03.09. ISRAEL: GOD’S UNFAITHFUL WIFE
ISRAEL: GOD’S UNFAITHFUL WIFE As it is, though, God’s bride did not at all remain faithful to her Husband. Repeatedly the Old Testament uses the word harlotry to describe Israel’s behaviour towards God. Time and again Israel committed adultery by giving herself to foreign gods - though God had married her. Through spiritual harlotry Israel broke the marriage between herself and God. The following two Scripture texts illustrate how God warned Israel against playing the harlot with other gods:
“And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.”
Here we find the first Old Testament reference to spiritual harlotry. We are to know that the Lord gave the book of Leviticus to Israel while they were still gathered at Mt Sinai, directly after the Lord established His covenant with Israel, “married” this people. God, then, immediately warned Israel against looming threats to their marriage; They would, for example, be confronted when they moved on to Canaan with the god of the Ammonites, Molech. For the sake of safe-guarding their marriage with their covenant God, the Lord warned Israel that if anyone sacrifices any of his children to Molech, they will call God’s righteous wrath upon themselves: He will cut them off.
“Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall leave the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.”
Here is a command from God to Israel concerning preventive measures against the sin of marital unfaithfulness to their covenant God. Like the marriage ring on our fingers today, the tassels on Israel’s garments would remind God’s people that they belonged to God and that they were to love and obey Him only.
However, the people of Israel did not heed the instruction of their covenant God to be faithful to Him alone. The following Scripture texts record instances where the Israelites actually did commit harlotry:
“Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.”
Israel, God’s partner by covenant, was partying with the gods of the Moabites, playing the harlot. In so doing, Israel broke the marriage bond between her and God. Understandably, this conduct aroused the jealous anger of a spurned Husband.
Judges 2:17 “... they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them…” As long as Joshua and all the elders lived who had witnessed God’s great deeds for Israel, God’s spouse was faithful to God and served Him (Judges 2:7). But after these spiritual leaders had all died, Israel became an unfaithful spouse. Instead of remaining loyal to the Husband who provided a land flowing with milk and honey, they forsook Him and gave themselves to the worship of Baal and the Ashteroths.
Further examples abound of instances where the bride of almighty God shunned her Husband in favour of worshipping idols. Time and again God terms such conduct “harlotry”.