One of the ways that people in Old Testament times hunted for doves was with other birds. They would use falcons or eagles to chase the dove. The falcon or eagle was trained to chase the dove in a certain direction. The hunter would have nets ready. When the dove came close, the hunter would throw the net in the air and catch the dove.
In Hosea 7:11 through Hosea 8:1, we get a picture of such hunting. But in these verses, God is talking about how he will punish Israel. He says Israel is like the dove without heart. ‘Heart’ is a word for understanding. So Israel is without understanding of what is about to happen to it.
He says when Israel goes, he will spread his net and catch it. In 8:1, God says he will come upon Israel like an eagle. He will fly rapidly down upon them and chase them into the nets he has prepared for them.
In 7:13, God says Israel ‘fled’ from him. The word ‘fled’ is a Hebrew word which was used for the rapid fluttering of a bird’s wings. It was used to describe a flock of birds wildly flying in every direction when surprised by danger. Israel would fly from God as he came down upon them like an eagle. But, they would be caught by his nets.
We learn from other books of the Bible that the northern kingdom of Israel was taken captive by other nations. Great numbers of people were killed. The rest were led off to be slaves.
Do not be like the silly dove. Do not bring God to the point of chasing you like an eagle. Do not make God catch you in a net. Instead, study your Bible. Learn all you can from it. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
