I know you all will understand my book hangover and all the emotions swirling through me after finishing it. Now when they told David, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house, David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? Yes, Marriage Matters to God. The husband and wife become one. Sin entered the human race and human history, and the consequences are evident all about us. It was Gods will to use Joseph as a forerunner to prepare the children of Israel for what was next (Genesis 45:7-9). He did not permit man to use it. If you owned a Mercedes Benz, would you loan it to a neighbor to go hunting in, or to haul firewood? First, we move from a Jewish to a Gentile culture. 1 Cor. 18:24-30). 6-8). her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage shall he not diminish, Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not, Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular, To scrape off, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold, Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular, Flesh, as living, for, food, food of any kind, kindred by blood, Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular, Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Exodus 21:10 If he takes another wife to himself (Exo. Nevertheless, the rest of the Pentateuch (the Pentateuch is the five books of the Old Testament, written by Moses) provides us with a great deal of detail concerning sexual sins, and the various forms of punishment required by each. If we have accepted the principle of sanctification in general, we must then see it in the particulars of our Christian experience. And I will destroy her vines and fig trees, Of which she said, These are my wages Which my lovers have given me. And I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field will devour them (Hos. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. Pauls words in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 go much farther, showing the implications of a Christians sexual union with a harlot. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. James 1:13-15). Taken as a whole, I believe that the above passages convey several vitally important truths, which we must pause to underscore: (1) Adultery is a more serious sexual sin because it is a violation of a marriage. The sanctity of marriage is indicated by the statement in Genesis 2:24, that a man must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. When God brought man and woman together as husband and wife, He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:27-28). It is crucial to study the book of Genesis to understand Exodus. The Good Doctor. and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. The word exodus is significant because it means departure. Israel was tired of being in bondage. The difference between John and me in this instance is that John believes everything should be used for the purpose it was made. Sanctification, therefore, was the first test which God gave mankind, and it was this test which man failed. Third, we must beware of that teaching (either by direct statement or by inference, or by silence) which holds that any and every sexual pleasure can be enjoyed by a married couple behind closed doors. Those of you that have read it, are you reeling also in the aftermath? When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. We also see how the Lord made Pharaoh release His people. Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? This union is violated and defiled by adultery. Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the LORD your GOD (Lev. Judaism condemned adultery and sexual immorality, as can be seen from John chapter 8. So, too, the pleasures of sexual sin are prominently proclaimed, but the price for immorality is exceedingly high (cf. I think there is little evidence for this conclusion. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? 4:1-5). Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. Community answers are sorted based on votes. To me, my Stanley wood chisel is a very fine instrument for scraping old gasket material off an automobile engine. As I see it, the issue in Exodus 21 is two-fold, involving not only marriage, but slavery. Fornication is also applied symbolically in the Bible to the sins of idolatry and apostasy, or the abandoning of God. So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abrahams son, the sister of Nebaioth. In the Bible, this word is used for the departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt. Furthermore, there must be a distinction drawn between what is personally permissible and what is detrimental to others (cf. After Joseph died, the children of Israel were numerous, a great nation. Published by at February 16, 2022. Abrams request was for Sarai to lie, representing herself as an eligible bride, and thus potentially putting her in another mans bed in order to save his life. Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed.. Leviticus 20Israel is not to play the harlot by consulting mediums or spiritists, but they are to consecrate themselves to the God of Israel, who sanctifies them (vss. May it never be! In my opinion, the rampant sexual immorality of our day is not primarily the result of greater temptation, of increased sexual desire, of greater opportunity, or even of the availability of the pill and abortion. In Ephesians chapter 5 Paul focuses on the relationship between the Christian husband and wife, and the way it portrays an important spiritual truth to the world: So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. 1 What I would say is this; if the slave viewed his marriage as sacred, and held it in high regard, then a provision to sustain his marriage is set forth here in this text: the slave can renounce his "freedom" and remain a slave to his master, and in so . 