Iii The Book Of Hosea, there is a wonderful love story. It is a love story with a good beginning, then a sad time of heartache, and a touching reconciliation, a story not unfamiliar to many of us, one that speaks to our hearts. It is also a story that tells us that God has amazing patience and love. It is one that shows us that God is prepared to redeem us and pull us out of the deepest pit of worthlessness and despair. And in an epilogue to this love story, we get this plain message: Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them.
Hosea was an active prophet proclaiming God’s word faithfully to the people of Israel for 55 years. His Hebrew name is similar to that given by God to His own beloved son: Deliverer He must have lived until he was at least 75 years of age. And during all those years, he had a very difficult time: the prophet [Amos] , along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God. Certainly, Hosea would have fared no better than his fellow prophet, and his experiences would have been much the same.
A big shock
Hosea began his prophetic ministry as a young, unmarried man. One of his earliest inspired messages must have been a big shock: Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness.
There are two possible ways of understanding this divine instruction. It could mean that Hosea was deliberately to seek out and marry a widow who had previously left her husband, turned to cult prostitution, and had borne children out of wedlock. This would mean that Hosea would have to accept this family along with his new wife. However, in view of what we know of Hosea’s later love life, it seems much more likely that he had already arranged with Diblaim to marry his daughter, a shrine prostitute, and was told to go ahead; but he would have to accept the distressing fact that Gomer would prove to be unfaithful to him and bear children that would not be his. Whichever alternative is the correct one, he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
Such a union was only considered shameful by those who obeyed the Law of Moses faithfully. The attractive girls who were employed at the various “high places” throughout the land of Israel were not street-corner sluts. They were the stars and glamour girls of those days, and probably had very high status in the society and often became wealthy. If Gomer’s father, Diblaim, was typical of his age, he may well have encouraged his daughter to enter the ‘religious’ profession and felt proud of her.
Hosea was likely in his very early twenties when he and Gomer were married. Jezreel was the child of their first love. It is made clear that the boy was Hosea’s. Then the great earthquake mentioned in the book of Amos, and which was so terrifying that it was recalled with horror 350 years later in the days of the prophet Zechariah, devastated the land. Next came a political earthquake. Jezreel was a baby when, after the death of Jeroboam II in 763 BC, his son Zechariah was publicly assassinated during the bloody revolt of Shallum, after ruling for only six months. This was God’s punishment of the house of Israel for the massacre at Jezreel.
Down on the farm
Like Amos, who was about his own age, Hosea was not a professional prophet, but a farmer. Pictures of farm life color the whole of Ho sea’s prophecy. It interests me that when Hosea redeemed or bought back Gomer from slavery, he could not pay all the twenty shekels in cash. He had to top up the cash with ten bushels of barley. This reminds me of when my husband sold a jeep that he had for one thousand dollars and two hundred unborn pigs.
The prominence of the name Jezreel — planting of God or God’s farm — in his book suggests that this old agricultural centre was initially the happy home of Hosea and Gomer. Around Jezreel today in modern Israel are some of the most productive farms in the world. Corn, grapes, wine, olive oil, wool, flax, figs, barley, lambs, heifers, shade trees, flour, bread, and cakes are all products of Jezreel that Hosea mentions. The daily round of activities on a prosperous farm is vividly portrayed. Treading the grapes, baking, and removing poisonous weeds, threshing, winemaking, watering cattle and shearing sheep. There’s also laying traps for wild game and, sadly, removing grain stalks that have no heads. Many spiritual lessons are drawn from the farmer’s life.
The birth of `no-love’
All too soon, a dark cloud was to come over this home. Gomer’s second baby, a girl this time, was born. But instead of joy there was an aching doubt “Was Hosea the girl’s father?” The inevitable barrier went up between husband and wife. God told Hosea: Name her ‘No-Love.’ It makes me wonder how the girl lived down a name like that when she grew up! The next few months must have been horrible. To add to the tension in the loveless home, about two years later Gomer was obviously pregnant again. This time there was no doubt. After she had weaned ‘No-Love,’ Gomer had another son. Then the LORD said, “Call him ‘Not-mine.’
