Selling yourself

      Speaking of whoring, I just returned from Las Vegas last week. I did not partake in any particular sins of flesh while there but I am familiar with the term. Honestly, I find whoring more appropriate in our daily lives. From today's passage I will also be thinking of it in terms of religion. 

       The question at hand is how literal you want to be with the term 'whoring'? For those people who have a penchant for promoting their religion or cause with literal snippets from scripture, today may come as a blow.  While adultery is mentioned in today's passage, the notion of whoring is much broader.  Further, God is giving notice as to who will be punished and who will be held responsible.

       Our consciences certainly cannot be abandoned and we cannot take solace for our sins in someone who may have lead us astray but God is giving notice to those that do lead people astray and it is not for the literalists to take any comfort in. 

        It seems rather important then that when we do our Examen or any self reflection, we look at how we really live, who we are beholden to, whom we seem to be willing to sell our souls for.  Whoring is not just for prostitutes of the typical variety.  How do we sell ourselves?  The obvious to me might be what we'd do to place materialism over God. Do we sell our souls to Madison Avenue?  Do we sell our souls to religion by acting smugly that our 'religion' asks us to 'this' and no more.  Hell, religion can be a primary driver of whoredom as today's passage indicates.  Have institutions changed that much? 

         With the broadest definition of 'whoring', how do we fit in? What is it God is asking us to do?

Hosea 4:11-19

whoredom. 

Wine and new wine
   take away the understanding. 
My people consult a piece of wood,
   and their divining-rod gives them oracles.
For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
   and they have played the whore, forsaking their God. 
They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains,
   and make offerings upon the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
   because their shade is good. 

Therefore your daughters play the whore,
   and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 
I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
   nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery;
for the men themselves go aside with whores,
   and sacrifice with temple prostitutes;
thus a people without understanding comes to ruin. 

Though you play the whore, O Israel,
   do not let Judah become guilty.
Do not enter into Gilgal,
   or go up to Beth-aven,
   and do not swear, ‘As the Lord lives.’ 
Like a stubborn heifer,
   Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
   like a lamb in a broad pasture? 

Ephraim is joined to idols—
   let him alone. 
When their drinking is ended, they indulge in sexual orgies;
   they love lewdness more than their glory. 
A wind has wrapped them in its wings,
   and they shall be ashamed because of their altars.