Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15 (ESV)
God declared that he was a husband to Israel. Israel was the virgin of his affection and he longed to be the affection of Israel’s heart. He said, For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. (Isaiah 54:5-6 ESV)
Throughout the Old Testament God commanded Israel to have no other god’s before him. During times of rebellion he accused them of committing adultery with other lovers. God’s assessment of Israel’s condition was, And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the LORD. (Hosea 2:13 ESV) How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! (Ezekiel 16:30-32 ESV) Israel sought gratification in something other than God. They loved how the things of the world made them feel.
The word defile means to make filthy or dirty. That is exactly what we do when we entertain the things of this world. At first it may seem not to affect us. We enjoy how it makes us feel so we continue to indulge ourselves. Soon that thing isn’t enough, and we begin to turn to other sources of pleasure to fulfill our desires. Eventually we find ourselves cankered with worldliness.
The Apostle Paul, being concerned that the Corinthian believers had been deceived into believing a different gospel than the one he had preached, wrote this, For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2 ESV)
Our husband is jealous for a virgin bride. Christians are virgins in the since that they are married to God alone. They are not defiled with the things of this world nor have they given themselves to other gods. They have only one husband; Jesus.
Are you married to God alone? Do you have other “lovers” in your life?
Scriptures for meditation:
James 1:27; 4:5
Galatians 5:16
1 John 2:16