Advent Day 22 :: Faithful Bridegroom

“[1] And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” [2] So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. [3] And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” [4] For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. [5] Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:1-5)

Earlier this year we finished up a series on the book of Hosea. Pastor Bob pointed out that we, as Christ-followers are not Hosea in this prophetic book. We are, in fact, Gomer. We are the ones that God is calling back to Himself. It is, indeed, the pattern we see in prophetic literature in the Bible. The nation of Israel sins and God is calling them back to repent and be reconciled back to Him.

Hosea shows us this message through the illustration of a marriage covenant which many correlate back to the covenant that God made with Moses and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. We see God tell Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute. In her unfaithfulness God calls Hosea to pursue her and redeem her back to himself. It is a beautiful picture of God’s redemptive plan. A picture of God’s faithfulness not only to the nation of Israel, but to us as well.

The language of the marriage covenant carries over into the New Testament where Jesus calls Himself the bridegroom of God’s people (Matthew 9:15). Jesus came to initiate the new covenant, which is like the new betrothal foretold in Hosea 2:14–23 (also seen in 2 Corinthians 11:2). This will ultimately lead to the “the marriage of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7, 21:9–11).

Although the book of Hosea humbles us as we begin to see ourselves as Gomer, we should be encouraged in knowing there is hope in the Faithful Bridegroom. Jesus came to redeem His people, those who profess their trust and faith in Him, and bore the curse of the covenant as He was struck down by the wrath of God on our behalf. He was laid to rest only to rise on the third day to defeat sin and death forevermore. Jesus laid down His life for His bride, the church (Ephesians 5:25), redeeming her back from slavery to sin (Hosea 3:1–5). 

There is grace and mercy in the advent season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, our Faithful Bridegroom.

Further Reading: Revelation 19:1-10

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash