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New Studies in Biblical Theology #2
God's Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery
The biblical theme of spiritual adultery stands in all its bluntness for a deeply offensive sin―the unfaithfulness of God's covenant people in departing from Yahweh, their husband, and going after false gods. Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. begins by showing how the Genesis vision of human marriage provides the logic and coherent network of meanings for the story of Israel's relationship with Yahweh. He traces the specific theme of marital unfaithfulness, first through the historical books of the Old Testament and then through the prophets, particularly Hosea, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Turning to the New Testament he also shows how the sad story of Israel's adultery is transcended by the vision of ultimate reality in Christ and his church―the Bridegroom and the Bride. This beautifully written book, a New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, is marked by careful exegesis and deep sensitivity. It is that rare thing―a work of scholarship that calls readers to love God with an ardor that suffuses all of life. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead. This book was previously published under the title Whoredom.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
24 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
About the author
D.A. Carson
339 books744 followersDonald A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he also served for two years as academic dean. He has served as assistant pastor and pastor and has done itinerant ministry in Canada and the United Kingdom. Carson received the Bachelor of Science in chemistry from McGill University, the Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, and the Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. Carson is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world. He has written or edited about sixty books. He is a founding member and currently president of The Gospel Coalition. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois. They have two adult children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 25, 2024
A solid BT that deals comprehensively with the theme and shows the redemptive assumptions underlying it. As with his son's volume in this series, Piercing Leviathan, this is as devotional as it is academic -- and the footnotes do get far into the weeds!
What impressed me most was Ortlund's consistent and broad use of Patristic, Rabbinic, and Reformation-era sources -- typically working with them directly in their original languages! This is something sorely lacking from most modern biblical studies, which tends to operate as though the field belongs to the sciences rather than the humanities.
My only complaint is that Ortlund doesn't interact with the scholarly debate concerning ritual prostitution, which had been going on for a decade before this book was published. Still, this is an extremely useful and edifying read.
What impressed me most was Ortlund's consistent and broad use of Patristic, Rabbinic, and Reformation-era sources -- typically working with them directly in their original languages! This is something sorely lacking from most modern biblical studies, which tends to operate as though the field belongs to the sciences rather than the humanities.
My only complaint is that Ortlund doesn't interact with the scholarly debate concerning ritual prostitution, which had been going on for a decade before this book was published. Still, this is an extremely useful and edifying read.
June 24, 2023
The preaching and experience of Ray Ortlund is something which I have come to have great respect for over the past two years. This book lived up to the high expectations I have for Ray.
In a very serious and challenging read, Ray does well to explain the depth of spiritual adultery found in God’s people from Israel to Corinth. Ray unmasks spiritual whoredom and adultery for what it is; a violation of God’s special union with his people, which even after repeated delightful harlotry eventually leaves them feeling used, depressed and regretful. Ray points us to Revelation and Eden to show us what God’s covenant love for us really looks like, and why it would indeed be folly, to lust toward anything else.
“For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said ‘I will not serve,’ yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.” Jeremiah 2:20
In a very serious and challenging read, Ray does well to explain the depth of spiritual adultery found in God’s people from Israel to Corinth. Ray unmasks spiritual whoredom and adultery for what it is; a violation of God’s special union with his people, which even after repeated delightful harlotry eventually leaves them feeling used, depressed and regretful. Ray points us to Revelation and Eden to show us what God’s covenant love for us really looks like, and why it would indeed be folly, to lust toward anything else.
“For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said ‘I will not serve,’ yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.” Jeremiah 2:20
February 27, 2023
A volume from the NSBT is rarely a five-star read for me, even if I find the project as a whole a vital piece of scholarship. The focus on brevity (relatively speaking), the way it privileges new(-ish) scholars, and the overall structure common to the series all help it accomplish its purpose of theological clarity, but usually means there’s a piece or two of each book that’s a little more boring to read than the others. However, I found this volume riveting.
Ortlund is not too shabby of a writer, and chose to explore a metaphor that is well-developed in the biblical narrative, but hasn’t really found its way into the average Sunday sermon. His exploration of spiritual harlotry was fascinating, especially as he showed how well-developed it was in the OT (especially when you get to the likes of Ezekiel, beware of some X-rated material). Ortlund not only explores the metaphor fully, but mines each passage for the unique piece it offers to the overall picture.
