The Prodigal Gomer
Ben Roberts

Hosea 3:1–5 (The Message)
Then God ordered me, “Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who’s in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife. Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people, even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy.”

I did it. I paid good money to get her back. It cost me the price of a slave.

Then I told her, “From now on you’re living with me. No more whoring, no more sleeping around. You’re living with me and I’m living with you.”

There are parts of the Bible that I return to again and again. Mostly I read the New Testament. My go-to book is Matthew, and my favorite passages are chapters 5-7, the sermon on the mount.

I rarely read the Old Testament. The prophets seldom. The minor prophets almost never. Hosea? Maybe twice in my lifetime. Until this week.

In anticipation of writing this devotional, I have read Hosea multiple times. My initial reaction? Ick! Why is this a book? Why is God asking Hosea to return to Gomer? Why not leave well enough alone? Why indeed.

My breakthrough moment came in the middle of the night as is often the case. When I had a stray thought about the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11). The narratives are very similar. Both are stories where a family member goes astray, one for money, the other for sex. Both find redemption and forgiveness. Both are restored.

Here is the key difference. In the Prodigal Son, the son comes to his senses while sitting in a pig pen and ends up seeking forgiveness. The father is overjoyed and runs to meet his contrite son.

In Hosea however, there is no indication that Gomer wants or is seeking reconciliation. In fact, Hosea has to go to great lengths to get Gomer back. 

In the Prodigal, the offender makes the first move. In Hosea, it is the victim. It would be like the Prodigal father goes to find the son in the pigpen. 

Hosea is the Prodigal on steroids. The Prodigal shows how willing to restore us when we seek forgiveness.  But Hosea shows us the lengths God will go to in order to find us while we are in an unrepentant state.

Occasionally (…and by occasionally, I mean every Sunday since I have known him), Pastor Chris will point out during communion that while we were still sinners (Not while we were doing the write thing), Christ came to save us. Full stop. 

Romans 5:6 (The Message)
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready.

Like Gomer, we bring nothing to the table, sometime not even contrition. But God is relentless. His love knows no bounds and there is nowhere we can go where he will not seek us out.

Let’s be found!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for seeking us out.  Thank you for finding us, in whatever state that may be.  Kindle is us, gratitude for your grace.  Keep us on the path that will bring about ultimate reconciliation.