I'm excited to be taking part in this new link up that is being hosted by One Girl! I've enjoyed following her blog and I'm glad she has decided to share what was laid on her heart with us in this awesome opportunity! Thanks, One Girl! :)
Basically, Chasing History is a new link up that will be happening every Monday. You pick a woman of the Bible and dig in the Word! Learn about her, write about her, share about her and you. Of course, One Girl gives you more details and shares about it in more eloquent words, so be sure to visit this page, here, or click on the button at the top of this post or on the right in my sidebar.
I have to be honest with you. Every time I read this story, I get Hosea and Gomer mixed up. I know, I know. I should know by now that Hosea is the male and Gomer is the female, but I mean come on, Gomer totally doesn't seem that feminine. (Also, if I just totally offended somebody, I deeply apologize. I love both of these names and after studying about them more it makes them even better. I'm just sharing my struggles.) Okay, carrying on.
Characters in our story:
Number one kids names anyone?? Although Gomer's name means "complete," this was far from what she was considered which was a promiscuous woman, a harlot. Hosea was a man of the Lord who was told by God to take an adulterous wife and have children of unfaithfulness. "When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, 'Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord'...so he married Gomer..." Hosea 1:2 Hosea, in a sense, saved Gomer from her life. He was giving her a chance to have a new life. Yet, she continued to be unfaithful and "chase after lovers" that she would never catch. She never acknowledged the Lord. "She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them...She has not acknowledged that I was the one." Hosea 2:7,8 As many times as Gomer ran away, Hosea came back for her. Just like Christ always comes back for us. How beautiful is the picture of redemption! The Lord always finds us. He is never going to leave us alone, scared, or in a place we cannot handle. For Israel he allured her, led her into the desert and spoke tender words to her; He showed nothing but love! He gave back her vineyards, gave her hope out of trouble. He declared that she would call him her husband, not master. "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." Hosea 2:14 The Lord betrothed Israel in righteousness, justice, love and compassion...forever. He took back his anger, he changed those names from "unloved" to "loved." From "not my people" to "my people." All the charges, judgment and punishment that was issued upon Israel was taken away because of the love that God had for them. Hosea continuously kept going back for Gomer. He continuously kept being reconciled to her, even when she rejected it the most. Who does this remind you of? This may be a story of Hosea and Gomer, God and Israel, but it's also a story of us. We are Gomer. We are the promiscuous harlot women who chase after the world time after time, while our husband constantly runs after us, drawing us back to him. What is it about the world that seems so beautiful that we would rather have it, than the love of our betrothed? As many times as we may have been let down by the world, we keep going back. In our world of instant gratification, if we aren't satisfied right then, it isn't good enough and we move on to something else. The Lord is persistent. He will fight for us. He will find us. He will love us. Through the good, the bad, the ugly, He will be there waiting for us. He will allure us into valleys of hope where no trouble exists. He will restore our vineyards, making us fruitful. He will call us His people. I am Gomer. There are so many things of this world that I want, that I crave. You best believe that I run after those things time after time after time. As far as I think I'm running away, there is nowhere I can run that will be out of the reach of God's love. That is what I am reminded of when I read about Gomer. She had this life that she thought gave her everything she needed, but obviously wanted more. Whenever Hosea would come to her rescue, bring her back home and love her, she would keep running away. Why? I don't really know. Why do any of us run away from God's love back to the world that let us down? That answer is different for all of us, but the one thing that remains true is that we have a Redeemer. As long as we accept it, we can be clothed in beauty, righteousness, and love. We don't deserve it, but the Lord gives it to us anyway. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12
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