With that being said, there were a couple of weaknesses. I found his culminating chapter on the bridegroom imagery of Christ as a fitting and appropriate subject, but felt like his commentary was not as insightful. Also, I felt the appendix where Ortlund addresses feminist critiques of the harlotry metaphor to be pretty weak. To be fair, he says that the topic deserves a much fuller treatment, and his overall argument for not ditching these metaphors is coherent enough. However, I don’t think he gives enough credit to the history of interpretation of these passages, and the way these passages have been wielded against women by the church throughout history. Is he right to argue that we shouldn’t dismiss a biblical theme because it can be misused to hurt others? Yes. Does he admit that these passages have been misused to hurt others? Not really. And if Ortlund’s goal is to breathe new life into these metaphors for the church today, that’s an issue that has to be addressed.
Ortlund is not too shabby of a writer, and chose to explore a metaphor that is well-developed in the biblical narrative, but hasn’t really found its way into the average Sunday sermon. His exploration of spiritual harlotry was fascinating, especially as he showed how well-developed it was in the OT (especially when you get to the likes of Ezekiel, beware of some X-rated material). Ortlund not only explores the metaphor fully, but mines each passage for the unique piece it offers to the overall picture.
With that being said, there were a couple of weaknesses. I found his culminating chapter on the bridegroom imagery of Christ as a fitting and appropriate subject, but felt like his commentary was not as insightful. Also, I felt the appendix where Ortlund addresses feminist critiques of the harlotry metaphor to be pretty weak. To be fair, he says that the topic deserves a much fuller treatment, and his overall argument for not ditching these metaphors is coherent enough. However, I don’t think he gives enough credit to the history of interpretation of these passages, and the way these passages have been wielded against women by the church throughout history. Is he right to argue that we shouldn’t dismiss a biblical theme because it can be misused to hurt others? Yes. Does he admit that these passages have been misused to hurt others? Not really. And if Ortlund’s goal is to breathe new life into these metaphors for the church today, that’s an issue that has to be addressed.
June 24, 2020
At first, I didn’t believe I was going to like this book because it starts a bit clunky in how it addresses passages. Then I got to the prophets and especially the NT where it really opened up.
If you want to understand the emotional hurt that your sin inflicts upon God - read this book. If you want to see just how dangerous it is for Christians to be heavily involved in politics - read this book. If you want a wake up call to the potential for intimacy with God you have in Christ - read this book.
Enjoyed this volume from the NSBT series, and glad they re-titled it to boost readership.
If you want to understand the emotional hurt that your sin inflicts upon God - read this book. If you want to see just how dangerous it is for Christians to be heavily involved in politics - read this book. If you want a wake up call to the potential for intimacy with God you have in Christ - read this book.
Enjoyed this volume from the NSBT series, and glad they re-titled it to boost readership.
January 6, 2022
Great - I think one of the better entries in the NSBT series. Harder to read in some place than it should be (and the footnotes really are expansive), but that’s more than made up for by the way his expositions of individual passages help bring out the horror of our spiritual adultery and the wonder of God’s love for his wayward bride. I really appreciate how much of the technical discussion is kept to footnotes. This book is mostly an overview of passages where spiritual adultery language is used, and doesn’t fully ‘come together’ until the last few chapters, but I really think that seeing the theme develop over the course of the book is worth the journey.
September 26, 2015
An important element of sound Bible study is recognizing the patterns and principles and flow from Genesis to Revelation as consistent messages to the reader. One such pattern is that of God’s relationship with His people, namely what is described as a marriage relationship. Subsumed in that covenant relationship are guidelines that define what it looks like for this marriage to be healthy, vibrant, and as God intended. Things looked quite promising in the formative chapters of Genesis – at least until sin entered into the picture with its raging desire for self rather than loving God within the bond of covenant relationship. What we find throughout Scripture is God reaching out to His bride as the bridegroom to restore and redeem the called out bride. Unfortunately, more often than not, the bride was and is not always willing to abide by the terms of the marriage/betrothal agreement.
While it may not seem at first glance a subject matter worth tracking through Scripture, in reality, looking closely at the topic of spiritual adultery is quite essential as it provides us an understanding of what God expects from us as well as being a teaching tool for grasping where spiritual adultery leads and how God responds. Ray Ortlund, Jr. in his excellent book God’s Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery, walks the reader through what the Old and New Testament has to say on this issue, digging into the text along the way to extract sound theological nuggets on what exactly this has to do with us today.
As alluded to earlier, any successful biblical theological endeavor must inherently begin in Genesis, especially when it comes to this subject matter. Ortlund aptly roots his discussion in those beginning chapters of Scripture, noting the significance of God’s creation of man and woman, in particular the relational elements that can be found in those chapters. Human marriage between the man and woman was to be an earthly reflection of God’s relationship with humanity. That foundational truth is something Ortlund returns to in the concluding chapters of this book when he examines how the New Testament reveals the relationship between the bridegroom (Jesus) and his bride (the people of God).
