therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's.
I Corinthians 6:20
At the far end of the marketplace, an auction was taking place. A crowd had gathered to leer and jeer. Most anyone was subject to showing up on that old auction block, either because they were common slaves or because they had fallen out of favor, had their fines paid by those with the money to do so, and then put up for sale for their debtors to regain their monies. It was always a source of entertainment for the masses, to see who might show up next.
Amongst those paraded for bids that particular day was a small female, who held her head up proudly, a look of rebellion on her face. As first one, then another was bought, finally it was the woman's turn. She spat at the man who shoved her forward so the crowd could get a closer look at her. As the auctioneer began to give her information, the defiance faded from her face and she hung her head:
"This one here, used to the fineries of life, what am I bid for her?" The crowd gave a shout of laughter--oh that was a good one! The tired skinny female with tangled hair and in filthy rags, smelling of the gutter had once been beautiful? It certainly no longer showed.
But it was true, she had once been beautiful and in great demand as a prostitute. A man had paid her way out of the brothel, and taken her as his wife, providing her with a good home and lovely clothes. He had loved her and given her servants to keep her from having to do the work of his house, delighting in the child she had given him. But she had quickly grown weary of the lack of glamour and attention from the many admirers she had known, and soon took other lovers. As much as it hurt him, he kept her as his wife, even after she had borne two more children by other men.
Despite all his entreaties to stay, she rejected his and her children's love and left his home and protection, returning once more to the life she had formerly known in the brothels of the city. Once again, she was in high demand for her beauty. Bedecked in jewels and fine garments once again, she soon regained her former status and high prices. Yet it didn't take long for the lifestyle to take its toll on her beauty, and as it faded, those who had once highly paid for her charms refused to have anything further to do with her. When she no longer had the means to keep up her lifestyle, she fell into debt. Thus, she, too, wound up on the auction block because of the debts she owed but could not pay.
While she may have appeared fierce and full of fire on the outside, her heart was broken inside. The reality of her situation was grave; when her new owner found out how sick and weak she was, she would simply disappear and no one would care. She wouldn't be missed--she had turned her back on the only ones who had ever truly loved her, and they would never know what happened to her. She wished someone would do something before she further delighted them by fainting--she hadn't eaten in days.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her arm, and a man's voice spoke: "What's the debt of this one?"
Wait! She knew that voice! Oh, it had been years since she'd heard it, but she knew that voice. Warily, she opened her eyes and glanced down at his face. It was him! She instinctively drew back, but he turned toward her and warned, "Shhhh, Gomer, it's me, Hosea. I've come to get you and take you home. I waited for you to come back, but when you didn't, I began to look for you. I've found you now, we'll go home."
You know, you ask about love stories in the Bible and most anyone will mention the story of Ruth, Esther or Rachel. But you won't hear anyone mention Gomer. "Gomer?" Yes, actually one of the most magnificent love stories in the Bible, the story of Gomer and Hosea.
"Oh no! Not the story of Gomer! SHE was a prositute!" Actually, Hosea's instructions from the Lord were that he was to take a "wife of whoredoms". But you won't find folks talking that straight anymore--either it's not "politically correct" or sensitive ears might be offended. Hey! Let's talk truth, shall we? Why would God instruct any man to marry such a wife? Yet in the answer to that question lies the beautiful story of love--not only for a generation, not only for a nation, not only for a particular era, but for everyone everywhere who has ever been a sinner (and guess how many that includes???).
When Gomer was out and about, having a good time with everyone BUT her husband, he never stopped loving her. Now His love for her was NOT his permission for her to do what she was doing, but he STILL loved her. See, a lot of folks think because Jesus loves us, it's OK for us to live however we want to. WRONG! He loves us with a love that we cannot fathom, but He wants us to follow Him. And the ONLY way to follow Him is to have a right relationship, through salvation, with Him.
That means, we are TRUE to HIM, not prostituting ourselves to the world through sin. I didn't say through prostitution, I said through S-I-N. When we are sinners, we are prostituting ourselves to sin! We need to "sell out" to Jesus, not sell out to the world, for we have been bought with a price. I Corinthians 6:19,20 tells us, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. When we are born again through salvation, we are to give up sin, not cling to it!
Oh yes, Gomer had traveled a long way from the security of that which she had once known. But like so many today, what she had was not what she wanted. So many sell themselves out to the world for the accolades of mankind. But know this:
keep you longer,
and cost you more
than you ever thought possible.
Certainly, Jesus Christ completed the plan of salvation for each of us when He died on that old rugged cross, rose again, and now is at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. But too many of us take His love for us for granted. We have a cavalier attitude about the magnificence of what He did for each of us. We don't want to give up the things of the world! The Word of God tells us: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21.
My friends, the only possession you will ever have that lasts beyond the grave is your eternal soul. And its final destination depends entirely upon your decision for or against Jesus Christ. Gomer was like so many are today: professing to serve Christ, yet unwilling to give up sin and turn away from it. It cannot be both ways: the Word of God tells us, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other... Matthew 6:24.
The Bible teaches us, For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:20-23. We all know what "wages" are: payment. The payoff to sin is D-E-A-T-H. Yet, we have a hope that cannot be given by the world, or any possesion in it: ...but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!
Read the story of Gomer and Hosea in the first three chapters of Hosea and see how this story of such amazing, marvelous love is not just the love of a man for his wife, even though she turned from him and went to others, but of God's love for a nation and for ALL mankind. Just as Gomer turned from Hosea, who loved her, so have many of us turned from He Who loves us so much He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross for our sins. Yet just as Hosea went searching for Gomer and brought her back to his home, so our "Good Shepherd" compels His lost sheep to return to His fold.
Come back, won't you? If you have wandered away from using your life to be a witness of God's life-changing, soul-saving Salvation through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, come back, won't you? Oh how He loves you!
"From The Auction Block" Copyright © 2001 by Patricia Sikes.
All Rights Reserved.
If you have been blessed, give God the Glory!
Please sign our guestbook; let us know you enjoyed
"From The Auction Block".
Thank you so much for visiting He Is Able!
ALL material on He Is Able is protected by copyright.
