Exodus 20 v 17. You shall not commit adultery.
Why did God give us this command? The following are some reasons for this word from God.
1. To safeguard marriage. It is no secret that in our times the institution of marriage is under serious attack from various sources. It is often viewed as stifling, old-fashioned and unnecessary by certain segments of society. Many people in fact grow up cynical about marriage because of what they witnessed in their homes. But true biblical marriage is different. It is a pure, warm-hearted, true commitment to each other and a lifelong partnership through all the ups and downs of life. “Marriage is honourable”. Says the bible in Hebrews 13:4.
2. It is a safeguard to the joy of sex in marriage. “The marriage bed is undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). Think of the many people who have “defiled” themselves sexually by aberrant behaviour. Compare that with the joy of honourable, free and wonderful sex within the union of marriage. Think of a young married couple – with no baggage from past defilements. Jesus himself honoured such a relationship by his presence at a wedding ceremony when he turned the water into wine.
3. It is a safeguard for the home. In 1 Corinthians 7:2 it is written: “let every man have his own wife and every women have her own husband”. It does not say: “Let every man have someone else’s wife and every women have someone else’s husband.” And contrary to how many people may think, these words are not so old-fashioned and out-of-date as they may appear to some people. In the days when these words were written the world was just as immoral as it is today. Yet still these words were written to indicate how true believers should live in contrast to the immorality around them.
More about this tomorrow.
Meditation: Do you have any long buried secrets you need to confess? On the other hand do you have years of happy companionship for which you should give praise?