After discussing the foundation, Ortlund then proceeds to examine key Old Testament texts that demonstrate the tendency of God’s people to play the harlot and to chase after other husbands (i.e. false gods). This is where this book shines brightest, specifically in Ortlund’s salient analysis of these key passages and how they speak to the on again, off again (mostly off again) relationship God’s people had with their Creator despite a history replete with God doing the miraculous on their part. While most are likely familiar with the reality of this unfaithfulness and how it led to removal from the Promised Land, I submit the importance, most notably of the relational truths found in Scripture are often lost on us today. We have a hard time viewing ourselves as chasing after other gods like the Israelites, especially given there are not an Asherah pole in our homes, not do we set up an altar on a high hill or mountain. With that said, we have our own gods that we commit spiritual adultery with today and thus understand what Ortlund presents in this book is extremely important and relevant for the people of God in a day and age when spiritual adultery is on the rise.
The marriage motif and the ensuing spiritual adultery committed by the people of God from the time of Adam and Eve to this present day is an important subject matter for us to ponder and understand. Ray Ortlund does a fantastic job of unpacking this topic from a biblical theological perspective, providing the reader with sound exegesis and practical application. God has called us to be His – a call to marriage. This involves faithfulness to the marriage contract provided to us in the pages of Scripture. Learning from the mistakes of our forefathers in the faith and identifying that even in the midst of our unfaithfulness, God remains faithful is a definite key to understanding what it means to grow in maturity in our relationship with our Creator. Ortlund’s book is a treasure trove of information on this subject matter and I highly recommend taking the time to read this helpful and important book.
I received this book for free from IVP Academic and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
While it may not seem at first glance a subject matter worth tracking through Scripture, in reality, looking closely at the topic of spiritual adultery is quite essential as it provides us an understanding of what God expects from us as well as being a teaching tool for grasping where spiritual adultery leads and how God responds. Ray Ortlund, Jr. in his excellent book God’s Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery, walks the reader through what the Old and New Testament has to say on this issue, digging into the text along the way to extract sound theological nuggets on what exactly this has to do with us today.
As alluded to earlier, any successful biblical theological endeavor must inherently begin in Genesis, especially when it comes to this subject matter. Ortlund aptly roots his discussion in those beginning chapters of Scripture, noting the significance of God’s creation of man and woman, in particular the relational elements that can be found in those chapters. Human marriage between the man and woman was to be an earthly reflection of God’s relationship with humanity. That foundational truth is something Ortlund returns to in the concluding chapters of this book when he examines how the New Testament reveals the relationship between the bridegroom (Jesus) and his bride (the people of God).
After discussing the foundation, Ortlund then proceeds to examine key Old Testament texts that demonstrate the tendency of God’s people to play the harlot and to chase after other husbands (i.e. false gods). This is where this book shines brightest, specifically in Ortlund’s salient analysis of these key passages and how they speak to the on again, off again (mostly off again) relationship God’s people had with their Creator despite a history replete with God doing the miraculous on their part. While most are likely familiar with the reality of this unfaithfulness and how it led to removal from the Promised Land, I submit the importance, most notably of the relational truths found in Scripture are often lost on us today. We have a hard time viewing ourselves as chasing after other gods like the Israelites, especially given there are not an Asherah pole in our homes, not do we set up an altar on a high hill or mountain. With that said, we have our own gods that we commit spiritual adultery with today and thus understand what Ortlund presents in this book is extremely important and relevant for the people of God in a day and age when spiritual adultery is on the rise.
The marriage motif and the ensuing spiritual adultery committed by the people of God from the time of Adam and Eve to this present day is an important subject matter for us to ponder and understand. Ray Ortlund does a fantastic job of unpacking this topic from a biblical theological perspective, providing the reader with sound exegesis and practical application. God has called us to be His – a call to marriage. This involves faithfulness to the marriage contract provided to us in the pages of Scripture. Learning from the mistakes of our forefathers in the faith and identifying that even in the midst of our unfaithfulness, God remains faithful is a definite key to understanding what it means to grow in maturity in our relationship with our Creator. Ortlund’s book is a treasure trove of information on this subject matter and I highly recommend taking the time to read this helpful and important book.
I received this book for free from IVP Academic and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
May 19, 2021
Well written, and a faithful tracing through the biblical narrative of the theme of spiritual adultery.
January 31, 2016
Borrowed Books
Reading a borrowed book is like a bad dream to me. If I can't underline, then the endeavor is almost worthless. It's at best frustrating. Not that I don't immensely appreciate the sentiment that goes behind loaning a book to a friend, I do, but reading without a pen is death. I find this same frustration listening to audiobooks. I try my best to write down page numbers and quotes when I get the chance, but I still feel like I miss out on remembering some of the content that I would otherwise be able to recall If I could underline. Libraries are of limited use to me for the same reasons. I want to write in the book. So I buy a lot of books and help stimulate the economy.
