Who would have ever suspected that this woman who was now a wife and mother had once been a mistress of the When we, by A sermon that looks into Hoseas love for the wayward Gomer and how it reflects that grace of God. That might require some extended counseling; it might demand an honest reappraisal of our personalities or habit patterns; it might mean a change in our life-style or a relocation. Summary: James Montgomery Boice calls the enacted parable of Hosea and Gomer "the second greatest story in the Bible," a depiction of God's embracing, pardoning grace. Now youll be through with her adulterous ways once and for all. But Hosea did not feel that way. Contributed by Troy Luttrell on Apr 22, 2014. Up to seven times? The Lords answer was, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven (Matt. He must pay the highest price. And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege (Ezekiel 4:4-8). God can use that forgiving love to melt hardened hearts and change callused lives quicker than anything else in this whole wide world. Both are stories of covenant relationships which get violated and then restored. 11:8). Sermon Hosea 11:1-11 The Repentant God By Dr. Randy L. Hyde If you are a parent who has gone through the particularly difficult tragedy of having a wayward and rebellious child, Hosea is not your favorite book in the Bible. Introduction: It is impossible for us to fully Hosea 1:2-11 2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord. 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Upon deeper and further investigation we discover that Hosea represents God; and Gomer represents and depicts the people of God who have a wicked tendency and hellish proclivity to stray and are unfaithful to Him and reject His love. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1973. The calendar on the wall indicated that it was about 760 years before Jesus was born. He loved her deeply and grieved for her as though she had been taken in death. Hos. Yet, each time she comes home, Hosea reconciles with her and welcomes her back. It was common among the families in the Bible for their children to bear names of significance. God sometimes called on his prophets to live symbolically and sacrificially in order to communicate to the people. The need for open and honest communication would demand that we share what we think and how we feel, what the wrong has done to us, and how our mates can help us get over it. She had sold herself into slavery and had hit bottom. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love (Hos. 6:4). When we fully forgive, our minds will be released from the bondage of resentment that has been building a wall between us, and we shall be free to grow in our relationship with each other. Most likely, Gomer was a chaste woman when Hosea married her. 1:2). We stew on it and fret over it, and we keep bringing it up in a subconscious attempt to punish our mates for the hurts we have suffered. We try to forgive, but a few days later its right there again, preying on our consciousness. But Hosea bought her from her slavery for fifteen shekels of silver and thirteen bushels of barley (Hos. 18:21, 22). The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols (Hosea 11:1-2). It may simply be a disinterest in the things of the Lord on the part of either husband or wife. Yet, He redeemed them anyway, after a period of chastisement and exile. Gomers absences from home probably grew more frequent and prolonged and soon Hosea was feeling pangs of suspicion about her faithfulness to him. Gods love and forgiveness pervade Hoseas entire prophecy. 3:2). 1:4, 5). Its the kind of love that turns Gomers into Hoseas. How could anyone love that deeply? God instructed Hosea to marry a woman, Gomer, who would become a wife of whoredom (a prostitute) and she would bear children of whoredom: for the ten Northern tribes had committed great whoredom in departing from the Lord (Hosea Say to your brethren, My people, and to your sisters, Mercy is shown: the restoration will be complete. Its true. He was convinced that his marriage would be better than ever with this little one to brighten their home. 1. Despite the hardship, through Hoseas life, God works out the redemption of Gomer through her husbands forgiveness. And then God spoke to him: Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods (Hos. 4:12, 13; 13:2). Six hundred years have gone by since Israel was married to God. He brought the unsquandered treasure of a young man's purity, Forgiveness does mean, however, that we will pay for the other persons offenses. But the thing that grieved the heart of God more than anything else was the sin of idolatry (Hos. Read about it in Hosea 1:2. Admit them to your mate and verbalize your full forgiveness. God directed him to take her as his wife, and so it was that Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, became the unlikely wife of the budding young preacher. But we harbor it, let it eat at us, and build up bitterness and resentment which erodes our relationship. 6. While we do not find anything else in Scripture about their relationship with each other, we assume that God used Hoseas supreme act of forgiving love to melt her heart and change her life. That brings us, secondly, to his unrelieved agony. An amount equal to 30 pieces of silver half in silver, 15 shekels, and half in barley. