Worship and sex

Not sure how to parachute into this one but it struck me profoundly the last two days as I've been reading and then re-reading Ezekiel 23.  <pause>. 

Okay, you've read it now?  Good.  Then you'll have context for this post and you won't think I've totally lost my Christianity. 

Here's what struck me.  God expresses the binding, intimate, mysterious nature of worship by using the imagery of sex.   Does that blow your mind?  In a sex-confused culture, it seems like the use of sex is a seedy, third-rate option.  But that should tell us just how far we've devolved in our grasp of the value of sex and sexuality.

Consider the fact that God created sex between one man and one woman in marriage to be a beautiful picture of what it looks like for God to relate to and love His people (Eph 5.)  That's the implication of Ezekiel 23.  And wandering in worship toward other gods is tantamount to being a promiscuous woman--the Bible uses the word "whore".  Not exactly politically correct. 

Does it jolt you a bit as you read this text?  It does me.  I mean, for God to get nitty-gritty on the lusts of a whore and compare them to the wandering of His people toward false gods makes purity in worship have a whole new sense of gut-level urgency.   I don't want to be a spiritual whore.

Here's something I value about Scripture and truth--it shows up in my life without asking permission, takes it's shoes off, puts them up on the ottoman and then proceeds to get in my business in the most  obtuse and eye-popping ways.  It doesn't respect my feelings but it does respect me and my future and my life.  I'm glad truth isn't served room temperature with milquetoast. 

Comments

[Nate]

This is great insight. We acknowledge the church as the Bride of Christ and applaud sex in marriage. Even if we're willing to ponder (however awkwardly) a parallel between true worship and sex as it was intended, we don't look at the flipside. I recall reading this passage a few months back and being surprised by the graphic description and the fact that it hadn't registered with me before. Thanks for sharing. It's good to be reminded of the ugliness of our sin. This is a very non-Moody insight, by the way.