Whoredom
Now that I've got that out of my system, I should explain that I just finished a borrowed copy of Whoredom: God's Unfaithful Wife in Biblical Theology. And while I enjoyed the book, and found it helpful, I feel that I can't remember all that I would like to because you can't underline in a borrowed book. But, I'll attempt to recall a bit for this review anyway. As a side note, I'm a little tempted to go buy a copy of the book and skim it with pen in hand. But whatever!
In Whoredom, Ortlund traces the idea of "spiritual adultery" through the Bible. The idea of God's marriage to His people is first alluded to in the Law, developed rather extensively in the writings of the prophets, and then brought full circle in New Testament. The theme is extensive throughout the Bible and often pushes the biblical text into "R" rating territory. Think I'm lying? Go read Ezekiel 23:20 and make it your life verse. Then quote it when people ask "What's your favorite verse in the Bible?" Watch the jaws drop. God's point, I think, is that He treats our spiritual adultery, our idolatry, our un-love, pretty seriously. The drastic nature of the Bible's language in this area brings us face to face with the ugliness of our sin, and points us to our need for a Savior.
This book is primarily consumed with examining the development of the "spiritual adultery" theme throughout the Old Testament. But Ortlund takes time in chapter six to show the relation between all of the Old Testament's proclamations of spiritual adultery to the New Testament's idea of Jesus as the Bridegroom. My favorite quote in the whole book might be:
"The gospel reveals that, as we look out into the universe, ultimate reality is not cold, dark, blank space; ultimate reality is romance. There is a God above with love in his eyes for us and infinite joy to offer us, and he has set himself upon winning our hearts for himself alone. The gospel tells the story of God's pursuing, faithful, wounded, angry, overruling, transforming, triumphant love. And it calls us to answer him with a love which cleanses our lives of all spiritual whoredom" (173).
A Great Study Tool
I used this book mainly as a study tool and commentary on parts of the book of Hosea. Ortlund vividly portrays all the key passages that deal with the spiritual adultery theme in the Bible. These include passages in the Law, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ephesians, and Revelation among others. For being a book that I expected to be quite complex, Whoredom was rather straightforward and easy to read. I recommend it highly if you're at all interested in studying this Biblical theme. It's also a great read if you just want to understand the Bible better as a cohesive whole. The appendix, which deals with feminist interpretations of the Bible's sexual language, is especially entertaining if you'd like to get a good look at absurd examples of Biblical interpretation.
Reading a borrowed book is like a bad dream to me. If I can't underline, then the endeavor is almost worthless. It's at best frustrating. Not that I don't immensely appreciate the sentiment that goes behind loaning a book to a friend, I do, but reading without a pen is death. I find this same frustration listening to audiobooks. I try my best to write down page numbers and quotes when I get the chance, but I still feel like I miss out on remembering some of the content that I would otherwise be able to recall If I could underline. Libraries are of limited use to me for the same reasons. I want to write in the book. So I buy a lot of books and help stimulate the economy.
Whoredom
Now that I've got that out of my system, I should explain that I just finished a borrowed copy of Whoredom: God's Unfaithful Wife in Biblical Theology. And while I enjoyed the book, and found it helpful, I feel that I can't remember all that I would like to because you can't underline in a borrowed book. But, I'll attempt to recall a bit for this review anyway. As a side note, I'm a little tempted to go buy a copy of the book and skim it with pen in hand. But whatever!
In Whoredom, Ortlund traces the idea of "spiritual adultery" through the Bible. The idea of God's marriage to His people is first alluded to in the Law, developed rather extensively in the writings of the prophets, and then brought full circle in New Testament. The theme is extensive throughout the Bible and often pushes the biblical text into "R" rating territory. Think I'm lying? Go read Ezekiel 23:20 and make it your life verse. Then quote it when people ask "What's your favorite verse in the Bible?" Watch the jaws drop. God's point, I think, is that He treats our spiritual adultery, our idolatry, our un-love, pretty seriously. The drastic nature of the Bible's language in this area brings us face to face with the ugliness of our sin, and points us to our need for a Savior.
This book is primarily consumed with examining the development of the "spiritual adultery" theme throughout the Old Testament. But Ortlund takes time in chapter six to show the relation between all of the Old Testament's proclamations of spiritual adultery to the New Testament's idea of Jesus as the Bridegroom. My favorite quote in the whole book might be:
"The gospel reveals that, as we look out into the universe, ultimate reality is not cold, dark, blank space; ultimate reality is romance. There is a God above with love in his eyes for us and infinite joy to offer us, and he has set himself upon winning our hearts for himself alone. The gospel tells the story of God's pursuing, faithful, wounded, angry, overruling, transforming, triumphant love. And it calls us to answer him with a love which cleanses our lives of all spiritual whoredom" (173).
