An Exposition of Hosea 4-7, Biblical commentary 2 · Chapter 7 · Verse 8
VER. 8.
Ephraim he hath mixed himſelf among the people, Ephraim is a cake not turned.
EPHRAIM hath mixed himſelf.] There is a great evil charged upon Ephraim, and that is obſervable, he hath mingled himſelf among the people, the people did not ſo much ſeek to him, as he to them; ſome here underſtand by Ephraim the Court, becauſe Jeroboam was of the Tribe of Ephraim; and Cyril Cyrilhath this Note from thence, that it is a great diſhonor for them that are in place of honor to ſute themſelves and their minds to thoſe that are of baſe low ſpirits among their people; men of place and power ſhould be men of honor and worth. But we take Ephraim here for the people of the ten Tribes, for ſo it is more often taken in Scripture, they were guilty of this ſin, in mixing themſelves with the people, that is, the Gentils, in theſe five regards.
Firſt, In their marriages. The ſeed of the Iſraelites was too precious to mingle with the Gentiles, this was forbidden them in Deut. 7.3. and the good man Ezra in the 9. chapter, in the day of humiliation, confeſſed this ſin unto God againſt them, and this was typified of the Chriſtians under the Goſpel that they ſhould not mix themſelves with the wicked and ungodly of the world; they muſt marry in the Lord,Unequel mariages Maxent. it is a ſad affliction to be unequally yoked; it is reported of Maxentius a cruel tyrant whoſe cuſtom it was to judg ſome Malefactors to death after this manner, viz. To have a dead man chained to the living man, till the living man was kil'd by the dead man. How many living men have dead wives, and living wives dead husbands? Oh how comely a thing it is to ſee the delight of our eyes, the delight of Gods eyes!
They mingled Gods worſhip with their ſuperſtitions and Idolatries: they had not wholly defiled the worſhip of God, yet they had mixed themſelves; Jeroboam had been in Egypt where he had ſeen their Idolatrous Heifer, and he was much taken with it, therefore he would imitate them in his Calves: 2 Kings, 17.33, 34. in one verſe 'tis ſaid, they feared the Lord, and in the next verſe 'tis ſaid they did not; They feared the Lord, and ſerved their own gods; unto this day they do after their former manners, they fear not the Lord; never let us ſatisfie our ſelves in mixtures of worſhip:Mixt worſhip though we have never ſo much true worſhip among us, God will never be put off with ſuch excuſes.
They mixed themſelves in their perſons, and ſuffered others to joyn with them: neither muſt Chriſtians ſuffer the wicked to joyn with thē in matters of worſhip;Mixt congregations & ſurely if fornicators, adulterers & profane men are crept in; they muſt (when diſcerned) be caſt out ſpeedily. Now if ſuch as theſe muſt be caſt out when crept in unawares,Note then ſurely ſuch muſt not be received in, when they are known beforehand to be ſuch, and certainly a bare confeſſion of faith is not ſufficient or enough to admit a man to the Ordinances, for thoſe that are vile and wicked in their lives, may make a verbal and outward confeſſion, yet far from a true and cordial; men may confeſs with their mouths, and yet deny all in their lives; as if a man ſhould confeſs his faith in Engliſh and deny it again in Latin; yet if any ſhould creep into a Church in which thou art bodied,Not to ſeparate from a Church for ſome offendors if thou doſt thy duty in admoniſhing them, and if they will not be warned to profeſs againſt them, thou maieſt certainly, yea and with good conſcience partake of the Ordinance notwithſtanding.
In their leagues and covenants they mixed themſelves, they made Covenants and leagues with other people, which was forbidden them in Exod. 34.12. Take heed to thy ſelf, leſt thou make a Covenant with the people of the Land, whither thou goeſt, leſt it become a ſnare in the midſt of thee. Deut. 7.2. And when the Lord thy God ſhall deliver them before thee, thou ſhalt ſmite them, and utterly deſtroy them, thou ſhalt make no covenant with them nor ſhew mercy unto them. Iſa. 30.2. They went down to Egypt for help and have not asked at my mouth, to ſtrengthen themſelves in the ſtrength of Pharaoh, and truſt in the ſhadow of Egypt: therefore ſhall the ſtrength of Pharaoh be your ſhame.
They were mixed in their ſocieties with other people; Pſal. 106.35. they were mingled among the Heathens and learned their works, they ſerved their Idols which were a ſnare unto them. It is a very dangerous thing to be mixed with a wicked ſociety,Numb, 11.4. And the mixed multitude which were amongſt them (people that came out of Egypt) fell a luſting; The mixt multitude fell a murmuring; this is an affliction in any ſociety, but eſpecially in Church ſocieties. But ſuppoſe providence caſt me into a family where there are ſuch as theſe? In ſuch a family thou maiſt be as oyl in water unmixt,ſimile put never ſo much water amongſt oyl, the oyl will be above it, ſwimming upon the top, Pſal. 26.9.Pſa. 26.9 applied Gather not my ſoul with ſinners, nor my life with bloody men; if you would not be gathered with them in the day of judgment, do not you gather to them now in communion in Ordinances, nor in intimate ſociety. The Lacedemonians Lacedemwould not ſuffer a ſtranger to be with them above three daies; and ſhall we aſſociate our ſelves with ſuch ar are ſtrangers to God? God had made a great difference betwixt Iſtael and other people, they were a people ſeperated from all the people of the earth, Exod. 33.16. in the Original it is marvailouſly ſeperated, or ſet apart for God,foreign they were a people whom God did own in a more peculiar manner, and his eye was upon them for good, therefore it did not become them to mix with other people.
Ephraim is a cake not turned.
We reade this expreſſion and make little of it, but there is very much concerning us in it; mark well the expreſſion, the repetition of the word Ephraim; Ephraim is a cake not turned, the Prophet here ſpeaks in a condoling way and manner, Oh Ephraim, what my deer ſon and do thus. Ephraim was a cake not turned in theſe four reſpects.
In their plots and counſels, they did not turn their deſigns and proceedings up and down, they thought of one way of falſe worſhip, but not of another, to wit, the time which might have carried on their plots, they did not weigh circumſtances this way and that way.
A cake not turned, or baked; that is, you could not tell what to make of him he was ſo indifferent, that it mattered not much to him whether God were God, or Baal. 1 Kings, 18.21. How many men are of this garb among us, both in their opinions and practices?
As a cake not turned; in regard of their perverſeneſs: allthough heavy afflictions were upon them that they lay as it were burning upon the coals, and took no means for their help and cure, they cried out and lay howling upon their beds, yet they turned not to the Lord, they could not deviſe a way to eſcape, they were good for nothing, as a cake not baked; like thoſe in Jer. 3.5. Will he reſerve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold thou haſt ſpoken and done evil things as thou couldeſt: Juſt thus it is with ſouls in their ſpiritual eſtates, in terrors of conſcience and ſorrow for ſin, they lie pining away in their iniquities, and take no courſe to deliver and help themſelves: when thou art in this condition thou ſhouldeſt be acting upon God, and looking after him, thou ſhouldeſt not lie ſcorching and burning upon the coals of thy tranſgreſſions, but ſhould make out after the mercy of God in Jeſus Chriſt.
Luther Lutherand Vatablus Vatablusmake the ſenſe of the words to note the greedineſs of Ephraims adverſaries, they were like a man pinched with hunger, and coming to food fal upon it preſently, and eat the cake preſently, and wil not ſtay till it be baked; thus Ephraims adverſaries fell upon him; but this I conceive not to be the meaning of the words, but the ſecond and the third. It follows.