7:1 我想醫治以色列的時候,以法蓮的罪孽和撒馬利亞的罪惡就顯露出來。他們行事虛謊,內有賊人入室偷竊,外有強盜成群騷擾。
7:2 他們心裡並不思想我記念他們的一切惡;他們所行的現在纏繞他們,都在我面前。
7:3 他們行惡使君王歡喜,說謊使首領喜樂。
7:4 他們都是行淫的,像火爐被烤餅的燒熱,從摶麵到發麵的時候,暫不使火著旺。
7:5 在我們王宴樂的日子,首領因酒的烈性成病;王與褻慢人拉手。
7:6 首領埋伏的時候,心中熱如火爐,就如烤餅的整夜睡臥,到了早晨火氣炎炎。
7:7 眾民也熱如火爐,燒滅他們的官長。他們的君王都仆倒而死;他們中間無一人求告我。
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.
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耶和華的信仰與迦南信仰(與一般民間信仰)最大的差別就在於耶和華是「主宰」不只是「工具」,造物者要求被造物照祂所定的規範過生活,而不只是利用祭牲、祭禮來滿足上帝的慾望罷了。所以百姓的惡行,將阻擋造物者的賜福,造物者也不可能用祭牲、祭禮來賄賂買通。
這段記載的歷史背景可能是以色列最後一位王即位前後,社會與政治處於動盪不安的狀況中。何西阿用烤餅的火爐當成比喻來貫穿整段的記載。這段很可能是以何細亞王謀害比加王為背景。
百姓以惡行和說謊來取悅王室人員,因為他們要展開一個政治陰謀,利用宴飲的機會謀殺國王。整個叛變事件的參與者也有如火爐,燒滅他們的領袖與國王,而他們的君王即使遭遇危險,仍然沒有人求告耶和華。
在此看見在這樣混亂的日子裡面,他們的君王還是不理會耶和華。可以想見這些君王很早就不把耶和華當一回事,專心透過陰謀與權力來鞏固或取得王位。這就是以色列王朝之敗壞的情形,因為他們遠離上帝!
要是教會之中看重權勢和利益,注意自己的名聲和舞台,不把上帝的救恩當一回事,也會落到像以色列一樣的下場,就是上帝的榮光離開了教會,這是多麼可怕的事啊!