Word of the Day: Unfaithful
Not true to a pledge, obligation, or disloyal.
Gomer was the wife of Hosea the prophet of the northern kingdom and in those days Jeremiah was the prophet of the southern kingdom. Her name means "completion". This woman was totally into idolatry as well as her children. She was someone of sensual pleasure, her father was Diblaim whose name meant "double layers of grapecake".
Gomer became the wife of Hosea a godly prophet, her husband had surrendered his heart to the Lord. He was commanded by the Lord to take an immoral woman as his wife and that woman was Gomer.
Hoseas 1:2
The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.
Gomer conceived a son and the Lord said to call his name Jezreel which means "God sowed". This name was just to remind them that God was going to bring judgment to the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of the town of Jezreel. This town was located 40 km northeast of Samaria.
Hoseas 1:3–4
So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
4 And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Later on, she conceives a daughter Lo-ruhaman and her name signifies "she will not be shown compassion" or no mercy". God's compassion had come to an end with Israel and was more compassionate with the house of Judah the southern kingdom.
Hoseas 1:6–7
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
When she was no longer nursing Lo-ruhaman Gomer conceives a third child and his name was Lo-ammi and his name meant "not my people". By this time the Lord was denying the people of those days (Israel) as His people. God was annulling the covenant he made Abraham.
Hoseas 1:8–11
Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Gomer decides to abandon Hosea betraying the marriage pact. In this story, we have to remember that Hosea represents God and Gomer represents Israel. God had given their three kids ominous names in other words evil names which was exactly the stage of Israel at that moment. But as Christians, we also have to understand that we sometimes represent the people of Israel so this story is not only talking about Israel but also about us. Hosea had a domestic tragedy his wife had left him to prostitute herself, he pleaded her to come back but she refused.
Hoseas 2:2
Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
He tried to stop her to leave by telling her that he would disinherit her but she still wanted to leave to seek the material stuff the world offered her. The Bible called their children, "children of whoredoms" referring to her as a prostitute but does not tells us that her children are not Hosea's. Although this lady came from a family with a bad background it does not mean that she had cheated on her husband before having her children. She probably was discontent in the marriage and this is why she fell into sin.
Hoseas 2:3–5
Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.
4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
Gomer had become the slave of her lover and that is what happens to us the moment we sin, we become slaves of our sins. Hosea was commanded by God to go and purchase Gomer. Hosea goes into the market of the prostitutes and purchases his wife back, he pays a low price. Imagine the humiliation that he might have had at that moment but his love for his wife was greater. According to the Old Testament Hosea had the right to renounce his wife for she had committed adultery.
Hoseas 3:1
Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lordtoward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
Hosea paid the price of fifteen pieces of silver to purchase her, in those days you needed 30 pieces of silver to purchase a slave but Gomer was not only a slave she was also a prostitute. This means that she was cheap to have as a sex slave. Not worthy but she was worthy in her husband's eyes.
Hoseas 3:2
So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
Gomer's life was restored and they renewed their vows. What a wonderful story! This story represents my life and your life. God will always be available to take us regardless of our sins. Hosea was known as the brokenhearted prophet and this is what we do to our Lord when we commit a sin.
Hoseas 3:3
And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.
Conclusion: It does not matter how big or dirty is our sin, Jesus has paid the high price on the Cross, and His blood was shed for the repentance of our sins. …It is finished… John 19:30
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