Adultery

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Adultery

Posted On : Sep-29-2011 | seen (564) times | Article Word Count : 3651 |

In our morally deteriorating society, it is difficult to share at times that certain decisions and actions are still sin in God’s eyes. There once was a time when adultery was condemned from the pulpits. However, largely due to the desensitizing of our culture and the promotion of this sin through the media (music, movies, television, tabloids, and romance novels), most people turn a blind eye to adultery even though the consequences are still as devastating as in ancient times. My prayer as we search the scriptures is that we realize that all sin is equal in God’s eyes, and the price for sin has not changed.

Before going into the scriptures, we need to first understand the definition of adultery. From the American Heritage Dictionary: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. From Dictionary.Com Unabridged: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse.

The dictionary definitions of adultery are very plain as we see here. From the Strong’s Concordance we find the following:

New Testament: Greek moicheuo - 1) to commit adultery; a) to be an adulterer; b) to commit adultery with, have unlawful intercourse with another's wife; c) of the wife: to suffer adultery, be debauched; d) A Hebrew idiom, the word is used of those who at a woman's solicitation are drawn away to idolatry, i.e. to the eating of things sacrificed to idols.

Old Testament: Hebrew na'aph - 1) to commit adultery; a) (Qal) to commit adultery, usually of man, always with wife of another; b) adultery (of women) (participle); 2) idolatrous worship (fig.) (Piel) to commit adultery (a) of man, (b) adultery (of women) (participle); idolatrous worship (fig.)

There are references to idolatry in the Biblical definitions, but for the purpose of this lesson we will cover the physical act of adultery.

At one time, literature would touch this subject and it would be addressed as sin, not an affair or a midnight rendezvous. The most famous literary example is given in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter. That's where Hester Prynne committed adultery; she was punished by public humiliation on the scaffold and being required to wear a red letter “A” as a reminder of her wickedness. The other point made is that sin hardly ever acts alone; one sin often works in conjunction with others, and will lead to other evil deeds such as revenge, murder, etc. This will be covered in more detail. To show how even our culture has turned a blind eye to adultery, consider this: in 1938 entertainer Frank Sinatra was arrested and fined in his native New Jersey for committing adultery with another man’s wife. Today, so much of this nonsense happens in Hollywood no one even notices; soap operas and popular prime time television shows like Dallas and Desperate Housewives have glamorized this sin to the extent it is an acceptable part of our society. However, God’s word has not changed, and it is still sin!

Now let’s look at the scriptures!

Exodus 20:14 - Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Exodus 20:17 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

One does not just glibly say “I am going to cheat on my spouse” without some form of covetousness. This covetousness could come in many different forms; yet the result, if one does not subject himself (or herself) to God’s will, and rebuke that covetousness in Jesus’ name, other sin will quickly follow.

1 John 2:15-17 - 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The New Testament clearly backs up through John’s epistle what God gave Moses on Mt. Sinai. Many times we are drawn into sin by coveting something God does not want us to have, or do! However, once we have given in to the idea of coveting something sinful, the whole chain of events takes place that leads to our physical, emotional, and even spritiual downfall.

James 1:14-15 - 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Let me be one to say that the thought itself is not sin. All manner of thoughts and ideas pass through our minds every day. It is the retaining of certain thoughts and the meditation on them that will lead us to committing sin. How does this apply to adultery? A man sees an attractive looking woman either in town, on his job or on television perhaps. In our modern age I will even say he may have met her on the Internet. Upon meeting in person, conversation ensues, phone numbers are exchanged, and even a time and place for the act of sin to take place. Sin is not an accident! Sin is the result of planned actions which lead to the culmination of the deed being performed. However, once sin is committed it will produce evil fruit…no matter how well it appears to be covered up.

Numbers 32:23 - But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

2 Samuel 12:7-12 - 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

David gave in to his lusts when he saw Bathsheba bathing in her room. He carefully plotted a plan not only to seduce her, but to steal her from Uriah once he chose not to lie with her but to return to battle. He also cunningly devised a means to have Uriah assassinated, and to cover his tracks. Satan will deceive us like this…but in the end God will always find us out! David repented once Nathan told him the truth, but the sword never left David’s house; he was known as a bloody king from that day forward. If David could be lured into such a trap, so can we! Many mighty men of God have fallen because they gave in to fleshly desires, only to be found out later.

Solomon in his writing of Proverbs went at length on this subject as we shall see.

Proverbs 5:3-14 - 3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! 14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

Proverbs 7:18-27 - 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

The consequences of sin are indeed very severe. The sin of adultery has some very severe consequences, maybe not in our society, but most certainly in God’s law and design.

