A theme that the Old Testament prophets returned to, again and again, was prostitution. While it is true that many of the men may have actually been going to prostitutes, the sense here is much more of spiritual prostitution. To understand this- think of sexual misconduct as a terrible corruption of God’s perfect context for all sexuality- marriage between a man and a woman. It is important to always remember that, so far from being a prude, it was God who actually created sex to be beautifully enjoyed between a man and his wife. Experienced in any other context, sex becomes a destroying fire on the floor rather than the fire-place. God created sex to be a bonding and intimate experience, so it is no surprise that one of the greatest hurts a spouse can do to their marriage partner is to sexually engage with another person. For all concerned the result can only be catastrophic.
Perhaps now we are starting to catch the drift of the Old Testament prophets. For a person to be unfaithful to their spouse is adultery. In the same way, for a person to be unfaithful to their God through idolatry- that is giving anything or anyone the devotion that rightly belongs to the Holy Trinity alone- is spiritual adultery. This is something God will never tolerate.
May we be a people who are spiritually true to our great God by having all of our worship regulated by the Word of God, with all of our conduct motivated by the Love of God and our actions energized by the Glory of God as we live by Faith in God. True LIFE is being faithful to the God who loved us more than life.
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