A Great Study Tool
I used this book mainly as a study tool and commentary on parts of the book of Hosea. Ortlund vividly portrays all the key passages that deal with the spiritual adultery theme in the Bible. These include passages in the Law, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ephesians, and Revelation among others. For being a book that I expected to be quite complex, Whoredom was rather straightforward and easy to read. I recommend it highly if you're at all interested in studying this Biblical theme. It's also a great read if you just want to understand the Bible better as a cohesive whole. The appendix, which deals with feminist interpretations of the Bible's sexual language, is especially entertaining if you'd like to get a good look at absurd examples of Biblical interpretation.
September 6, 2021
I love this series, and enjoyed this book by Ortlund as well. Since I was a teenager, the metaphor of Israel's adultery has always deeply stuck with me. I really appreciated the first chapter's discussion on marriage that set a good foundation for marriage is and what unfaithfulness to that covenant really meant. I gleaned a lot of insight from that discussion.
Ortlund then goes through the various key passages on Israel's whoredom, and concludes with a brief practical application (that I honestly wish could have gone on longer, because he says some great and convicting words).
I also really enjoyed hearing some of the pushback to the metaphor of whoredom, and appreciated how Ortlund responded to it in the appendix.
Ortlund then goes through the various key passages on Israel's whoredom, and concludes with a brief practical application (that I honestly wish could have gone on longer, because he says some great and convicting words).
I also really enjoyed hearing some of the pushback to the metaphor of whoredom, and appreciated how Ortlund responded to it in the appendix.
December 26, 2018
I give this book 5 stars for content. However, it is very deep in content and will require much thought and study. It is very revealing and my question is why isn’t our preachers and bible teachers helping us understand the PROFOUND significance of marriage as related to God. True religion is marital in nature. It starts “in the beginning”. To fully understand and “know” of God’s love for us and how we are to relate to him, we must understand marriage. The “trouble” starts and continues in the marriage. Satan knows full well if he can keep us blinded to this he can keep the world from knowing Christ. I can boldly make these statements out of my own errors. Our earthly marriages are a mess because we don’t fully understand the heavenly marriage with our Savior and Lord. And our relationship with God is incomplete because we don’t understand the connection. Especially, husbands are failing to be the leaders God calls/requires of them. Too often, husbands are leaving the spiritual leadership to the wives and the biblical model God created is inside down. God came to Adam/husband first in the garden after Eve sinned - for his failure to lead.
Concluding Reflections
“...The attention of the text shifts from the heavens and the earth coming together in cosmic order (Gen. 1) to a man and a woman coming together in earthly marriage (Gen 2)...Hosea and Isaiah...exploit human marriage overtly as a symbol of Yahweh’s covenant with his people. Later, Jeremiah and Ezekiel follow the same vector even more boldly and imaginatively. So then, the biblical story opens up with human marriage as such, embedded in a context which creates the presumption of something more than immediately meets the eye...Paul is the one who lifts the hermeneutical capstone into place by revealing openly...that marriage from the beginning was meant to be a tiny social platform on which the love of Christ for his church and the church’s responsiveness to him could be on visible display. Human marriage is finally divulged to be emblematic of Christ and the church in covenant, destined to live together not as ‘one flesh’ for a lifetime in this world but as ‘one spirit’ for eternity in a new heavens and a new earth. Therefore, marriage was no intruding itself into the story at a level out of its own depth back in Genesis 2. It had to be there and it deserved to be there, for the typology to achieve its proper symmetry. The eschatology illuminates the true significant of the protology...WHY? Because marriage bespeaks a higher reality - the love of Christ for the church and her joyful deference to him - and is itself enriched by what it bespeaks. Marriage is not just another mutation of human social evolution, like democracy. It is a divine creation, intended to reveal the ultimate romance guiding all time and eternity...God offers a theological rational in Christ. This is why extramarital sex is wrong. It violates the mystery...Pastorally, the biblical story lifts up before us a vision of God as our Lover. The gospel is not an imperialistic human philosophy making overrated universal claims; the gospel sounds the voice of our Husband who has proven his love for us and who calls for our undivided love in return.
...True religion is marital in nature.
...More than our popular churches and institutions and movements, God wants us ourselves. He wants our hearts, our locality, our love for himself alone...More than our showing the world him ‘relevant’ the church can be, God wants us to show him how much we treasure him above all else. He wants to find in us the same sense of identification with him that is appropriate to human marriage. And we show him our love through doctrinal faithfulness to his Word, by following him heroically wherever he goes (we would rather die than turn aside, even one step, from following him to following the world).
