By Carla Williams
This is part of a Team Expansion story series looking at relationships in the Bible and what they tell us about God’s heart.
Where is the story?
Hosea 1-3
Remind me what happened.
God was really, really frustrated with Israel. It was like He had an unfaithful wife. So He asked Hosea to go out and find a promiscuous woman and marry her. Hosea chose Gomer, and their story became the metaphor God used to describe His tempestuous relationship with His people.
What does this tell me about God?
The metaphor is powerful. Humbling. Convicting. Encouraging. Hopeful. But to Hosea and Gomer, it was their real life.
Consider Gomer for a moment. She was chosen purely because she was the guiltiest woman Hosea knew. He picked her because of her reputation for sin. Because she was abhorrent and filthy. Unlovable. She wasn’t pursued for her worth, but for her worthlessness. What a romance.
And Hosea. The poor guy, a righteous man among a nation of rebels. God told him to choose a wife who would crush him. A wife he’d never fully trust. A wife whose heart would already be so damaged that it might not let him in. He’d have to sacrifice his reputation, his honor, and his love to a woman determined to stray.
They began a marriage destined to bring untold suffering so that their lives could reflect the pursuit of a faithful God.
The names of their three children reveal the turmoil they experienced as they lived out God’s object lesson. Jezreel, their first son, was named after a massacre. Then they had a daughter, whose name means, “Not loved.” And their final son’s name basically meant, “Not mine.” Tragedy. Rejection. Betrayal. An unbearable situation.
But God is faithful. He redeems the broken situations. He says to those who are not loved, “You are loved.” To those whom no one has claimed, he declares, “You are mine.”
The story of Gomer and Hosea is a metaphor God used to demonstrate His pursuit and restoration of his guilty people. But it’s also the true story of two people who were undeniably broken and wounded, but who found forgiveness and devotion in their marriage.
Hosea reveals a God who is deeply personal in his righteous anger toward a blatantly hostile and adulterous Israel. The language He uses is swift and searing, yet completely just and perfect. But in the middle of His anger, there’s an urgent, persistent pursuit of that which He loves so desperately.
There’s a clear battle raging within God – He utterly despises the wickedness that she’s given herself to, but He’s completely devoted to her and yearns for her to return to Him so He can restore her purity and position near Him.
It’s a battle He rages over us. It’s urgent and desperate and passionate. This is not a casual relationship to God. It’s not an open marriage. He requires a complete and total commitment. And He’ll fight for us with abandon. He is determined to remove our sin far from us so that He can embrace us and cherish us with His whole love.
And that’s not just a metaphor.
