When I think of the word harlot, the first thing that comes to mind is The Scarlet Letter. The embroidered A that Hester Prynne wears in this riveting tale by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a badge of shame for all in Puritan Boston to see. This same image has become a kind of archetype for many as it represents issues of guilt, shame, legalism and repentance.
If there has ever been a people group that could relate to Hester Prynne, it would be the people of Israel. “Playing the harlot,” or, “prostitutes,” are descriptors used by God’s prophets in relationship to the way in which Israel chased after other gods. You can land on these adjectives in most any Old Testament book.
The prophet Gideon had the difficult task of dealing with Israel’s wayward ways. If you’d like to read Gideon’s story, take a look at Judges 6:11 – 8:35. For our purposes in this post, focus in on Judges 8:22-35.
Israel has become a nation inhabiting a specific area of land. The land of promise… i.e. Canaan, is a gift from Yahweh and was an all-important aspect of Israel becoming the very people God intended them to be. In other words, without land you would cease to be a nation. With land and geographical boundaries… you could both be a people and a nation. So Israel has land and they have an identity rooted in the Mosaic Law. What they don’t have… and most definitely long for… is a king.
Given the fact that Gideon is the current prophet and leader of Israel, it makes sense that the nation begins to clamor for him to take the throne. But Gideon has none of it. He says in response to the people’s desire, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you” (Judges 8:23, NLT)! Sounds good, right? But there’s an inherent problem. Although Gideon takes a stand that Yahweh is the only rightful ruler and king… he doesn’t follow-through and bring closure to this truth. Gideon goes on to say, “However, I do have one request – that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies” (Judges 8:24, NLT). Gideon takes the offerings (43 pounds worth) and makes an ephod.
An ephod was a couple of things for the people of Israel. We know that it was a precious priestly garment (akin to a vest) and we also know that it was a symbol of different sizes and weights that might have been carried about and/or placed in a sacred place of worship. Perhaps the best item we could relate to on this score today would be the cross. The cross is large enough to hang at the center of a place for worship… and… it can be worn on a necklace around one’s neck… same kind of thing… The problem with Gideon’s request was that although he refrained from becoming a king… he unintentionally opened the door to leading God’s people into a place of spiritual prostitution. “Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family” (Judges 8:27, NLT).
The bottom-line is this… we are inherently idolaters. Given enough space and time you and I will naturally set up a god we can control and worship it (i.e. “play the harlot”). God knows this. That’s why in the 10 Commandments the 2nd on the list is, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. (Exodus 20:4-5a, NLT).
I like how Frederick Buechner puts it when he says, “As soon as you’ve got a golden god you can shine up and deck out and push around like a doll in a baby carriage, you start thinking God himself is someone you can push around too” (Peculiar Treasures, p. 46). One of the main reasons we commit idolatry is because we want to be in control. We want to dictate who our king is and the manner in which we’ll allow ourselves to be led. We don’t have faith that God can be trusted. We want to take things into our own hands.
Although the account in Judges 8 is short and to-the-point, I doubt it played out that way. I believe the movement into idolatry is always quite subtle and happens over time. We gather our golden trinkets thinking we’re moving closer to God and yet once our hands are in control of spiritual things we begin to gravitate towards a place of worshipping what we have done, made, crafted, organized and set into motion. Simply put, we bow down to ourselves.
Personal and/or small group questions:
Take a moment to read Matthew chapter 4. How does Jesus differ from the people of Israel in Judges chapter 8?
How would you define idolatry?
What’s so awful about idolatry? Why do people tend to bow down to little gods?
Would you agree that idolatry is rooted in a lack of faith that God can be trusted? Flesh this out a little…
What are some of our most poignant idols today? What do people get out of worshiping them?
What idol(s) might you have in your life? Why are they there? What would you need to let God do in your life for them to be removed?
Scripture Memory Verse: “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him” Matthew 4:10b, NLT)
