There were two people in the Bible named Gomer. Genesis 10:2 tells us that Japheth, the son of Noah, had a son named Gomer. This is repeated in 1 Chronicles. Then, there is a woman, the daughter of Diblaim, whom we meet in the book of Hosea. She was the prostitute that Hosea was told to marry. Hosea 1:3-5 tells us, “So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, ‘Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.’” Gomer was to have three children, but Jezreel is the only one that is certainly the son of Hosea. It appears from the wording of the text that the other children were not from Hosea himself but were from her adulterous affairs. Most commentators believe Hosea was well aware of what was going on. Smith says, “He understood how Gomer’s adultery represented the behavior of the people in the nation of Israel, God’s covenant partner. They were guilty of ‘the vilest adultery’ (1:2). By their unfaithful worship of Baal and participation in the sexual activities in that fertility cult, they defiled themselves and rejected their own God. In God’s eyes, the nation’s syncretism of the worship of Baal and Yahweh was not a minor problem of little significance; it was an affront to the exclusive covenant commitment God desires of those whom he loves.”[1]
Pastor Jim Erb writes, “Baal being a fertility god had worship that involved sex orgies. They worshiped an idol which was in the shape of an enlarged male sex organ, an Asherah. Temple prostitutes supported the temple worship of Baal. Its worship was filled with perversion, homosexuality, immorality, and sexual promiscuity. Could this possibly be the spirit behind much promiscuity, perversion, homosexuality, and pornography in America today? Baal goes after children. Child sacrifice was part of his deal. Children were sacrificed to a god called Molech in the Old Testament. However, they were also sacrificed to Baal. Could this possibly be the spirit behind abortions and child abuse that runs rampant in the USA? Something to think about!”[2] The indoctrination of our children in America today to sex as early as kindergarten may also have a connection with this.
For the Israelites at that time, and for bible scholars today, Jezreel connotes war, destruction, and bloodshed much like Chornobyl elicits thoughts of nuclear disasters today. It was in the Valley of Jezreel that the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines. It was here that Jehu killed Joram, and Jezebel and wiped out the Omri dynasty for Baal worship. Deborah and Gideon also fought bloody battles there during the period of the Judges. God used Jehu to judge the Baal worship under Ahab and Jezebel, but in this passage, he promises to use another Kingdom to bring judgment on Jehu for similar crimes of idolatry. It didn’t take long for Jehu’s kingdom to fall to the same sexual perversions and practices as were promoted by Jezebel. An occupation with sexual perversions of any kind is associated with Baal worship. The trend in our country is going that way. Today’s world has turned secular. With its turn away from Christianity came all the vileness of Baal worship. It’s promoted in the media, in our schools at a frighteningly early time, and all aspects of society. Adrian Rogers said, “Secularism today in America and the world has taken over the arts. It has taken over the sciences. It has taken over philosophy. It has taken over education. And, our days are so much like the days of Noah. There’s only one acceptable bigotry in the world today. Do you know what it is? It is you can still be bigoted against a Bible-believing Christian. A Bible-believing Christian today is the whipping boy of modern society.”[3]
[1] Smith, Gary V. 2001. Hosea, Amos, Micah. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
[2] https://www.sharonherald.com/community/is-baal-worship-going-on-in-usa-and-we-don-t-even-know-it/article_075b30c3-e8a8-5633-9a53-cd2b9a247835.html
[3] Rogers, Adrian. 2017. “The Days of Noah.” In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive, Mt 24:35–39. Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.