Proverbs 5:10 - Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

Proverbs 6:26 - For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

These are a couple examples of financial ruin. Often the adulterous affair ends in divorce, where alimony and child support will sap the monetary life out of an individual…sometimes both the ex-wife and the mistress receive some form of compensation!

Proverbs 6:27-35 - Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

This passage tells a lot. Adultery is a dangerous fire that burns everything it touches. The ruin is not only financial, but physical and social. Many, many police reports in the United States alone tell the tragic tale of a jealous husband (or wife) who learned the other was cheating and sought revenge not only on the person who had the affair, but the unfaithful spouse as well. Divorce and broken homes are commonplace today, and adultery plays a major role in the collapse of the American home. The social disgrace associated with adultery is still there, especially when the guilty party is a person of esteem and leadership; President Clinton had his name sullied because of his affair with a White House intern, and Jimmy Swaggart suffered a major fall from grace when his ministry was ruined by scandals involving prostitutes. Sadly, because of the increasing acceptance of sodomy we now have incidents like Ted Haggard that have brought disgrace as well.

Adultery is adultery, regardless of the gender or location. In my own experiences in the military, men have told me that they could cheat on their wives overseas because “rules are different in other countries.” I refuted their claims by sharing with them Jesus sees what we do, and we need to honor the vows we make to our spouses. Sadly, many of these same men refused to listen and are now divorced. Sooner or later the wives found out!

Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 - 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

Numbers 32:23 - But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

When we got married, we made a vow – maybe not to God if we were married before coming to Christ – but at least to our spouses to be faithful to one another. When I got married, the presiding official stated as we exchanged vows “forsaking all others”, meaning that once we got married neither of us was to mess around with someone else. Many who are caught in adultery honestly believed they had a scheme set up where the spouse supposedly would not even be aware what was happening. However, God sees everything and there will be nothing hidden on the day of judgment.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 - 24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

The bottom line is this: sooner or later an adulterous person will get caught! What can be done to stem the devastation caused by adultery? Knowing the factors and taking proactive steps, under the leadership of the Holy Ghost, is the best way to nip this problem in the bud. It is far easier to prevent adultery than to respond to it once the deed has been finished.

Matthew 5:27-28 - 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Psalms 101:2-3 - 2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Job 31:1 - I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

These same scriptures also apply to the women. We must avoid looking upon people to "check them out" and avoid looking at things that would cause us to lust. This includes pornography (a whole topic in itself), certain movies, magazines, and images such as shown on television and even the Internet. We need to make a covenant with our eyes, and strive to avoid frequenting those places where people are dressed immodestly that can cause us to fall into sin.

Proverbs 23:29-35 - 29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

1 Thessalonians 5:22- Abstain from all appearance of evil.

We must be in control of ourselves and not allow the deception of the enemy to trip us up. Too often I have heard, especially during my naval career, men complain about how much alcohol they drank (drugs will do this too) and found themselves in very compromising situations where they committed adultery with a woman they did not even know or remember. We who are born again and walking in the Spirit must avoid any situation that could remotely cause us to sin.

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Joseph, when Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him, did exactly that. He fled for his life because he wanted nothing to do with her, nor sin against God. Despite the wrongful accusation and imprisonment, God blessed Joseph in a mighty way. We need to have the same mindset – to flee from sin for our very lives!

Proverbs 5:18-19 - 18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

Ephesians 5:22-31 - 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

As we bring this topic to a close, let us consider the word of God concerning our spouses. God wanted us to be blessed in our marriages, and to rejoice in a deep loving relationship that transcends the physical. We must look at the whole person – their emotions, needs, preferences, maturity in Christ – and not just the physical appearances. God also established a hierarchy in the home where the husband is supposed to be the head, and the wife is to be in godly submission to her husband; she was meant to be a support and help for him, not a “ball and chain” so many people joke about. By the same token, the husband is to lead and at the same time show love and affection to his wife in the example Jesus shows us to His church. I do not respect husbands who brow-beat their wives and treat them like a lower class citizen (in some countries livestock have more rights than women, which is sad); nor do I like it when wives rebel against their husbands when it comes to godly living and just do whatever they want to do. It is frustrating and it wears folks down! Then we wonder why we see so many marriages in trouble, in addition to other causes; this frustration also, when paired with other factors, can lead to the destruction caused by adultery. My prayer is that we all grow in Christ Jesus, allowing Him to guide us and give us the tools to build up our marriages, which in turn helps us save our families.

