Throughout the Bible marriage serves as one of the clearest illustrations of God’s love. From God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel, to the tender imagery of a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride (Isa. 62:5), to the passionate longing expressed in the Song of Solomon, Scripture consistently uses the language of betrothal, pursuit, and unwavering love to help us grasp the depth of God’s commitment to His people.
Hosea and Gomer: A Living Parable of Grace
Among the many images of god’s steadfast love, the Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer has always stood out to me. It is a love story, but not the kind we expect. It is raw, painful, and redemptive—a living parable of divine grace. Written more than 700 years before Christ, this story is one of the clearest foreshadows of the gospel. It illustrates the love that will be most fully revealed in Jesus—the true Bridegroom, who would come to rescue and restore His unfaithful bride.
Hosea, whose name means “salvation,” was called to embody the message he preached. During a time of deep spiritual and moral apostasy, when Israel had forsaken God for lifeless idols, the Lord instructed Hosea to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him. Her name was Gomer, meaning “completion.” This completeness could be found in her oneness with her husband, but her wandering heart led her away from the one who truly loved her, leaving her broken, enslaved, and lost. It is only through being reunited with Hosea that her name finds its true meaning. Similarly, we are made whole only when we are in Christ, our true Bridegroom.
The Power of Redemption
Gomer strayed, chasing after other lovers, just as Israel had turned away from the Lord to worship false gods. But Hosea’s love did not waver. Even when Gomer had sunk to her lowest depths, Hosea sought her out. In an act of astonishing grace, he redeemed her for 15 shekels of silver and a measure of barley (Hosea 3:2). This was the price of a slave, yet Hosea was willing to pay it to restore his bride. The story captures the heartbeat of the gospel. Jesus is our Hosea, and we are Gomer. We have wandered far from Him, selling ourselves to lesser loves, bound by the chains of sin. Christ, however, did not leave us in our bondage. He came searching for us, and at the greatest cost—His own life—He redeemed us. We were incomplete, lost, and broken, but in Him we discover our true purpose.
This is the power of redemption. We are told that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). Just as Hosea’s unwavering love awakened something in Gomer’s heart, it is the kindness and unselfish love of Christ, our Bridegroom, that draws us to Him. He neither forces our love nor abandons us in our waywardness. Instead He pursues us, redeems us, and lavishes His grace upon us until our hearts soften, and we turn to Him in love. True transformation happens when we are overwhelmed by a love that we do not deserve yet it is freely given. His goodness not only saves us but also changes us, making us new, faithful, and whole in His love. Ellen White puts it so beautifully when she writes:
“The very first step in approaching God is to know and believe the love that He has to us (1 John 4:16); for it is through the drawing of His love that we are led to come to Him. The perception of God’s love works the renunciation of selfishness.” [*]
Love awakens love, and selflessness awakens selflessness. We are transformed by beholding the beauty of Jesus’ character. Christ laid down His life to secure His people forever. This is the love story that has been unfolding since the foundation of the world. When Jesus walked on this earth, He referred to Himself as the Bridegroom (Matt. 9:15), alluding to the great wedding yet to come. His love was not distant or indifferent; it was the love of One who would give everything to unite with His beloved bride. On the cross Jesus sealed His love with His own blood, truly revealing the depth of His commitment to His covenant people.
Jesus is not only preparing a place for us but also preparing us for that place.
The Gospel in the Wedding Story
In ancient Jewish weddings the bridegroom would go to the bride’s house to finalize the betrothal (engagement). This occurred after the dowry had been paid. The groom would then return to his father’s house to prepare a place for his future wife. Once the preparations were complete, he would return to his bride’s house for the wedding feast. Afterward he would take his bride to the place he had prepared.
Recognize the significance of this sequence in the gospel love story. Jesus left His Father’s house in heaven to come to this earth to be united with His precious bride, the church. He paid the highest possible dowry by giving His life at Calvary. After His resurrection He returned to His Father’s house to prepare a place for His bride. Meanwhile His bride remained on earth to prepare herself for the wedding. At the end of earth’s history Jesus will return and will finally be united with His radiant bride. He will take her to the place He has prepared. John portrayed this very picture when he wrote some of his most famous words.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).
This is marriage language! Jesus understood that it is easy for us to feel fearful, worried, and anxious. He says that our hearts should not be troubled. Instead of being troubled, our hearts should be filled with eager anticipation, like a bride preparing to meet her bridegroom.
The Bride Made Ready
You see, Jesus is not only preparing a place for us but also preparing us for that place. This preparation is not just about outward readiness; it involves a transformation of the heart. Through trials He refines our faith. Through His Word He renews our minds. Through His love He draws us closer to Himself. All those who trust in Him are being clothed in the fine linen of His righteousness. So while He prepares a place for us in His Father’s house, He also prepares us for the joy of being there. Heaven is not just a destination but a home for those whose hearts have been made ready. When He comes again, it will be not only to bring us to that place but also to bring us into the fullness of the relationship that He has longed to share with us. The more we draw near to Jesus today, the more our hearts are made ready for the day when we see Him face to face.
From Hosea’s pursuit of Gomer to Jesus’ pursuit of His people, the story of divine love has consistently pointed forward to one glorious moment, which we encounter in the end of the biblical narrative—the wedding of the Lamb. Revelation offers us a glimpse of that magnificent day.
“‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” ’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God’ ” (Rev. 19:7-9).
The bride has been made ready—not by her own merit, but by the love of the Bridegroom. Just as Hosea’s steadfast love transformed Gomer, so too has the church been prepared by the unwavering goodness of Christ. It is His love that has drawn her, His righteousness that has clothed her, and His promise that has sustained her.
The story of redemption, woven throughout Scripture in the imagery of marriage, finds its ultimate fulfillment here. The One who pursued, redeemed, and prepared a place has now come to take His bride home. On that day the longing of every heart that His love has won will be satisfied as the bride stands before the Bridegroom, finally and forever complete.
[*] Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1956), pp. 104, 105.
