Pages of Love

And we’re back. This time, our focus couple is none other than Hosea and Gomer. Once again, there is no dating/courting period before the union of this couple. At least none mentioned but nonetheless, let’s dive in.

Now Hosea, it’s not just the name of a book found in the Old Testament. It’s also the name of the prophet called and sent by God.

In the first chapter, we see that God has begun to speak to Hosea. Why does that matter? Because, one of the first things God told Hosea to do was to marry a promiscuous woman. When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute,^[b] so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” Hosea 1: 2 NLT

Again this matters because?

In my opinion, this was a test of Hosea’s obedience. No one would expect God to tell his sent one to marry a person of such character but he did. Of course, the scripture clearly states the reason why God wanted such union. But we don’t always get clear answers on why certain things are done the way they are.

I want to point out that God never told Hosea, this is the exact prostitute I want you to marry. Nope, Hosea still had the final say on which promiscuous woman he would go into covenant with. God can lead you to someone but you still have the final say on your life partner. Choose wisely.

Now, we don’t know much about Gomer besides her profession. Was she pretty? voluptuous? cunning? All we know is that she was a member of the red light district. Unfortunately, marriage did not keep her faithful, even after birthing children.

Anyway, Hosea chose Gomer out of the plethora of others and they had three children. From the little explanation, it seems that the kids were close in age. Each named after God’s attitude towards his people because of their disobedience. Unfaithful yet fruitful marriage. How do we know she didn’t give up that lifestyle? When we read chapter 3, we find that Hosea basically had to buy his wife back.

The union of Hosea and Gomer was a reflection of God and Israel. Hosea, remained faithful to Gomer even when she didn’t. God remains faithful to us, even when we choose to put our trust in people and things rather than him. Marriage is a covenant and partnership, that you both willingly go into. Honor, respect, and communication must be a part of your union, in order for it to be sustained and last. And yet, some of us don’t honor God. We don’t honor God with the words that come from our mouths. We don’t do it with our attitudes. We certainly don’t do it with our substances. Sadly, it’s not in the way we treat others. We disrespect God by approaching him without reverence. We come to him anyhow. We are always ready to put a bad label on those he called and sent. Well as for communication, how often do you really pray outside of church service? How much time do you really spend in the Word of God. Not just reading it to say you read its, but to understand and know God better?

God gave us clear instructions, love the Lord your God, put no one and worship no one more than him. We are like children, always seeking shinier things. We neglect those who truly care for us. God forgives us, so we have to be willingly and wholeheartedly repentant. Some of us, say sorry with our mouths and yet our hearts are still hardened.

Israel, God’s chosen bride prostituted itself to other gods and idols. They get/got punished and only because of God’s mercy and love can we still stand. The book ends with repentance, without it, the wrath of God would be heavily on his people.

Now, how can this be applied to marriage/dating or even courting? As the theme repeats, check and know the character of the person you’re with. Have a heart of forgiveness. Unforgiveness can lead you to hell and no one is worth losing your place in heaven. Yes, it hurts and I’m sure Hosea wasn’t happy about being stepped out on. Yet he chose to forgive and reconcile.

This is not to say that you can’t divorce someone because of infidelity. Read Malachi 2: 10 – 16. If you trusted God for your partner, He will see you both through.

Well, this got a little muddy at the end. Still, to close this out, trust God in the process of picking out your partner. Know and listen to his voice to understand your personal assignment and the assignment of your marriage.

If you’ve never read the Bible, I would suggest it. Not only for the interested stories, but to know what your creator sounds like. To know him and seek him.

Until our next couple. Bye!