Avoiding Adultery

Good Morning Everyone!

Today, we are going to resume our series from the book of Proverbs. We are in chapter 5, and the message this morning is entitled Avoiding Adultery.

In 2015, there was a massive scandal involving a website known as Ashley Madison. It was a premier site for married individuals seeking partners for affairs. The website's slogan was, "Life is short; have an affair.” It was supposed to be anonymous, but someone hacked their site and released the names and addresses of millions of people who had signed up. It exposed the names of about 30 million people who were cheating on their spouses.

What is surprising is that, in 2019, just four years after the hack, Ashley Madison website has amassed around 32 million new subscribers seeking extra marital affairs. Now, you may be thinking, “This is just a problem with non-Christians in society. It can’t be a problem in the church because the moral standards of Christians are higher.” Well, there is growing evidence that adultery is also a problem among Christians. You may be surprised that 25 percent of the Ashley Madison subscribers in 2014 were evangelical Christians. Brothers and sisters, adultery is rampant in the world today. Now, what is adultery?

Adultery is generally defined as sexual relation between a married man and a woman who is not his wife, or between a married woman and a man who is not her husband. So adultery is a direct violation of the marriage covenant.

In our passage today in Provers 5, we find three reasons why we must avoid adultery. Let us look at them one at a time. First…

Adultery is Destructive (vs. 1-14)

In vs. 1-14, we see that the father is asking his son to be cautious in his interaction with the adulterous woman. And he goes on to warn his son about the consequences of adultery. In v. 1, He begins with a familiar phrase, “My son, pay attentive to my wisdom.” He is basically saying, “Son, listen to me, and be wise.” Now, who is Solomon talking to? He is talking to his son who is married.

In v. 3 he begins his advise by saying that adultery begins with enticement and cultivation of physical desire: lust. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” In vs. 4-6, Solomon cautions his son by saying that adultery will result in suffering, guilt, separation, and even death. What started out as smooth and sweet ends up bitter and poisonous. So, the young man should pay attention to the wisdom in order to avoid that path. But, if he follows after the adulterous woman, he will have to face the consequences.

Vs. 7-14, talks about the consequences of adultery. Solomon says, four things you will lose if you go down the path of adultery:

Your dignity (v. 9)

He began with dignity because there is a sense of honor that the person who stays pure can have. Adultery makes you lose your dignity.

2. Your wealth (v. 10)

In the modern world, many men know what it is like to lose their wealth because of adultery. It leads to divorce, alimony, child support.

3. Your health (v. 11)

People who commit adultery are open to the risk of venereal diseases. Even the stress of living a double, deceptive life is enough to take away one’s health.

4. Your Reputation (v. 14)

The person who commits adultery thinks that his act will remain secret, but it will be exposed. And it will be exposed in the midst of the assembly where his foolishness, betrayal, and lack of self-control will be all public.

Illustration: David’s Adultery

King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Uriah was one of David’s loyal soldiers. But that didn’t stop David from committing adultery with Bathsheba. Sin took over and David betrayed Uriah. He ultimately plotted Uriah’s murder to cover up his adultery. David’s one sin led to another, and how quickly it went out of control.

What were the consequences?

David and Bathsheba’s child died, despite David’s prayers and fasting. Later on, the nation of Israel was torn apart by a bitter civil war. David’s own son Absalom fought against him. David’s other son, Amnon, raped his daughter, Tamar. And his son, Absalom, committed adultery publicly with David’s concubines. David’s few moments of pleasure changed the course of his life for the worst. He endured great trouble in his life and in his household as a result of his adultery.

Application

Brothers and sisters, adultery is indeed destructive! It can result in the squandering of everything important in your life, including your own life. First of all, adultery is a sin against God. In Exodus 20:14, God has made it very clear in His seventh Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” Secondly, adultery is a sin against your spouse and family. Adultery betrays the marriage covenant, and defiles the marriage relationship. And third, adultery is a shameful, dishonorable act. Why do people who commit adultery try to hide their act of adultery? Because deep down inside he/she knows it is wrong. So, brothers and sisters, we must avoid adultery because it brings not only physical, but also spiritual destruction.