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. (1958 More. She probably even accused Hosea of thinking more about his preaching than he did of her. These instructions have been variously understood by different students of Scripture through the years. We need to love like that. 3:3). The former herdsman of Tekoa thundered Gods warning of imminent judgment, but the nation paid little attention. This book prophecies the results of the Israelites turning to other gods, the separation of their nation from the one true God, the subsequent disastrous results, and the eventual reconciliation. One of the biggest questions that arises from the life of Hosea is why God would orchestrate his obedient prophets life in such a manner that Hosea would suffer so much. It does not discuss how he felt, only that he obeyed. We do not discipline each other, but we can discuss steps that will help us avoid these same pitfalls in the future. Since the Lord viewed Israel as His wife, He viewed her worship of other gods as spiritual adultery. I know what youre thinking and yes, Gomer is a girls name! While his dynasty was prospering at the moment, its destruction was on the horizon and it would happen in the valley of Jezreel (Hos. Hosea has to pay a rather hefty price indeed to purchase Gomer back from her paramour: So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley (Hosea 3:2). Respectable, indeed. But Gomer seemed less and less interested in his ministry. Ezekiel, a prophet in Judah, was called by God to act out his life in such a way that it foretold the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC: Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it. Hosea's Powerful Sermons Chapters 4-14. The marriage would serve as a symbol for the relationship between God and His people. 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. But Gomer is not faithful; she loves to run around. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. God must be the One to cover our sin. Copyright 2021, Bible Study Tools. She looked Hosea in the face. That is the lesson of Hosea and Gomer, the lesson of forgiveness. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing.com, where she muses about the Lord, life, culture, and ministry. But she had persistently ignored His command, and by the days of Jeroboam II the situation was intolerable. Then the prophet Hosea came along wearing a sandwich board that read "The End is at Hand" on one side and "Watch Out" on the other. But every time they do, we must first remind ourselves that we really did forgive, then rehearse how much God has forgiven us, then ask Him to take the destructive, unforgiving thoughts out of our minds. 2:17). Hosea and Gomer: Separation and Reconciliation Gomer does leave Hosea and commit adultery, but eventually her husband retrieves her, taking her back into his home and forgiving her. Can you think of wrongs you have suffered from your mate that may be keeping you from freely expressing your love? Salem Media Group. One of the most significant examples was before the Flood. Christian husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church (Eph. Finally, there is a reminder of Gods love and forgiveness. Hes a real guy with a real wife who lived a long time ago, but his life was supposed to be an example of what Jesus and his people are like. As is often the case, with prosperity came moral and spiritual degeneration. But He still loves sinners and diligently seeks them out and offers them His loving forgiveness. Jeremiah had to wear linen shorts. The third childs name means Not My People - Lo-Ammi. The Lord used these hardships to teach Israel and all future generations about the long-suffering patience of God, who waits for the sinful to come to Him. Commitment, perseverance, puts up with offenses. He does not want His children to behave badly, to wallow unchanging in spiritual immaturity and sin. When Gomer first appears in Hosea 1:2, she has called the wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms. This does not mean that God commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute. How can you keep the wrongs for which you have forgiven others from creeping back into your mind and destroying your peace? We will refuse to retaliate in any way to make the guilty person pay. And here in the Book of Hosea, God commissions his prophet to show Israel that she had been consistently disloyal to him, even though he had been faithful to them. 5. Like Gomer, Israel did not perceive what God was doing, and gave credit to the false gods with which they had committed spiritual adultery (Hosea 10:1). according to the love of the Lord[v. 1] The wayward soul like you and me. They each have their own set of friends, and there is little communication to bring their two worlds together. Bartlett, Hosea: The Prophet of a Broken Heart. God hates sin; it grieves His heart; He cannot condone it; His perfect righteousness and justice demand that He deal with it. Or it may be a wifes growing involvement in outside activities and subsequent neglect of the home. 6:1; 14:1). With love and grace it ever flows." Hosea, a young preacher, is led by God to meet and woo and win a young woman by the name of Gomer. When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son (Hos. Proud member The golden calves set up by Jeroboam I about 150 years earlier had opened the floodgates to every evil expression of Canaanite idolatry, including drunkenness, religious prostitution and human sacrifice. "And children," Gomer said with tears, "Mark this, the miracle of years." Moreover, God used Hoseas own life as a symbol for this relationship through the prophets marriage to