DEEPLY AND UNSELFISHLY LOVED
RECAP: The very first thing God ever said to Hosea tells us about his unlikely marriage: "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord" (Hos. 1:2).
RESUME: So, we now have Hosea and Gomer wed and starting a family. Hosea loved his wife with a deep and unselfish love, and the early days of their marriage was lovely, it was shortly after the birth of Jezreel (God named the baby, for his name was to have prophetic significance to the nation of Israel. He called him Jezreel, because it was at Jezreel that King Jeroboam’s great grandfather Jehu had first come to the throne by ambitious crimes of bloodshed and violence. While his dynasty was prospering at the moment, its destruction was on the horizon and it would happen in the valley of Jezreel (Hos. 1:4, 5) that Hosea seems to have noticed a change in Gomer; she became impatient and unhappy. Nonetheless, he went on preaching, inspiring the disobedient nation to turn from its sin and trust God for deliverance from the threat of surrounding nations. “Return unto the Lord!” was the theme of his message, and he preached it repeatedly with power (Hos. 6:1; 14:1). But Gomer she did not share her husband’s love for God and seemed less and less interested in his ministry; more than likely, grew to resent it. Soon, she began to find other interests to occupy herself, and spent more and more time away from home.
THE REAL STORY OF HOSEA AND GOMER
I’ve learned from my time of reading the Bible’s scriptures that if I take a deeper look into all the cross-references, not only is there a treasure to be found in the 'real' meaning of the passage, but how each message is applicable to me. Wow, right? So, let’s go on with the real story of Hosea and Gomer’s marriage.
We know that the Lord views Israel as His wife, and he viewed her worship of other gods as spiritual adultery…see where I’m going with this? The Old Testament speaks frequently of Israel whoring after or playing the harlot with other gods (e.g., Deut. 31:16; Judg. 2:17). Our Lord God Almighty told Israel from the very beginning that he would not share her with others. So, why did he say to Hosea: “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord” (Hos. 1:2)? Well, these instructions have been diversely understood by different students of Scripture through the years. In one of my studies, however, it stated that by taking a wife of harlotry would simply refer to marrying a woman from the northern kingdom of Israel, a land which was guilty of spiritual adultery.
SPIRITUAL ADULTERY
As we read more of the marriage of Hosea and Gomer, we come to learn that after the birth of their second child, a daughter, Hosea was most likely to be feeling pains of doubt about her faithfulness to him. At God’s direction, he called her Loruhamah, which means “unpitied” or “unloved,” implying that she would not enjoy her true father’s love. Once again, the name was symbolic of Israel’s wandering from God’s love and the discipline she would soon experience. But even that spiritual message could not soothe the prophet’s troubled soul ….....
.................to be cont’d
In Christ,
Janet Irene Thomas
Playwright/Screen Writer/Director
Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer
FOUNDER/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
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