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<h1>Adultery</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Steve-0.aspx'>Steve-0</a> In our morally deteriorating society, it is difficult to share at times that certain decisions and actions are still sin in God’s eyes. There once was a time when adultery was condemned from the pulpits. However, largely due to the desensitizing of our culture and the promotion of this sin through the media (music, movies, television, tabloids, and romance novels), most people turn a blind eye to adultery even though the consequences are still as devastating as in ancient times. My prayer as we search the scriptures is that we realize that all sin is equal in God’s eyes, and the price for sin has not changed.

Before going into the scriptures, we need to first understand the definition of adultery. From the American Heritage Dictionary: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. From Dictionary.Com Unabridged: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse.

The dictionary definitions of adultery are very plain as we see here. From the Strong’s Concordance we find the following:

New Testament: Greek moicheuo - 1) to commit adultery; a) to be an adulterer; b) to commit adultery with, have unlawful intercourse with another's wife; c) of the wife: to suffer adultery, be debauched; d) A Hebrew idiom, the word is used of those who at a woman's solicitation are drawn away to idolatry, i.e. to the eating of things sacrificed to idols.

Old Testament: Hebrew na'aph - 1) to commit adultery; a) (Qal) to commit adultery, usually of man, always with wife of another; b) adultery (of women) (participle); 2) idolatrous worship (fig.) (Piel) to commit adultery (a) of man, (b) adultery (of women) (participle); idolatrous worship (fig.)

There are references to idolatry in the Biblical definitions, but for the purpose of this lesson we will cover the physical act of adultery.

At one time, literature would touch this subject and it would be addressed as sin, not an affair or a midnight rendezvous. The most famous literary example is given in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter. That's where Hester Prynne committed adultery; she was punished by public humiliation on the scaffold and being required to wear a red letter “A” as a reminder of her wickedness. The other point made is that sin hardly ever acts alone; one sin often works in conjunction with others, and will lead to other evil deeds such as revenge, murder, etc. This will be covered in more detail. To show how even our culture has turned a blind eye to adultery, consider this: in 1938 entertainer Frank Sinatra was arrested and fined in his native New Jersey for committing adultery with another man’s wife. Today, so much of this nonsense happens in Hollywood no one even notices; soap operas and popular prime time television shows like Dallas and Desperate Housewives have glamorized this sin to the extent it is an acceptable part of our society. However, God’s word has not changed, and it is still sin!

Now let’s look at the scriptures!

Exodus 20:14 - Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Exodus 20:17 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

One does not just glibly say “I am going to cheat on my spouse” without some form of covetousness. This covetousness could come in many different forms; yet the result, if one does not subject himself (or herself) to God’s will, and rebuke that covetousness in Jesus’ name, other sin will quickly follow.

1 John 2:15-17 - 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The New Testament clearly backs up through John’s epistle what God gave Moses on Mt. Sinai. Many times we are drawn into sin by coveting something God does not want us to have, or do! However, once we have given in to the idea of coveting something sinful, the whole chain of events takes place that leads to our physical, emotional, and even spritiual downfall.

James 1:14-15 - 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Let me be one to say that the thought itself is not sin. All manner of thoughts and ideas pass through our minds every day. It is the retaining of certain thoughts and the meditation on them that will lead us to committing sin. How does this apply to adultery? A man sees an attractive looking woman either in town, on his job or on television perhaps. In our modern age I will even say he may have met her on the Internet. Upon meeting in person, conversation ensues, phone numbers are exchanged, and even a time and place for the act of sin to take place. Sin is not an accident! Sin is the result of planned actions which lead to the culmination of the deed being performed. However, once sin is committed it will produce evil fruit…no matter how well it appears to be covered up.

Numbers 32:23 - But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

2 Samuel 12:7-12 - 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

David gave in to his lusts when he saw Bathsheba bathing in her room. He carefully plotted a plan not only to seduce her, but to steal her from Uriah once he chose not to lie with her but to return to battle. He also cunningly devised a means to have Uriah assassinated, and to cover his tracks. Satan will deceive us like this…but in the end God will always find us out! David repented once Nathan told him the truth, but the sword never left David’s house; he was known as a bloody king from that day forward. If David could be lured into such a trap, so can we! Many mighty men of God have fallen because they gave in to fleshly desires, only to be found out later.

Solomon in his writing of Proverbs went at length on this subject as we shall see.

Proverbs 5:3-14 - 3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! 14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

Proverbs 7:18-27 - 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

The consequences of sin are indeed very severe. The sin of adultery has some very severe consequences, maybe not in our society, but most certainly in God’s law and design.

Proverbs 5:10 - Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

Proverbs 6:26 - For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

These are a couple examples of financial ruin. Often the adulterous affair ends in divorce, where alimony and child support will sap the monetary life out of an individual…sometimes both the ex-wife and the mistress receive some form of compensation!

