It's tough to get attention nowadays. Before people heed much of anything there must be essential ingredients: fornication, jealousy, partying, alcohol consumption, dancing, intrigue and lasciviousness. There is much of that in the Bible which teaches against it because that's what people seem to prefer!
Let's look at some "Shades of Gray" in the Bible. Who comes to mind first? For me it's Salome.
Mark 6:21 "And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias (Salome) came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb."According to Josephus in Jewish Antiquities, Salome was the daughter of Herodias and Herod II, Herod's brother and the first husband of Herodias. Because John chastised Herod for his incestuous marriage Herodias bore a grudge! The story therein has much implied. Many have portrayed Salome's dance in plays and movies. The dance was "Dance of the Seven Veils" so called by Oscar Wilde. Using veils, this dance for the head of John the Baptist was an early striptease, as was common in that era.
Here we have a reality play filled with intrigue! This is what people want. Herod was desiring his step-daughter who just happened to be his own brother, Philip Herod's wife! Talk about "Sex in the City"! The Bible has it all. If you want melodrama and sex. you've come to the right place!
John the Baptist lost his head because a sultry woman stripped for her brother-in-law and step-father. Beat that Fifty Shades of Gray!
There are ironies and consequences though! First off, John was allowed to die! If Jesus had chosen to, John's head would have been spared. However, John's purpose was served. He was born to introduce Jesus to the world, and some had pride in the "Baptism of John". John was unworthy to even tie the sandals of the one who followed, got his reward more quickly than most. I believe that he was one of the saints who defeated death and arose from the grave to walk the city when Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:52). Can you imagine the guilt of those who caused John's death if they did see him walking the streets, beheaded but alive!
This sexual saga had other consequences. According to the Letter of Herod To Pilate the Governor, Salome was decapitated when the ice failed and broke through as she was playing, and as it broke she was decapitated. As she died her mother Herodias held her head! That my friends is called "poetic justice"! Salome and Herodias suffered dire consequences! Which was worse: being decapitated or having your own mother witness the decapitation? Both were punished severely and deserved it!
There is much more to titillate, many of which can cast dark shadows over Fifty Shades of Gray! Perhaps Jezebel should be considered. For millennia now Jezebel has been the standard of comparison for sluts.
Jezebel's marriage to King Ahab was for political reasons. She was pimped for those who sought power. Worse yet, she brought her evil gods of Baal and Asherah to the the Israelite monarch. Asherah was "Queen of the Heavens" and she was worshiped "before God". Before the One True God, Hebrew people worshiped multiple gods, along with God. That is called syncretism and is forbidden by the First Commandment! Not only that, but Baal was the god of fertility. Only the imagination can fathom what sexual deviations and licentiousness went on in those dens of iniquity where foreign gods were! Some Baal worshiped involved temple prostitutes, both male and female! Because of worship of foreign gods, it was written:
Deuteronomy 23:17 "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. 18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God."Whores (prostitutes) were "loose women" (translation from the Hebrew). And as such "sodomites" were homosexuals. Some temple worship had homosexuals to pleasure those in their worship.
A movie made of Jezebel, and there have been some, can never adequately show the deviations in her life. Heavily rouged and provocatively dressed, and near naked, as was the custom in pagan nations, Jezebel is the model for actresses of this day and age. What's worse is that our daughters and granddaughters pattern themselves after Hollywood Jezebels and slutty Madonna's, Lady Gaga's and Miley Cyrus's. Yes, "you've come a long way baby!", but not very far. You're a little head of Jezebel. but not by much!
There are many many more examples of fast women in the Bible. God doesn't conceal the evil in those people. Even those who were "after God's own heart" failed because of lust, envy and greed. Perhaps the story of David and Bathsheba is to your taste! It involves nudity, adultery, lying, abuse of power, and even murder! Again... there were consequences! David's son died and he was riddled with guilt. He married his object of lust, but consequences followed for all the days of his life. Psalm 51 is about his guilt, sorrow, repentance and its lasting effects on him!
People misunderstand the Bible! It's a reality story. All the characters are real. Everyting is ad lib'd. There was no script to follow. As you read you can sit there in your easy chair and become part of their party. Why pay $12 for a movie about sex and sin when you can read it on paper for free? Everyone knows the book is always better than the movie anyhow. Just read the book!
Keep in mind though, that God included disobedience because he had a reason. Because people were forgiven of deep sins, they love him more because of his grace!
Luke 7:47 "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her (the woman serving Jesus) sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."God uses wicked people because when he forgives them, they love him much! People forgiven of much are willing workers because they are thankful for God's grace. Paul was a mass murderer. He gathered Christians and killed them! God used this murderer to great benefit. More people turned their lives over to Jesus because of Paul than for any of his contemporaries.
Do read about the sexual realism, hedonism, intrigue, cheating, adultery, and even murder in the Bible. They're there to read and to learn from them! For you who can't make it without your daily dose of twisted behavior, read the Bible. It's all there from naked people in the garden to dancing bimbos to sleazy drama queens. Liars are everywhere and the King is even offered the world just to become part of it! As the World Turns is what this book is about! Sex in the City of Sodom and Gemorrah is included. King of Queens is about Herod and Herodias. Bachelorette is the story of many Jezebels. Survivor is the story of Noah's escape from wickedness.
Stay tuned to read more. Park your butt right there in the front seat, grab a bottle of Budd and watch John Revelation from Fantasy Island, his home in Crete. You'll like the preview of things to come!
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