He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Responsible Living: Do Not Commit Adultery
(Part #1): Prov 6:27-31
27) 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.
INTRODUCTION:
Adultery described the
transferring of one’s affections from their spouse to another person. In the commission of this sin we find many
different sins being involved. Normally,
with the sin of adultery we also find the sins of: lying and deceit; stealing
(of one’s spouse); breaking of promises (departure from the marital covenant);
and uncaring, selfish attitudes; to name a few.
Sadly, in our society adultery is quickly becoming more acceptable, and
in some aspects, admired by those who are not concerned with God’s will and
standards of morality. In the next set
of proverbs, Solomon makes sure that God’s people understand the sinfulness and
dangers that are involved with the act of adultery.
EXPOSITION:
27) 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?
With
the act of adultery comes the certainty of harmful consequences. Solomon shares with us a proverb that
presents this truth to us. This is a
dual proverb presenting rhetorical questions to us…
Question
#1 –
Can a person choose to bring fire into his lap and his clothes not be consumed
by the fire? The implied answer is NO.
Question
#2 -
Can a person willfully walk upon
burning, glowing coals and his feet not be seared? Again, the implied answer is
NO.
Because
of the severity of the sin of adultery, and the multiplicity of the sins that
are involved, NO ONE can expect to escape harmful results from this willful,
selfish act of immorality.
“If mine heart have been
deceived by a woman, or [if] I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; [Then] let my wife grind
unto another, and let others bow down upon her. For this [is] an heinous crime; yea, it [is] an iniquity [to be punished
by] the judges. For it [is] a fire [that]
consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.” (Job 31:9-12)
29) So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her
shall not be innocent.
The
above two questions were given to picture for us….. the certainty of guilt and retribution coming
upon those who have a relationship with those who are promised to another.
Although
in this example the man is the one causing the adultery with a woman, the
male/female role can be reversed, and yet the principle remains the same. Whoever is involved with the sin of adultery
will face certain reprisal for their actions.
“How shall I pardon thee
for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by [them that are] no gods:
when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled
themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were [as] fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his
neighbour's wife. Shall I not visit for
these [things]? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a
nation as this?” (Jeremiah 5:7-9)
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.
Men
do not hate another when he steals food because he is famished and suffering
physically. In this type of situation he must make retribution because he has
committed wrongdoing. But that
retribution is tempered based upon the situation that he is facing.
When
men steal food to survive, although it is a sin, it does not rise to the level of
the theft that is involved with the sin of adultery. What is involved with this distinction?
1. The motive behind the theft:
The
stealing was not done with intent to harm another, it was not done to increase wealth
or position of esteem, also implied in this situation is that there were no other
options open to him. The man is facing
starvation with no other way to provide food for himself (or his family). Because of his situation, he becomes an
object of pity and understanding by the general public.
2. The punishment is lessened:
Adultery
(the theft of a spouse), in Solomon’s day, was punishable by death (Leviticus
20:10-21). Although the hungry man
committed theft as well, his life would not be taken. He would be required to pay back seven times
what he had stolen, even if it meant his losing all his earthly
possessions. Due to his impoverished
condition, in most cases, this would be paid back by becoming a bond slave to
the one from whom he had stolen.
Solomon
shares this with us to emphasize the heinousness of the sin of adultery…. It is
the uncaring, willful harming of another to fulfill fleshly lusts. It is choosing the carnal pleasure of the
sinful world, over loving God and putting Him first. It is an inexcusable sin. These are a few reasons why there can be no
expectation of limited consequences for the sin of adultery.
“If a man be found lying
with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, [both]
the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from
Israel.” (Deuteronomy 22:22)
SUMMARY:
Adultery,
an act that involves a whole variety of
sins, results in severe consequences to
those who commit this sin. May we all be
constantly reminded of God’s hatred of that sin, the harmful results of the sin,
and the need to flee from any temptation that would lead to the sin. May God give us the grace we need to keep us
away form the grip of this horrible sin.
In
our next devotional, we will be continuing to look at adultery and it’s harmful
results upon all of mankind.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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