Judges 2:17, KJV
And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so
Before I plead with about whoring, let's dive into a little back story. The book of Judges begins with the death of Joshua. Joshua and his generation of the children of Israel were obedient to God. If you don't know the story, I encourage you to read it at your leisure. But the gist of the story is that Joshua and the children of Israel were on the mission to attain the land of Canaan.
They endured many battles but they never turned away from God. They had every reason to stick with God after witnessing the splitting of the Jordan River and watching the walls of Jericho tumble before them. Because of their faithfulness, God blessed them exceedingly. However, the following generation did not witness God's miracles. They did not see (or could not see) the hand of God moving in their lives. Therefore, they did not believe in God.
The new generation decided to worship Baal, Baalim, and Ashtaroth. In the referenced text, we see that their worship to other gods is described as "whoring after other gods".
An interesting choice of words, no?
Well, of course we know God is not pleased with us serving any other gods but Him for He is a jealous God per Exodus 34:14. By the way, the following verses in Exodus 34 also mentions how God is not pleased with us "whoring after other gods".
Exodus 34: 15-16, KJV
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
See? God has told us at least three times to not whore after other gods. So, although the title of this article may seem bold and provocative (some may say tasteless and rude), I am only repeating what God said in His word. Yet, I think it's worthwhile to understand why God referenced worship to other gods as whoring.
While I don't have a definitive answer, I think I can shed some light on this jarring phrase. We know that whores are prostitutes, and prostitutes sell their bodies in exchange for money. But God is also not pleased with the selling of our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 asks the reader are we not aware that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. It also states that we are bought with a price; therefore, we should glorify God in our body and spirit. Verse 15 also states the following:
1 Corinthians 6:15, KJV
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
Umm, "members of a harlot"... more provocative language. But here's another verse before I drive my point home and send you on about your lovely day.
Matthew 7:6, KJV
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
Because our bodies are holy, whoring about is the equivalent to casting what is holy to dogs. Furthermore, because we were bought with the price (Jesus's death on the cross), we cannot place a price tag on our bodies. Whoring is selling yourself short. It's like owning a Rolex watch but selling it at the price of a Fossil.
Serving other gods is the same as whoring because serving other gods is selling yourself short. It's exchanging the Rolex for the Fossil. Other gods did not die for you. They were not willing to suffer and die on a cross for you. They did not pay for you in blood. But Christ did.
Whoring after other gods is taking what is meant to be a holy relationship between you in Christ and exchanging it for a relationship with other gods. It's casting your pearls to pigs. God wants more for you. He desires that you take that which is holy and cherish it. We have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe. Is that not mind-blowing?
It's an amazing opportunity that we all have access to everyday. I encourage you to seek Christ. Follow the one who was willing to die for you. The one who is calling for you to have an intimate, holy relationship with Him. He is asking and I am echoing, please don't go whoring after other gods. You're worth so much more.
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