Congregation Bible Study (30 min.): Rr ch. 15 paras. 8-14.
"You became a prostitute"
8-10. (a) What important requirement of pure worship allows us to understand Jehovah's feelings toward false religion?
One of the requirements that Jehovah said: "Have no other gods apart from me", "I, Jehovah your God, am a God who demands exclusive devotion." Jehovah could not have made it clearer: he will only accept our worship if we give it exclusively to him.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In the law he gave to Israel, Jehovah said: "Have no gods other than me" or, according to the note, "To challenge me." He added: "I, Jehovah your God, am a God who demands exclusive devotion."
Later he emphasized the same idea, saying: “Do not bow down to another God, for Jehovah is known as one who demands exclusive devotion. Yes, he is a God who demands exclusive devotion. Yes, he is a God who demands exclusive devotion. Jehovah could not have made it clearer: he will only accept our worship if we give it exclusively to him.
b) What example helps us understand this?
We can think of a marriage, the husband and wife have the right to receive mutual and exclusive attention and affection. If one of the two shows interest in another person, the spouse will have reasons for jealousy and betrayal. The same is the case with worship, Jehovah has reason to feel betrayed when they worship other gods.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
To understand this, let's think about marriage. Both the husband and the wife have the right to exclusively receive certain attentions or displays of affection. If one of the two shows romantic or sexual interest in another person, the spouse will have reason to feel betrayed when his own servants, people dedicated exclusively to him, worship other gods.
11. What did Jehovah tell about Jerusalem and its origin?
Jehovah uses the city of Jerusalem to represent unfaithful Judah, tells the story of its origin and its betrayal. He tells that Jerusalem was like an abandoned and dirty newborn. His parents were the idolaters. Jerusalem was long under the control of the Jebusites, until David conquered the city. Jehovah felt sorry for this newborn, so he cleaned and cared for her. She became his wife. When Jerusalem was the capital of the country, Jehovah blessed, enriched and beautified it, like a powerful and wealthy husband.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Later, she became his wife. In fact, the Israelites, who became the inhabitants of the city, had already voluntarily made a covenant with Jehovah in the days of Moses Jehovah blessed, enriched and beautified her, just as a powerful and wealthy husband could honor his wife with the best decorations.
12. How did Jerusalem become an unfaithful city?
In Solomon's time, Jehovah brought so many blessings and riches to Jerusalem. But little by little false worship and, with it, infidelity entered the city. As Solomon tried to please his many foreign wives, he began to pollute Jerusalem with the worship of false gods.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jehovah said: “You began to trust your beauty and, because of your fame, you became a prostitute. You prostituted yourself rampantly with anyone who passed by and you gave your beauty to him. "These things shouldn't happen, they should never happen." But his rebellious people sank deeper and deeper into depravity.
ILLUSTRATION
Solomon looking at one of his wives, who is on her knees worshiping an idol.
Solomon allowed himself to be convinced by his foreign wives and ended up polluting Jerusalem with idolatry. (See paragraph 12).
13. What atrocities did God's people commit in Jerusalem?
One of the many atrocities committed by the people of Jerusalem was to cause pain and disgust to Jehovah. He felt this by denouncing the wickedness of his chosen people. Jehovah told him: "You took the sons and daughters that you had given birth to me and sacrificed them to idols to be eaten, you killed my sons and sacrificed them by burning them in fire." Jerusalem is not overwhelmed by her acts of prostitution.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Imagine Jehovah's pain and disgust when he denounced the wickedness of his chosen people: “You took the sons and daughters that you had given birth to me and sacrificed them to idols so that they could be devoured… Is it not enough for you? with your acts of prostitution? You killed my children and sacrificed them by burning them in the fire ”. But Jehovah sees everything and can repair even the worst misfortunes that the Devil has caused. God will do justice.
14. Who were the two sisters in Jerusalem in Jehovah's comparison?
Jerusalem's older sister was Samaria, who had begun a life of spiritual prostitution before her. God also mentions his other sister, Sodom, the famous city referred to here because it had been destroyed long before for its arrogance and depravity.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jehovah wanted to emphasize that the wickedness of Jerusalem was worse than that of her sister Samaria and even that of her sister Sodom. God's people turned a deaf ear to all the warnings they received, and continued with their disgusting lifestyle.
And which of the three ended up being the worst?
Jerusalem was worse than her sister Samaria and even her sister Sodom. God's people turned a deaf ear to all the warnings they received, and continued with their disgusting lifestyle.
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