13-21). It is significant that our Lord began by talking about adultery, but that He almost immediately came to the subject of divorce. Just as God had clearly forbidden the partaking of the forbidden fruit in the garden, so He has clearly forbidden the fruit of sexual impurity. Let us briefly consider the important truths our Lord taught on sex and marriage. Shall I not punish these people, declares the LORD, And on a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself? (Jer. Second, we move from an Old Testament dispensation (centered around the nation Israel) to a New Testament dispensation (centered around a predominantly Gentile church). But it is also referred to regularly in later Bible books. We must begin by taking the Bible literally, and thus we acknowledge that any act of adultery must be avoided. The Bible says, Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needed not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). She has one stepson, Greg. Uncovering the nakedness of a relative is prohibited (vss. God created Eve and brought her to Adam for fellowship, to be his helper and his companion. Sanctification was, for example, the first great test which man failed in the Garden of Eden. 4:4), and holding the marriage bed in honor, keeping the marriage bed undefiled (Heb. And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. Later, God commanded Moses to take a census of all the Israelite men over 20 years old, which amounted to six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. (Numbers 1:46). I havent read a story that powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching in years! Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. In the Book of 1 Corinthians he focuses on illicit sexual union and its relationship to the believers union with Christ: Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Closely related to the union of a husband and his wife is the intimacy which they experience in marriage. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Exodus 2:21 Moses was content to dwell (Exo. I believe that there are several ways in which marriage is sanctified: Unity. . Mount Sinai, from which God spoke to Moses and the Israelites, was sanctified, set apart. Can you guess what that was? John did not hesitate, even for a moment. Such could be the conclusion one would reach from a reading of John chapter 4, where Jesus spoke to the immoral woman at the well, or of John chapter 8, where Jesus refused to cast stones at the woman caught in the very act of adultery. In a divine vision, God said to Peter, What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy (Acts 10:15). It is very important for me to be precise in what I say here. When one enters into a sexual union, Paul reasons, one enters into marital union. They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing after his neighbors wife. In the midst of that conversation I said to John, John you would not have been very happy with me. In Genesis chapter 12 further revelation about mans salvation is given as the benefits brought about by human (and ultimately divine) seed: And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you; And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Women, why do keep your silver in a special place, bringing it out only for special occasions? Prov. Dr. Smith primarily teaches language arts. Our culture protests that Christians disdain and demean sex, that we have little appreciation for it. Some of this may be cultural, but I think the primary reason is that in those days especially (and in other cultures still today) the woman is under the authority of her parents, and her parents authority over her is simply transferred to her husband. In effect, Abram was not only endangering the promises of God and the purity of his wife, but he was paving the way for men to unknowingly commit adultery with his wife. The implications of the sanctity of sex and marriage are the subject of this lesson. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Their people have been under the foot of the Egyptians for four hundred years. In later chapters Reuel is called Jethro. So the LORD GOD caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at the place. 20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. Thus Jesus majored on those sins which were more subtle, and which were more characteristic of the religious leadership of Israel. The children of Israel did all work in the field as well. It also assured the integrity of the home and a righteous seed, through whom the Redeemer would come. At times we are tempted to think that what God has called clean is really unclean (as was the case with Peter; cf. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. For starters, we need to get the nature of marriage right. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. May God grant you the conviction to stand against the flood of cultural and peer pressure. To understand Johns response, you have to understand John. To play out her role as Gods priestly nation, Israel had to be separate, sanctified, different from the surrounding nations. Let those who would consider divorce an option carefully ponder the implications of their actions in accordance with our Lords words here. Ex). How many times have we heard that adultery breaks the marriage union, that is, that adultery (legitimately) causes divorce? The book of Exodus not only tells some of the Bibles most famous events, but the word means something that sums up the books entire message. We will discover in our lesson that marriage and sex were also sanctified by God. It can dull the mind, like wine, making one insensitive to reality (Hos. The epidemic of sexual immorality is, I believe, the result of a failure to understand or appreciate the sanctity of sex and of marriage. Great were the consequences. And it was said, WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DISMISSAL; but I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matt. This is already the size of many metropolitan cities and doesnt count the mens female relatives or the men under 20 years. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Leviticus 18Israel is to distinguish herself from practices of Egypt and Canaan by maintaining sexual purity (vss. The Israelites themselves were set apart from the Egyptians and from all other nations. To remove either is a drastic action (as, for example, one would do in the case of cancer). It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? "You shall have no other gods before me. There are other instances of sexual immorality in Genesis, but let us turn our attention to the bright light of Josephs character, in contrast to that of his close relatives.43 Joseph was a young man, with all of the sexual desires of any other healthy male. The word Exodus came from the Latin exodos and was adopted as the book's title when the Bible was translated into Latin. If He spoke it, He will make it good (Numbers 23:19). Marriage is sanctified in the degree to which a man and his wife have fellowship with one another. To John, a wood chisel is to be sanctifiedset apart for use only on wood. We must even distinguish between what is personally permissible and what is personally beneficial (1 Cor. This incident reveals several important truths: (1) Joseph knew he could not lie with this woman because she was the wife of another man. It did not look bad, it did not taste bad. We must remember that those who teach and lead are held to higher accountability (James 3:1). As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people (Lev. Kill everyone - even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.". v. 24). One can build up the other in those intimate areas of ones heart and life, but one can also do great damage in the intimate areas as well. Sometimes, people feel ready to make the big exodus from study to leadership, but they have not been released into ministry yet. Let us conclude by seeking to isolate the principles which underlie and govern sexual purity, and then some of the practical outworkings of these principles. God has here joined a man and a woman so that they have become a unity. And if you right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell. Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following: 1. At other times, we are tempted to call clean what God has called unclean. One of the most important decisions the Christian can make is to rightly distinguish between the holy and the unholythe see what God has sanctified and what He has not. The man, on the other hand, is under his parents authority as a child, but when he leaves them he terminates that chain of command and establishes a new chain of command, being the head of his wife and the family which may follow. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. 51:4) and New, adultery is, first and foremost, a sin against God. Her name. Just as God gave life to all of His creatures in Genesis chapter 1, now in chapter 2 He gives a woman to Adam as his wife. I started reading the series three days ago and devoured it! But the messianic line until Mary was preserved through the union of a man and a woman in marriage. Marriage, in Josephs understanding, was an exclusive relationship. 12:13; Ps. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? Q. Fornication is a term used in the Bible for any sexual misconduct or impure sexual activity that occurs outside of the bounds of a marriage covenant. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God? And it came about as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not listen to her to lie beside her, or be with her (Gen. 39:7-10). (2) While David enjoys all the luxuries of the palace, Uriah refused to enjoy them, even when urged on him. Drink water from your own cistern, And fresh water from your own well. Throughout the Scriptures, both Old Testament (cf. Shaun and Lea exchanged their first kiss in a Season 3 episode of The Good Doctor. Marriage is defined in Scripture as a covenant before God, joining a man and a woman together for their lives ( Genesis 2:24 ). Will God forgive me for losing hope and the will to live? . Her restoration is described as a marriage between God and His bride. Satan made great promises about the benefits of partaking of the fruit of that tree, but he failed to tell all. Just a few verses away from the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:1-3, Abram places the seed in jeopardy, at least from a human perspective: Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 6-18), as well as illicit intercourse (vss. When Moses was born (Exodus 2), he escaped this fate and became an instrument God used to deliver the children of Israel. God was faithful to his promise that Abrahams descendants would number the stars in the sky (Genesis 26:4). Let us work at growth in each of these areas. We must begin by understanding that plucking out eyes and cutting off hands will not cure sin or assure us of keeping the Seventh (or any other) Commandment. 