7:1
The heart of God is to restore, but it was Ephraim’s sins that stopped Him. It is our sins that separate us from God. In reading and understanding this, indeed any passage in the Bible, we need to look at the whole message, and understand any individual passage as being part of that whole. We can sometimes think “God has forgiven us in Christ” and that is the end of the matter, it is God’s job to forgive. That is very distorted view, our sin is a very real problem. Passages like this show the seriousness of that problem, both in the direct effects (injustice, adultery, bloodshed, idol worship etc) and in its relational effect with God. At the same time, we know there is a solution, namely the cross, but to appreciate the cross more fully we need to appreciate the depths of the problem more fully.
Notice also the use of the word “heal”. A favourite verse among charismatics is “by his stripes we are healed” usually quoted in the context of physical healing. Now physical healing is important, Jesus, and then the apostles, healed many. It is a sign of the kingdom, but the healing spoken of here is more a healing of our souls, and mostly a healing from sin.
7:2
Israel practised this sin and deceitfulness thinking that God did not notice. The Lord was always aware of their sins. Sin is utterly deceptive, and we are so easily deceived. That is why Jesus taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”.
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