Hallelujah, ha-ha-hallelujah. Roll call.
Hallelujah, ha-ha-hallelujah. Roll call.
My name is Gomer…no, I’m not the Pyle. (nuttin-like-him)
I’m theYou that no one knows from inside. (whoa, that’s deep)
I left my hus-band, for a new man.
And he took me back, so-yeah-we’re-gonna-have-to-dig-further-into-that.
Okay! I’m spitting bars this month. I felt that one. Poppin’ my collar; I did that!
At first glance, I thought that this month’s Woman of the Bible would be a breeze– not having to choose from a list of candidates as before because this one cornered the entire letter. Also in 2020 I wrote a novel titled, They Call Me Gomer, loosely based on her life. But no, not her! I should have known better; there’s nothing simple about any woman, especially this one. We’re all full of complexities. And newsflash, we’re all– men and women, sort of…No, we are all Gomers.
Coming in as the ONLY woman in the Bible whose name starts with the letter G, is Gomer. And if you’re keeping count and wondering what happened to the letter F, well, there aren’t any. No, not one. Not a Fatima, Fiona, or Faith. F is canceled in the Bible…unless we consider the Five wise and Five foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.
Okay, let’s jump in! So there is not much to go on with this letter hogging diva. Though found in the book of Hosea as the chosen wife of the prophet of God; Gomer literally does not speak a word. [ She is however mentioned by name three times before being reduced to ‘your wife’ and the pronouns ‘her and she.’ ] After that Gomer is never heard of again. But what I find super exciting, is that she’s spoken of metaphorically throughout the lines of this ancient prose. Hosea highlights the parallels between his relationship with Gomer and God’s relationship with the nation of Israel. That is why the book is so passionately written. Oops, I’m sorry…maybe you don’t know. You see, Gomer abandoned Hosea and their three children for other men…and rumor has it that the last two kids weren’t even his.
Let me start from the beginning. This is what we actually know about Gomer.
In Hosea 1:2 the Lord begins to speak through the prophet Hosea.
“Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness…”
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t joyous for Hosea. The Bible goes on to say that Hosea ‘chose/married’ Gomer, and I can’t help but to think of this verse: “A man who finds a wife, finds a good thing.” That’s why I believe that there has to be a happy ending to this unlikely romance– although Gomer did put us(him) through the ringer.
This is what else we know for sure about her.
- So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
- Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”)
Hmm, strange, yes? Well check this last kid’s name out.
- After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.
Tell me how you really feel. The Lord was definitely saying something.
In the case of Hosea and Gomer…Hosea you are most likely NOT THE FATHER!
That was the last time Gomer was mentioned by name. But here’s the last fact about her.
- The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods …”
- So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”
Poor Hosea. Chile, there was so much drama.
Let’s have some fun discovering what was happening behind the scenes. Because Dina (DNA) wasn’t available, Lol, we’ll have to put on our spiritual glasses to decipher.
The bible says that there was no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. I know. Not the children of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob! But, yes; the Israelites had turned their backs on God and took up the evil practices of the foreigners around them. That includes prostitution. And unlike the other women in the old testament mentioned as prostitutes, Gomer was Hebrew. The Israelites had been bamboozled by foreign exposure. Led astray! Run amok!
The charges brought up against them were being tallied, and once again God speaks to His children through a prophet. This time, Hosea.
The book of Hosea is written to show that even though God is angry with Israel/mankind, He still loves them/us, just as Hosea still loved Gomer, despite her harlotry. Despite our ways. I know…you are starting to see the connection between Gomer and Yourself and it ain’t pretty. That’s okay, SHHH, NO ONE WANTS TO ADMIT IT. But In order to paint this picture we have to first see ourselves in Gomer/Israel, and list the offenses that are set up against us/them.
So…Mrs. Gomer Hosea Prophet, you are under arrest. Brought in under the charges of bad life decisions. You have the right to remain silent…..(she did)…..anything you say, can and will, be used against you in a court of law.
THE CHARGES spoken through Hosea against Gomer/Israel
(what are yours?)
- Cursing, lying, murder, stealing and adultery– they break all bounds.
- Greed- they will eat but not have enough.
- They will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the Lord.
- Drunkenness– old wine and new wine take away their understanding.
- Consulting in idols– a diviner’s rod speaks to them.
- A spirit of harlotry leads them astray.
- They sacrifice on the mountaintops
- They are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer.
- Even when their drinks are gone they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
- A spirit of whoredom is in their heart;
- They are unfaithful to the Lord
- They give birth to illegitimate children.
- They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets.
- They are all adulterers, burning like an oven.Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
- All of them are burnt out, but they do not realize it. Their hair is sprinkled with gray but they do not notice.
- They speak about God falsely. They do not cry out to Him from their hearts but wail on their beds.
- They slash themselves– appealing to their gods/spirits
- They are wild donkeys wandering alone.
- Sold to lovers.
- They use dishonest scales and love to defraud.
- Plant wickedness and reap evil.
- Eat the fruit of deception and depend on their own strength
- Multiplies lies and violence.
- Boasts: “I am very rich…with all my wealth you will not find in me any iniquity….”
- They became proud and forgot God.
Yet, Hosea loved Gomer. Yet God loves us.
“But then I will win her back. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her fruitfulness to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young. When that day comes, she will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’ I will make her my wife forever, showing her righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to her and make her mine, and she will finally know me. I will show love to those kids I called ‘Not loved.’ And to those I called ‘Not my people,’ I will say, ‘Now you are my people. My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.”
Just like God told Hosea to: “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is an adulteress. Love her… He also says:
Go show your cheating husband love again.
Go show your wayward child love again.
Go show your abuser love again.
Go show your enemies love again.
Go show your boss love again.
Go show (fill in the blank) love again.
In the person of Gomer is every obstacle set up against us to hurdle. Every opportunity to turn the other cheek. To love because he first loved us. Let God handle the rest. He is our Judge and Redeemer. Forgive.
Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
What is the lesson of Gomer in the Bible?
Let no one talk about another without first examining himself. We’re all sinners who need our Savior and Lord. The Book of Hosea is a prophetic accounting of God’s relentless love for His children.
In the words of Hosea: Let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
Where to find Gomer in the Bible.
The Book of Hosea
Women of the Bible with names starting with G.
G
Gomer – Wife of Hosea and a prostitute. Hosea
HELLO JC MILLER
YOU WERE HAND PICK BY JESUS YOU WRITE STORIES ON AMAZING WOMAN’S AND PEOPLE OUT OF THE GREATIST BOOK EVER WRITTEN I AM AMAZING HOW YOU ALLOW GOD TO USED YOU WERE WE CAN RELATE TO THE TRUTH GLORY HALLELUJAH I AM SO GLAD GOD PLACE YOU IN MY LIFE BLESSINGS CAN’T WAIT ON YOUR NEXT BOOK MAYBE GOD WILL BUT A CHILDREN COLLECTION IN YOU ALSO UNTIL THE NEXT TIME KEEP WRITING THE TRUE STORIES OF THE WORD OF GOD MY DAUGHTER MY NAME IS MARY CALLED BY GOD