My Thoughts on Hosea's Longsuffering for His Unfaithful Wife and God's Love for Unfaithful Israel
The topic of Hosea can be a very touchy one. It's very common to easily forgive a husband who has committed adultery but not the wife. It's really something to admire a woman who re-accepts her husband after siring a child out of wedlock but not when it's the other way around. Hosea's tragic love story had God command the prophet to marry the wanton woman Gomer. I was even assuming that Gomer's two other children were probably not Hosea's. Gomer went to other lovers for some time. However, the pleasures of sin are rather fleeting one way or another. Israel, like Gomer, went after other lovers in the form of idol worship. Israel soon split away from Judah and Benjamin after the death of Solomon. Israel was a kingdom characterized by apostasy. The names of the children of Hosea and Gomer were Jezreel, Lohru-Hamma (No Mercy), and Lo-Ammi (Not My People).
If I were to talk, I would really want to abandon Gomer for good. I don't want to endure such an unhealthy relationship. Gomer was now getting what she deserved. A prostitute eventually loses their value when they're either overused (such as having children by different men) or when they grow older. Those who go to the brothels would expect younger women. A lot of sex perverts could care if the woman is ugly or pretty. All sex perverts tend to care about is the woman's youth over her beauty. Like chewing gum, Gomer had lost her flavor. Now, she was in the slave market as a damaged good.
Yet, God gave a rather absurd command, humanly speaking, to redeem Gomer. I think it's so easy to protest against such a command. Yet, we read in Hosea 3 that the prophet was told to redeem Gomer. I would've probably protested already saying that she was unfaithful. Yet, how have I been faithful to God? Have I not committed any act of spiritual adultery lately? I find myself with the urge to go back to my old ways or be obsessed with occultic stuff. Isn't that already spiritual adultery? I end up lusting after other women which are already considered an act of adultery (Matthew 5:27-18). Gomer was a representation of Israel's unfaithfulness. Hosea was a picture of God's love for Israel. Even today, God is not yet done with Israel as a nation. A lot of Jews today are still Christ-rejecting yet God preserved the nation for a reason. Israel is preserved as a testament to all who are saved by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
What Hosea did was humanly speaking, very difficult. More often than not, a lot of divorces due to extramarital infidelities on either which part happens. It's much easier to raise an adopted child than to raise a child of your partner as a result of infidelity. How often does society tend to scorn more a woman who bears an extramarital bastard than when it's the husband? I don't care who does the extramarital sex since it's just as sinful, either way. Paternity tests have made it even easier to detect if your wife cheated on you. Many men tend to file for divorce when the wife is unfaithful. Meanwhile, it's so easy to forgive a man for infidelity but not a woman. If women are required to endure infidelity then shouldn't men be required to do that, too? Hosea was told to forgive his wife Gomer for her multiple infidelities and take her back to his home. I really find it so amazing how Hosea could forgive an offense so many (humanly speaking) consider to be unforgivable. Adultery is no small issue and stoning both the man and the woman in the act was the remedy (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:24). Yet, Hosea chose not to have Gomer stoned and redeemed her instead.
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