Go again

Today’s passage contains the second command given to Hosea. (1) At some point between chapters 1 and 3, Hosea’s wife Gomer returned once again to a life of prostitution. And in the end, she was sold as a slave. (2) Her condition was just like that of the people of Israel, who burned with passion toward idols. The expression “raisin cakes” was used in Old Testament times as a “symbol of sensual desire.” (3) The Lord loved the people of Israel even in that condition. Therefore, Hosea was also commanded to love Gomer, who had become a slave after her adultery.

Purchased her

Hosea acted faithfully according to the Lord’s command. (1) He purchased Gomer, who was being sold at the slave market. (2) The price was fifteen shekels of silver and one and a half homers of barley. One and a half homers of barley were thought to have been equal in value to fifteen shekels of silver. In other words, Hosea paid a total price equivalent to thirty shekels of silver to buy her back. (3) This price is related to Exodus 21:32: “If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” Thirty shekels of silver was the price of a dead slave. Gomer was being bought and sold for no more than that amount. In other words, she had lost her attractiveness as a woman, and no one desired her anymore. (4) The only one who sought after such a fallen and destitute Gomer was Hosea. Hosea, having bought Gomer back, said to her, “You shall live with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute, nor shall you have another man; so I will also be toward you.” (1) She will no longer enter into relationships with other men, nor enter into any marriage relationship. (2) At the same time, Hosea also refrains from marital relations with her for a certain period. This becomes a time of discipline for her. (3) What happened between Hosea and Gomer is applied directly to the relationship between the Lord and the people of Israel. That is the meaning of verses 4 and 5, which we will study next time. Before we came to know God, we were like Gomer, who had fallen into a state of slavery. In this world we had no hope and no dreams, yet God the Father loved us. Through Hosea’s painful experience, we see the depth of God’s love and mercy. Blessed are those who place their trust in God’s love.