Some Hebrew Notes ~ God's Unconditional Love for us~ The book of Hosea

The book of Hosea. You probably know the story. If you don't, or if it's been a while since you read it, please read it again! The past several weeks, I've been drawn to it. It's an amazing picture of ultimate unconditional love. A man, Hosea (הושע), is told by God to marry an adulterous wife, Gomer (גומר), a prostitute. Although she leaves him, cheats on him, and does unimaginable things, he still buys her back at a price! There are some really amazing things going on here with the names.  The parallels and links between God's love for us as displayed through Jesus (שוע' = salvation) and this particular book of the bible are incredible.

I sent my friend Randy some 'hebrew' questions from this book (Hosea). I knew if anyone could answer my questions, he could. I spoke of Randy briefly here in my last 'Hebrew notes' post, and also here when he visited us last year, and here from after he left.

A Brief Background on Randy~
Randy has the most amazing life story of anyone I've ever known. Grew up in a crazy environment, and I mean crazy. He was abused. His mother was mildly retarded. His father tried to kill him with a gun to his head. He had a hard time learning and suffered majorly from dyslexia. His wife died at a young age from a heart condition. He's been in every war since Vietnam. He literally served in every branch of the USA military except Air Force (at different times of course). Served with the French Foreign Legion, The Israeli Special Forces, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and I'm sure I'm missing some others.  At some point he learned Hebrew and Greek. He studied in Israel and got a degree in Archeology. Finally, he retired from the military just a couple of years ago. He stayed in as long as he did because he felt God wanted him to be there, to be strength to the young guys on the front lines that had never been to war before. He was a Sergeant by the time he got out at the age of 60 or 60 something.  To retire from the military as a sergeant isn't a very high rank. It would mean that either he was a delinquent or he didn't put up with crap. It was definitely the latter. He wouldn't play the stupid military games. His uniform was weighed down with medals, yet he wouldn't wear them all. He only wore the ones that meant something to him. There is more to his story that if I told you you wouldn't believe me, and in any case, I'm not at leisure to express.

Richie served with him in Kuwait, which is how we met him. Randy saw Richie playing soccer with their Unit and wanted to know 'this kid' who had grabbed an officer by the collar because the officer was playing dirty.

Randy was very instrumental in our marriage in the beginning years.  He would often tell me what a good guy Richie was and how different he was from the other guys who were telling bad jokes, and who took their wedding bands off when they were deployed. This was very key to the beginning years of our marriage. How awesome it was to know someone that could tell me great things about my husband, and things that he did when I wasn't there.

I also happened to serve with Randy in Germany (Garmisch) for a month long Hebrew Language Refresher course. All of the above is in no particular order and I'm definitely skipping a lot.  This is a very brief background but I hope you get the point. I'm getting this information from someone that I highly respect.


Anyways, here are my questions and his response below that. In no way can I write what he wrote, or do justice to how he pieces everything together. So I just quoted him below. If you have a moment, please read it. You will be blessed!!! (it was a quick email that he shot off to me, so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors).

Gomer is the wife of Hosea....God told him to marry her... she's  prostitute with other lovers and Baal. ...a parallel to how we are with him. Does her name relate to when Jesus said "It is finished" on the cross? (her name means 'he finishes')

Also, Hosea 2:16
"In that day", declares the Lord, :you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master'. I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked...." (wow. i love this. )

Baal בעל is the word used for 'my master(or owner)' here. We use this in modern Hebrew for husband and also it's the same word as 'Baal' as an idol god. 

Man,  א'ש is the word for husband here. Is there any significance as to why we use 'Baal בעל' today for husband and not א'ש?

Please read the book of Hosea! Then read Randy's notes again. The book of Hosea is so moving. The past several times I read it, it has brought me to tears. I knew there was some cool stuff going on here with the names...even the names that were given to her children. Those are explained in the text itself. Isn't it amazing that one day we will no longer call him "My master, but my man"? (My man~ Sounds like "Ee-shee" ='א'ש).

From Randy~
"These are great questions! Am so glad that you can see these things. Makes the Bible 'taste better' :) 

Yes, Gomer's name is highly significant. No accident. If you notice the form, it is a guy's name. Appears nowhere else in the Bible. We can speculate as to why? Since the type of JESUS is obvious, we can use conjecture with a base of symbolism: Hoshea= One who Saves is a type & forshadow of JESUS = Salvation and is called (Greek) Soter = One who saves. 

So, Gomer = He finishes / He completes. Why HE? Because she obviously was incapable of keeping and completing the marriage covenant. But HE can. Or as Paul said, "I am persuaded that HE is able to keep / complete / finish that which HE began in us against / on / in that Day." 

Her father Dibaliim (meaniing unclear but seems to be associated with offerings to Asherah / Ishtar / Inana / Astarte - the goddess of fornication left her with chains of imprisonment locked by the most common tandem in the Bible: Baal & Ahserah. They are still very active today but take a more "sophisticated" approach, e.g., "Gentlemen's Club" vs Baal & Asherah temple. 

