How many of you remember Abigail Van Buren? She wrote a daily column answering questions from readers.
Once a man wrote: "Dear Abby, I am in love and I am having an affair with two different women other than my wife. I love my wife but I love these other women too. Please tell me what to do, but don’t give me any of that morality stuff." Signed: Too much love for only one.”
She replied: “Dear Too much love for only one. The only difference between humans and animals is morality. Please write to a veterinarian."
Today I am speaking on an issue that comes under the heading of morality. It’s the kind of message that makes people squirm including myself. It’s not judgmental but it is truth, God’s truth. The subject today is adultery.
Some Bible teachers want to lump sexual immorality and fornication under the heading of adultery. However, it seems there a distinct difference in the three. Adultery is when two people are engaged in a relationship that is sexual in nature and either one or both are married to someone else.
God determined that adultery would be a sin amongst his people. He commanded them not to participate in adultery. If they did there would be a heavy penalty to pay.
Leviticus 20:10-12 “If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the man and the woman who have committed adultery must be put to death.”
“If a man violates his father by having sex with one of his father’s wives, both the man and the woman must be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.”
“If a man has sex with his daughter-in-law, both must be put to death. They have committed a perverse act and are guilty of a capital offense.”
God considers adultery a capital offense. God has determined that adultery is worthy of a death sentence so that justice is meted out. He equates it with homosexuality and bestiality. In our society we are stunned and sickened if someone is discovered in the act of bestiality. Some are quick to condemn the homosexual life style. However, we are reluctant to be as strongly opinionated toward someone caught in adultery. And only first degree murder is worthy of a death sentence. Can you imagine the uproar there would be if people were to be given a death sentence for adultery?
Adultery causes damage. It’s done in secrecy. It’s covered in deception and lies. When discovered, there is a sense of betrayal, depression, and anger in the spouse who was the victim. They question their value. They suffer a loss of trust and faith in their spouse. If discovered by others it can affect entire family relationships. Adultery is broken vows given to each other. Adultery can lead to the committing of crimes, assault and even murder.
In Leviticus 26:12 God makes this declaration “I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.”
The descendants of Abraham, the Jews, were God’s chosen people. As such, they were given commandments to live by. Their ability to abide with each other under these laws would reflect their ability to abide with their God.
The marriage covenant symbolized the covenant between mankind and God. If God’s chosen people could not keep their vows with each other, how could they possibly keep their vows with him? Broken covenant with God could lead to eternal separation from him.
But all of this applies to the Jews only, right? Romans 11:17 informs us “But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.”
Along with the blessings that were promised to the Jews and now offered to us also comes the responsibility to follow God’s laws as the Jews were required.
The Apostle Peter put it quite well when he wrote in
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
We, the gentiles, the church, are a chosen people also. We are God’s very own possession. He owns us. He paid a high price for us. He gave his Son as a sacrifice for us.
So it was with this understanding that Jesus approached the people of his day concerning adultery and upset the apple cart.
Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If you were in a packed auditorium full of men and asked “How many of you have committed adultery?” 22% would stand. If asked “How many of you would commit adultery if guaranteed you would not get caught?” 74% of them would stand. Now ladies before you start poking ribs with your elbow, 14% of women have committed adultery with 68% desiring too. (Research from Statistic Brain)
As we can see from these stats it is easy to not commit the actual act but much harder to control the desire to do so. It is true today and it was true then. Jesus confronted the root problem with adultery. Lust!
What exactly is lust? It’s a longing to possess something. It could be short or long term. We can lust for other people, possessions, social status, and a number of things. The Apostle Paul said he had learned to be content in all situations. But lust brings comparison which destroys contentment.
The idea of lust being deadly did not originate with Jesus. Job understood it quite well. Job 31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.” Not only was his covenant with God to guard against lust but also himself. He decided not to allow himself a guilty pleasure that many see no harm in.
He continues; Job 31:9-10
“If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife, then let my wife serve another man;
let other men sleep with her.”
He speaks of the seduction of his heart, not the actual act of adultery. He is so certain as to his innocence that he would permit his wife to sleep with other men.
He also speaks of the guilt of desiring his neighbor’s possession that being his neighbor’s wife. In Exodus 20:17 God commands his people not to covet their belongings. That includes their neighbor’s wife. In those days you purchased your wife with a dowry. Through your marriage you could establish yourself in a family with social and financial advantages. Again he would be willing to allow his wife to serve his neighbor if he was guilty of lusting.
