Gomer- A Picture of God's Redemption

 "'I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.

In that day I will respond,' declares the Lord- 'I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezebel. I will plant her for Myself in the land; I will show my love to the one called "Not my loved one". I will say to those called "Not my people, You are My people"; and they will say, "You are my God"'.

                                                                 Hosea 2:19-23

In the Old Testament, being a prophet of God was not for the faint of heart. This certainly was true for Hosea, who was a prophet to Judah and Israel during the eighth century BC. During the latter part of Hosea's ministry, the Assyrians were growing stronger while Israel grew weaker. Ultimately, the Assyrians dominated the entire area and were used as an instrument of God's divine judgment.

Like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the book of Hosea symbolizes Israel as an adulterous wife. At the beginning of Hosea's book, God instructs Hosea to find an adulterous wife and to marry her and have children with her. Enter Gomer to the narrative.

Interestingly, Gomer is silent throughout and does not speak. Her story is told in Chapters 1-3. Hosea obeys the Lord and marries Gomer and they have a son together that is named Jezreel, meaning that "God sows". This also refers to the valley where Jehu (a previous king of Israel) slaughtered the entire royal family (2 Kings 10-11). This means that the current ruling powers in Israel rose in power illegitimately and God was going to bring judgment because of this. Israel was going to reap what it had sowed and its current dynasty was going to be destroyed like they had destroyed the previous one.

At some point, Gomer leaves Hosea and continues in her adulterous ways. She has two more children- a daughter and a son, but there is question as to whether these two children are even Hosea's children. This must have been a very stressful situation for Gomer and Hosea, and the names of the children reflect this tension.

The daughter is named Lo-Ruhamah, meaning "not loved". How devastating must it have been to have a child whose very name meant that they were not loved! This child symbolizes the fact that God was not going to love or forgive the house of Israel. He is, in fact, predicting the coming destruction of Israel in 722 BC. Despite this, God says that He will love and forgive Judah and He will save them. Jerusalem is rescued from the Assyrian siege in 701 BC.

Gomer then has a third child, which is another son. His name is Lo-Ammi, which means "not my people". Previously, God had covenantally promised Israel that they would always be His people. Now, He is telling them that His covenant has been shattered because of their idolatries and adulteries. Later in the book, God declares that the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant found in Genesis 22:17.

Thus, the picture of Gomer that Scripture gives us is not a flattering one. She is idolatrous, adulterous, and abandons her husband even after he rescued and loved her. Despite her faithlessness, God demonstrates His faithfulness to His people. God instructs Hosea to take her back, love her, and take care of her. God reverses the curses of the names given to her children when He says, "I will say to those called 'Not My People,''You are My people'" (Hosea 2:23).

The imagery used in the book of Hosea is graphic and intense. And yet, it is intended to wake God's people up! Like Gomer, many of us have taken advantage of God's love and mercy in our lives. The Bible says we all have gone astray. The beauty of this story lies in the fact that no matter how faithless any of us become, God's faithfulness runs deeper. His love for us  is unending. May we, like Gomer, run back into the arms of God and allow Him to heal and restore the detrimental effects of our sin!