Hosea 7 opens with a sobering reminder that no one sins in private. One way sin deceives us is by causing us to think it can be hidden. Like ancient Israel, we “do not consider” that all our actions are observed by the LORD and He remembers all our evil. There is a coming day of accountability (v 1-2). In a series of vivid metaphors, Hosea highlights the disloyalty God sees when He observes Israel. First, he compares them to an overheated oven. The heat represents Israel’s raging sin. They are guilty of adultery, drunkenness, anger, and rebellion. The political life of the nation is burning with conspiracy and corruption. Despite the assassinations, and accompanying instability and uncertainty, neither the people nor their leaders called to God for help (v 3-7). For his second image, the prophet continues his baking imagery, but the metaphor shifts. Now God sees the rebellious nation as “a cake not turned.” How would you enjoy your breakfast if the cook didn’t bother to flip the pancake, so one side was burned and other side was completely undone? That’s how much pleasure the people were bringing to God. Their flip-flopping of allegiances with foreign nations only led to “strangers (devouring their) strength.” Yet they didn’t even realize what was happening. Like a man getting “gray hairs” and not knowing it, so often we are blind to sins in our lives which are self-evident to others! Israel’s condition was perilous, and their ignorance was simply due to their pride. They refused to seek the LORD even though their idolatry was producing great suffering (v 8-10). The third image is of a “dove.” We often think of this beautiful bird as a symbol of peace, but here God describes it as “silly and without sense.” Birds often appear to be unintentional in their movements, randomly flitting from branch to branch, flying here and there with no obvious direction. So Israel flew from one nation to another, looking for help from Egypt and then from Assyria. They were determined not to seek the LORD, but He will discipline them by capturing them in His net. God willingly forgives those who honestly confess their sins; but they refuse, speaking lies about Him instead (v 11-13). Finally, God compares Israel to “a treacherous bow.” In this case, they are not only useless, but downright dangerous. The one who trusts in an unreliable bow will not shoot straight and will inevitably fall to the enemy. God had “trained and strengthened” them, so they should have been able to hit the target. But Israel was aiming at the wrong things. What God wanted was for them to turn “upward,” seeking His help for every challenge (v 14-16). For further meditation: