Israel's Forbidden Fetish
- kingdomcitizensinc
- Sep 9
- 6 min read
the polygamous plight series
Welcome to the kingdom citizens blog!
Our faithfulness to Christ causes us to flourish, benefiting the relationships we have with mankind as well. Likewise, our unfaithfulness to Christ naturally reaps unfavorable outcomes with God and mankind.
Throughout Biblical history, the nation of Israel is continuously caught in the crosshairs of foreign territories. Within these “crosshairs”, Israel must resist the influence of these external principalities. Such spiritual rulers that puppeteer natural authorities intend to impress on Israel, their foreign customs and tendencies. The Holy Reign of Yahweh that presides over Israel is a battle against the strange, unfamiliar, and forbidden reign of exotically tantalizing idols.
Israel has this All-Powerful God, Who has revealed Himself to this nation fresh out of slavery. Not only has the Lord demonstrated His Power and Majesty on multiple occasions throughout the years but He has distinctly set Israel aside for His glory as His special possession. What else did the nation of Israel actually need? It may be a mind-boggle when we consider these biblical accounts and their failure to choose God over foreign idols, but how many of us as individuals are in the same boat?
Irrational Devotion
What forbidden thing is driving us towards foreign fetishes? A fetish isn’t just sexual in nature. A fetish is anything that directs our desire and worship towards an object of strong gratification. Ask me how a fetish becomes an idol? Merriam-Webster can help answer this question by defining a fetish as: (1.) an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit. (2.) an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion.
What irrational reverence or obsessive devotion do you have towards an object of worship in your life? What spirit is that idol inhabited by? Perhaps it is the idol of sex, inhabited by the spirit of lust. Or maybe it's the idol of frustration, inhabited by the spirit of gluttony. Could it be the idol of work, inhabited by the spirit of fear? What idol do you prop up before God and what spirit do you assign to that idol in order to meet a need or satisfy a desire?
Don’t be like Israel, who looked towards foreign fetishes of idolatry. There’s no need to invite unfamiliar doctrines into your heart. It’s unnecessary to entertain unholy fixations. Like the Lord told king David in 2 Samuel 12:8, if what you have is not enough, He will give to you out of the abundance of His riches in glory. Take heed to how God instructs Israel on what and what not to do concerning marriage and intercourse. Let’s observe the perverse ways pagan practices infiltrated the nation of Israel.
Prohibited Passions
Leviticus 18:1-18
Prohibited Pagan Practices
“1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the Lord your God. 3 Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs. 4 You are to practice my ordinances and you are to keep my statutes by following them; I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my statutes and ordinances; a person will live if he does them. I am the Lord.
6 “You are not to come near any close relative for sexual intercourse; I am the Lord.
7 You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs to your father and mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual intercourse with her.
8 You are not to have sex with your father’s wife; she is your father’s family.
9 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s, whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her.
10 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for they are your family.
11 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife’s daughter, who is adopted by your father; she is your sister.
12 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. 13 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
14 You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs to your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual intercourse; she is your aunt.
15 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sex with her.
16 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s family.
17 You are not to have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sex with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
18 You are not to marry a woman as a rival to her sister and have sexual intercourse with her during her sister’s lifetime.”
Irrational Devotion
Leviticus 18:1-18 is what I call the Jerry Springer special. All the natural betrayal and unfaithfulness we are to avoid is listed here. These may sound like things we would never entertain today but it still happens and quite a lot. In fact, some would consider some of these violations a fetish. As depraved as these behaviors are, these have become the norm for so many, including avid porn connoisseurs, the average adulterer, and common sex offenders.
The Lord explicitly explains throughout the Bible that multiple wives lead to multiplied issues. Foreign fetishes lead to internal affairs. Such issues include the worship of foreign gods and issues of the heart that lead a man away from His Creator. All this for self-gratification; indulging in the pleasure of God’s creations instead of living for the pleasure of the Master of all creation. And in this fall from grace, God has permitted those who have chosen perversion over perfection – to give themselves over to the depraved shame of their lust (Romans 1:18-32).
What you obsess over, you worship. Unfortunately, many of the forbidden fetishes that run rampant in our society today are listed in Leviticus 18:6-18. Israel's fetishes led them directly into the wrath of God. The Lord desires mercy rather than sacrifice but in our hard-headed attempts at instant gratification and prolonged comfort, we rebel against the grace of God - straight into the natural consequences the Lord permits in hopes that our hearts will be humbled in repentance. Will you heed these warnings or cling to your perilous pleasures?
Make sure to stay tuned in for this next blog post so you don't miss out on your word of instruction and encouragement...The next blog will investigate the covenant of God's faithfulness and His consistent attempt to reveal fidelity we can trust. Thank you and God bless!
Scripture of Emphasis:
Romans 1:21-24 (NIV)
" 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”
Thank You and God Bless!
Thank you for reading this blog. Your support and contribution is treasured here. Please continue to share this content so that God may work through us to be a benefit to others. I invite you to leave a comment and stay tuned in for the next blog. I pray that this blesses you and honor’s God. Let’s continue growing together as Kingdom Citizens in Christ. Show love, be kind, and trust in God. Thank you and God bless.
Subscribe and Share. Thanks!
Comments