Idolatry and Porn

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: Idolatry and Porn ------------------- Date: 3/2/2002
Keywords: "idolatry"
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Passage: Hosea 1:2*

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord."

Questions

1. What do you think the Lord meant when He told Hosea that the Jews were committing harlotry against Him?

 

2. Since God was putting Himself in the role of the nation’s husband, how do you think God "felt" in light of the people’s "flagrant harlotry"?

 

Practical help

One of the most frequent themes of the Old Testament prophets is the unfaithfulness of God’s people, Israel. Their worship of other gods was often couched in sexual terms. "Playing the harlot" was God’s way of saying that they were worshipping false gods. Their worship behavior was similar to a wife who had an affair with another man.

There is, I believe, a parallel to the man or woman who continually turns to porn for fulfillment, a thrill, a turn-on, and the Old Testament people of God who turned to false idols for their religious fulfillment.

God offers life and joy and abundance to all who will seek Him. Our commitment to self-fulfillment through porn is simply one more manifestation of how dearly we want to avoid trusting dependence on God.

See porn for what it is. It is idolatry! God offers a holy life that is, in the long run, more fulfilling, more satisfying and richer than anything the Internet can offer. As the prophet Hosea told the Israelites hundreds of years before Jesus was born, "Turn from idols and serve the Lord," so now He would say, "Turn from the idol of porn and find your life in Me."

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."