Because this is what Job realized. Job 31:11-12 “For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished.
It is a fire that burns all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything I own.”
I have in one hand a bottle of Coke and in the other a bottle of water. For the sake of comparison let’s pretend that the bottle of Coke represents the lust of the world and the bottle of water represents what God offers.
Coke offers me carbonated purified water, cane sugar, caramel coloring, food acids, flavour, and caffeine. Water offers me two hydrogen atoms to every oxygen atom. Coke offers me flavor, a caffeine rush, and a promise to quench my thirst. Water offers to quench my thirst but not in a taste filled, get pumped manner.
Coke packages it’s product with colorful labels and contoured bottles, recognizable throughout the world. Water is packaged in a simple bottle.
Coke comes with a price. You can find water for free. Coke is not recommended to be consumed to sustain life. Water is required. Water cleanses us. Coke will leave us messy. There are times when the happiness that Coke promises is not available. Water is always present. You could not expect growth from a garden watered with Coke but you can with water. There will never be a day that Coke rains freely down on you but water will, and always does. You can get Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, and diet Coke. With water you get water. And of course just when you have settled for Coke along comes Dr. Pepper.
Lust offers you a taste for what the world has to offer. Lust tells you that your spirit can be satisfied while you embrace the thrill it offers. Lust makes itself attractive and hard to resist. But lust comes with a price. It is short lived before a stronger desire pushes you into a deeper need. Lust leaves us filthy. It stops our spiritual growth. Until we reach a day that a particular lust no longer satisfies and we chase after a different lust.
Following Jesus is not as taste filled as what the word offers. There are times when I am restricted in doing what others are doing by the call on my life. But following Jesus quenches the thirst in my soul for peace and rest. Christianity is not packaged in a glitter full box. It is simple in its composition. Being a follower of Jesus cost nothing because He has already paid the price. He is the sustainer of life who cleanses us and is always present through the Holy Spirit. He is a river of living water that causes us to grow spiritually. He has promised to be the same yesterday, today, and forever.
But let me give you a warning. When you add just a little powdered flavoring to your bottle of water, it is no longer pure. Light and darkness cannot exist together. Neither can the Kingdom of God and any measure of lust. That is the message that Jesus is delivering here.
The question now is “If adultery deserved the death sentence, and lust is akin to adultery, should all who have lusted be put to death”? The answer according to God’s law is “Yes.” But where sin abounds God’s grace abounds even more. Grace means not giving us what we deserve.
Let’s look at the story of David and Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11:2-4 “Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.”
From his rooftop he looked upon and lusted after a woman bathing. This led to him committing adultery which, according to God’s word, warranted death. Then he had Uriah murdered which, according to God’s word, warranted death. But God’s grace was greater. Upon his confession of sin, he was forgiven. It did require consequences which was the life of his baby son.
James 1:15 warns us “These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” It was David looking upon the nakedness of Bathsheba that prompted him to send for her that led to adultery and murder that resulted in the death of his child.
When I read the story of the woman in John 8 who was caught in the act of adultery certain things suddenly became clear to me. John 8: 3-5 “As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’”
Do you remember what the law was that God gave to Moses? If a man and a woman were guilty of adultery they both were to be put to death. So the question is “Where is the man?” It obviously was a set-up to trap Jesus. The Bible tells us this.
John 8: 6-8 “They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.”
For centuries people have wondered what Jesus wrote in the dust. Since they were teachers of the law and the religious elite perhaps He was giving them a refresher course. Such as
Deuteronomy 17:6 “But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.” So that would mean that two, three or maybe even more had been watching as this live pornographic display was taking place. Perhaps He reminded them of King David looking upon Bathsheba with lust. Perhaps they felt that same lust within themselves while watching and remembered God’s grace.
Perhaps He wrote Habakkuk 2:15-16
“What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk!
You force your cup on them
so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced.
Come, drink and be exposed!
Drink from the cup of the Lord’s judgment,
and all your glory will be turned to shame.”
Perhaps they remembered his teaching on lust in the heart being equal to adultery and worthy of death. I don’t know but I know the ending. John 8:9 “When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.”
For the majority of people not committing the act of adultery is easy. We stay away from temptations and situations so we don’t fight that battle. And if the circumstances were to present itself, our relationship with Jesus would stop us. But lust is a much harder battle. Lust is given into at times very quickly. Jesus stuns us with his statement equating adultery with lust. But He does so with the intent of encouraging us to fight against lust as hard as we would the temptation of adultery.
