EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
Hosea's love for Gomer mirrors God's concern
___ Hosea 4:1-5:15
___By Jeane Law
___First Baptist Church, Lubbock
___Because the Baptist Standard was not published last week, I was unable to introduce the study of the book of Hosea. Let's take a look at chapters 1-3 before continuing with our lesson.
___You may be wondering why we have studied the book of Amos before studying Hosea, since Hosea precedes Amos in the Bible. Amos' ministry preceded Hosea's chronologically.
___The listing of the reigns of the different kings in Hosea 1:1 reveals that Hosea served as a prophet for almost 30 years. He was the last prophet before Assyria's conqest of Israel in 722 B.C. Amos prophesied this continually.
___In Hosea 1:2, God says to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness." What a command to give a new prophet. There are varying opinions about this. Did Hosea marry an adulterous woman, or did he marry one who had a bent toward immorality? You decide. Why would God put a man as faithful as Hosea through such an experience? He tells us why in the remainder of verse 2--" ... because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." Hosea's marriage was to be a picture of God's marriage to Israel.
___Hosea 1:3 tells us he married a woman named Gomer and she bore him a son. The Lord said to name him Jezreel, which means "God will scatter." In verses 6 and 8, we read of the birth of two other children. It is likely Hosea was not the father of either of them. God named the girl Lo-Ruhamah, which means "without mercy" and the boy, Lo-Ammi, which means "not my people." God showed in the naming of the children the steps of discipline he would give Israel.
___Chapter 2 tells us Gomer left Hosea and committed adultery. She broke her marriage vows and gave birth to illigitimate children. Even though Hosea had done this out of obedience to God's command, it didn't prevent his suffering as he experienced her unfaithfulness and was shamed by the public spectacle she made of her lifestyle. In like manner, Israel's behavior shamed God. I feel sure we often embarrass him today and cause him grief because of our unfaithfulness.
___Years passed, and Gomer was no longer attractive to men. She had to sell herself as a slave as a means to survive. Then God makes an unbelievable request to Hosea in 3:1: "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods, and love the sacred raisin cakes."
___So we read that Hosea buys Gomer and takes her home and restores her to a relationship with him and asks her to be intimate with him only and says he will be her husband. What an overwhelming act of love, forgiveness and compassion! Gomer's adulterous actions were God's picture to Israel of Israel's sin when she worshipped other gods and broke the vows of her covenant with him. Hosea's response was a picture of God's love for Israel.
___God loved his chosen people, but they continued to break his heart. He never ceased to love them, but their refusal to return to him required judgement.
___Chapter 4 begins with love's rebuke. "Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying, stealing and adultery" (vv. 1-2). The chapter continues to list the actions of the people that showed an attitude of indifference and unfaithfulness to God (v.12).
___Their original kind of godly worship in the tabernacle was long gone. The church no longer had spiritual influence in society. Today our churches are being affected by the changing moral code of our society. Think of the changes you have seen in the church just in your lifetime. For example, today wine is served at church socials in some Baptist churches, and dances are held on the church premises. Whether good or bad, I doubt that was true in any Baptist church in the 1940s. The accepted attire for teenagers in church has changed even since my young adult children were teenagers. (I know I sound old fashioned.) Where will this all end? Israel was no longer like the virgin nation of God's chosen people. She had changed through the generations, to her detriment. Pray that your church, the bride of Christ, will not grow weaker through the years and lose her influence as Israel did!
___He then goes on to say in 5:1, "Hear this! ... Pay attention! ... Listen! ... This judgement is against you." God holds Israel's leaders responsible for the choices they have made. He predicts war, declares his judgments, and assures them Israel, in her misery, will again seek his face someday (v. 15).
___Gomer is not mentioned again, but as we consider our sins against God, most of us could rightfully wear a scarlet letter "A" across the front of us!
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