Allured into the Wilderness: Based on the Book of Hosea

by Floss Craig, Lukas & Vaness Bishop (Illustrator), Elizabeth Har-Noy (Photographer)

In this fictionalized story from scripture’s Book of Hosea, we learn about Gomer, who was known only as a prostitute and adulteress. Who was she prior to marriage and why, when offered genuine love and compassion, did she reject them in favor of a lifestyle where she faces degradation and abuse? We feel Gomer’s inner turmoil as she struggles to adapt to new roles of wife and mother, and often rejected by a culture where the law of the land allows the death penalty for adultery.Her friends are confounded by her choice to return to prostitution when they would give anything for the opportunities offered to her for a better life with a good man.Delve into the conflicting emotions of Hosea who obeys HaShem’s call on his life to marry a harlot. Friends and family advise him against making this decision, not understanding his commitment to follow what they deem to be a fantasy. With little support, he goes ahead with his plan in obedience to the Lord. Gomer, the woman he chooses, is a reluctant bride who does not know what true love looks like, and falls back into her old ways.When faced with Gomer’s infidelity, Hosea fluctuates between grief and anger, faith and hope. This long journey teaches him about the heart of HaShem for the unfaithful nation of Israel in 8th century BC and prepares him for sixty years of prophetic ministry.Find yourself in this tangled emotional quandary, knowing what is right, yet like Gomer, clinging to a familiar, destructive lifestyle even after HaShem offers her a new life. And for Hosea, who hears and obeys the call of HaShem, fighting against opposing voices to stand his ground for what he believes.

376 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2021

Reviews

[Terri Gillespie]

Author Floss Craig has written a treasure. Allured into the Wilderness is based on the Biblical book of the Hosea. But don’t for a minute think this is another parable, it is so much more. Real interpretations of real people that demonstrate the heartbreaking beauty of Hosea and Gomer’s journey.

Elegantly written and plausible storyline, I was gathered into the story like a family member. All the while questioning my own heart had I been in Hosea, or Gomer, or a loved ones’ dusty sandals.

Craig’s attention to detail and cultural and context is something I greatly appreciated. Also loved her use of Hebrew.

Highly recommend this book.

[Suzanne]

What makes *Allured into the Wilderness* intriguing is the decision to imagine the woman behind the name Gomer. Scripture gives readers very little of her interior life, while Floss Craig's story asks what might have shaped a woman who could be offered love, marriage and a different future yet still return to the life she knew.

That creates an interesting tension between Hosea and Gomer. Hosea's obedience is not presented as an easy act of faith, while Gomer's struggle is more complicated than simply choosing right over wrong. Both characters have to confront what they believe about love, faithfulness and God.

The historical setting also matters. The story places their relationship within the social and religious realities of eighth century BC Israel, giving the familiar biblical account room to become a lived human story rather than a distant lesson.

Readers interested in biblical historical fiction, especially stories centered on women in Scripture, should find the premise particularly rewarding. The strongest element is the uncomfortable question at its center: what happens when someone is offered a new life but has spent so long surviving that freedom itself becomes difficult to trust?