Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Friday, June 15, 2018 | Topic: Conscience 46
Scripture: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6
Note: The third child born to Gomer did not only face alienation from Gomer’s husband. The child faced disinheritance right from naming at birth. Loammi meant that you are not my people and neither are you a kin of mine. Loammi symbolised Israel’s alienation from Yahweh. His conception was a result of the mother’s indiscretion, unfaithfulness, gross disrespect and disregard for sanity, order and for the husband. That child born in Hosea’s house was not his. He was a product of the mother’s adulterous lifestyle and choice.
If Gomer felt the covering from her husband could be used to her advantage for mischief, allowing her to secretly indulge in her favourite pastimes of street hawking of her body for riches and sexual gratification, the naming of Loammi lifted that lid of false sense of security and secrecy off her. With Gomer now mercilessly exposed to the treachery of prying public eyes, without any shred of covering in a society that’s unrepentantly patriarchal in inheritance, it became more of a make or break situation for Gomer and her two children born from waywardness.
Gomer found herself sandwiched in a similar situation as that of Yahweh and Israel. The explicit, wayward lifestyle of Gomer depicted what Israel did to Yahweh. Hosea did his best in attempts to redeem Gomer from her unfortunate escapades. Interspersed between Hosea’s attempts at redemption and Gomer’s sad and sordid affairs with her numerous lovers, were bouts of shortlived remorse that saw temporary change. Yet, because actual repentance had not taken place, it wouldn’t be long before Gomer found herself attracted to the same sweet promises of riches and lavishing of material things from her lovers.
Gomer’s conscience told her that her lifestyle was wrong and shameful. The norm in society had succeeded in convincing her that she was on the road to bringing shame and repulsion to herself and the family. She knew and understood the dangers of indulging herself with multiple lovers. She wished to urgently do something about her situation, and this she did after considering all the reasons that combined to define the person called Gomer. Yet, inspite of all her good intentions and efforts, Gomer continued to fall back into the same sin that led to thise temporary changes. Gomer’s error was that she was only remorseful, sorry about her shameful life and wary of the dangers of having multiple lovers. She failed to come to the point of repentance, which is a 180° turnaround from her old ways.
Food for thought: Repentance begins with the heart. It’s based on the recognition of the wrong one has done against God and acknowledging it before Him.
Declaration: Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Psalm 51:4
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