On the other hand, Hoshea's father - Beeri = My Well seems to indicate a heritage of following GOD, JESUS drew from a Well that Will Never Run Dry. HE drew from the Living Waters that flows right from The Father. In a multiversal, mysterious identification, JESUS is The Living Water. So, the prisoner of Asherah, this time the woman at the well, did NOT see what JESUS was saying at first. //This rabbit trail could go on for pages :) // 

So, we see the contrast. A typical Hebrew word picture. Fancy term: parallel antithesis. EZ explanation: To make a point using opposites as the means to paint the word picture. He is our One Who Saves - forever faithfully married to us, the continual backsliding adulteress that is unable to complete fulfill our marriage contract. But HE completes, finishes, fulfills the contract, the covenant. Thank YOU JESUS for tender mercies and unending grace!!

Does this relate to what JESUS said on the cross? OK, I would say that whatever you see that seems to be another facet of the Diamond in the Sky we call Our Husband, Our Owner, Our LORD, Our Savior, then 'grab a handful and run with it.' :) 

However, more specifically, it is written in Greek something like tetelestai. Passive verb: It is finished, complete, more loosely - paid in full. When i first started going to Greece, this was written on the receipts: Paid in full. How does this relate to our Marriage with HIM? In a beautiful way. Of course, HIS work on this earth was completed, fulfilled. What was HIS work? 2 main things that are married to each other: to do the desires / will of HIS Father. His Father arranged HIS marriage to us. In order to marry the prospective groom had to redeem the bride with an acceptable Bride Price (not to be confused with the pledge gifts, e.g., the lost coin parable). What was HIS bride price for us? .... "You have been bought with a price. ... NOT just the blood of goats ... but with (priceless) blood of JESUS Christ". A key portion of the Bride Price (mohar) was that of drinking certain cups (reflected in the Passover). One of these cups is called the Cup of Acceptance or Cup of Redemption. Once the lady drank from this silver cup of redemption, the two became one - betrothed, legally married but no physical relationship. Immediately, the groom left to go to his father's house to prepare a place for her. In a sense he had to drink from the cup of affliction (time to pay a price). Hard work & sweat. He could not return immediately based on hormonal desires. Instead only his father could approve the completion of the structure and the contract. Then he could return and take his bride. The key to the bride price was used by JESUS in the hill / slope and dip / valley / ravine of the olive press. As he struggled to drink from the Cup of Affliction, JESUS was proclaiming, decision made. Didn't want to do this. But it is time. I asked my Father to take this cup from me. But He said drink and pay the full price. So, i am through the point of no return. I need to complete the contract, the New Covenant with the final bride price. My blood that redeems, buys back Gomer, who slipped back into slavery. Notice the price Hoshea paid. Notice the price Yehudah / Judah / Judas received. Anyways, there is a relationship to the completion and the finishing of the marriage contract with the names. 

Now for a better part. The most emotionally moving part of the Bible to me is this last chapter of Hosea. So much is going on there. Along the way and tied to it is arguably the most beautiful word play in the Bible. From baali to ishi. It seems that Ben Yehudah chose baal for husband based on the Biblical use. It is my understanding that the word meant a number of things: Owner; husband; lord; Lord. As time passed it was used for certain gods & even for fallen world gods in general. The One that will complete HIS work in us, declared that one day, Israel and one day you and i will NOT even use the most common word for husband when we finally and intimately have relations with HIM. Instead, we will use a pet name, a personal term of endearment, a word that is heartfelt: My individual man. Ishi. Notice that He did not say we would call him my human. Ben- Adami or Adami. Instead, he will be My Man! This is pazzazz at its best. So, the word ishi was uncommon even then. 

One golden daybreak, this present nightmare will end. We will drink with our Faithful Husband from the Cup of Consummation. At that time, in the intimate khupah we experience intimacy with HIM beyond our wildest imaginations. Through Hosea HE says to us, that we won't even use, we will not even remember the names, identities associated with the gods, with the things of this fastly fading fallen world. Since the term baal was also used then it will not be used in the future. We will NOT identify HIM with words that were even remotely associated with the things that hinder us here. 

What a deal! HE is nothing like baal that only places chains on your feet. HE sets us free indeed. Free to enjoy HIM. Taste and see that LORD is good. HIS mercy endures forever! Let us enjoy our Husband, our Man. With breathtaking expectancy let us look forward to the permanent loss of all things bad and the gain of all things good. JESUS we long for YOUR coming when YOU restore all things, when YOU finally destroy all things bad, and make all things new -- in YOU, amen!"   

~Randy Harrison

Photos are from his visit last year. We were so blessed. 

Randy disheveled.... as always. 'Wheres my fanny pack?' 

Hanging from your leg, Randy!

 Randy took the boys on many adventures.

and cleaned the kitchen floors almost every day.

"There is nothing nunder the sun. So, somebody somewhere probably saw something similar to what you saw + what I saw in Hosea & in names. Seems that each one of us is allowed to see the LORD in at least one differeent facet so that it HE is personal as well as corporate. HE is like an infinite diamond with endless facets. You see a cut that i do not & i see a cut that you do not. This is one reason that the body parts need each other. That goes even for someone like me - armpit"

  

Randy Harrison