Day 170 – Hosea: Character sketch of Gomer
“When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him. ‘Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshipping other gods.” Hosea 1:2 NLT
Gomer was a girl with a reputation. We don’t know if she was already a working prostitute or was simply a promiscuous young woman by the time she met Hosea. But she was clearly a high risk for a lasting relationship. Not the “marrying type”. She must have been surprised and confused when, instead of propositioning her, Hosea arranged to marry her. By common cultural rule, the decisions would have been made by Hosea and Gomer’s father, Dibliam. She may not even have been consulted. He was probably eager to remove an embarrassment from his family.
While Hosea loved Gomer, she was not faithful to her husband. Apparently, marriage simply changed the label on Gomer’s behaviour from promiscuity to adultery. She gave birth to 3 children, and though Hosea couldn’t be sure if the children were his, he claimed them and named them as God instructed.
God’s declarations about Israel overlap with Hosea’s struggle with Gomer’s unfaithfulness. Some time, after the birth of her third child, Gomer became enslaved in prostitution. Hosea had to buy her freedom and redeem her. I cannot help but wonder what Gomer thought and felt during all this? How much did Hosea reveal to her about God’s prediction that she would be unfaithful? How did she respond to Hosea’s persistent and sacrificial faithfulness? We aren’t told. After Hosea redeemed her, she isn’t mentioned again. Her final appearance in the book leads to hopeful silence. Probably the closest we come to feeling what Gomer felt are those times when we act unfaithfully toward God, yet He continues to faithfully lavish his love on us. Gomer’s story turns out to be a thinly veiled version of our own. We know her better than we might think at first, for she was what each of us is – a sinner offered overwhelming grace!
Strengths and accomplishments
Gomer may have traded a shameful past for a faithful future as a result of her husband’s sacrificial love
Life lessons from Gomer’s life
Unfaithfulness damages our integrity, but does not prevent someone else from loving us despite our failure. God is committed to loving us even though He knows our waywardness and bent toward sin.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the beautiful story of Gomer and that through her, You show that each one of us travels the same path to be unfaithful to You in continued sin. Search us, Lord, and show us our wayward and unfaithful ways. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to redeem us from a life of sin leading to death. Amen.
