Question #10 on page 71 really made me ponder a bit of the opposite of what was asked.
“How can we relate all that we have learned about being the bride of Christ to an earthly marriage? How could this view change how earthly marriages function?”
I began to think,
“How can we relate how we honor our spouse to our relationship with Jesus? How could this view change how our relationship with Jesus is?”
Since I read Ezekiel 16 and really took a deeper look at what it means to be a “whore” in God’s eyes, it really made me think of my marriage. The word “whore” is such a vile word that it repulses me to read it repeatedly in Ezekiel. We often “whore” ourselves out to other gods, giving them more time, money, honor, praise, glory, thought, emotion, etc. than we do to God. It is very appropriate for God to use such a vile word to describe our sin against him, yet we don’t often see our sin in that light. As I read Ezekiel I thought of my husband and how he would feel if I had an affair. Hopefully, since we are Christian women, we seek to have eyes only for our husbands. It is of utmost importance to me to be pure in heart for my husband only, not looking at other men, coveting someone else’s husband, wanting to be single, and confessing sin if any of those ever occur. The thought of having an affair on my husband makes me sick and something I don’t ponder on. Is this how I walk in relationship with God? Do I take as much care and concern in my relationship with God to be sure that I’m not a “whore” in his eyes seeking other gods? Sadly and regretfully the answer is no. I should take much more care to be sure I am not coveting other gods, worshiping other gods, and entertaining other gods. My desire to repent of this is great and I pray that God would continue to redeem me just as he did Israel. I am utterly grateful that he loves me so much even though I could never deserve it!
