Day 14 Gomer

An adulteress was used by God.  She was characterized as an adulterous wife and had children unfaithfully (Hosea 1:2).  She was specifically chosen by God and by Hosea for her adulterous ways.  It does not seem like a loving, creative, caring, devoted and faithful God would ask a man to choose an unfaithful woman, but he did.  As a prophet to the Israelites, Hosea’s marriage would represent how God’s people had unfaithfully left him.  A challenging life, a challenging marriage and a challenging calling for this man of God to love a woman who loved sex, money and things more than him.

Adultery is as ramped thousands of years ago, as it is today.  I have said it once and I’ll say it again; we need the Word of God in our hearts and mind, to live in a world were sin is gratifying because human nature has never changed.  Man still seeks after pleasures of the body, pleasures in which make us feel good, pleasures of gold and esteem.  These pleasures have never changed in the hearts of man.  This is why God’s Word is relevant today as is was then, human nature, the heart of a man, the desires of his flesh have remained the same.  Woman, if you or I desire victory in adulterous areas of our flesh, we have to memorize, repeat, desire, mediate and profess the Word of God.

Gomer was a promiscuous woman, who the Lord deliberately married to a faithful man.  God put a love in Hosea’s heart for Gomer to reflect his love for his people.  “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.  Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” (Hosea 3:1).  I am thankful for the love of God, the love he can place in man’s heart to love those who scar us so painfully.  The forgiveness he gives us everyday is astounding, but I would hate to be used by God and know that I was a “Gomer”.  My question to you is, “Are you Gomer in the Lord’s eyes?”

I believe there are several ways to be “Gomer”.  One is the obvious, if you are married and committed to a man who loves you, do you have adulterous thoughts or actions? If so, have you prayed, confessed, asked for forgiveness and believe in the power of God to deliver you from these thoughts or actions?  Woman, I know of several cases where friends have forgiven wayward husbands, counseled to save their marriage and prayed for the strength to forgive the adulterer.  I know of cases were my friends, the women, were the adulteresses, confessed, counseled and attempted to keep their marriages together.  I had a situation with Tommy where a “Gomer”, unhappy in her marriage, desired my husband.  God used her to strengthen our marriage, our openness to pray for one another and stay committed to our union.  I know of one case where an adulteress confessed to the adulterer’s wife, “I admired you and wanted what you had.” Yes, we can be truly deceived by the enemy. 

How can we forgive has Hosea? Where do we begin a journey of trust, of love, of passion or intimacy with a person who maybe thinking of another? Our trust should never be in people, but in the Living God. The forgiveness of an affair is a process.  Hosea’s heart was broken; he was ashamed, humiliated and embarrassed by Gomer.  She had ripped his heart and did not care.  Our God feels the same for us when we are lured away by the things of this world. 

There are several scriptures in the bible where I have to stop reading and try my hand a comprehending something to amazing to comprehend.  In Exodus 20, God has given Moses the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Words fascinate me.  How creative is our God to know exactly what would plague this generation today as it did centuries ago.  Our God professes to be a jealous God (Exodus 20:5).  Yahweh is jealous for you.  He desires to be with you.  The Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Father of Jesus Christ wants to spend time with me.  Our finite minds futilely attempt to grapple with this concept and fail miserably.  For if we have truly grasped this, you would see more people becoming Christians, more love within the churches, more people tithing and giving and more children professing the Word of God.  Sadly, many know the winner of American Idol, the #1 hit song, the Oscar nominees or the reality stars biggest blunder than the Ten Commandments.

Secondly, the world can not be more enticing than God.  You have to desire the things of the Lord, more than the things of this world.  There is a spiritual battle raging in the heavens, and the enemy wants nothing more than for you to be distracted, pursing fleshly desires and cravings, locked in unforgiveness or bitterness, walking away from the church because it’s not want you expected or the inability to turn off Pandora’s box because your nightly show is on.  We have to prepare our hearts for action (1 Peter 1:13), set our minds on things seated at the right hand of the Father (Colossians 3:2) and confess the Word, it is written, thou shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20: 14).

My prayer is neither I nor you become “Gomer”.  Whether through literal adulterous ways, action and thoughts to walking away, seeking the world’s pleasures and completely ignoring God becomes our every day habits and ways, my heart’s desire is to rebuke such thoughts and delve deeper into the Word.  Woman, you have to set your mind and keep in set, be determined to not fail and want God’s will more than your own.  In my Book 1 of 30 Days of Prayer with the Women of the Bible, I speak in depth of adultery in Day 9 The Adulterous Woman.  If your heart seeks more spiritual guidance or scriptures, I encourage you to read this chapter.  The door is extremely easy to walk through and dangerously enticing. 

As Christians, we are living for a future hope.  We are living for eternity.  Our lives should be living, breathing epistles to those who have no hope.  The world should look to us as lights in a dark world, but sadly some see no difference in Christian behavior, attitudes or character.  They see “Gomers”, not Christ-like individuals.  This grieves my spirit as I pray it grieve yours.  Pray for those closest to you, rise to the occasion for which you are called.  Ask yourself some questions, “Am I living and giving 100% to my family, to the Church or to Christ?” “Am I a Christ-like example to those I work with or do they even know I am a Christian?” “What is my purpose, gifts or talents and am I using those for the Kingdom?” “Am I spending time with the Lord?” Which do you spend more time doing? Watching televisions or reading the bible, worshiping and praising God?

Woman, let our hearts be one with the Lord.  Let us pray and confess the Word of the Living God, believe in his promises; believe he is jealous for us, believe he has a perfect plan and purpose for each of us.  Pray the church is determined to stay the course, fan the flame within and abound more and more in love.  I pray this encourages you today.  I pray this exhorts you seek, spend time and come closer to our loving, merciful, beautiful, forgiving and abounding God.

Let us pray and CONFESS the Word of the Living God,

Father,

            We give you glory and praise.  Thank you I can come closer to you this day, my heart changed and know you in a deeper way.  I know you are jealous for me (Exodus 20:14), I know you desire to spend time with me and I pray to never be “Gomer”.  I do not want to be distracted by the things of this world, to be preoccupied with worldly people and their lives, but have the ability to sit quietly in green pastures, beside living waters where you will restore my soul (Psalm 23).

If I have not been as committed to you as I should be, speak to Lord.  Help me prepare my heart for action (1 Peter 2:13), think on things above, seated at the right hand of the Father (Colossians 3:2) and desire your will, not mine.  If there has been adultery in my marriage, help me forgive or be forgiven.  I pray you will renew my mind in Christ Jesus (Romans 12:2), I am a new creature in Christ, the old has passed and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).  I know you can heal my heart and my mind, my marriage and my spouse, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them” (Hosea 14:4).

Surround me with godly Christian elders, women who encourage, exhort, lift up, pray and love me.  I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). Help me to love and forgive, to fan the flame, to run my race and determined to know you and the power of your resurrection.  Thank you for the Word, thank you for loving me and believing I can come up higher; for seeing something in me no one else can see and thank you for the blood of Jesus on the cross. I praise you Lord for you good, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth I pray, Amen.