You Want Me To Marry A Harlot?

A Wife Of Whoredoms

“And the Lord said to Hosea, go, take unto you a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land has created great whoredom, departing from the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2)

Incredible as it seems, Hosea was to marry a harlot as an object lesson to Israel from the Lord due to their unfaithfulness. The “children of whoredoms” in the above verse means “children of idolatry” and is a reference to the idolatry of the Northern Kingdom. So, Hosea took Gomer, a harlot, as his wife. Gomer conceived and brought forth a son, Jezreel. His name means “God will scatter or sow” pointing to the coming fall of the Northern Kingdom which came about some 70 years later.

Gomer conceived again and brought forth a daughter, The Lord instructed them to name the daughter “Lo-ruhamah” which means “not pitied.” This once again pointed to the idolatry of the Northern Kingdom and their refusal to repent. For this reason, the Northern Kingdom would be destroyed.

Another son was born to Hosea and Gomer. The Lord said to name him “Lo-ammi” which means “not my people.” Through these three births the Lord was warning Israel, but Israel did not heed the warning. The Lord then calls upon those in Israel that loved him, a minority for sure, to plead with His unfaithful people to repent and serve him.

Faithless Gomer, in a manner of time, leaves Hosea and returns to her whoredoms. The Lord continuing the object lesson to Israel commands Hosea to purchase Gomer off the slave block. She was used up and unwanted. A price for a slave at the time was thirty pieces of silver. Hosea purchased her for fifteen pieces of silver. Gomer was used up and unwanted not even being sold for the price of a slave. The Lord used the phrase “Beloved of her friend” which points to the love Hosea had for Gomer. He must have been saddened to see Gomer standing before him unwanted, abused and reduced to rags. Gomer must have looked on in amazement as the one she had left loved her enough to find her and redeem her. This was an object lesson to Israel regarding their unfaithfulness and the Lord’s great love for this “unfaithful wife.”

Homer had left Hosea for many days but returned to him seeing his love for her. This typifies Israel leaving the Lord for some 2000 years now since the time of the Lord’s first advent, and coming back to the Lord in the last days. They will acknowledge the One that loved them, was sold for the price of a slave and hung on the cross that He might pay the price for Israel and for us all to deliver us from our slavery to sin. The Lord will remember His chosen people and all of Israel will be saved. This will happen at the Second Coming of Christ when the Lord returns to save Israel from certain defeat and annihilation by the Antichrist.

“And so all Israel will be saved…For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:26,27).

In the above account, we see the Lord’s great mercy and grace on full display. It looks forward to when the Lord would send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to shed His Blood on a cruel cross to rescue us from our fallen nature. To deliver us from the powers of darkness that held us captive. Jesus would pay the price to redeem us and we would be brought into His Kingdom and made partakers of the promises and joint-heirs. We should thank the Lord every day for His mercy and grace. We have redemption by the Blood that He shed at Calvary. His love for us has no bounds.

“Who has delivered us from the powers of darkness, and has translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His Blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13,14).

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021