Watching Your Thoughts

But that didn’t bother her. She turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt. She lusted after lovers whose attentions were gross and bestial. And so, Oholibah, you celebrated your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed yourself to be fondled and caressed.

(Ezekiel 23:19-21 NLT)

Here we have a very descriptive account of one of two sisters. One sister was named Samaria and the younger sister was named Jerusalem. While this chapter has been commented before, I thought it would be important to focus on these verses. Earlier in the chapter, we saw an example of Old Testament pornography (Ezekiel 23:14). In these verses, we have a very descriptive verse. Before, she focused on a painting and thought about sex. Here, she is using her memories to recall the experience that she enjoyed.

What is she remembering?

She is remembering the beautiful young men with whom she had illicit sex (23:20). She is remembering the time when she was a prostitute. But more than that, she is remembering very specific sexual details. For example, what does the phrase: “paramours” mean? It means illicit lovers. What does the phrase: “whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and the whose issue is like the issue of horses” mean? Very clearly, she is remembering the physical act of sex and how it felt. She touched his flesh and she allowed him to release.

She is clearly remembering the act of sex. Why is this so bad? How come I can’t decide to think about previous acts of sex? Because as the verse said it led to her “harlotry“. Thinking about sex leads to more sex. It is as simple as that. It doesn’t matter if the sex is with someone else or with yourself, it is still sex. When the sex is with someone who is not your spouse in a loving marriage relationship, then it is illicit sex. It is wrong. It is a sin, and God doesn’t honor it.

When a woman remembers her previous illicit sexual encounters, she will want to have more sex. This becomes a vicious circle of sexual temptation and sexual release. You look at it, you think about it, and then try to remember it. Then you want to act it out. You want to finish it out in your actions. This is natural about everything. So it is natural about sex, even illicit sex. This is why the Bible prohibits illicit sex. God wants you to have memories and good sex only with your spouse. God wants to protect you from being used by people who really don’t love you. So God cautions often about watching your thoughts.