Proverbs 6:27-35 - Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

This passage tells a lot. Adultery is a dangerous fire that burns everything it touches. The ruin is not only financial, but physical and social. Many, many police reports in the United States alone tell the tragic tale of a jealous husband (or wife) who learned the other was cheating and sought revenge not only on the person who had the affair, but the unfaithful spouse as well. Divorce and broken homes are commonplace today, and adultery plays a major role in the collapse of the American home. The social disgrace associated with adultery is still there, especially when the guilty party is a person of esteem and leadership; President Clinton had his name sullied because of his affair with a White House intern, and Jimmy Swaggart suffered a major fall from grace when his ministry was ruined by scandals involving prostitutes. Sadly, because of the increasing acceptance of sodomy we now have incidents like Ted Haggard that have brought disgrace as well.

Adultery is adultery, regardless of the gender or location. In my own experiences in the military, men have told me that they could cheat on their wives overseas because “rules are different in other countries.” I refuted their claims by sharing with them Jesus sees what we do, and we need to honor the vows we make to our spouses. Sadly, many of these same men refused to listen and are now divorced. Sooner or later the wives found out!

Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 - 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

Numbers 32:23 - But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

When we got married, we made a vow – maybe not to God if we were married before coming to Christ – but at least to our spouses to be faithful to one another. When I got married, the presiding official stated as we exchanged vows “forsaking all others”, meaning that once we got married neither of us was to mess around with someone else. Many who are caught in adultery honestly believed they had a scheme set up where the spouse supposedly would not even be aware what was happening. However, God sees everything and there will be nothing hidden on the day of judgment.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 - 24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

The bottom line is this: sooner or later an adulterous person will get caught! What can be done to stem the devastation caused by adultery? Knowing the factors and taking proactive steps, under the leadership of the Holy Ghost, is the best way to nip this problem in the bud. It is far easier to prevent adultery than to respond to it once the deed has been finished.

Matthew 5:27-28 - 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Psalms 101:2-3 - 2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Job 31:1 - I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

These same scriptures also apply to the women. We must avoid looking upon people to "check them out" and avoid looking at things that would cause us to lust. This includes pornography (a whole topic in itself), certain movies, magazines, and images such as shown on television and even the Internet. We need to make a covenant with our eyes, and strive to avoid frequenting those places where people are dressed immodestly that can cause us to fall into sin.

Proverbs 23:29-35 - 29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

1 Thessalonians 5:22- Abstain from all appearance of evil.

We must be in control of ourselves and not allow the deception of the enemy to trip us up. Too often I have heard, especially during my naval career, men complain about how much alcohol they drank (drugs will do this too) and found themselves in very compromising situations where they committed adultery with a woman they did not even know or remember. We who are born again and walking in the Spirit must avoid any situation that could remotely cause us to sin.

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Joseph, when Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him, did exactly that. He fled for his life because he wanted nothing to do with her, nor sin against God. Despite the wrongful accusation and imprisonment, God blessed Joseph in a mighty way. We need to have the same mindset – to flee from sin for our very lives!

Proverbs 5:18-19 - 18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

Ephesians 5:22-31 - 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

As we bring this topic to a close, let us consider the word of God concerning our spouses. God wanted us to be blessed in our marriages, and to rejoice in a deep loving relationship that transcends the physical. We must look at the whole person – their emotions, needs, preferences, maturity in Christ – and not just the physical appearances. God also established a hierarchy in the home where the husband is supposed to be the head, and the wife is to be in godly submission to her husband; she was meant to be a support and help for him, not a “ball and chain” so many people joke about. By the same token, the husband is to lead and at the same time show love and affection to his wife in the example Jesus shows us to His church. I do not respect husbands who brow-beat their wives and treat them like a lower class citizen (in some countries livestock have more rights than women, which is sad); nor do I like it when wives rebel against their husbands when it comes to godly living and just do whatever they want to do. It is frustrating and it wears folks down! Then we wonder why we see so many marriages in trouble, in addition to other causes; this frustration also, when paired with other factors, can lead to the destruction caused by adultery. My prayer is that we all grow in Christ Jesus, allowing Him to guide us and give us the tools to build up our marriages, which in turn helps us save our families.
About the Author: American Heritage Dictionary, Dictionary Unabridged, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, King James Bible, Wikipedia Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Adultery_87315.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Adultery_87315.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Adultery_87315.aspx

Author Resource :
American Heritage Dictionary, Dictionary Unabridged, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, King James Bible, Wikipedia

Keywords : adultery, Greek, idol, Hebrew, unlawful, sexual, intercourse, look, internet, sacrifice, woman, David, lip, bitter, fire, rest, wound, Sinatra,

Category : Society : Religion

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