Zanah

Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. Judges 2:17

I’ve been sober for six months. I only smoke pot. I hear something like this from my patients quite regularly. This permissive attitude towards marijuana reveals a shift in our culture’s view that is still shocking to my ears. I’ve been addicted (to opioids) and I’ve lived in recovery. Recovery to me means abstinence from any drug that gets me high. So, when I hear others speak of their casual attitude towards marijuana, it still jars my sensibilities. I’m sure at one point my patients viewed smoking pot as “using drugs” but now, through endless repetition and desensitization, they view it as consistent with recovery.

Maybe it didn’t involve marijuana, but I’ve been there – adopting a lax attitude about something that would have previously offended me. I once would have thought it insane to use my medical license to obtain and abuse opioids. Yet, through endless drug use and desensitization, I got myself to the point where it seemed like a really good idea. When, however, my opioid diversion was dragged into the light, I once again saw it for what it was – illegal, immoral, addictive, and insane. It was only when someone called out my terrible behavior that I was able to recognize how evil and self-destructive it truly was.

This is the sense I get from today’s passage, which employs an offensive word – whore – to describe the behavior of the Israelites. The original Hebrew word – zanah – means to prostitute oneself, or to commit adultery. The accusation of fornication would have been terribly offensive to the Israelites, which is why the author used it. God’s people had developed a casual attitude about worshipping foreign idols, but to God, this was anything but casual. This was infidelity of the worst kind and so, the author referred to his people as whores. The Israelites needed someone to call out their terrible behavior so that they could see it for what it truly was.

I don’t ever want to go back to that place – where I normalize sinful, self-destructive behavior. This isn’t just about drugs. It’s about my attitude towards money, sex, food, anger, selfishness, and pride. Daily, if I desire to live in faith and recovery, I must examine myself, asking what awful thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors I’m tolerating right now. I must also listen to those who would speak truth into my life. I’m sometimes blind to that which others can see clearly. If I don’t want to be the zanah, then daily, I must examine my life to make sure I’m not acting like the whore from today’s passage.