A Pledge of Allegiance

Disclaimer: “31. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32. not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33. but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 

Jeremiah 31:31-33 KJV

In The Volume of The Book

As you might have guessed by now, I am no stranger to nor hold any aversion to a bit of fire and brimstone in my speech. As a child, I was first introduced to the dynamic preaching style by men of God who commanded the congregation with determined and far-reaching raised voices, Isaiah 58:1.

Voices reverberated in echos bellowing through the air, only to be eclipsed by the power of the Holy Spirit that moved in hearts convicted from the Word being preached to us.

One such passage that faithfully resonated on Sunday mornings through most sermons hailed from none other than Leviticus. Verse 18:22, to be exact, and it reads;

“22. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

I would watch as some congregants' heads lowered; some shifted in their seats, others nodded silently in approval, while a portion was all the more boisterous in their agreement.

I remembered thinking, we all suspect this person and that, but they can’t get mad; the Word says what it says, but not to worry because surely everyone will have their turn in the hot seat; after all, many were suspected of violating another law only two verses up!

I waited, Sunday after Sunday, and would you know it, those faithful men of God never brought it up. That aforementioned verse is none other than Leviticus 18:20;

“20. Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.”

Well, to God be all the glory, in my faithfulness first to Yawhew and then to you, today is that day, the day we discuss…. Adultery.

The Law of Marriage

What is adultery? Among its simplest of descriptions, it can be defined as the breaking of a marital bond by an unfaithful act/s divinely designated to be performed and held only within the bounds of the marriage, performed with another outside of its lawful union, Jeremiah 31:32.

The act of adultery is the breaking of the law, Romans 7:1-3.

If the law is done away with, as some proclaim, why are we still adhering to these standards for marriage?

In a previous article, we discussed the mystery of marriage, a depiction of Christ’s sacrificial love for us and our submission to Him. Whether we are actively heralding the good news or not, as we should be, it is depicted in our marriages.

How seriously does God take adultery? Not only was the adulterous woman a stone's throw away from finding out, but God gave another impactful depiction of this when we told our brother Hosea to marry a prostitute, referenced in the book of Hosea.

I don’t know about you, but this alarms me more than any other imagery that I can think of; God likened the behavior of his rebellious people to that of a prostitute and the illegitimate children produced by her as a result.

It may surprise you that God doesn’t portray our rebellion in the bible with a metaphor for a homosexual pairing but with a heterosexual marriage between one man and one woman. For God not only judges the sexually immoral but also the adulterer, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews 13:4.

We are quick to point out other laws of God that are displeasing to the Lord and often leave out one that he uses so frequently to describe His relationship with us so often throughout the bible. God is clearly showing us how important this issue is to Him, so much so that He descriptively paints himself as the offended spouse!

In fact, the holy bible speaks way more often about God's disdain for adultery than it does even the shedding of innocent blood…WAY MORE… it’s a wonder it doesn’t get as much attention or vitriol….

A Kingdom Divided

Understanding the split of Israel referenced in 1 King and 2 King is paramount to this section of the article. With this foreknowledge, let’s dive in, shall we?

“10. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 11.Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel,” Hosea1:10-11.

This passage speaks of the adulterous Jews, these Israelites, through their rebellion, were no longer considered Jews, God’s people, but they were now considered not God’s people, or rather Gentiles, because of their unfaithfulness and rebellion.

For they had given themselves over to a Gentile way of life, this also clearly explains another misinterpreted set of scriptures, Romans 9:25-27 ( pay close attention to verse 27, this is clearly speaking about Israel).

But God, remembering his covenant with His people, once again had mercy and showed His great love toward our people, even though we acted abominably towards Him, Hosea 2:19-20. Let us praise our God for His mercy, beloved.

A Marriage Act

Our God has given us a faith and a covenant that our ancestors rebelled from Leviticus 26:33. He has loved us as a husband, Isaiah 54:5-6;

“5. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.”

He is the sovereign God over all, but he is our Redeemer, Isaiah 59:19-21.

But how do we love our husband? Do we love Him the way he says or the way we think He wants to be loved, based on our perception of love? For God says this of His love, 1 John 5:3-4;

“3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Be truthful. Do you find God’s commandments to be grievous? Or do you seek ways to ensure that you haven’t given yourself over to the customs of the heathen? Do you even care where some of these pagan holidays, customs, and traditions that you celebrate even come from? Because I can assure you our father does, 1 Peter 2:9.

It’s so easy to wag a critical finger at our ancestors because, let’s be honest worshipping Baal just sounds stupid and avoidable, not in the least bit like blowing out candles on a cake and celebrating a day (or week or month) for something you had nothing to do with more than exit when you were going to, Romans 12:2. You would be surprised at where a lot of things we glorify originate from, such as even the Olympics and even more to the topic, wedding rings for that matter!

Loves, it’s not about legalism; it’s about obedience and faithfulness to a God who demands holiness and is faithful to us.

It’s a commitment to our Father to die to the flesh and this World, 1 John 2:15. This is not our home; it is the home of the heathens and ruled by the ruler of this world, the devil; we should not long to be a part of it, as if our God’s laws and commandments are burdens, for they are not, they were designed to show a holy people, meaning set apart not only in our lineage but in our ways, Exodus 19:5-6;

“ 5. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6. and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

Let us, brothers and sisters, question the practices, false doctrines, and religions we have given ourselves over to before we just continue in participation without a thought, Mark 7:7.

Let us abstain in faith from the customs and the traditions of the heathen as they are not ours, they are not what God gave us, and they are not what He wants us to follow. In fact, he forbids it. Don’t just do it; question it first; how did this originate? Is this pleasing to my God? 2 Corinthians 5:9.

The Perfect Bride

I am not obtuse; I fully understand that some things are almost unavoidable while we are sojourning here in this sinful World, for example, the origination of the very names of the days of the week!

But unavoidable is the difference between unable and unwilling. As a nation, we cannot willingly give ourselves over to this world's paganism when it can be avoided.

Some of us know what the different zodiac signs mean even more than we know the scriptures in the Word given to us! 1 Corinthians 8:6

We have been so regaled with accounts of what God does for us, brothers and sisters, that we have neglected to seek, let alone do, what He has asked us to do for Him, not for salvation but as His people set apart.

I know you want, as well as I, for our husband to look at us, His church, His chosen, His body, and His love, and see a faithful and committed bride devoted to His honor and glory and not stare at us and see his chosen nation as a pitiful whore for hire to this decaying world. Proverbs 6:32-33. Love you. His Glory