Wife of Whoredom Part Three Gomer's Thorns Ep. #105

Wife of Whoredom Part Three “Gomer’s Thorns” Ep. #105

Gomer is like most of us who go searching through life looking for anything to plug the empty hole in our hearts. It seems like the more holes we plug, the more holes appear.

It might look like a lot of holes like someone pressed a thorn bush down on your heart , but there’s really only one hole; it’s a God-sized hole that only God can fill.

Gomer might think she’s out going from lover to lover when she’s actually going from loser to loser. Men are the problem, but we’ll cover that in Part Four tomorrow.

The story of unfaithfulness in the first few chapters of Hosea could easily be renamed the “Tale of Two Tests.” Hosea was tested in obedience, and Gomer was tested in faithfulness. You might be quick to proclaim that Hosea aced the test while Gomer failed miserably.

That would be the human view of this story. But being made in the image and likeness of God, it’s better to use our spiritual vision.

God puts champions and losers into the same bucket of compassion. He loves all sinners and saints the same - desiring that all of us would come to know Jesus in a personal relationship.

Hosea continues in obedience just like Jesus did. Here’s what the Bible says about the obedience of Jesus in Hebrews 5:8-9,

“Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him, [Isa. 45:17.]” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Obedience and suffering are stepping stones to salvation.

Even as Gomer continues in foolishness, God has a plan of redemption already in progress.

In Hosea Chapter Two, God issues a rebuke for Gomer and Israel. The rebuke carries the removal of His compassion and protection.

Chasing after selfish desires will always lead to the end of ourselves. At that point we have a choice, accept a new beginning with God or fall irretrievably into the abyss of hell.

God doesn’t mince words, He calls out the promiscuous and shameful behaviors of His people.

They’ve hit the wall, God’s wall. He removes any benefits they might derive from their illicit conduct.

Gomer ends up in a thorny place. God blocks her way with thorns.

Let’s read ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭13‬,

“Yes, their mother is promiscuous; she conceived them and acted shamefully.

For she thought, “I will go after my lovers, the men who give me my food and water, my wool and flax, my oil and drink.”

Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her way with thorns;

I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths.

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them.

Then she will think, “I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now.”

She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal.

Therefore, I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were to cover her nakedness.

Now I will expose her shame in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her from My hands.

I will put an end to all her celebrations: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths — all her festivals.

I will devastate her vines and fig trees. She thinks that these are her wages that her lovers have given her.

I will turn them into a thicket, and the wild animals will eat them.

And I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, put on her rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but forgot Me.

This is the Lord’s declaration.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

God now allows (or leads) Gomer into the wilderness. Spiritually we consider the wilderness to be like a forbidden-ground, a wasteland or a desert.

It’s the badlands of no-growth where God (and all good things) seem to be missing.

In this wilderness, God gets alone with Gomer and gives her a promise she can’t refuse.

Let’s read ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel] and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to her heart.

There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation.

And she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt. [Exod. 15:2; Josh. 7:24-26.]

And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me Baali [my Baal].”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Yesterday we read in Hosea 2:19 that God makes a forever covenant with His people.

“And I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

“A forever covenant,” - those are pretty nice sounding words! God takes our troubles into the wilderness and shows us hope through our repentance and obedience. Suffering has a value added blessing through obedience.

God sometimes uses thorns dipped in the blood of Jesus to write His love on the walls of our hearts.

Tomorrow we’ll find out how much it cost Hosea to buy back his wife.

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