The Bible and Prostitution

There are times in the Bible when it seems the writer is very judgmental about people in prostitution and sees them as wanton and rebellious (i.e., Hosea's wife in the book carrying his name). In Leviticus 19:29, Israelites are warned not to let their daughters get into prostitution lest they be punished by death (Deut. 22:21). There are writers who become very severe about this kind of behavior. This was especially aimed at temple or cult prostitution connected to idolatry.

We can understand this point of view. It is such a waste that a person of value and dignity would sell his or her body for a few shekels, gain a reputation of disrespect in the community and lack boundaries which could keep their life safe and whole.

Often, the person in prostitution is pictured as luring men towards destruction. Their wiles and charms are portrayed as being used very intentionally to bring good men down, with nothing to show for it afterwards. Men are warned to not fall into these pits.

If we left the biblical discussion with just such points as these, we would be doing ourselves a great disfavor. The Christian Church has often seen these passages and gone no further with the discussion. This is bowing out prematurely, forgetting the scriptures have many more interpretations and stories which lead us in other directions. We are selling ourselves short as Christians if we regard the scriptural message as simply: women in prostitution brazenly rebelling against God by putting money first, temptation first, lust first.

First of all, there are people, it would seem, who because of the circumstances in their lives, just end up doing the work of a person in prostitution (Joshua 2 & 6). Rahab seems to be one of these. Her humanity, her common sense, her courage, her wisdom are all obvious as she both deals with the spies and desires good for her own family. Here was a woman of Jericho who was noticing the danger the Israelites and their God posed for the people of Jericho. The spies regarded her with respect and both listened to her and gave her instructions. There is a sense of normality in this story which gives us access to getting beyond the stereotype and stigma. Nothing can happen with prostitution if we keep making it such a dirty subject that we dare not touch it - except in secret. And in the churches, when we move away from a person of the streets who comes in and sits down, will we ever get beyond flight?

But, that having been said, we still have not looked at why people might be in prostitution in the first place. Tamar played the role of "prostitute" to get her father-in-law, Judah, to wake up and provide her a husband (Genesis 38). The implication in Amos 7:17, "Therefore thus says the Lord, 'Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword'", is that prostitution might become inevitable for the losers in war, those who have no protection. The other implication from both of these passages is that the mischief and disobedience of males set up those situations where women in desperation find themselves prostituting their bodies.

No wonder Jesus saw the missing background conversation when he noticed the vengeful men ready to stone the adulteress (John 8). What was missing was their personal reflection on what evil they had caused to happen in their own lives and in the lives around them. Even 2,000 years ago we had this phenomenon where men get off the hook, escape to the sidelines when such issues as out-of-wedlock pregnancy or now, abortion, get discussed. Remember, in this passage, Jesus knelt down and asked that person who had not sinned to cast the first stone. He had no takers. Every man left. It does not take a lot of imagination to see that women were very vulnerable in those days and when they were vulnerable, there would be men there to take advantage of them.

Now in our day we have added one other major piece which was not discussed back in Bible days: child abuse. Only in the last twenty-five years have we begun to realize the full impact of a practice long kept secret. People have used their age, their experience, their authority, and their intimidation to molest people in their own homes, neighborhoods and communities. We used to think this was rare. Now we know it is not. No doubt, this was going on in biblical times and children were having to deal with keeping secrets and being used. Was there an obvious place to turn for help? It doesn't appear so.

But this does not mean everything of this sort went undetected and unaddressed. In the story of David's son, Amnon, who raped his half-sister Tamar (II Samuel 13), we see how dangerous it was to be caught. Amnon later was set up and murdered by the servants of Absalom, Tamar's real brother. The prophet speaks of God's name being profaned when people devastate the poor and when a father and his son both have intercourse with the same girl. The point here is that the Bible shows a clear consciousness of evil, of exploitation, and of people using their power to take advantage of others.

Here we confront a major biblical word--oppression. Today, we are constantly barraged by media messages which do not associate oppression with pornography and prostitution. It is all supposed to be fun and harmless. The biblical writers did not see anything fun about injustice and unfair use of power. Even the kings had to face up to their corruption.

King David was a favorite hero, but when he abused his power to take Bathsheba to himself and finally have her husband killed, he was made to deal with this in no uncertain terms. When prophets like Nathan were available, articulate, and God-fearing, they spoke clearly and decisively. No one, especially those with power like the king, escaped the consequences following such prideful rebellion.

In Isaiah 58:6-12 we see the priority from God's perspective is not to be fasting before God but to be standing with and freeing the oppressed. This is what God blesses, not religious ritual-making. Believers are to see that people are being put down, ridiculed, degraded, slandered, and then be with these people. Look at these verses and see if there is any passage in the Bible with more promises. Oppression is what happens when the rich and powerful decide to take advantage of others, to push down the disenfranchised, the slave, the poor, the captured, the women, the children. God gives high priority to stopping oppression.

Jesus lives this very point of view. He has time for children and rebukes those who would shun them aside. He speaks fearful words to any who would consider destroying the beautiful faith of a child (Matthew 18:5-6). Where can we see this torpedoing of faith more clearly than when a person takes advantage of a child sexually or when a person deliberately tricks a child into prostituting themselves or when a society sits back and lets it happen without saying a word.