With Gomer’s love gone, and Hosea distraught, the family fell apart. She went off to her lovers, and her cult shrines, and a promiscuous life. Like so many abandoned husbands, Hosea had to raise his own young son without his mother (Yes, you can find that if you look carefully). Naturally, he felt bitter, angry and betrayed. But then his love began to develop a divine quality that lights up the scripture record. He resisted the temptation to find consolation in another young woman’s arms. He simply refused to give up on Gomer. God can work wonders for a man like that!
Obviously some years went by, because at some point he begged his son to make a desperate appeal to Gomer: Plead with your mother plead. for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous lookfrom her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery (2:2-4 NIV).
Generous to a fault
In the early years of their marriage, Hosea had been generous to a fault. He gave her jewellery and expensive gifts (2:8). Perhaps he felt that after ‘No-Love’ was born, he could retain Gomer’s affection and loyalty by material care. But when mutual love has vanished, this can never work. Jewellers may tell us that a diamond is for ever, but no diamond can buy true love.
She decked herself with rings and jewelery, but me she forgot, cried Hosea in despair. She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold. I have heard that cry so many times. Was Hosea foolish? Probably he was. Why did Gomer misbehave and stray? Was she just a ‘gold-digger,’ like the horseleech in the Proverbs that cries, “Give, give! “? Perhaps she was just weak and gullible.
Calamity
But soon enough, as it always does, Gomer’s social whirl of irresponsible romance turned sour, and ended in calamity. Like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, Gomer started to chase after her lovers but not catch them. Like the materialistic dream, if you pursue happiness, it will inevitably elude you and mock you as it recedes ever farther away. Her fun days over, Gomer landed hard at the bottom of the pit. Hungry, thirsty, penniless, and naked, finally she was sold into slavery, as bare as on the day she was born.
If the story of Hosea and Gomer had come to an end there, it would not be in our Bibles. But the real love story was only beginning to unfold. In bitter shame, no doubt, Hosea was told that his ex-wife had been reduced to selling herself. She was loved by another, but only as a slave.
He could have shrugged off the shame with the usual scorn: Gomer made her bed, now she has to lie on it. Instead, fighting his pain and quenching his resentment, he took a mighty leap of faith, the faith a farmer always has to show with every returning season. I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my beloved’. Therefore l am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her (2:23,14).
Anxious in his deepest conscience to be faithful to the vows of his youth, he took his cue from the God of love. He decided to bridge the chasm with the love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That kind of love never fails. He had always treasured the memory of his young wife Gomer’s singing. Now he had a wild hope, and a prayer, that, if God would bless his efforts, perhaps once again she will sing as in the days of her youth. A message from God gave him courage and resolution: Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves, as He loves His wayward people. Hosea’s mind was made up. I will respond, he said.
No longer a slave
So Hosea and Gomer came face to face again. She came trembling, we are told. When Hosea appeared with a fat wallet and his bags of barley, there were a few pre-conditions, but no recriminations. Like their God, Hosea showed mercy, and did not demand sacrifice.
Was everything sweet and lovely in the bedroom ever afterwards? It would be nice to think so. Personally, I doubt it. Life is not like that. Redeeming Gomer cost Hosea very dear. It would seem from parts of his book that life in Jezreel was a rocky road for quite a long time. But there was redemption, there was reconciliation. Above all there was a blossoming of a love far deeper than ever their first love had been, a different kind of love.
Have you learned the lesson?
Have you learned the lesson for yourself? Like so many Bible stories, the book of Hosea is the story of God’s love and mankind’s redemption. It is an allegory of the Gospel, all its details illuminating God’s grace. Hosea represents God. Gomer is us, yes, you and me. You may not think that you are in her class at all, but God does. God says: Hosea, with his hard earned shekels and his barley, is a picture of Me loving you. My love is like his, but much greater than his, conquering even death itself. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, 0 death, are your plagues? Where, 0 grave, is your destruction?
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