It’s all his fault… everything is his fault…

But he is reliable and soothing.

So she begins to seek him out.

The roller-coaster ride is not over yet.
She’s got the best intentions, but the wheels keep coming off.

What shall I do to you, O Ephraim?
    What shall I do to you, O Judah?
Your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,
    and like the early dew it goes away.

“Right,” she tells herself. “Today we are going to make this work. I believe in him.”

The day begins well. She even manages to cook breakfast for the family for a change. Then boom. All her resolve to be a better person, to be a wonderful wife is ambushed. Suddenly, like morning cloud being burned off by the sun, it’s gone!

And she’s yelling across the kitchen at him, burning hot with bitterness and anger. She can’t control her own mouth, her own thoughts. She is in a rage!

What the hell?

What is this wound right in the middle of Gomer? It’s the same sickness that is right in the middle of Hosea himself, and right in the middle of the nation of Israel.

The wound

There is a sentence in Chapter 12 that sticks out like a sore thumb. In context, it seems to be an interruption, an interjection. A splinter in the skin. A painful boil:

A merchant, in whose hands are deceitful balances, he loves to oppress.

Again, What the hell?

This is the deep wound in Gomer’s heart.

A merchant, in whose hands are deceitful balances, he loves to oppress.

Who does this refer to ? Well, Hosea, of course! So she yells across the kitchen, putting as much heat and venom into her message that she can.

He is a merchant. “Hosea, everything with you is transactional. Everything has a price! You keep score with everything!”

Deceitful balances. “You are a liar! You weasel out of the truth! You always make sure you come out on top!”

He loves to oppress. “And you know what else? You love to grind me down into the dirt! You find pleasure in winning, pleasure in breaking me!”

Can you imagine this war in the kitchen? How does Hosea respond? Is there anything he can say? And is she right? Is this what Hosea is like?

Let’s hit pause for just a moment, and give Hosea a chance to breathe. Who is the ultimate merchant who lies and loves to oppress? These words describe Satan, who Jesus called the “father of lies.” In Ezekiel, Satan’s actions are described as “dishonest trade.”

It’s also the charcter of Gomer’s boyfriends, who used her up and threw her away, who paid for her body with a dried up vineyard.

In fact, it’s the character of every natural human, born with the twist of sin. It’s what we are all like, naturally. We strive for advantage, take pleasure in winning, keep score of transactions. Soon, the oppressor and the victim emerges.

It’s not just in marriage, it’s everywhere! Teachers and students, parents and children, business partners.

Gomer is accusing Hosea of having the character of Satan. Is that accurate? Is it fair? Poor Hosea is in despair. Of course he’s lost his temper, of course he’s kept score! When they were first married, he was certainly like this, but for “many days,” he has loved his wife. He has spoken to her heart, been reliable as the sunrise and as soothing as the rain.

And as I considered these words, I wondered what God might say to Hosea in this pause as his dear, hurting wife yells abuse across the breakfast table: “She was broken long before you came along. Right now, when you least feel like it, I want you to speak to her heart. Sunrise. Rain. This can NEVER cause more damage. It can uncover it. Be strong, Hosea. We’re nearly there!”

And God?

He is a merchant with dishonest scales, who loves to oppress.

These words describe the heart of humanity’s accusation against God: That God is an exacting judge who keeps score, who wants to punish. He finds pleasure in inventeng a set of rules and then killing off people who break them. He tells people that they must even up the score with good actions, or to make payment with suffering.

This hit me between the eyes when I got up to this part of the book of Hosea: I saw God through Hosea’s experience. Hurt, misunderstood. Lonely. “I just want them to know me,” is the message God is giving. You can hear his frustration and his anger tearing through the black and white words on the page, yet he says he’s not going to act on his feelings. Chapter 11:

My heart churns within Me;
    My compassion is stirred.
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger;
    I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man,
    the Holy One in your midst,
    and I will not come in wrath.

Next… (Part 8)