Do Not Commit Adultery
Exodus 20:14
Cleanse
Your Mind
Lord,
I thank You for the security that can be experienced in the
covenant of marriage. Thank You for the blessing of marriage
and the fulfillment that is achieved when we obey Your command
to be faithful to our spouse. Lord, deliver our nation and especially
Your people from the destruction that follows a complacency
concerning adultery.
Hear
God's Word
God
desired for His people to live in sexual purity. Therefore He
instructed them to maintain a covenant in marriage that would
be free from sexual immorality. God was not instructing His people
to practice celibacy but to remain faithful to their covenants.
No
other covenant in life is as closely related to God’s covenant
with us as the one of marriage. God uses the marriage covenant
to parallel His relationship with His people. When they left Egypt
they made a commitment to follow God and to obey His leadership
(Exodus 19:8). Over time their determination to abide by this
commitment began to weaken.
As
they experienced God’s blessings they saw other opportunities,
and began to entertain thoughts of spiritual adultery. Before
long they were trapped in their pursuit to please and follow other
gods and they abandoned their covenant with the only true God.
Understanding
the intensity of this covenant helps us comprehend the weight
God places on our marriage covenant. He knows that when one marriage
partner commits adultery it weakens the core fiber of any intimate
relationship. This fiber is trust and no intimate relationship
can survive without it.
Committing
adultery is more than a sexual issue. Every intimate relationship
is built on a thread of trust. Although this thread can be tied
together again, once it is broken its strength is diminished.
It is no longer pure and unblemished. We must not ignore the value
and respect that faithfulness in the marriage covenant produces.
Analyze
Your Status
Have
you at some time entertained thoughts of unfaithfulness in your
marriage? No one who commits adultery has done so by accident.
It began with an intentional thought. For some the thought was
accepted and acted upon immediately while for others it occurred
after a period of time. Although the consequences for the act
of adultery are different than the consequences for thinking about
adultery, God considers both equally dangerous (Matthew 5:28).
Jesus
knew the power of the mind to produce physical experiences. What
the mind can conceive the body can usually achieve. The more we
entertain thoughts of adultery the more likely we are to commit
the physical act of adultery. Very few, if any, can view pornographic
material without acting out the activities this material promotes.
Jesus taught us that committing adultery in the mind is just as
sinful as committing it with our body. When we understand this
principle and address it we will be far less likely to participate
in the physical act.
Neutralize
Your Status
Those
who are faithful in their marriage covenant are those unwilling
to accept thoughts of adultery. They seek freedom from these sinful
patterns immediately. Men and women who are obedient to this command
do not allow their minds to conceive the adulterous act. With
strong conviction they abort every thought that might potentially
lead to an act of adultery.
In
American culture adultery has not only become common place but
in many circles acceptable. Both presidents and preachers have
been caught in the clutches of this evil behavior. It is no longer
unheard of to have a sexual therapist on national television advising
married couples to sleep with other partners as a way to promote
a better sexual relationship.
If
sex is the ultimate goal, this philosophy might have merit, but
the priority of marriage is far greater than sex. Intimacy in
marriage is not produced by better sexual relations, it is built
on a foundation of trust. Adultery always weakens the foundation
of trust.
Glean
God's Promises
The
benefits for the couple willing to abandon even the thought of
adultery should be obvious. The stronger our foundation of trust,
the higher the level of intimacy we can achieve. Couples who find
lasting fulfillment in marriage are not couples who have experimented
with a variety of sexual partners but those who have shown themselves
trustworthy.
When
God’s people commit spiritual adultery they share their
love with other gods. This naturally weakens their relationship
with the true God because we cannot serve two masters (Matthew
6:24). The same principle applies in marriage. If we seek to divide
our love, it is ultimately weakened and destroyed.
Expedite
Your Decision
With
the increased acceptance of adulterous relationships it is becoming
more difficult for men and women to remain faithful in their marriage
covenant. The people of God must be different. We must demonstrate
in our lives the truth of God’s Word. When the world recognizes
the difference God’s commands make in our lives they will
be drawn to Him and His ways.
Renew
your commitment to marriage and renew your determination to abandon
even the thought of an adulterous relationship. Begin developing
a foundation of truth that will lift you to new heights in your
marriage relationship. When we obey His commands God will insure
we achieve the highest level of fulfillment in our marriage relationship.
Study
Helps
1.
Why is adultery more than a sexual issue?
2.
What actions should we take to obey this command?
3.
What benefits does God give those who obey this command?
