Book of Hosea Chapter 7 Vs. 5

 WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES

In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. Hos. 7:5

In the day... Their holy days, like those of so many Englishmen now, were days of excess. The day of their king was probably some civil festival; his birthday, or his coronation-day. The prophet owns the king, in that he calls him our king. He does not blame them for keeping the day, but for the way in which they kept it. Their festival was turned into an irreligious and anti-religious carousal; making themselves like the brutes which perish. And tempting their king first to forget his royal dignity, and then to blaspheme the majesty of God. On the day of our king-some coronation or king’s birthday-the princes were sick with fever from wine. He stretched forth his hand with loose fellows," presumably made them his associates.

the princes have... The courtiers who attended at court on such a day to compliment the king upon the occasion, and to drink his health. Drank to him in large cups, perhaps a bottle of wine at once, which he pledges them in the same manner, made him sick or drunk. To make any man drunk is criminal, and especially a king; as it was also a weakness and sin in him to drink to excess, which is not for kings, of all men, to do. Or it may be rendered, the princes became sick through the heat of wine.

he stretched out... Meaning the king, who, in his cups, forgetting his royal dignity, used too much familiarity with persons of low life, and of an ill behavior, irreligious ones. Who, especially when drunk made a jest of all religion; scoffed at good men, and everything that was serious. And even set their mouths against the heavens; denied there was a God or spoke very indecently and irreverently of him. These the king made his drinking companions, took the cup, and drank to them in turn, and shook them by the hand.

Drunkenness goes with sin. Wine dulls the senses and causes one's will to be weak. At all sorts of celebrations, such as the birthday of the king, there were drunken parties. Not only did this wine make them not able to make good decisions, but it gave them a false sense of security as well. This wine dulled their senses for the evil sins they committed. The sad thing is the fact that the king joined the princes in this.

Between 752 and 732 B.C four of Israel’s rulers were assassinated (cf. 2Kgs. 15:1-38). This political intrigue provides the background for Hos. 7:5-7. Here a description is given of how the conspirators characteristically carried out their plots.

The day of the festival of our king probably refers to a special celebration in which the ruler was the center of attention. The king caroused with his princes, who are called mockers probably because they were completely under the influence of wine (cf. Pro. 20:1). While they partied with the naive king, they plotted his overthrow.