cake, even one that is inedible or at least unpalatable. He needs to be turned over and have some "heat" applied to his backside, if you know what I mean.[8] Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
* If you do not know where the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel
are located today, it is time you do. Live Link to>>>> "Do you
know who you really are?"
Are you a Israelite?
Be thoughtful before you answer.
(Maybe you only think you're
a Gentile!)
Again, Ephraim's strength is in the Lord God and yet he does not know it because he does not realy"know" God! Why does he not know God? Because of the "strangers" within who have led him to commit idolatry through the traditions of man and to worship a god who is not God:[9] Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
Have you yet learned the lesson and message of this Book of Salvation, the Book of Hosea? Gomer, Hosea's wife, became a whore (an idolatrous woman) and she slept with another man, a strange man (who claims he is like god), and her children, the lost tribes of Israel ( The Christian nations of western Europe and the Americas, &c.) belong to him! The stranger is of course the "Instead of Jesus/Satan", the imposter, the god of churchianity, who will soon come to this earth, in person, claiming to be the Messiah. And as it is written, the majority of Christianity will worship him as Jesus Christ which Paul calls the "great falling away" or the "great apostasy" in 2 Thes. 2:3.*strangers = zuwr, zoor, Hebrew 2114; a primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery :- (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange (-r, thing, woman).
The arrogance of Israel, i.e. the Christian nations, who see their strength as the result of their own doings, shall testify against him through the suffering of the consequences of his adultery/idolatry! Yet, as it is written, through all the pain and suffering and chastisement, the majority of the house of Israel, i.e. the Christian nations, will not return to the LORD their God, nor seek His Word, until Jesus Christ returns! (The real Jesus Christ, not Satan, the false Christ who comes first claiming he is God, 5 months prior to Jesus' return)[10] And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.
In the heartfelt words of our Father:
Hosea 6:4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee?
The Book of Hosea: The book about the salvation of God's children who have gone astray and whored after other god's and who continually rely on everything and everyone else under the sun to give them peace and security except the ONLY one who can truly give those things to them, their heavenlyFather. It is sad but true and it was foretold by Jesus Christ Himself, that the majority of Christians in the last days would be deceived because the many preachers and teachers who come in His name will lead them, though not intentionally in many cases but through their own ignorance of His Word, to follow after Satan, the false Messiah, who will soon appear unto them disguised as the real Jesus Christ.
Which Jesus do you follow? There are two you know! Do you follow the Jesus taught by the traditions of men or do you follow the One who reveals Himself through His Word/ the Bible? Are you deceived by men's traditions and will thus be taken captive by the spurious messiah, Instead-of-Jesus, or do you have the wisdom through the knowledge of His Word, i.e. enough oil in your lamp, to see your way and endure until the end when the true Messiah returns at the 7th Trump?
Let us take a lesson from the history of our people.
Ephraim, the largest of and representative of the 10 tribes of the house of Israel, is like a deluded bird who does not have enough sense to know where to fly to. Chirp, chirp! Flutter, flutter! The analogy is that God's people do not have enough heart (wisdom from His Word) to be able to keep their sense of direction and know who it is that protects their nest and so they continue to forsake Him and continue to make alliances with other superpowers for their welfare and protection. Well, it is not like they haven't been warned. It is not like they do not have the Word of God, before them. It's laying their on the coffee table: hasn't been opened in years!!! (Did you know that the Bible has been the #1 Best Seller since the founding of our country?) Therefore God will see to it that they are chastised (vs. 12) for their disobedience and He warned them through His prophets, His Word, that they would be taken into captivity by the Assyrian, both then (physically) and now in these last days (spiritually).Hosea 7:11
Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
Yes, "silly" (deceived) and "without heart" (void of wisdom) most surely and accurately describes our people to this very day:
silly = pathah, paw-thaw', Hebrew 6601; a primitive root; to open, i.e. be (causative make) roomy; usually figurative (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causative make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude :- allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one).There is one thing you can count on as sure as the sun coming up in the morning; Our Father is ALWAYS true to His word, and He said Israel, i.e. the Christian nations of north-west Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas, would go into captivity if they transgressed His covenant and so (physically) into captivity they did go, and (spiritually) they will go when Satan arrives claiming he is God:heart = leb, labe, Hebrew 3820; a form of Hebrew 3824 (lebab); the heart; also used (figurative) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything :- + care for, comfortably, consent, × considered, courag [-eous], friend [-ly], ([broken-], [hard-], [merry-], [stiff-], [stout-], double) heart ([-ed]), × heed, × I, kindly, midst, mind (-ed), × regard ([-ed]), × themselves, × unawares, understanding, × well, willingly, wisdom.
