Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Rise of Mommy Porn

Few passages in the Bible are as graphic and sexually explicit as Ezekiel chapter 23. This chapter is full of the details of the depravity of two women - sisters, which represent the nations of Samaria and Jerusalem. I want to comment on this chapter because there is much we can learn from it given the current female movement of "mommy porn".

Chapter 23 of Ezekiel is an allegory of two sisters named Ohola and Oholibah. I found it very interesting that the names of these women derive from the word "tent" or "my tent" and it insinuates a place of worship. Both these women prostitute themselves and revel in their lust. They are used, abused, and defiled and they seem callous to what these men do to them. Ohola is spoken of first. Her children are taken from her, she is then shamed and then killed with a sword. Seeing how her sister is shamed and murdered, you would figure that Oholibah would learn, but on the contrary, she follows in her sister's footsteps and becomes even more depraved than her sister and took her degeneracy even further. Through the middle of the chapter God speaks to her and tells her what the consequences are because of her lewdness. Her children are impacted, her body is impacted, her mind is impacted, and ultimately her relationship with God is impacted. This is a chapter full of disgust, sadness, sorrow and death.


I want to focus on Oholibah now and what happens to her. I want to talk about what she does and how she ends up because I believe this allegory of this idolatrous nation, can help us understand what sexual immorality can lead to.

The story of Oholibah begins in verse 11. She sees her sister murdered and doesn't learn from Ohola's experience. She sees her children taken from Ohola. She sees the men strip her naked and then sees them run her through with a sword. As women, we have also seen it. We have seen the woman who is abused and returns to her abuser. The woman who committed adultery and shattered her family. The woman pursuing love in all the wrong places while neglecting her children. The woman addicted to sex and one-night stands, longing for a true relationship. We have seen it, but what do we do with what we see? Oholibah doesn't learn and maybe even thinks that what happened to her sister, won't happen to her. The problem is that she ends up fornicating with the same men that killed her sister! But look at verses 14 through 16. She sees men portrayed on a wall and lusts after them. Women, she is looking at pornography! She sees that they are handsome and virile and she craves them, she wants them, she yearns for them. Ladies! What are our eyes looking at? With books out like "50 Shades of Grey" and movies like "Magic Mike", the story of Oholibah rings clear. God abhors ANYTHING that causes us to lust, because what is lust but another form of idolatry. So Oholibah sees her pornography and lusts after these men. She goes after them and they in turn release their lusts on her. At first, she seems disgusted in herself. That is what one usually feels at the beginning of any sexual sin. At first it makes us feel dirty, but practice makes perfect and sooner than later, the conviction of the Holy Spirit is gone. Oholibah continues with her mess. She forgets that what she does impacts her children. She even gives up her children to false idols. Her entitlement is more important to her. She feels she deserves to feel free and liberated and it costs her her children. Then after all her fornicating, after all her sin, after she does all her filth, she goes to church - or in this case synagogue. She goes to worship God and doesn't find Him. She turns to booze and soon becomes depressed. What she thought was her liberation, ended up being her enslavement. The Lord let her destroy herself. He gave her what she wanted and released her to her sin. What is so sad about Oholibah is that she was His. She belonged to our Lord and acted like an unwanted orphan.  She is ruined and becomes desolate. She ends up being murdered also. Ladies, this is serious. What we allow ourselves to let in, impacts us.

I know many might think what harm can a movie or a book make. I have heard plenty of times that Satan's greatest weapon is to tell people he isn't real or that sin is no big deal. This is precisely what Satan wants you to think, after all a fictional book is no big deal because it's not real. Well, pornography isn’t real, but it affects our marriages. TV drama is not real, but affects our youth. Violent video games are not real, but it affects our children. Magazine pictures are not real, but they affect our self-esteem.The list goes on and on. What we view, what we see, what we read affects our heart and mind. Jesus mentions it several times when He speaks on the inner self. If you hate in your heart, it is murder. If you lust in your heart, it is adultery. If anything replaces your love for Him, it is idolatry.  If you want something that is not yours, it is coveting. What goes on in our heart and mind is excruciatingly important. So much so that it nailed Jesus to the cross.

Ladies, anyone who reads or views this kind of mess unrepentantly and calls herself a Christian is just like Oholibah. She is prostituting her mind and heart. Remember Oholibah means "my tent". What is our body and mind? It is a dwelling place of the most High.  I Corinthians 6:19 says that we are not our own and our body is His temple. 

"50 Shades of Grey" is a depraved romance novel that uses pain and torture as a means for arousal. Is this the equality that women have fought for? To be used and abused for the arousal of a man? Is this supposed to be romantic? Is this how Jesus loved His bride? Just because a woman wrote this book does not mean it is okay to read. And just like Oholibah, this filth impacts your mind, your children and above all your relationship with God.

Ezekiel 23 ends with this warning: "So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. ”

Let us learn from Oholibah and not imitate her and remember that her despair spiraled out of control when she saw the images on the wall; when she had feasted her eyes on those lewd things. Let us make a covenant with our eyes (Job 31:1) and think of pure things (Philippians 4:8). The risks and the consequences are not worth it. 








3 comments:

  1. Amen! Great words, Anna! God has definitely blessed you with wisdom! May he use these words to reach the hearts of our sisters in Christ and future sisters in Christ. Love you and miss you!
    -Natalie.

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  2. Another thought to add--
    "50 Shades of Gray" and "Magic Mike" can obviously lead a heart towards lust and covetousness. On a subtler and "sneakier" side, romance dramas, romantic comedies, etc. can also cause us to lust and covet for relationships and "love" we do not possess. (You touched on this a bit in your article.)
    I had experienced this, but had never thought about it much until I heard you say once that you didn't watch "chick flicks." It got me thinking...and the Lord convicted me. Certain movies can affect us and have no affect on others. We need to be extremely careful about what we let into our minds, as it most certainly will affect other areas of our lives. And after all, our lives are not our own.

    Although I do still watch the occasional chick-flick, I watch them with caution and a guarded heart.
    Thanks again for your wisdom! I praise God for your passionate heart and for placing you in my life!
    -Nat.

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  3. Thanks Natalie for your encouragement! I also miss you!! Yes, sitcoms and TV dramas also affect our spiritual lives. I see it in me. I don't usually watch any shows on TV, but one night I couldn't sleep and I turned on the TV. The show was called "The Big Bang Theory". I had heard a lot about this show and that it was really funny. So I watched it. It was towards the end of the show so I missed a lot of the plot. Anyways, the last scene the blonde girl and a young man (he's Indian) were in bed together sleeping after what looked like a wild romp. The crowd went crazy because I guess they did not mean to sleep together. I have to admit that it was funny. Their faces and the guy's face was priceless. She seemed like a great catch for a "loser type" like himself. I smiled at the show and when I turned off the TV, I kinda told God, "You see God, they had sex and there were no consequences. Just some embarrassment is all" Can you believe I thought that!! Of course there are consequences: not just physically and emotionally, but this young lady and young man is going to bring into their marriage bed this scenario. ALthough I know the characters are not real, but if Satan can tempt me with those kinds of thoughts, how much easier can he influence someone who doesn't fear God? Yes, be mindful of what you watch. Everything! Love you too!!!!

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