No wonder Jesus comes to bring the distinction "compassion" into a society giving lip service to the idea of "purity" and "impurity", as though some were one and others were the other. He cuts through this false dichotomy and asks us to look at the trap we are all in. In Luke 15:11-32, the elder son does not escape the effects of sin by staying home. His sin is just different. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus sees his own calling to liberate the captives and set free the oppressed. As the body of Christ in the world, are we not to be about the same work? Would it not be congruent for us Christians to be spending our time being about the same things Jesus was about, with the same attitudes and the same concerns? If that is so, do we not see that preventing oppression, giving honor to oppressed people, speaking out about exploitation, loving the abused and the abusers, speaking the truth with love are what the Christian Church has to provide in the world? Aren't these ways to be salt and light in the world? Are we about these things, and if not, why not?

The Bible talks about healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom. When Jesus went out to the villages, he saw how harassed and helpless the people were. They were caught in darkness, dealing with a multitude of issues which were beyond them. They needed light, power, grace (Matthew 9:35-38).

We find ourselves in the same situation today with the "sex industry". It is as though we are naturally at the mercy of the magnetic and attractive messages offered. A Christian man goes to a strip club being told there is no harm, this is just an "entertainment" option. Later he finds himself embroiled in activities he never intended, having lost integrity with his family, and paying a much larger price than he ever expected to pay. Yet, the church is not discussing these things, when it could bring light into his darkness. He and his family are now harassed and helpless. Did it need to happen? No.

Is it happening? Definitely. Jesus kept his head out of the sand and lived in the freedom of being God's person on earth. That is what we can do. There is nothing we need be afraid of. We can start by learning what all this is and talking about it. Freedom will come from that.

Of course, the foundation of all the messages being said in the scriptures is God in Christ becoming flesh and delivering us from the condemnation of sin, the bondage of the evil one, and the power of death. This work accomplished by death and made complete by resurrection gives us a wholly different way of seeing each other and all human beings on the earth.

Jesus continually brought us to see there are jewels like Zaccheus and Mary Magdalene living around us whom most of us would overlook entirely. We never realized so much possibility and value could lie under so much scheming and deceit and destructive practice. We, in Christ, are called to look again at the people we are avoiding, the people who are crass and speaking nonsense, the people who bark at our values and challenge our successes and accomplishments. They often know us a little too well. It is the Christian Church which is called to revolutionize itself in Christ and to be ambassadors of compassion and truth and love in a dark world. Will we yield to God's calling?

Let us look at some biblical themes which give us further insight into different ways this subject is addressed in the Old and New Testaments.

  1. Exploitation of the Weak - A Power Issue
  2. Standing With the Oppressed, the Weak, the Hurting
  3. Loving the Outcast
  4. Jesus' Relationship to People in Prostitution
    • John 8:1-11 Jesus finds a way to save a woman caught in adultery.
    • John 20:1-18 Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene after resurrection. (We don't know if Mary was ever in prostitution. She had had seven demons. (Luke 8:2)
  5. No Room is Given for Nonsense by God's Leaders
  6. Trusting God in the Face of No Answers
  7. Good News for the Oppressed and Trapped
    • Luke 4:18-19 Jesus came to bring freedom that cannot be destroyed
    • John 8:31-47 The Son will make you free; the truth will make you free
  8. Giving Leadership Which Makes a Difference for Vulnerable People
    • Nehemiah 5 Nehemiah steps in, changes the situation of debtors and children
    • Esther Esther risks her life for the sake of her people
  9. People in Prostitution as Heroines
  10. People Recognizing They are Sick and Need Help
  11. Does This Have to Be a Problem for Christian Men?
    • 1 Cor 6:12-20 Why a Christian man would not go to a person in prostitution
    • 1 Cor 10:12-13 God provides a way of escape for those who ask
  12. Isolating Children by Harshness
  13. Regarding Ourselves and Others as People of Dignity and Value
    • Psalm 8 The high status of human beings before God
    • Matthew 10:28-31 People's value before God; hairs of our heads numbered
  14. Warning About Using Children and Being Stumbling Blocks to Their Faith in God's Goodness
    • Matthew 18:1-11, esp. v. 6 Severe warning for men who are instuments of evil
    • Amos 2:7 A man and his son use the same girl and that is denounced
  15. Hurt Within the Family
    • Genesis 34:31 Sons of Jacob killed Hamor and his son Shechem for treating their sister as a harlot
  16. The Practice of Men Taking Advantage of Women at Risk
    • Ruth 2, especially v. 8 Making sure Ruth is not molested by instructing the men
  17. Hidden Secrets Can Be Destructive
  18. Cultic or Temple Prostitution
  19. Being Partial, Patronizing Those in Power, Rich People
  20. A Place for Husbands To Come From
  21. Not Trusting Ourselves to Strangers (Self-protection)
  22. Showing Hospitality to Strangers, Visiting Prisoners
  23. Letting God Be Judge of Others
  24. A Way to Deal with Evil
  25. Prayer by the Oppressed and for the Oppressed