Remember that what happened to our people in the past happened as a type (see 1 Cor. 10:11) for our benefit, for our admonition, so that we "upon whom the ends of the world (age) are come", can get a clear visual PICTURE in our minds of what will befall us spiritually in these last days. Because you see, the captivity and the battle of these last days is a spiritual conflict, a battle for the inner souls of men that cannot be seen with the flesh eye. In other words, you can see an actual sword slice through a man's flesh, but you cannot see a spiritual sword slice through a man's soul. Neither can you "see" the "spiritual captivity" of our people by the soon coming King of Babylon (Satan as the false-christ), but you can "see" the physical captivity of our people by the historical King of Babylon.2 Kings 17:4
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.[5] Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
[6] In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Paul explains:
If you understand this one simple principle it will help you to understand the entire Bible, including prophecy, much more clearly. For example: The seduction by the fallen angels that took place before flood of Noah, and the devastating flood of Noah itself, helps us visualize the spiritual seduction of God's people and the spiritually devastating flood of lies soon to drown the whole world in deception. That is why Christ said Luke 17:26-27 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them (the anceint Israelites) for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
We just learned here in the Book of Hosea that God said our people would go to Assyria because of their whoredoms (idolatry), their seeking after other gods and relying on alliances with other nations for their protection. And so shall it be in these last days that our people are going into spiritual captivity for the same reasons. You know the saying, "History repeats itself." Therefore history is actually prophecy, isn't it?
You see, our Father warned our people when He made His covenant with the whole congregation of Israel, that if they would keep His laws and obey His commands He would greatly bless them and protect them. However, if they transgressed against Him they would be severely chastised (see Deut. 27:14-26).
Though Israel was like a bird who flew her nest, God never ever lost track of exactly where she went and even where she makes her nest this very day! Do you know where the lost tribes of the house Israel dwell today?Hosea 7:12
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
And Live Link to>>>> "Do you know who you really are?"
Are you a Israelite? Be thoughtful before you answer. (Maybe you only think you're a Gentile!)
When you are on the receiving end of a "Woe" from God, you have got Big Trouble! Jesus Christ said in Mat. 24:19, Mk. 13:17, and Luke 21:23, "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" He was speaking in spiritual terms concerning the spiritual whoredom in "those days", which are "these last days". In other words, just as the analogy of Gomer's(Israel's) adultery is given to graphically show our people's spiritual idolatry, the words of Christ and the lesson to be learned in this 7th chapter of Hosea is that if you are "silly" (deceived) and "without heart" (without wisdom from His Word) in these last days, you will be spiritually seduced and will be taken spiritually captive by Satan. i.e., you will worship the wrong Jesus Christ, the false Messiah/Satan when he comes to earth claiming to be God.[13] Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
It is not that our people do not recognize that there is a God. It's just that most of them do not really know Him through His Word because their heart is not right with Him. Oh, they assemble themselves for corn and wine, but in doing so they actually rebel (turn away, apostatize) against Him. And they cry alright, but not unto Him to sincerely seek His will. They howl and cry "poor me baby" and "help me", yet they are unrepentant because they STILL will not seek His Word to keep His covenant. They therefore remain in their unfaithful, adulterous state of idolatry, i.e. in their apostasy. If you would like a clear, precise vision of exactly how our people are, then read the entire 78th Psalm.[14] And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.
Here is an excerpt:
Again, His children are a bunch of whiners and murmurers who cry "Why me?" and "Help me, Oh God!" and when He does they return again to their idolatry, their traditions of men, and forsake Him until the next time they are in trouble. No, their heart is not right with Him. They never seek His Word to remain stedfast in His covenant, and yet that is where their strength and their power does lie. Jesus Christ said in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." He is our power and our might.Psalm 78:35
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.[36] Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
[37] For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
God is our Rock, our strength, and our salvation. Have you ever read the history of Israel's battles and conflicts in the Old Testament. If you have, or if you do, you will find that EVERY TIME the king and the people turned to God, they were victorious and EVERY TIME they forsook Him the victory belonged to the enemy. "O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee (Hosea 6:4)?" Are we stupid or something? (all Those things happened, so that we, by that example, can know what we will face SPIRITUALLY in these last days)Hosea 7:15
Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.
Check out the words "imagine" and "mischief" used in verse 15 in your Strong's Concordance. To "imagine mischief" against God is simply to "weave or fabricate" (imagine) "good for nothing" (mischief) traditions of men. It reminds one of Ezekiel 13 where the false prophets weave or "sew pillows" over the outstretched saving and protecting arms of our Father. In other words, they hide and cover up the truth with their fabrications and their lying divinations and their phony-bologna fly-away doctrines. THEN... they want God to bless them. Go figure!1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Ephraim keeps shooting and shooting his arrows toward heaven but he is too "silly a bird" and too "without heart" to realize that without God's Word he is always using an "untrue bow" and consequently he always misses the mark, and always will until he wises up. Others watching this silly action, i.e. watching him stand there and shoot arrows with a crooked bow and wonder why they miss their target, mock him and deride him. You can hardly blame them, can you? Our next study begins with a warning to Sound the Alarm, Blow the Trumpet, because as it is written, our people are about to be taken captive once again.[16] They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.