Playing The Whore

whore |hôr| noun derogatory a prostitute.• a promiscuous woman.

Is the word whore offensive to you? I find it offensive. If a woman is called a whore it is insulting. While we all know there are such people in existence we seldom use that word to describe them. We now call such people prostitutes or harlots. If a woman is promiscuous we might say she is sexually active or a fornicator. Few would call her a whore.

Such a word is degrading. It is a condemning word. A judgmental word. 

If one immoral woman calls another immoral woman a whore that is like the pot calling the kettle black. What if God labels you a whore? He is just in judgments. He is always accurate. He is righteous in evaluations. He sees all and knows all. 

Now take this thought one step further. What if God calls a whole nation a whore. To be even more specific what if He calls His own people whores. He did just that. 

Jeremiah 3:1 (ESV)
¹  “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the LORD. 

In this passage God is using the human analogy of marriage to symbolize His covenant relationship with Israel. Yet Israel turned from God. You can read more about this in Jeremiah chapters 2-3. In fact, God says they did not just turn their faces away from Him but they turned their backs to Him. They preferred to give their allegiance to gods made with human hands like the pagans around them. 

No matter all that God did for Israel, the rich heritage of His love, deliverance, preservation, and blessings. Israel wanted to divorce Him. They wanted to be separated and free to pursue other lovers. 

God calls the nation a whore. In the Hebrew language the word whore can be translated to mean a harlot and one who commits adultery. Every act of idolatry from Israel was like an act of adultery. Their actions polluted the land. That means they corrupted and defiled the land. Few could distinguish the lifestyles of God's people from the pagan nations around them. Such polluted actions offended and grieved Yahweh. 

Is it any different for church members today? Surveys have been done and there is very little difference between the morality of church members and those not affiliated with any church. Sin pollutes both inside and outside the church. This should not be. 

Could that be why so many churches are ineffective? Is it because church members are so filthy in sin, like a whore, that worship gatherings are offensive to Elohim? That is strong language. You may disagree. 

Let me ask a few simple questions. Do you have members who are die hard sports fans? Do they set their schedules around game times? Do their emotions rise and sink based on the outcome of the game? Do you have parents who regularly skip corporate worship in favor of some select sports team for their kids? Do you know parents who profess to be followers of Jesus and yet spend exorbitant amounts of money on sports leagues, private coaches, the best equipment and yet give minimally to the kingdom of God? Do you see marriages falling apart in your congregation? Do your students engage in drug, alcohol, and fornication? How is the language of members outside the holy huddles? How do you see yourself and fellow members use your money? Is it spent on more stuff or leveraged to build God's kingdom? 

I could go but I will stop. I think the picture is clear. The American church is playing the whore just like Israel did. God raised Jeremiah to prophesy against Israel and to call them to repentance. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet. Nobody listened to him. Nobody repented. It broke His heart. He warned Israel of a day of reckoning. 

His warnings came true. 

While the American church is often whoring around, contenting themselves with how many showed up and how much money was collected, God has a higher standard. It is holiness. I believe far too many church members have polluted the land with their hypocrisy. Many bow down to the idols of materialism, hedonism, sports, children, political correctness, a progressive world view instead of God alone. 

Lost people see very little difference in their lives and the lives of the average church member. Co-workers see hypocrisy on display each work day. 

Many American churches have divorced themselves from God and His holy standards. They play the whore. God is not mocked. There will be a day of reckoning. 

Here is the most amazing truth of all. If you continue reading in Jeremiah 3 God says some stunning things. Jeremiah 3:11-14 (ESV) 

¹¹  And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.
¹²  Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, “‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever.
¹³  Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.
¹⁴  Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.Even after Israel played the whore God wanted to take them back if they would just repent. The love, mercy, patience, grace, and compassion of Jehovah are amazing. So does God love His true followers today. Even when we stray and play the whore. He still loves us and will take us back if we repent and turn back to Him. That truth stuns me. If God were like us He would divorce us for playing the whore. He would never take us back. God is not like us and praise His holy name for it. It is time to quit playing the whore, repent, and turn back to Him with all our heart.