...The biblical theme of spiritual harlotry is not the whole of theology. It is only one strand woven into the fabric of Scripture, along with others, all of which are needed for the whole tapestry to shine forth in its complexity and fullness. But this strand of God’s marital love and of his people’s [resehtly harlotrousbut ultimately father response is too much neglected. And it is overlooked themes of scripture to which any given age of the church must pay special attention, for it is precisely there that we most urgently need to hear the Word of God again.
Jesus said we must be born again or we will not see the kingdom of God. It is there, It is real. But we can fail to see it. Each of us needs illumination through personal renewal by the Holy Spirit.
The one without the spirit does not receive the gifts of the spirit of God, for they are folly to him and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Cor. 2:14-16.
Personal illumination from the Holy Spirit of God establishes a commitment to objective truth.
When anyone turns to the Lord the veil is removed. 2 Cor. 3:16
Concluding Reflections
“...The attention of the text shifts from the heavens and the earth coming together in cosmic order (Gen. 1) to a man and a woman coming together in earthly marriage (Gen 2)...Hosea and Isaiah...exploit human marriage overtly as a symbol of Yahweh’s covenant with his people. Later, Jeremiah and Ezekiel follow the same vector even more boldly and imaginatively. So then, the biblical story opens up with human marriage as such, embedded in a context which creates the presumption of something more than immediately meets the eye...Paul is the one who lifts the hermeneutical capstone into place by revealing openly...that marriage from the beginning was meant to be a tiny social platform on which the love of Christ for his church and the church’s responsiveness to him could be on visible display. Human marriage is finally divulged to be emblematic of Christ and the church in covenant, destined to live together not as ‘one flesh’ for a lifetime in this world but as ‘one spirit’ for eternity in a new heavens and a new earth. Therefore, marriage was no intruding itself into the story at a level out of its own depth back in Genesis 2. It had to be there and it deserved to be there, for the typology to achieve its proper symmetry. The eschatology illuminates the true significant of the protology...WHY? Because marriage bespeaks a higher reality - the love of Christ for the church and her joyful deference to him - and is itself enriched by what it bespeaks. Marriage is not just another mutation of human social evolution, like democracy. It is a divine creation, intended to reveal the ultimate romance guiding all time and eternity...God offers a theological rational in Christ. This is why extramarital sex is wrong. It violates the mystery...Pastorally, the biblical story lifts up before us a vision of God as our Lover. The gospel is not an imperialistic human philosophy making overrated universal claims; the gospel sounds the voice of our Husband who has proven his love for us and who calls for our undivided love in return.
...True religion is marital in nature.
...More than our popular churches and institutions and movements, God wants us ourselves. He wants our hearts, our locality, our love for himself alone...More than our showing the world him ‘relevant’ the church can be, God wants us to show him how much we treasure him above all else. He wants to find in us the same sense of identification with him that is appropriate to human marriage. And we show him our love through doctrinal faithfulness to his Word, by following him heroically wherever he goes (we would rather die than turn aside, even one step, from following him to following the world).
...The biblical theme of spiritual harlotry is not the whole of theology. It is only one strand woven into the fabric of Scripture, along with others, all of which are needed for the whole tapestry to shine forth in its complexity and fullness. But this strand of God’s marital love and of his people’s [resehtly harlotrousbut ultimately father response is too much neglected. And it is overlooked themes of scripture to which any given age of the church must pay special attention, for it is precisely there that we most urgently need to hear the Word of God again.
Jesus said we must be born again or we will not see the kingdom of God. It is there, It is real. But we can fail to see it. Each of us needs illumination through personal renewal by the Holy Spirit.
The one without the spirit does not receive the gifts of the spirit of God, for they are folly to him and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Cor. 2:14-16.
Personal illumination from the Holy Spirit of God establishes a commitment to objective truth.
When anyone turns to the Lord the veil is removed. 2 Cor. 3:16
November 27, 2011
This book will permanently transform your relationship with God as it gives you a fresh distaste for idolatry in every form.
April 14, 2018
I purchased this book because I was studying Hosea and wanted a biblical theology of spiritual adultery. Thinking the book was mostly going to be a survey of Hosea, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book covered so much more as it surveyed the entire Bible and how one of the Bible’s major themes is our continual adulterous attitudes toward our loving God. The author surveys all major passages and really explains this concept well. The concluding chapter needs to be read by all Christians, and I could see a pastor teaching through this book and really blessing his flock. Highest recommendation!!!
August 27, 2024
I thought this would be a helpful book as I continue to prep for a teaching series on Marriage, Dating, and Singleness and it didn’t disappoint. I’m becoming more and more convinced that the motif of spiritual marriage (and adultery) is one of the most pastorally loaded themes in the Bible. No wonder it was the favorite metaphor among the Reformers and Puritans to describe God’s relationship to His people, and in particular, Christ’s union with the Church.
