The Bible uses many other metaphors to describe and warn us about this condition. That ingredient called integrityĪs old as this verse in Hosea is, God’s people have always experienced the problem of “mixture”. Instead of it being a part of the city that one can be proud of, it has become an eyesore. It has become a catch-22 situation because it costs too much to tear down or to complete it.
The builder has gone bankrupt and the project is now abandoned. Moving from the kitchen to something that is more visceral in our urban jungle: Imagine a half-completed high-rise building. If you have done pancakes or flat breads like chapati, that will be the closest description to this verse. If you have cooked or baked long enough, you would probably be acquainted with the dreadful experience of turning out food that looks cooked, only to discover that it is cooked just on one side.
I recall preaching on Hosea 7:8 almost 20 years ago: “Ephraim is a cake not turned.” Another version uses the term “half-baked”.