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Ephraim (Israel) bereft of the their strength by the nations whose gods they had embraced. Most unfortunately they were not aware of their loss. Hos. 7:9 Much like Samson from whom the LORD had departed, yet he was entirely unaware that the LORD, who was his strength, was no longer with him. Judg. 16:20-21 Israel had become a people robbed and looted of their spiritual hope and fellowship with the Lord. They had come to be a people who had fallen into pits and secreted in prisons. The loss of spiritual liberty is the greatest, the most harmful of all. There were none to show pity toward them. There was no attempt made to rescue them. There was no voice of travail seeking to restore them. Who will harken to the lesson presented here? Who in the future will learn from the punishment inflicted upon Israel? The LORD who had loved them and wooed them, bringing them unto Himself had turned against them because of their total refusal to walk in His ways. Isa. 42:22-25 The Lord is patient in dealing with His Children but we see that there is a place where the line of demarcation is crossed, and then there are complications.
The pride of Israel testified of it’s presence before them, condemning them for their haughty spirit. Hos. 7:10 Their recorded pride may well be ascribed to their spiritual ignorance. Pride is the door to destruction which will surely lead to a crash and failure. Pr. 16:18 Lacking spiritual comprehension they have no heart or thought of returning to the Lord. So they had so deeply become involved in idol worship that the found no inclination in their hearts to return unto the Lord. They were completely devoted to worship of the gods of the heathen. They had set themselves up for all which was about to come upon them. They were ripe for judgment.
Their sin had made them to be ridiculous. They were acting foolishly, like a silly dove. Caution had been thrown to the wind. They were unable to evaluate the price that they were about to pay for sinful actions. Their spiritual understanding was nil. They totally lacked the ability to understand or receive the Word of the Lord as it came to them. Instead of calling upon the Lord for help in resisting their enemies they turned to Egypt and Assyria for assistance. Hos. 7:11 Ironically, in involving the Egyptians they would cause them also to be humbled by the Lord. Isaiah drew quite a contrast between the Egyptian, the flesh, and the Lord and the working of His Spirit. Isa. 31:1-3 Associations between the children of the Lord and this world are almost always destined for failure. The ungodly have a different approach to situations in life which are contrary to the ways of the Lord. There is no common meeting ground between the ways of the unrighteous and the righteous. The Word of the Lord must always be the standard of life followed by those who know Him and love Him. 2 Cor. 6:14-17.