“The biblical story lifts up before us a vision of God as our Lover... The gospel reveals that, as we look out into the universe, ultimate reality is not cold, dark, blank space; ultimate reality is romance. There is a God above with love in his eyes for us and infinite joy to offer us, and he has set himself upon winning our hearts for himself alone.” (173)
“The biblical story lifts up before us a vision of God as our Lover... The gospel reveals that, as we look out into the universe, ultimate reality is not cold, dark, blank space; ultimate reality is romance. There is a God above with love in his eyes for us and infinite joy to offer us, and he has set himself upon winning our hearts for himself alone.” (173)
January 20, 2020
While for sure a deep look into the biblical theology of spiritual adultery, Ortlund writes well and I kept wanting to read on even when it was dense. I appreciated the final chapter that so succinctly wrapped up the main claims and highly recommend this to the casual theologian as well as those in seminary or pastoral ministry.
June 21, 2024
Very good!
Ortlund does an excellent job unpacking harlotry images in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, showing then how these are to be interpreted and applied through Christ via James 4:4; 1 Corinthians 6:15-17; 2 Corinthians 11:1-3; Ephesians 5:31-32; Revelation 14:4; Revelation 19:6-9a; Revelation 21:1-3, 9-10.
Ortlund does an excellent job unpacking harlotry images in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, showing then how these are to be interpreted and applied through Christ via James 4:4; 1 Corinthians 6:15-17; 2 Corinthians 11:1-3; Ephesians 5:31-32; Revelation 14:4; Revelation 19:6-9a; Revelation 21:1-3, 9-10.
February 16, 2019
Ray Ortlund uncovers the biblical theme of spiritual adultery from Genesis to Revelation. He presents marriage as a unifying theme in Scripture and then sharply exposes how turning against God is akin to adultery.
October 30, 2017
Beautiful.
November 26, 2018
So so good.
June 15, 2018
This is a book that smacks you upside your head if you ever become boastful in your faith, your church, or you have become pleased with your walk with God.
September 6, 2019
Excellent!
January 17, 2020
I love this book.
Very important book in understanding the met-narrative them of God as husband and His people as the bride.
Very important book in understanding the met-narrative them of God as husband and His people as the bride.
October 9, 2022
Solid, if lacking major new insights.
May 24, 2023
My favorite of the series, so far. Readable and so very convicting and encouraging.
August 13, 2017
An interesting, insightful academic read concerning spiritual adultery throughout the pages of Scripture. I thought the author did a good job of showing the theme of spiritual adultery, seen in the history of God's people, noting specific references throughout the various prophets's writings. I note that this is an academic read and thus, the reader would be well served to know the biblical languages. Being one who doesn't know Hebrew, the footnotes (of which there were an overwhelming abundance) were not as helpful to me. Overall, I think the book provides some helpful insight for the academician who is inclined to want to understand this issue and be challenged in self--evaluation.
November 2, 2021
The sinfulness of sin explored somewhat academically
This book traces the theme of God's people as the unfaithful wife of God through the Bible.
Starting with the pentateuch and considering the definition of marriage and its meaning in terms of the relation of God to his people, the book journeys through the OT history and shows how God's people prostituted themselves by running after other Gods or seeking security from other nations.
Particularly stark are sections from Hosea and Ezekiel.
A positive note is given at the end with the picture of union with Christ and ultimately the new creation as a marriage of God to his people with no unfaithfulness remaining.
Strength clear treatment of passages people often avoid; stark explanation of the horror of sin.
Weakness Limited practical application aside from the concluding reflections, I wanted to see the points about the horror of the sin of God's OT people applied directly/compared with our sin today throughout the book but this was left to the end - has the potential danger of having the reader feel that these horrifying sinners are a group far away that we're nothing like.
Conclusion A very useful book for people involved in bible teaching containing a helpful stark picture of the horror of sin. Stylistic choices and the withholding of application/direct challenge throughout mean I can't reccomend it broadly.
This book traces the theme of God's people as the unfaithful wife of God through the Bible.
Starting with the pentateuch and considering the definition of marriage and its meaning in terms of the relation of God to his people, the book journeys through the OT history and shows how God's people prostituted themselves by running after other Gods or seeking security from other nations.
Particularly stark are sections from Hosea and Ezekiel.
A positive note is given at the end with the picture of union with Christ and ultimately the new creation as a marriage of God to his people with no unfaithfulness remaining.
Strength clear treatment of passages people often avoid; stark explanation of the horror of sin.
