Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lords servants, but he did not go down to his house (2 Samuel 11:1-13). May it never be! 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. Get a first look at Shaun and Lea's wedding on. Israels sexual conduct set them apart from the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins." . The king of Egypt was still determined to kill the male children. God did send Moses and protected him from all of the death decrees that the Pharoah had implemented to keep them down (Exodus 3-10). As a matter of fact, my differences with John over the proper use of a wood chisel have a great deal to do with the commandment, You shall not commit adultery. The principle underlying this commandment is that of the sanctity of marriage. 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. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? Here we come to one of the very crucial implications of the sanctity of sex. This was now accomplished. 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. Thus, when a divorce is granted due to adultery, a later marriage on the part of the innocent (that is, not guilty of adultery) party is not viewed to be adulterous. At times we are tempted to think that what God has called clean is really unclean (as was the case with Peter; cf. 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. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 19:6). 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. The forbidden fruit was forbidden, not because of any evil characteristic of the fruit itself, but because God sanctified or set it apart. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 6:15-20). That is a topic for another article. The old dependent and submissive relationship of child to parent had to be set aside so that this unity of husband and wife could be established (v. 24). Flee immorality. It also assured the integrity of the home and a righteous seed, through whom the Redeemer would come. There are many things and situations where people make an exodus. 20:6). Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. According to Matthew 19:9, if one divorces and marries another (except for the divorce based on the immorality of the other partner) that person commits adultery. 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. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Smith lives and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Answer. 2. Sanctification, therefore, was the first test which God gave mankind, and it was this test which man failed. 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. Ex). From the standpoint of our sin against God, attitudinal sins and action sins are both rebellion against God. Moses consented, and in course of time took to wife Zipporah, one of Reuel's daughters. They become one in spirit, and sexually they become one in physical union. Sexual sin defiles the people (vss. "If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. Many are crying out to God, and He hears them. The differences between holy and unholy, clean and unclean are crucial. God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. 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. The consequences of guilt or innocence are spelled out (vss. 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. If He spoke it, He will make it good (Numbers 23:19). Lev. Reproduction. We sanctify those things to which we attach great value. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 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. Closely related to the union of a husband and his wife is the intimacy which they experience in marriage. More than this, it was very desirable: And out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). Here, Davids immorality led to the additional sin of murder. I find it interesting that the fruit of this tree of knowledge of good and evil was good, like everything else God created (cf. It's been a long road, but on . God is faithful. The epidemic of sexual immorality is, I believe, the result of a failure to understand or appreciate the sanctity of sex and of marriage. The third chapter of the Book of Genesis is significant to our study as well. As for your adulteries and your lustful neighings, The lewdness of your prostitution On the hills in the field, I have seen your abominations. 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). Exodus 22:16-17A man who seduces a virgin must marry her or pay the price of a virgins dowry. One of these particulars is that of marriage. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. He joined the first man and the first woman together in marriage. But it is also referred to regularly in later Bible books. Then David said to Uriah, Go down to your house, and wash your feet. And Uriah went out of the kings house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. (2) While David enjoys all the luxuries of the palace, Uriah refused to enjoy them, even when urged on him. This is not one of the high points in Abrams life. They made their lives miserable with hard labor (Exodus 1). To John, my Stanley chisel is a wood chisel, only to be used for chiseling wood. Intimacy. 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. Marriage is sanctified in the degree to which a man and his wife have fellowship with one another. In Exodus 20:3, we read: You shall have no other gods before me. Will God forgive me for losing hope and the will to live? 1 Corinthians 7:1-6 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Prepare yourself. [ESV] The ESV here provides a textual note on before, saying "or besides ." And indeed, many translations use that phrasing. 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 He said it, He will do it. Physical intimacy is the most obvious, but there is also a spiritual and emotional intimacy. For a while, Shaun was dating Dr. Carly Lever (Jasika Nicole), a pathologist. Women, why do keep your silver in a special place, bringing it out only for special occasions? He then immediately turns to our sanctification as it relates to our sexual conduct. Uncovering the nakedness of a relative is prohibited (vss. We can cry out to God, and He will hear us. James 1:13-15). The opposite is true. I believe that there are several ways in which marriage is sanctified: Unity. Genesis 31:38-40 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten, Philippians 4:11,12 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content, Exodus 4:20-25 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand, Exodus 18:2-6 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, . The foundation for the sanctity of marriage and sex is laid early in the Book of Genesis, where we read of the first marriage. Mount Sinai, from which God spoke to Moses and the Israelites, was sanctified, set apart. When we are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a sin, we will likely take the steps necessary to avoid it. 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 take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. 5:7-9). Exodus 34:16 - 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 Scriptures frankly tell us that sexual sin can be the source of other sins. 51:4) and New, adultery is, first and foremost, a sin against God. Think about this carefully, for it is of the greatest importance. Exodus. When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. 19:4-6a). Not only did his master not give him authority over his wife, he could not have done so. I havent read a story that powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching in years! There is a saying that success is when preparation meets opportunity. There is usually a large number of people making an exodus. 43 In Genesis chapter 34, Dinah is apparently forcibly raped by Shechem, a deed to which Jacobs sons violently reacted as an abomination (cf. Why should I pardon you? The second layer of application relates to the church. 5:22-33). Finally, we shall attempt to distill the biblical teaching into a few guiding and governing principles. The union of husband and wife is one of the unique elements of marriage. It is crucial to study the book of Genesis to understand Exodus. 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. 22-27). Consider, for a moment, how that forbidden fruit (whatever it might have been) is similar to the forbidden fruit of illicit sex. The first is that the sanctity of marriage not only demands that we not defile the union in any way, including adultery, but that we actively seek to enhance the marriage. The sanctity of sex in marriage clearly calls for the sanctity of sex before marriage. 11-31). You may wonder what wood chisels have to do with the Seventh Commandment. Hence I have said to you, You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.