HOSEA IS FACED WITH A DIFFICULT DECISION (Hosea 1:1-3)

Regarding The Choice Of A Wife 

Hosea was one of the few people in Israel at this time who was listening to the Lord. We read ... 

   The LORD gave these messages to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.”[1] (vs. 1) 

Hosea listened as he heard the call of the Lord to minister to his people. He listened as the Lord spoke to him about the spiritual condition of his nation. And now as a young man beginning his ministry Hosea faces the problem of finding a godly woman who would help him as he served the Lord. He must on many occasions have echoed the question King Lemuel once asked. 

   Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder him but help him all her life. (Proverbs 31:10-12). 

Hosea’s desire to find a wife like that would have to take into account … 

The Ways Of The Culture 

In Jewish culture it was the custom for parents to choose the bride for their son. Examples of those who earned the displeasure of their parents by going against their wishes in this regard are Shechem,[2] Esau[3], and Samson[4]. Wight[5] explains that the reason for parents choosing the bride was that  “the new bride was to become a member of the bridegroom’s clan and therefore the whole family was interested in knowing if she would be suitable.” 

The selection was widely discussed among members of the extended family. Sometimes the girl concerned was included in the discussion. This is illustrated in the case of Rebekah. When the servant entrusted with the negotiations was ready to introduce her to Isaac, her family asked her about it first. 

   “Well,”  they said, “We’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.

   And she replied, ‘Yes, I will go.’ ” (Genesis 24:57-58). 

When the family reached agreement, the couple concerned entered into a commitment to marry. The betrothal, as this commitment was called, was considered to be as binding as wedding vows. There was a period of at least a year between the betrothal and the wedding ceremony. A special ceremony marked the occasion of the betrothal. Wight[6] gives this description of the betrothal ceremony. 

   The families of the bride and groom met, with some others present to serve as witnesses. The young man would give the young woman either a gold ring, or some article of value, or simply a document in which he promised to marry her. Then he would say to her, “See by this ring (or this token) you are set apart for me, according to the law of Moses and of Israel.” 

Because of the ways of his culture regarding betrothal and marriage, Hosea faced a worrying problem. 

Will He Marry The Girl Chosen For Him Or Not? 

Gomer was the girl chosen for Hosea. He was uncertain how to respond. Should he go ahead with the betrothal or try to find a way out? He may have liked Gomer and thought that he could grow to love her. But he was not sure about her faith in God. And because of the widespread moral laxity in society, Hosea may have been wondering if she would remain faithful to him. As he thought and prayed about it the Lord spoke positively to him saying, 

   “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.” (vs. 2a NIV). 

There are three aspects of the Lord’s guidance for Hosea. The Lord gives him the assurance he needs to go ahead, warns him of possible trouble, and then reveals the reason for the direction he gives. 

Hosea is assured that not only is Gomer the choice of the extended families concerned. She is also God’s choice for him. But a warning sounds in the words that refer to Gomer as ‘an adulterous wife.’  The expression does not need to be taken as meaning that Gomer at that time was an immoral woman. The Hebrew words translated as ‘adulterous wife’ mean in a more literal sense, ‘a wife of harlotry’. A similar phrase construction in English would be ‘a wife of the war years’. The phrase refers to a girl who married a soldier during the war years. She is referred to as a ‘war bride’. She is a bride of those times. Similarly, in the Israel of her time, Gomer could be referred to as ‘a woman of those adulterous times’. From this perspective she may be seen as a product of her times. Her world view and value system, the way she handled her life, the extent of her faith in God or rebellion against him, would be that of her peer group. Robert Chisholm[7] explains … 

   The expression ‘adulterous wife’ (literally ‘wife of adultery’) does not describe her condition at the time of marriage, but anticipates what she proved to be, a wife characterised  by unfaithfulness. 

The words ‘because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD’ reveal God’s plan to use the difficulties he foresees as developing in the relationship between Hosea and Gomer as an object lesson for the nation. Spiritual adultery is rife in the society. People have left their God and formed idolatrous relationships with the gods of the countries around them. Gomer’s later adultery tore the family apart. This will picture the spiritual adultery which fractured the people of Israel’s relationship with the Lord. The Lord explained to Hosea …

   “This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshipping other gods.” (vs. 2b) 

With the assurance that he was moving forward in the will and purposes of God for his life, Hosea agreed to go ahead with the betrothal. And so it came about that when the time of the betrothal was completed, 

   Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblain, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. (vs. 3)

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