Fearlessly Courageous

Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
9/16/2021

Spiritual Adultery – What is it to you?

Spiritual Adultery – What is it to you?

(I apologize if yesterday’s devotional was a bit messed up in its timing and submission). My wife Dyan and I attend a couples group every Tuesday night. We have the most incredible discussions about God, about life, and becoming a better child of God and a better spouse. This week we spoke about the book of Hosea. God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Hosea 1: 1-11 and 2:1-15 At the beginning everything was wonderful. Gomer became pregnant Hosea as a young prophet was out spreading the word and life was as it should be.

And then the most common married misconception occurred. She began thinking that what I am missing is better than what I have. Can you think of how you’ve experienced that misconception in your own relationships? Can you recall the results?

People decide to trade the 80% of what is good in their marriage for the 20% that they’re not experiencing. You know, the old 80-20 rule that applies to so many things. The old grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Why is it that they can’t see that they just need to fertilize and water their own lawn?

But realistically society has trained us better for divorce than it does for a lasting marriage. When you consider that dating prepares you better for divorce you might not be as surprised. Let’s face it, we do so many of the same things in dating that we do in marriage. We say I love you. We live together and playhouse. We sleep in the same bed. We have sex. And then when the feelings wain or one of the other loses interest we practice divorce. We take our toothbrush and leave. When you compile that with numerous relationships, knowing that if it doesn’t work out you can just practice divorce and take your toothbrush and scoot. Then when we think we have found the right person we sign a marriage certificate and we think that’s going to be enough to secure our relationship during the dark days.

Statistically, they say 60% of the people in marriage will have an affair. And then at least 50% will go through a divorce. People leave the 80% for the 20% that they think will make them happy. But the truth is no one person can make another person 100% happy. It’s impossible. In the end, they end up with a lot less than the 80% that they had. A lot.

God always viewed the people of Israel as his wife. And he viewed her worship of other gods and the practices as spiritual adultery. The old testament speaks frequently of Israel whoring after or playing the harlot with other gods Deuteronomy 31:16 Judges 2:17 Jehovah told Israel from the beginning that he would not share her with others Exodus 20:3 "you shall have no other gods before me." The very first of his 10 Commandments. But we have persistently ignored his commands.

You may be thinking my wife and I are faithful to each other. We’re not into the affair business. What you’re saying is probably true but we’re happily married and this just doesn’t apply to me. But what is spiritual adultery? Turning to other gods? Believing what we’re missing in our life is better than what God has for us?

What exactly is the symbolism of God asking Hosea to marry a prostitute and then forgive her time and time again.? Hosea in 2:2 "he pleaded with her" 2:3 "he threatened to disinherit her but she still ran off with her lovers because they promised to lavish material things on her" 2:5. "He tried to stop her on occasion" 2:6 "but she continued with her secret companions" and 2:7 Hosea would continually take her back with loving forgiveness and they would try again but her attention would be short-lived.

When you realize that God is telling the story about you and I and Him… it is actually very painful to watch and see the hurt God bears for each of us
when we are not faithful to him.

Exactly how many things do we put before God? Fear? Doubt? Unforgiveness? Anger? Selfishness? Money? obsessive over sports or TV?

What are some of the ways you have been unfaithful to God? What percentage would you say you are sold out to Christ? Have you given him 80%? 50%? 20%? And at what level exactly would you classify lukewarmness? Jehovah is very clear that he will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. (Rev 3:16) I do believe people leave the 80% good in their marriages for the 20% that they dream about. But I also believe that people called themselves Christians holding onto their own subjective truths of who God is and hold to perhaps 20% of God while the other 80% of our attention is focused on ourselves and on the world’s way of doing things.

God intended to use the prophet’s personal relationship with Gomer as a penetrating object lesson of his own relationship with his unfaithful people, Israel. Gomer was still beloved of Hosea, even though she was an adulteress, and God wanted him to seek her out and prove his love for her.
How could anyone love that deeply?
The answer was right in his instructions to Hosea " Even as the Lord loves! What an incredible example, I pray, to all of us.

casting crowns Only Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eQd3K2Fxp4&list=PL3oW2tjiIxvTstLS9GlgaT_mqONT0WVDw&index=18

Excerpts are taken from a teaching by Craig Groshelle