Hosea - The Fall Guy

Sometimes I wonder, why did God choose Hosea. After all Hosea was a prophet. About Pharaoh he siad "For this same purpose I have raised the up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth." But why Hosea, he seemed to be an honest humble and obedient servant. He appeared on the scene for a little while much like the grass, and then vanish away. The Word of the Lord came to Hosea saying: Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms - for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. The gravity of this matter is concealed by the KJV. But let's see what the other versions interpret this to be:

NIV: “Go, Marry a promiscuous woman

NIRV“Go. Marry a woman who has sex with anyone she wants

NASB:“Go, take for yourself a wife inclined to infidelity,

One does not have to read far to feel the pain of Hosea. He Obeyed. And took Gomer the daughter of Diblain. Here is a man who had to make a known and established prostitute, his wife. I met a man recently who is looking for a wife. But every woman he encountered had a problem. One was too ugly. One was blind in one eye. One had a feared family history. Quite certainly, such a man would not be obedient to God, to marry a known harlot, and to rob salt into the wound, have children with her. Men are bold enough to want women who are untouched though they themselves have been a toucher.

Some men flinch at marrying women who are not virgins, far more a woman who have been used and abused by every other man around town. My question is: How did Hosea have the guts to marry and sleep with a woman like that? This woman abandoned the marital union and went after her lovers. She became an adulterer. Hosea reached the point of disowning her. Her children also had to be witness to her adulterous behaviour. Plead with her Hosea says " for she is not my wife". You can hear the groans of Hosea as he wrestled and struggled with this disgrace. How could he hold his head up to his community associates. He of all men, a prophet at that. Worse of all it does appear that Lo Ammi and Lo Ruhamma were not Hosea's. Listen to the words of God, mirroring Hosea's pain "Also, I will take no pity on her children, Because they are children of infidelity.⁵ For their mother has committed prostitution;

She who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,Who give me my bread and my water.'

Quite obviously Gomer left the marital home and bore at least two children in her adultery. Can a man today tolerate that kind of unfaithfulness or vice versa, a woman. Some women will put you in the dog house for just looking back. Plead with her Hosea says, try to speak some sense into her.

Hosea eventually had to go find her wherever she was and show her love and spend money to bring her back. Can a man really love a woman that much? Does God expect of us that we show such love? But God had a purpose. God wanted to show how much he loved Israel and how much Israel had betrayed him, And the extent to which God would go to bring Israel back. Hosea was chosen by God to be the "fall guy" in exemplifying God and Israel.

In Chap. 5:15, God says: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face : in their affliction they will seek me early." God is really saying that there is no offence too great that can keep him from loving and winning his children. Paul echoes these sentiments in Eph. 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Hosea had in his hand the one exception that Moses gave. He can put her away, his wife if it be for fornication. But Hosea did not use it. Hosea knew from the beginning it was not so. He wanted to stick with the Jesus model. Marriage is for all times. It represents Christ and the church. The Lord does not put away any of his children. I really do not know how Hosea did it. Do you think the Hosea example is for today? I don't know what I would have done had I been in that situation. There are families like that today, where inside child and outside child are living as one with one mummy and daddy. That's hard. But may God give them grace. Truly his Grace is sufficient for you.

Who is Gomer a type of? Gomer at different stages of the story is different types. At first, she was a type of the unsaved man. No matter your state or conditions God is willing to take you and marry you to his son Jesus Christ, She was married to Hosea. Hosea's marriage to Gomer is a picture of the unsaved. How God seeks out the ungodly and in the worse of states and conditions God marries the unsaved man. The grace of God is available to the worse of men. One would know that if you marry a promiscuous woman she will be prone and susceptible to revert to her former life. Christ highlights this when he says when the unclean spirit goes out of a man he goes into dry places seeking rest. And finding none he says I will return into my house from which I came. He returns and finds it empty swept and garnished. Then he goeth and brings seven devils more wicked than himself. And the last state of the man is worse than the first. Mat. 12:45. Hosea faced this. One would have thought that Gomer would change around her life, But she continued her promiscuous practices and went after her lovers.

Gomer at this stage is a type of the backslidden christian. Peter likens such an one to: The dog that is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.On

One wonders. how much support did Gomer get from her own family. From Hosea's family. From the community. Who was there to guide her back to the sanctuary. It must have been very hard for this woman, a sex-lover to find a comfortable space among people. Apparently Gomer was a very materialistic woman. 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. A good-for-nothing man knows how to exploit a materialistic sex-loving woman. Maybe it's that desire that pushed Gomer over the edge that caused her to revert to her old lifestyle. Hosea being a prophet was No David no Solomon. He could not satisfy her needs. However, he went after her. This is a picture of God going after his backslidden children because he loves them. It's a story symbolizing the amazing grace, love and persistence of God. God is willing to bring all his children home.

If you have wondered away from God, be assured that God loves you and his arms are opened wide to receive you again.

Questions

1. How far could the church go to bring back those who have fallen particularly into scandalous sexual sins?

2. Should the church meddle at all with cases like Hosea's, with members who feels the pang and hurt of unfaithful relationships?

3. Can there be a space in the church for those suffering from these hurts and pains?

4. Are these immoral behaviours and other kinds of sexual misconducts consequencs of the bondage of corruption caused by the Fall?

5. Could sexual misconduct be that cause of unhappy unproductive lives among the people of God?