Hosea: Unfaithfulness

Spiritual & Physical Adultery Comparison

 

“Spiritual & physical adultery are alike in many ways, & both are dangerous. God was disappointed with His people because they had committed spiritual adultery against Him, as Gomer had committed physical adultery against Hosea.” ^[1]

 

A) Both spiritual & physical adultery are against God’s Law.

 

            1) Breaking God’s law while totally aware of what we’re doing will cause our heart to become hardened to the sin, thus severing our relationship with the Lord.

 

B) Both spiritual & physical adultery start with disappointment & dissatisfaction (either real or imagined) with an existing relationship.

 

            1) The feeling that God has disappointed you can lead you away from Him. Such feelings are normal because we are human, however, when endure they do pass.

 

C) Both spiritual & physical adultery start when we begin to divert our affection from one object of devotion to another.

 

            1) The diverting process is the first step to blinding us from right & wrong and THAT is what leads to sin.

 

D) Both spiritual & physical adultery involve a deterioration process ... it’s not usually an impulsive decision.

 

            1) The reason this process is dangerous is because of the subtlety with which it takes place. We don’t always realize what is happening until it’s too late.

 

E) Both spiritual & physical adultery involve creation of a fantasy regarding your new object of affection and what it can do for you, which typically ends up being a lie from Satan.

            1) These fantasies create an unrealistic expectation, but typically leads to disappointment. Fantasies are never rooted in reality; therefore we must be wary of such things.

 

            Be aware of what you are doing at all times and do not allow yourself to dabble in things that are not of God. The results are never beneficial for you.

 

“There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 14:12 _NKJV

 

Up next is a look at ‘Obedience vs. Sacrifice’ as it relates to the book of Hosea. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.

 

In His Name & for His Glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

^[1] Taken from page 1827 in the Life Application Study Bible.