Adultery In Deed And Thought Series

Intro:

AG:Today we’re going to look at the seventh commandment and see what it means to always be faithful in our marriages.

There is a Bible that has been dubbed the “Wicked Bible.” It’s also known as the “Sinners’ Bible” and the “Adulterous Bible.” It contains what is probably the most infamous misprint of any book ever published.

Oh be careful little eyes what you see.

There is a Bible that has been dubbed the “Wicked Bible.” It’s also known as the “Sinners’ Bible” and the “Adulterous Bible.” It contains what is probably the most infamous misprint of any book ever published.

In 1631 AD, King Charles I ordered 1,000 Bibles from the royal printers, Robert Barker and Martin Lucas. They were to be reprints of the 1611 KJV. It was an almost flawless edition except for one major mistake. There was a huge typographical error. In the 7th commandment, they left out the word “not.” So, the 7th commandment in this edition reads, “Thou shalt commit adultery.”

Oh be careful little eyes what you see

King Charles I and the Archbishop of Canterbury were so angered that the printers were fined £300 sterling, which in that day was a lifetime’s worth of income for a successful tradesman. The modern equivalent of £300 sterling is £43,586 sterling which translates into 72,760.29 American dollars. That fine and the stigma attached to the mistake drove the printers out of business.

All 1,000 copies were ordered burned and very few remain today. Two museums have copies and another copy was put on sale on the internet in 2010 for $89,500.

The “Wicked Bible” got it wrong! reads – You shall not commit adultery. Yet, we live in an age and culture where adultery and sexual immorality have become culturally correct.

There are now “Secret Lover Cards” being sold. The Secret Lover Collection is designed specifically and especially for those who are having adulterous, extramarital affairs.

For the Father up above is looking down in love

One card called “My Lover” reads like this:

Just when I thought I would never find my true love - you came along…

My soul has been searching for you since I came into this world.

All my life I've had this emptiness inside

Oh be careful little eyes what you see.

Like a part of me was missing and I was incomplete…

And now I can't imagine my life without you…

Even if I have to share you.

TS: As we look at the 7th commandment, we see Jesus handle it just as He did with murder, He goes deeper than the surface. He not only reminds them that adultery is sin, He adds lust in our hearts is the same as the actual deed of adultery. Jesus also tells us to take drastic measures to guard our hearts against this sin.

Tonight, in our text we will see the command: Do not commit adultery. As Jesus did with murder, He goes deeper than the surface. He not only reminds them that adultery is sin, He adds lust in our hearts is the same as the actual deed of adultery. Jesus also tells us to take drastic measures to guard our hearts against this sin.

RS: We must guard against the sin of adultery. Satan is the ultimate predator trying to turn us into prey. He would take great pleasure is breaking up our marriages, giving us a load of baggage to carry into our future marriage, etc.

The internet is a tool for great good, but at the same time, it allows faster access to inappropriate material in what “feels” a more private matter. No magazine deliveries or purchases have to be made.

Our culture says to us and to God: “What we do behind closed doors is our private life and it is nobody's business. It’s not even God’s business.”

We must guard against the sin of adultery.

Whether it is an adulterer or fornicator or a homosexual, they see the biblical idea that sex should be limited only to a man and a woman who are married to each other as woefully out of date and completely intolerant.

Exodus 20:14 NKJV

“You shall not commit adultery.

EX: God forbade adultery.

Pretty clear, statement.

MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary

Applicable to both men and women, this command protected the sacredness of the marriage relationship. God had instituted marriage at the creation of man and woman (Ge 2:24) and had blessed it as the means of filling the earth (Ge 1:28). The penalty for infidelity in the marital relationship was death (Lv 20:10). Adultery was also referred to as “a great sin” (Ge 20:9) and a “great evil and sin against God” (cf. Ge 39:9; Mt 5:27; Jas 2:11).

Applicable to both men and women, this command protected the sacredness of the marriage relationship.