Weakness Limited practical application aside from the concluding reflections, I wanted to see the points about the horror of the sin of God's OT people applied directly/compared with our sin today throughout the book but this was left to the end - has the potential danger of having the reader feel that these horrifying sinners are a group far away that we're nothing like.
Conclusion A very useful book for people involved in bible teaching containing a helpful stark picture of the horror of sin. Stylistic choices and the withholding of application/direct challenge throughout mean I can't reccomend it broadly.
March 29, 2015
In God's Unfaithful Wife, Ray Ortlund, Jr traces the common theme of spiritual adultery through the Bible. This book is the second in the series, New Studies in Biblical Theology. It is the fourth book in this series I have read, and all have been excellent. In chapter one, Ortlund explores the “one-flesh” unity for male and female as described in Genesis 2 because the marital bond provides the foundation for the biblical use of the metaphor of the harlot. He traces the specific theme of marital unfaithfulness, first through selected passages in the Old Testament historical books and then through the prophets, particularly Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Micah. He then moves toward completion in the New Testament, demonstrating that Jesus and the NT writers share the OT’s concern that God’s people remain faithful in their relationship with the Lord. In addition, the NT writers anticipate a day when Jesus Christ will take the church as His bride. In a brief conclusion, Ortlund reflects on some of the hermeneutical, theological, and pastoral implications of his study.
Ortlund has created a work that is needed in the church today. By taking us beyond the academic to the practical, he shows us that God treats our spiritual adultery, our idolatry, pretty seriously. The drastic nature of the Bible’s language in this area brings us face to face with the ugliness of our sin and our deep need for a Savior. Although this is a work of scholarship and careful exegesis, Ortlund’s work is quite readable.
Ortlund has created a work that is needed in the church today. By taking us beyond the academic to the practical, he shows us that God treats our spiritual adultery, our idolatry, pretty seriously. The drastic nature of the Bible’s language in this area brings us face to face with the ugliness of our sin and our deep need for a Savior. Although this is a work of scholarship and careful exegesis, Ortlund’s work is quite readable.
April 2, 2016
What I loathe about most theology books, is that they remind me of being out for a posh dinner with a group of people who are smarter than me, and where I spend most of the evening nodding, smiling, and pretending I have a clue about what they're waffling on about.
It's hard to rate this book because for the most part, I have no idea what the author said in it. I don't really understand why theology needs to be reserved for academic people, or why big words need to be used instead of small ones. But I'm sure if you're used to reading this type of book, then it's very good.
I did learn a few things though, and increased my knowledge which I actually enjoyed.
1. Exodus 34 shows the incremental sin God warned against. It ends with 'Don't build fake Gods' but starts with 'Don't make covenants with these foreigners'. Interesting to see in my own life how one 'little' sin, leads into more and deeper. This was my one big takeaway (and it was fun (in a geeky way) to see how God's warnings came true in Judges 2 and 3)
2. Eve (from Adam and Eve) represents the church, just as Adam represents Christ. Never knew that.
Overall, from the bits I did understand, I left with a sense of feeling more of a wretch as someone (and as a society) who is unfaithful to God, which leaves me more in awe of his goodness and love.
It's hard to rate this book because for the most part, I have no idea what the author said in it. I don't really understand why theology needs to be reserved for academic people, or why big words need to be used instead of small ones. But I'm sure if you're used to reading this type of book, then it's very good.
I did learn a few things though, and increased my knowledge which I actually enjoyed.
1. Exodus 34 shows the incremental sin God warned against. It ends with 'Don't build fake Gods' but starts with 'Don't make covenants with these foreigners'. Interesting to see in my own life how one 'little' sin, leads into more and deeper. This was my one big takeaway (and it was fun (in a geeky way) to see how God's warnings came true in Judges 2 and 3)
2. Eve (from Adam and Eve) represents the church, just as Adam represents Christ. Never knew that.
Overall, from the bits I did understand, I left with a sense of feeling more of a wretch as someone (and as a society) who is unfaithful to God, which leaves me more in awe of his goodness and love.
December 23, 2013
Biblical imagery is rich with images of God as a husband and His people as the bride. While God’s faithfulness is confirmed repeatedly, the unfaithfulness of His people is sadly constant as well. Ortlund focuses on the prophetic work of Hosea, whose message and ministry embody the very adultery that God’s people have consistently been guilty of. Though somewhat academic in tone, Ortlund writes in an accessible way that makes this a volume worthy of interaction.
November 22, 2016
I thought the book was well researched, although it explores the subject of Israel's infidelity to God in the Bible, the book also challenged me greatly and made me have a look at how my life aligns with God's expectations. It also made me think about whether God is the full focus of my life, or whether I have allowed other things to take more importance and what I should do if I have been disloyal to Him.
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