Gomer, who would be unfaithful to him. God takes positive steps to help us want to please Him. Read Hosea 1:2, 3;2:2:4,5:3:1-3 She had been around. No one would believe how far she had traveled to become a respectable woman. Article Images Copyright 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. This reconciliation foretold the future return to God the nation of Israel would make, and His forgiveness. Relationship Hoseas marriage to promiscuous Gomer highlights this issue. Hoseas life and ministry serve not only as prophecy for Israel at that time, but as a reminder today about the consequences of choice, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of virtue. *Help add to our index -- or come listen to sermons. Gomer She stands outside in the cool, refreshing rain, allowing it to run in rivulets across her cheeks and down her lips. Just as Hosea was angry with his wifes continued unfaithfulness, so God was angry with Israels continued unfaithfulness (Hosea 2:9-13). This reconciliation foretold the future return to God the nation of Israel would make, and His forgiveness. His heart ached that she should choose a life that would surely bring her to ruin. God made a covenant relationship with Israel, promising to bless and protect them if they follow Him, worshipping only the one, true God. The children of Israel will also experience a period characterized by a lack of intimacy. The majority of the fourteen chapters deal with the specific prophecies about this separation from God and its eventual reconciliation, and beyond the sequence of events, little is known about Hoseas life, wife and children. Tribute money from subject nations was pouring into the treasury at the capital city of Samaria, and the people of Israel were enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity. But Gomer didn't share Hosea's burden for Israel. Jehovah had told Israel from the beginning that he would not share her with others. Then the final blow fell. Jeroboam II was on the throne of the northern kingdom of Israel, and his military exploits had extended Israels borders farther than they had been since the days of Solomons glorious kingdom. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? There is no way to avoid it. In either case, it is obvious that she was a woman who had been deeply affected by the moral laxity of her society, and God intended to use the prophets personal relationship with her as a penetrating object lesson of His own relationship with His unfaithful people, Israel. 5:25), and Hosea is an outstanding biblical example of that kind of love. For your loyalty is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes away early (Hos. Then he said to her, You shall stay with me for many days. How many times should a husband or wife forgive? After All, God Greatly Blessed Him, And Made Him The Father Of The Nation Israel. But God never stopped loving them. And that is immensely comforting. Even in the Old Testament, God was merciful and patient with Israel, just as He is with people today. That is what divine discipline is all about. https://bible.org/seriespage/8-undying-love-story-hosea-and-gomer Husbands and wives are not always aware of each others love. She became restless and unhappy, like a bird trapped in a cage. 11:4). All rights reserved. He called him Jezreel, because it was at Jezreel that King Jeroboams great grandfather Jehu had first come to the throne by ambitious crimes of bloodshed and violence. When we, like Gomer, were enslaved, God bought us back. of Hosea and Gomer Gods initial instruction to Hosea is given in verse 2. We need to drag the festering hurts we have been harboring in our hearts to the cross of Christwhere we laid our own burden of guilt one day and where we found Gods loving forgivenessand we must leave them all there. Please do not misunderstand it. And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city. Craigie, Peter. And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Instead, He wants them to grow and become more righteous; My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights (Proverbs 3:11-12). God is calling Israel to return to the God who loves and Husband who is committed. He preached with a heavy heart during the day. Gomer She was always good company-a little heavy with the lipstick maybe, a little less than choosy about men and booze, a little loud, but great on a party and always good for a laugh. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment. Forgiveness is one of the hardest acts for a sinful man. Sometimes he goes his way and she goes hers. And his suspicions were confirmed when Gomer got pregnant again. He went on preaching, encouraging the wayward nation to turn from its sin and trust God for deliverance from the threat of surrounding nations. They will come back to our minds. By living a life of suffering personal injury and embarrassment at the hands of someone close to him, Hosea obeyed the Lord knowing these hardships would come, and also found the strength to forgive his wife. Listen to the response of the Lord Jesus. Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and is the most effective way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands including all mobile platforms + newsletter. It was all out in the open now. Again the name was symbolic of Israels wandering from Gods love and the discipline she would soon experience. Hosea 1:1-2 KJV The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
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