5:7-9). Exodus 21:11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to . Exodus 22:16-17 "If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride price for her and make her his wife. The marriage union which God established, God also sanctified. Sexual sins and their penalties are spelled out in detail (vss. Exodos means leave, and the book of Exodus tells how the nation of Israel left Egypt. The dubious distinction for the most well-known case of adultery would have to go to David, who sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah: Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. It's been a long road, but on . These three texts provide us with the essence of our Lords teaching on adultery and sexual immorality. It is also significant that He taught divorce causes adultery, except in the case where the divorce was based upon previous adultery. When one comes to faith in Christ, when he is born again, that person becomes one with Christ. We can see, then, that throughout the Bible, the enjoyment of sex is restricted to marriage, and to that which is consistent with our position and calling in Christ. Sexual sin defiles the people (vss. You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out. In fact, it wasnt bad, in and of itself. 2:11-12). First, since the sanctity of sex reflects its value, its beauty, its goodness, let us never think of sex as something dirty and defiling. Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. Some people did not enter the promised land that God had promised to give them because of their disobedience. In Exodus 20:3, we read: You shall have no other gods before me. (2) Jesus thus teaches here that attitudinal sins precede sins of action (cf. Time will not permit further exploration, but take note of how often unity (e.g. Thus, one should be careful not to think or say that since adultery is a sin against a marriage, it has also, de facto, terminated the marriage. Our culture is adamantly opposed to the sanctity of sex. Pagan religion often intermingled sexual immorality with its worship. We therefore would expect to find some very specific revelation on the subject of adultery and sexual sin in the epistles. Thus, it was not necessary for our Lord to dwell on the sinfulness of sexual immorality, since the Jews of His day agreed with Him on this point. When the first sin was committed by partaking of the forbidden fruit God pronounced punishments which were appropriate to each party involved, as well as the consequences for all mankind. How tragic it is to see young people seduced (philosophically and physically), so that they will share that most treasured gift with those who cannot even be named or numbered. The king of Egypt was still determined to kill the male children. . This is what we shall seek to learn from the writings of the apostles in the New Testament. Deuteronomy 7:4. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. When God had created a mate for all of His other creatures, He looked upon Adam in his solitude and said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him (Gen. 2:18). The exodus of Israel was not easy, and it took time, but it was a God kind of job. At this time, the children of Israel were fruitful, increased abundantly, became exceedingly mighty, and there were people everywhere. Not to mention, the Israelites were a faithful people who believed in God. That is a topic for another article. Shaun ( Freddie Highmore) and Lea ( Paige Spara) started out as neighbors. Exodus 20:1-26 ESV / 16 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Our Lord is teaching us that we must, unlike our culture, take sexual sin most seriously. We know that God is not a man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19). Our sanctification cannot be expressed or realized apart from a radical change in our sexual conductthat is, a radical change in the way we conduct ourselves sexually, as contrasted with our former conduct and that of the pagan world around us. (5) Though David had many wives, he was willing to take the one wife that Uriah possessed. As for a man or a woman, if there is a medium or a spiritist among them, they shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them (Lev. 15:19). In conclusion, let me suggest three additional ways in which the sanctity of sex is to be applied in a practical way. Specifically, I am referring to what Paul has written in the Book of Ephesians, which especially relates to sexual impurity: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. The incidents in chapters 34 and 38 indicate that the Law of Moses only codified what was already understood to be wrong. Sanctification is one of the great principles of the Bible, whether in the Old or the New Testament. 4:3-8). And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. (4) While Uriah was willing to lay down his life for the king and the nation, David was willing to take Uriahs life to save his own reputation and to satisfy his own sexual desires. The main focus of Exodus is to describe Gods deliverance of Israel and how He made them a great nation (The KJV Study Bible, Barbour Publishing, 2011). (Prov. 4:1ff.,), intimacy and fellowship, and reproduction (evangelism, fruit bearing) are discussed in the context of ones personal walk with the Lord or with the corporate union of believers in the body of Christ. Exodus 21:10 (MSG) If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. Why did you not go down to your house? And Uriah said to David, The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. As we established, Exodus means to leave or depart. Furthermore, He may even appear to be lenient on those guilty of immorality. And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Personally, I have understood the word "before" here as referring to rank - that is, you may not consider any other god to be more valuable/worthy . From what we have already learned in Genesis, it is apparent that the Israelites understood what adultery was and that it was sin. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. Furthermore, the one who divorces their spouse also causes them to commit adultery, since a remarriage is assumed. When our Lord commented on this text He said, Consequently they are no more two, but one flesh. The differences between holy and unholy, clean and unclean are crucial. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is available. As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love.