I suppose that many people can understand the attraction that strip clubs and whore houses have. There are undoubtedly those who believe them to be a desirable part of a community. But they haven’t ever considered this:
Every time I travel to Erie, I see signs for a large men’s “adult playhouse” a few miles off my path. These types of places spot the landscape. They are a testimony to our national descent into lust driven living. I recently learned that there are at least 1 million prostitutes in the U.S., and potentially many more than that. Prostitution as a business brings in over 14 billion dollars a year, that’s about what the NFL makes every year. That’s about 1/3 of what Disney makes…including all their theme parks, movies, etc. What I’m saying is: prostitution is big business in the U.S. If it were legal, it would be one of the top 50 companies in the United States. And that’s just the prostitution that we know about, there is another current of “off the books” prostitution being conducted by individuals from their homes. On top of that, somewhere around 8,000 cases of sex trafficking were filed in 2016, a 35% jump from 2015. These victims are generally young girls under the age of 16. It’s estimated that 1 in 6 runaways becomes a prostitute.
Stories from young women who have survived the ordeal describe conditions that are several steps below a third world prison, with as many as 60 clients a day. Occasionally arrested, many of these girls are returned to the very same conditions they left once released from jail.
I share these images and statistics only to prove a point, that “sex sells” and the general population doesn’t care if it’s legal, or harmful to someone else.
That is, if it isn’t someone they know. Here’s what most men who participate haven’t considered: everyone of those girls was someone’s daughter, or wife. No one grows up hoping that someday they will be a prostitute. No parent looks at their children and envisions the day they will work in a strip club, taking their clothes off for complete strangers. The very thought of that happening to any of my relatives makes me mad…and I’m just imagining it.
Having an affair is one of the most popular ways to end a marriage. It erodes trust and leaves your spouse feeling robbed, or betrayed. Sometimes that trust takes so long to rebuild, the marriage unravels before it can happen.
That’s why I can’t begin to imagine why Hosea could fall in love with a prostitute. From the time he married her, he knew she was sleeping around, and receiving gifts from other men. I have a hard time imagining life at his house. Did she bring lovers home, or did she stay out late? Did she take the kids with her to other men’s homes, or were they playing in the next room as she entertained them?
Prostitution and loving relationships are two polar opposites. You can’t have both at the same time.
So, I’m guessing by this point you could agree with me that you would never want your daughter or wife to be a prostitute or sex slave. I’m guessing that you wouldn’t want to be one yourself, either. That’s why this message stings. Hosea is saying that when we worship other gods, we have collectively become engaged in prostitution. One of the things that many judges and law enforcement personnel have discovered is that once you are into the prostitution subculture, there isn’t any easy way out….you’re trapped there. 7:9 and 11 speak to this, too weak to run, to ignorant to know where to go. Trapped.
Trapped in false worship, and because of it, destined to incur God’s wrath. Not something I want for the people I care about.
As Christians, we are mandated to share with others that there is a way out of this unsavory lifestyle. I’m not speaking of actual prostitution here, I’m speaking of those who live in modest homes, raise seemingly intelligent children, plan for college and work in the community. The difference between them and you and I might only be seen in who and what we worship. Those who deny the existence of God, and teach their children to either deny God or accept other false religions are guilty of prostitution.
One other stray thought for today: The main theme of Hosea’s prophecy is impending punishment because of rebellion in the form of worshipping false gods. He isn’t the only prophet saying this: Isaiah and Micah have said the same thing, and others will join them. The message hasn’t changed for 50 years….punishment for forgetting God is headed your way. At the same time, God has promised to deliver Judah, because Hezekiah is on the throne, and he is a righteous king. While God promises to punish Jehu’s family tree (Israel North)…you remember Jehu, the guy who drove his chariot like a wild man, and commanded the eunuchs to throw Jezebel from the window. He also had all the heirs to the throne killed in the Jezreel valley…that was a “bridge too far” and the punishment for his past sin is going to catch up with his family.
Israel north punished and Israel south spared. The only difference is righteousness. I find myself wondering this morning, what does God want to do in my ministry? What terrors might beset the United States, or the local community that God will protect me from (or my descendents) if I will remain obedient and righteous before Him? Israel north has wandered so far away (and Judah won’t be far behind) that they quit caring that they were prostitutes. I never want that to happen to me! And I never want to be the leader that allows that to happen to those who I am responsible for!
“Lord, today as I read this passage I am reminded of the terrible consequences for sin. More than that, I am deeply disturbed at how much pain our actions cause in heaven. I would never want to do anything that would create this kind of sadness and pain in You. Forgive me if I have in any way participated in some false form of worship. Forgive my half hearted attempts to praise and serve. Create within me, through the power of the Holy Spirit the pure and holy desire to do Your will”.
Faithfully,
PR