HoHum:
What kind of a baker is this? Usually what the baker would do was build a big fire in the oven at night and then he would only have hot coals then next morning, much better to bake with. Here it appears that the fire is still hot the next morning but the baker does nothing about it. He put the bread in the oven. He does nothing to bring the fire down (vs. 4-6). Then he never turns the dough so that it burns on one side and stays raw on the other (Vs. 8). What kind of baker is this?
WBTU:
This is sad that the high and low united in the evils that are being described. The attitude of the king and his nobles gives a bad attitude to the subjects of the kingdom. Since the king and his court take sin and rebellion so lightly, so will his subjects (Vs. 5).
Interesting image brought out here, the heated oven and the baker. Can say that the oven is the heart; the fire being blazed is lust. James 1:14-15 (KJV): But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Robert Palmer- Feel the heat pushing you to decide Feel the heat burning you up, ready or not. What should we do when we feel the heat of temptation in our lives? 1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Robert Palmer- Some like it hot, so let’s turn up the heat til we fry. This is what is happening to nation of Israel. Letting heat of temptation get hotter and hotter until it is difficult for anyone to resist. Only godly, Christian man can resist but in Hosea 7 there are few of those. The prophet Hosea is preaching against this but it appears few are listening.
Thesis: From this passage we will look at three heats that are beginning to fry the nation of Israel.
For instances:
The heat of sexual lust (Vs. 4)
Sexual thoughts were encouraged. How much are sexual thoughts encouraged today? Sex is used to sell everything from cars to toothpaste. Sexual innuendos clutter most every TV program and movie. And explicit nudity and sensuality that used to be reserved for R-rated movies has found it way into the home through broadcast and cable television. Media researchers calculate that teenagers see approximately five hours of TV a day. This means that they see each year nearly 14,000 sexual encounters on television alone.
The internet is a good tool but it can also be used to fuel heat of sexual lust. Statistics are truly staggering. This is from 2006 and worldwide statistics- According to compiled numbers from respected news and research organizations, every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. Every second 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography. In that same second 372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines. Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created in the U.S. It’s big business. The pornography industry has larger revenues than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined. 2006 Worldwide Pornography Revenues ballooned to $97.06 billion.
Just walking in a shopping mall, surprised by the immodest dress on some girls.
Oh there is no harm in some of this stuff as long as it is legal. Boys will be boys. Proverbs 6:27-28: Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
With all of this lustful material, we have a sex crazy culture. With time and fuel like this, the dough becomes fully leavened, the sexual intents are ready to be converted into deeds.
To keep the heat down we need to control the mind. When lustful thoughts enter the mind, the mind needs to bring that thought into subjection to Christ. Mind needs to say “No” immediately. Lingering over this only makes matters worse and inflames lust. Titus 2:11-12: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
It is good for married people to engage in sexual relations. God designed it this way. However, the problem today is that we need to keep it in the banks. Like a river everything is good while the water stays in between the banks. When the river overflows its banks this is a big problem. Much the same for sexual expression, in marriage good, overflow into the streets it is bad. Proverbs 5:15-17: Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
The heat of wine (Vs. 5) NASB- princes became sick with the heat of wine
How many advertisements can we remember? Good ones usually are advertising alcohol.
Grow surprised by the indifferent attitude of some churches over drinking alcohol. Freely admit to drinking it. Now I know that the Bible never condemns drinking alcohol. The Bible condemns getting drunk. Paul even told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach. However, I have enough temptations in my life to add to them the one of abusing alcohol. I do not partake of alcohol. For church leaders- 1 Timothy 3:3: not given to drunkenness.
How would I feel if my friend, a bad alcoholic, saw me drinking alcohol? 1 Corinthians 8:12: When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that per capita consumption of alcohol by Americans age 14 and older has dropped from 2.75 gallons in 1980 to 2.31 in 2007. Good news but consider the number who are addicted to drugs. Drug abuse continues to climb. Last year approximately 14 million Americans abused an illegal drug. Americans consume 2/3rds of the world’s illegal drugs, although we make up only 4% of the world’s population. Not only that, on any given day, 100 million Americans are popping antidepressants, tranquilizers, or painkillers.
In 2007, Joseph Califano, the chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, wrote a book called High Society. Califano points out that substance abuse is the #1 cause of many social ills among us- violent and property crimes, excessive health care costs, the disintegration of the family, domestic violence, child abuse, the spread of AIDS, teenage pregnancy, poverty, and prison overcrowding. Where is the Church in all of this? According to Califano, it’s being replaced by the drug store. “Millions of Americans who once turned to the church are now turning to psychiatrists or to drug dealers and liquor stores, as chemicals and alcohol replace the need for Jesus Christ.”
When more people are running to the needle, the bottle, and the drug store faster than to the Church, it’s time we step up to the plate. Talking about having Aaron Negangard speak.
Here is one bit of hope: Califano says that most Americans will be offered drugs before they graduate from high school, but teens who attend church services regularly are less likely to engage in substance abuse than teens who don’t.
Ephesians 5:18: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. This debauchery leads to several things:
Sickness of body- “princes become sick”
Sickness of soul- Hanging out with those who have little self respect. “On the day of the festival of our king... he joins hands with the mockers.”
Strife and plotting- Pot companions are rarely stable friends. They do not really trust each other. What starts out as a nice party turns into a bloody riot. The opportunist sees a chance to make his move against those who are too disoriented to fight back.
The Heat of Anger (Vs. 6-7)
Bloodshed and murder often follow a stoned and drunken state. George Huguely and Yeardley Love- According to their friends, called as witnesses for the Commonwealth of Virginia, their world was one of alcohol, promiscuity, jealousy, anger and fighting. George Huguely murdered Yeardley Love in a drunken stupor because they broke up.
The end result of all of this for the nation of Israel was national and political instability. Don’t know which king Hosea is talking about. After the death of King Jeroboam II, Zechariah the king’s son, was assassinated by Shallum and Shallum became king. Menahem assassinated Shallum and Menahem became king. Menahem’s son, Pekahiah, became king and he was assassinated by Pekah and Pekah became king. Pekah was assassinated by Hoshea and Hoshea became king. Hoshea was the last king of Israel. The Assyrians destroyed them during Hoshea’s reign. What a mess and all in the space of 30 years!
Dallas Willard in the Divine Conspiracy says that we can trace wrongdoing back to its roots in the human heart. We find that in the overwhelming number of cases it involves some form of anger. Close beside anger we will find its twin brother, contempt. Proverbs 18:3: When wickedness comes, so does contempt. See this all through the passage. Festival for the king but in their hearts they want him out of the way and they want his position. Minna Antrim- Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt.
Vs. 7- none of them calls on me. How sad! After all of this, they refused to call upon God. And isn’t that the way many people are today? They don’t want to call to God for help because they don’t want to be indebted to him.
Who is this baker who lets the fire stay so hot and doesn’t turn over the bread? Sadly, I’m afraid they’ll keep this attitude as long as we, God’s people, are sloppy and asleep bakers.
