Unfaithful

And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked 
herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the 
LORD.  Hosea 2:13.

The first reference to incense is in the offering to be taken up by Moses in Exodus 25:6.  This was a very
delicate matter: Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.  Exodus 
25:2.
Baalim was a Canaanite God who we read about over in Judges.  And the children of Israel did evil in 
the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:  Judges 2:11.  Baalim worship was very prevalent in those
days.
Baal was the god of rain and storm.  Worship of Baal was ritualized.  One of it's manifestations was in the
form of sacred prostitution.
In the passage we see a snapshot of Gomer (wife of Hosea) going out for a night of Baal worship.  And we
see a picture of the jealousy aroused in her husband.  We don't know her motivation.  Maybe she was a sex
addict.  Maybe she had an abusive childhood.  Or perhaps she was caught in a spiritual tug of war between
the forces of light and the forces of darkness.
What we do know is that there are millions and millions of people today who are caught up in the world of
pornography.  According to a survey 47% percent of families said pornography is a problem in their 
home. Focus on the Family Poll, October 1, 2003.
That is a robust figure if catch my drift. 


By Grace,


Travis P. Dickerson