Whore as a Word-Picture for the Christian Life

Adam C. Parker

When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:

“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry,

And children of harlotry,

For the land has committed great harlotry

By departing from the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2)

Whore. In the English language, there is really no word that is more despised, disgusting, disreputable, or distasteful, is there? And what is a whore? She is a woman who gives herself away time and time again to strangers. These people who are absolutely meaningless, who don’t even know her will spend 20 minutes having themselves pleased, only to discard and reject her moments later. A whore is used by others and benefits naught, excepting perhaps the temporary provision of money: and even then far less than her person is worth. Could she ever fetch a price that is worthy of her? I doubt it. A whore will settle for whatever she deems to be the best she can do, and is always on the losing end of the deal.

Humanly speaking, she is very valuable: a great treasure as a person. Morally speaking, there is possibly nothing a person could do which is more disreputable than to prostitute oneself.

Yet, as I listened to Derek Webb’s song “Wedding Dress,” I could not help but reflect upon just how absolutely appropriate it is for me to confess to my Lord, “I am a whore, I do confess; But I put you on just like a wedding dress.” Do I not also, day-in and day-out whore myself out to the first cheap substitute for the Ultimate Joy that moseys across my path, only to receive temporary provision which does not satisfy or fulfill my deepest wants and needs?

I do it everyday when I desire a nicer ride or look for the next big blockbuster to add to my DVD collection. I whore myself out because I give up the most valuable thing I could give up (my eternal soul) to something that will soon discard me when it is finished with me.

It is most appropriate for us to remember that each time we choose others or things above God, we are spiritual prostitutes: yet what could be more offensive to man than to believe he actually owes his allegiance and every thought to his Maker? I love Him deeply, and even I am offended at the allegiance God demands of me.

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,

And bring her into the wilderness,

And speak comfort to her.

I will give her her vineyards from there,

And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;

She shall sing there,

As in the days of her youth,

As in the days when she came up from the Land of Egypt.

And in that day,”

Says the Lord,

“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’

And no longer call me ‘My Master,’

I will betroth you to me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In lovingkindness and mercy;

I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.” (Hosea 2:14-16, 19-20)

Praise be to God for the daily sacrifice I have, which Christ has atoned on my behalf. He has forgiven me fully, deeply, and completely, and I now have no wants. It is even in the context of this deep and passionate love which God has for us that we leave the church, and kneel down to an idol to whom we offer greater allegiance than our true Husband, who never stops welcoming home his wayward prostitute, time and time again.

To picture Christ as our husband and ourselves as his promiscuous wife is very shaming to us. No matter how good at “being Christian” we have been, even the slightest sin is like a glance around looking for another lover, while our Husband is on our arm. It is infinitely displeasing to the Lord, no matter the triviality of our sin, for it is to regard the approval of the infinite God as trivial.

What can be more glorious to God than for His church to unabashedly and joyfully take shelter in the shadow of His righteous wings? God justifies the ungodly, and it degrades the glory of God to claim to be anything but filthy and wicked whores. When we expose ourselves for what we are, not only does God receive proper glory for saving such wicked sinners, but we also are becoming people who stand before God unprotected and with nothing to claim for ourselves. How hard it is to sing, “I am a whore, I do confess/ But I put you on just like a wedding dress/ And I run down the aisle to you.”

It is very hard, indeed.