In order to do this, Christians must be holy, sanctified, just as God is holy (1 Peter 1:14-16). 22-27). The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Sexual sin is also related to religious apostasy (cf. 29:20. We must begin by taking the Bible literally, and thus we acknowledge that any act of adultery must be avoided. At other times, we are tempted to call clean what God has called unclean. One of the most important decisions the Christian can make is to rightly distinguish between the holy and the unholythe see what God has sanctified and what He has not. The man, on the other hand, is under his parents authority as a child, but when he leaves them he terminates that chain of command and establishes a new chain of command, being the head of his wife and the family which may follow. michigan state coaching staff; (2) Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience, while most of the apostles addressed Gentiles. In chapter 35, Ruben lay with one of his fathers concubines (35:22). I believe that the sexual union of Adam and Eve consummated their marital union, and thus there is implied here a sanctity of both the marriage and the sexual relationship of Adam and Eve. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is forbidden. Marriage is sanctified in the degree to which a man and his wife have fellowship with one another. New Century Version Chapter Parallel Let those who would consider divorce an option carefully ponder the implications of their actions in accordance with our Lords words here. This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:18-24). Answer. Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. 15:19). And it came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and it will come about when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out. When our Lord commented on this text He said, Consequently they are no more two, but one flesh. If you look at Exodus 1:5, you will see that seventy souls had come out of Jacob and arrived in Egypt with Joseph. And it was said, WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DISMISSAL; but I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matt. The Egyptians worshipped gods created by their ancestors, but the Israelites kept their faith. Smith was also a freelance correspondent for BET news. It can dull the mind, like wine, making one insensitive to reality (Hos. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. So David sent and inquired about the woman. 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. 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, . What is it that makes sexual purity so important to the New Testament saint, who is not an Israelite, but a member of the church, the body of Christ? 's season finale. Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following: 1. When the first sin was committed by partaking of the forbidden fruit God pronounced punishments which were appropriate to each party involved, as well as the consequences for all mankind. It was Gods will to use Joseph as a forerunner to prepare the children of Israel for what was next (Genesis 45:7-9). Flee immorality. She is the author of the self-published novel GLORYTHE HAIR. As we established, Exodus means to leave or depart. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the . For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? Third, we must beware of that teaching (either by direct statement or by inference, or by silence) which holds that any and every sexual pleasure can be enjoyed by a married couple behind closed doors. 5:18). Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders (Matt. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org, Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,. When God had created a mate for all of His other creatures, He looked upon Adam in his solitude and said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him (Gen. 2:18). And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. Here, the church is the bride of Christ, with the responsibility of exemplifying the relationship of Christ to His church (Eph. Grietje Commelin. How tragic it is to see young people seduced (philosophically and physically), so that they will share that most treasured gift with those who cannot even be named or numbered. This intimacy can be both constructive and destructive. (1) Jesus had come to bear the penalty for sinners, and thus He did not come to condemn anyone, but to offer salvation to all (cf. In fact, it wasnt bad, in and of itself. 2. 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 implications of the sanctity of sex and marriage are the subject of this lesson. 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). This event is described in detail in the second book of the Bible, called. We would thus expect him to wage war on the marital union, for it is through marital union that the seed will be preserved and the promised seed will come. And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Their numbers threatened the new Pharaoh. We can learn from the book Exodus that the Israelites continued to cry out to God until He delivered them. After Joseph died, the children of Israel were numerous, a great nation. Judah marries Shu'a the Canaanite. When God brought man and woman together as husband and wife, He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:27-28). Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Tim. [ESV] The ESV here provides a textual note on before, saying "or besides ." And indeed, many translations use that phrasing. The Good Doctor. God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. The Old Testament prophets take up the themes already developed in the Pentateuch. This was now accomplished. Prov. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. Numbers 5A test is given to determine whether or not a wife has been unfaithful to her husband. Exodus 20:1-26 ESV / 16 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. For a while, Shaun was dating Dr. Carly Lever (Jasika Nicole), a pathologist. At His second coming He will bring judgment to the wicked. Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed.. The reason seems to be solely because God has sanctified the marriage and the sexual sin has profaned it. Thus, because Israel practiced the same sins as the Canaanites, who lived in the land before them, they were thrust forth from the land, just as their predecessors, and just as God had warned: Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. And if you right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell. Furthermore, He may even appear to be lenient on those guilty of immorality. 7:3-5). Exodos means leave, and the book of Exodus tells how the nation of Israel left Egypt. 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. 5:7-9). In both cases, the forbidden fruit is very desirable. Taken as a whole, I believe that the above passages convey several vitally important truths, which we must pause to underscore: (1) Adultery is a more serious sexual sin because it is a violation of a marriage. He has also set this unity apart, distinguishing it from the previous parental-child entity. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ex). Yes, Marriage Matters to God. Deuteronomy 22When a man accuses his wife of not being a virgin at the time they were married, the parents can show her (blood-stained) garment as proof of her purity. Remember that God made it, and that all He made was good. If we have accepted the principle of sanctification in general, we must then see it in the particulars of our Christian experience. NLT - 27 Moses told them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. The third chapter of the Book of Genesis is significant to our study as well. In Genesis chapter 12 further revelation about mans salvation is given as the benefits brought about by human (and ultimately divine) seed: And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you; And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. Num. v. 24). There are two specific applications which I would suggest emerge from the observation of these unique areas in which marriage is sanctified, unique. Let those who think this is an occasion or an excuse for sin read Romans chapter 6 very carefully. Just as God had clearly forbidden the partaking of the forbidden fruit in the garden, so He has clearly forbidden the fruit of sexual impurity. Lev. Exodos means leave, and the book of Exodus tells how the nation of Israel left Egypt. Most importantly, we must get in the Word of God and ask for Gods help. Abraham marries Keturah, who couldn't have been a daughter of Israel as Israel, Abraham's grandson was yet to have been born. Abraham, and his seed, is set apart from the rest of mankind, and through Him Messiah will come and will bring blessing and salvation to all nations. Leviticus 18Israel is to distinguish herself from practices of Egypt and Canaan by maintaining sexual purity (vss. Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. She has one stepson, Greg. 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? also 1 Tim. How long will you remain unclean? (Jer. 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. 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. The forbidden fruit was forbidden, not because of any evil characteristic of the fruit itself, but because God sanctified or set it apart. Not only did his master not give him authority over his wife, he could not have done so. Just as God gave life to all of His creatures in Genesis chapter 1, now in chapter 2 He gives a woman to Adam as his wife. Specifically, I am referring to what Paul has written in the Book of Ephesians, which especially relates to sexual impurity: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. There are many things and situations where people make an exodus. If these Jewish leaders condemned sins which were overtly wrong actions, Jesus chose to focus on those hidden sins which were attitudes. 4:1-5). There are many Christians in Ukraine. We also can learn that sometimes we will wander in the wilderness until we get our acts together. The differences between holy and unholy, clean and unclean are crucial. 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. They made their lives miserable with hard labor (Exodus 1). Just as God placed the forbidden fruit in sight and within the reach of Adam and Eve, so the forbidden fruit of sexual immorality is visible and available. You must understand how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37). (3) Terms referring to adultery and sexual immorality are employed non-literally, referring to Israels infidelity to God. Viewed from a contemporary secular perspective, sexual pleasure restricted only to marriage is a tragic waste, a failure to make full use of ones sexual potential, and thus to deprive oneself of a great deal of sexual pleasure. He is a purist in that regardI am not. 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). When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. Great were the consequences. 3, 24-30). I would suggest that the four things which set a marriage apart from other relationships are the very four things which distinguish a Christians relationship with his Lord and with His body, the church. While the seduction of a virgin entails either marriage to the virgin or the payment of her dowry price to the father, sexual union with a married woman is punishable by death. Let us briefly summarize this revelation. To understand Johns response, you have to understand John. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. A few months ago, I was talking on the phone to my friend, John Maurer. Sanctification was, for example, the first great test which man failed in the Garden of Eden. in 1971. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. Who knows better how to hurt his mate than the one who has the most intimate knowledge of her? The sexual immorality of Israel has defiled the people and the land, and necessitates their expulsion from the land. 18:24-30). Satan made great promises about the benefits of partaking of the fruit of that tree, but he failed to tell all. But this does not take the Law far enough, as our Lord must continually point out to His listeners, and to His literalistic opponents, the scribes and Pharisees. Finally, sexual purity is vitally important to the Christian life because it is directly related to ones sanctification: For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. Finally, we will attempt to discover how these principles apply to our daily Christian walk. Jesus did not have nearly as much to say about adultery and sexual immorality as did the apostles. (It is better for society that a man only think of murder than it is for him to take a life.) Judgment awaits this nation, which is likened to a harlot. The University of Memphis alumnae has been in education for about 20 years after receiving the call to teach. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:2-3). Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. (6) Though David was of the chosen seed, Uriah was but a Hittite. Prepare yourself. When one comes to faith in Christ, when he is born again, that person becomes one with Christ. 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. The foundation for the sanctity of marriage and sex is laid early in the Book of Genesis, where we read of the first marriage. At times we are tempted to think that what God has called clean is really unclean (as was the case with Peter; cf. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. Thus, whatever one does, he does in union with Christ. The Christian life therefore involves making many distinctions and then living them out. The Israelites performed the same physical act of worship (obeisance) towards Yahveh and King David, as it is written, 1 Chr. This may be a matter of personal conviction, over which there is some disagreement, but marriage does not make every sexual practice holy. Some of this may be cultural, but I think the primary reason is that in those days especially (and in other cultures still today) the woman is under the authority of her parents, and her parents authority over her is simply transferred to her husband. 44 In saying that sexual pleasure in marriage is one of Gods safeguards against immorality, I am not saying that the husband or wife who gives freely of themselves in a sexual way thereby guarantees the sexual purity of their partner. Sexual sin defiles the people (vss. God created Eve and brought her to Adam for fellowship, to be his helper and his companion. Sanctification is then stressed, so that Israel must not practice the immorality of the Canaanites before them, lest they too be thrust from the land (vss. Hands and eyes are involved as precipitating causes of immorality, however. The incidents in chapters 34 and 38 indicate that the Law of Moses only codified what was already understood to be wrong. He joined the first man and the first woman together in marriage. I do, however, believe that the first sin is similar to that of adultery, and thus very instructive. Second, we move from an Old Testament dispensation (centered around the nation Israel) to a New Testament dispensation (centered around a predominantly Gentile church). Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. In my opinion, the rampant sexual immorality of our day is not primarily the result of greater temptation, of increased sexual desire, of greater opportunity, or even of the availability of the pill and abortion. He responded, Ill bet youve been using that Stanley wood chisel to scrape gaskets off of automobile engines again.. It is significant that our Lord began by talking about adultery, but that He almost immediately came to the subject of divorce. Because of its significance and the power behind it, we use it gingerly. Our culture protests that Christians disdain and demean sex, that we have little appreciation for it. I did something which would make you cringe. The covenant which God made with Israel on Mt. The relationship between a husband and his wife is a union. While illicit sexual union is a sin, those unions which violate a marriage are taken more seriously. The apostle Paul has the most to say of the apostles on the subject of sexual purity. In Exodus 20:3, we read: You shall have no other gods before me. To play out her role as Gods priestly nation, Israel had to be separate, sanctified, different from the surrounding nations. Lots of exceptions to the rule. "You shall have no other gods before me. From the standpoint of the harm done to men, action sins are more serious. Marriage, by Gods decree, is sanctified, it is a relationship that is set apart and restricted. Gen. 1:11-12, 31). 2:19-22). To me, a wood chisel can be used for any number of things, including, if necessary, automobile engines. James 1:13-15). In both the New and Old Testaments we are urged to let the pleasure and enjoyment of sex within marriage serve as a godly defense against sexual immorality:44.