Hosea uses an interesting image to describe an aspect of Israel’s behavior towards God.
Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned. (Hosea 7.8)
Ephraim is a pet name for the Northern Kingdom, Israel. God claims through the prophet that Ephraim is like a cake that’s not been turned.
It is hard on one side, but the other side is soft. That’s exactly how the nation related to God and the surrounding world.
Open to the World – Closed to God
Israel formed alliances with one nation after another in an attempt to be saved from her enemies. These alliances involved the payment of tribute and an acknowledgment of foreign gods.
While they were open to the nations, they ignored their relationship with God.
Foreigners devour his strength,
but he does not know it;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
but he does not know it.
Israel’s pride testifies against him;
yet they do not return to the Lord their God
or seek him, for all this. (Hosea 7.9-10)
Dallas Willard accurately pinpoints a contemporary issue: we separate our relationship with God into a spiritual realm, while relegating all other aspects to the material world.
He observes that this division allows people to engage in worship and prayer on Sundays, but then they operate according to the world’s values in their decisions during the rest of the week.
This behavior leads us to become “hard” to God’s guidance in life’s fundamental decisions, while we remain “soft” to the world’s values and principles in how we conduct our personal and business affairs with others.
Let’s analyze this in the light of one of the Psalms. We may enjoy singing this Psalm in a contemporary praise chorus.
Some take pride in chariots and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20.7)
The chariots and horses symbolize the most advanced war technology. The critical question is whether we place our trust in the latest technology or in God.
The prevailing worldview suggests separating God to the spiritual realm and making national decisions based on diplomacy and military might.
Oliver Cromwell captured this mindset with his often quoted words, “Trust in God and keep your powder dry.”
Eighth-century Israel was not the only “cake not turned” – hard toward God’s direction and soft to the world’s way of doing things. They have plenty of company throughout the centuries.
My blog readers do not make global decisions like declaring war or managing national defense, but they have the privilege of talking with God about world events.
We have the ability to declare our trust in God for everything that occurs.
John’s Perspective
If John were to weigh in on Hosea’s argument, he would take God’s side and encourage us to do the same.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world,
For all that is in the world — the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches — comes not from the Father but from the world.
And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God abide forever (1 John 2.15-17)
Envision a wall filled with small cubby holes. We shouldn’t confine God to just one or two of these compartments, leaving the rest influenced by the world system – its attitudes and actions.
Rather, God should impact every aspect of our lives, filling all these cubby holes. John is saying that our love for God should permeate every part of our life.
The issue arises when we let human desires create a divide in our relationship with God.
John and Hosea present us with a significant challenge: to make God the foremost priority in our lives.
Let’s commit to this personally and also pray for others around the world to do the same.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 