See the Appendix- “Fruits of Unfaithfulness are Not Final Outcomes”, for further discussion on the significance of Hosea’s children’s names. For now let’s continue with Hosea and Gomer’s story. There are a few more significant things to learn about Hosea and Gomer’s relationship. Read chapter 2 and answer the following questions. What did Hosea say of Gomer in 2:2? Why did he say this? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Were all of Gomer’s children also children of Hosea? _________________________________________________________________(vs. 4) What had Gomer done in spite of her marriage to Hosea? ______________________________________________________________(vs.5 …show more content…
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(vs. 3, 6, 13&14) What hope did Hosea hold on to? _________________________________________________________________(vs. …show more content…
Though we cannot know such details with any certainty, it could be that theirs was a relationship already established and growing in love when God warned Hosea of what would happen, and then indicated that he should continue his pursuit of love and marry her. What is very clear is that Hosea’s feelings were not merely based on dogmatic obedience to God’s call on his life. It is important to understand that Hosea’s feelings were genuine in order to comprehend the dynamic necessary for restoration and healing to take place. If by marrying Gomer, Hosea acted in mere obedience to a directive, Gomer’s experience of Hosea’s love would have been that of obligation and duty. A relationship based on obligation or a sense of duty will not facilitate trust or confidence, because very often obligation becomes inconvenient and the obligation expendable. What the narrative of Hosea clearly communicates is that with time, the beloved bride would return to her husband, and stay with him, by her own choosing: trust. Trust is a necessary ingredient for relationships to last, especially when times are tough. Eventually Gomer chose Hosea, and was faithful to him because her knowledge and experience had convinced her that he genuinely loved her and was