Hosea 7:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, to extend divine reverence to images and demons, to present them with offerings of gratitude, and to assign them unparalleled honor is a grave affront to God, showcasing profound disrespect towards Him. Not only did they speak against God, as I previously mentioned, but they also completely rejected the idea that all well-being comes solely from Him. "And their hearts cried not unto Me," He states, "unto Me:" meaning, they requested nothing from Me even though they recognized and believed that I am the source and grantor of every good gift. This teaches us that God does not seek mere loud cries, but rather a genuine disposition of heart and mind. They did not call out to the Lord but, instead, surrendered themselves to carnal indulgences, weeping on their beds. This reflects a society steeped in shameful behavior, with a disgraceful tendency toward sexual immorality, and a soul enamored with excessive pleasure. To sink into such a dishonorable condition is characteristic only of those who attempt to forcibly corrupt the gifts of mankind into the behaviors and appearances of women, leading them to become effeminate and excessively pampered, culminating in the utmost moral decay. The phrase "they sowed wheat and wine" implies this: giving thanks to their idols for the bounty of the harvest, for bread and wine, they sought to perform the so-called sacraments. Acting as if under divine inspiration and deluded, they inflicted wounds upon themselves with iron tools, recklessly offering their own blood as a sacrifice to the carved images, thus falling into profound alienation from God. As another prophet also rebukes them, saying, "Ye shall eat men, for they are few" (Hos. 13:2). This act alone is sufficient to offend the Sovereign Lord above all, to Whom thanks should rightly be given, rather than bestowing glory upon wood and stone that rightfully belongs to Him.

Their downfall, He states, occurred because of an overabundance.

Ezekiel similarly recounts the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were consumed with excess and pleasure. The Septuagint renders their craving for wheat and wine akin to the prophets of Baal who, in the presence of Elijah, cut themselves while imploring for rain. To emphasize their animalistic behavior, it is noted that they did not merely eat but chewed, reflecting their departure from the Lord. He proclaimed, I instructed them, I empowered them, yet they lifted their heads against Me—not to harm their Creator, but to devise every evil against Me.

In the beginning, before they were called through Abraham, and later through Moses and Aaron, they were unrestrained and ignorant of My law, mingling with the nations. Now they have reverted to their prior condition, liberated from every yoke and bondage, only to find themselves cast into the depths, becoming a deceitful bow. A bow that has been intended to strike their enemies is now aimed against their Lord, launching arrows of blasphemy towards Him. Thus, their leaders, who misled the oppressed, shall fall by the sword due to the wildness of their speech, daring to call golden calves their deities, and practicing in the Promised Land those idolatrous acts learned in Egypt, such as honoring the apis and all their creatures.

In the wilderness, they mocked the Lord as they exited Egypt, proclaiming, These are your gods, O Israel, and longing for Egypt, where they feasted at the meat pots. It is this craving for wheat and wine, along with the false doctrines regarding the body and blood of Christ, who stated, If a grain of wheat does not perish on the ground, it remains alone, and, I am the true vine, and, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you—that creates such division among heretics. Because of these allurements, they fracture into various factions, erecting disparate altars in their homes or detaching themselves from the body of the Church, deceivingly professing adherence to the law of God while they turn away from the Lord, who has taught them and empowered them for battle against their foes.

In so doing, they hatch schemes against the Lord, crafting blasphemous heresies and returning to a state akin to the Gentiles, devoid of piety and free from yoke, or reverting to nothingness—not in the sense of nonexistence, but in relation to Him who communicated to Moses, Tell the people of Israel, I Am has sent me (Exodus 3:14). All who oppose the Lord are deemed non-existent, as noted in Esther’s account, referring to idols. If God embodies truth, then that which contradicts truth is falsehood and deemed non-existent. This applies distinctly to heretics, who, having been taught the Holy Scriptures, dare to speak against the Almighty and serve as a false bow, a weapon that harms not only its target but also its wielder.

A deceptive bow injures its archer, just as they are poised for conflict, continually preparing for the destruction of those who listen. Therefore, their leaders, the heretics, will be struck down by the Lord’s sword for their impudent speech, which slanders Him, echoing the actions they practiced in the misleading churches, much as they did while immersed in the idolatry of Egypt, as Gentiles. Indeed, the reasoning of heretics mirrors that of pagans, as both reject the authority of Scripture in favor of the flawed reasoning of the human mind.