5:22-33). When we are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a sin, we will likely take the steps necessary to avoid it. and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 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. As I see it, the issue in Exodus 21 is two-fold, involving not only marriage, but slavery. Jesus did not have nearly as much to say about adultery and sexual immorality as did the apostles. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am pregnant. Then David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. So Joab sent Uriah to David. I would further suggest that these four areas (there are probably others, too) provide the glue which holds a marriage together. Satan made great promises about the benefits of partaking of the fruit of that tree, but he failed to tell all. Anytime you hear the word exodus, it causes you to notice. Get a first look at Shaun and Lea's wedding on. To John, a wood chisel is to be sanctifiedset apart for use only on wood. The children of Israel did all work in the field as well. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. Just what is it that distinguishes a mans relationship with his wife from other relationships? The main focus of Exodus is to describe Gods deliverance of Israel and how He made them a great nation (The KJV Study Bible, Barbour Publishing, 2011). Our culture does not value sex, it thinks of it as very common, so common that virtual strangers will share lifes most intimate treasure. 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. (3) The Jewish religious leaders felt smugly self-righteous because they did not practice this form of sin, but they were guilty of other, more subtle, sins, which were more socially acceptable. v. 24). 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. We can learn from the book Exodus that the Israelites continued to cry out to God until He delivered them. He instructed his people to cast every male child born into the river (Exodus 1:22). He responded, Ill bet youve been using that Stanley wood chisel to scrape gaskets off of automobile engines again.. The Christian life therefore involves making many distinctions and then living them out. It is about friendship first and foremost. For starters, we need to get the nature of marriage right. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. There are many Christians in Ukraine. Ex). "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 . Remember that God made it, and that all He made was good. God has here joined a man and a woman so that they have become a unity. Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following: 1. He equates sexual union with marital union. 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. 's season finale. The second layer of application relates to the church. 20:14; Deut. 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. Deuteronomy 7:4. At His second coming He will bring judgment to the wicked. 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. 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. Any books with similarly powerful stories that you can suggest. 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,. The apostle Paul has the most to say of the apostles on the subject of sexual purity. Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. Our approach to this study will be to consider the progressively revealed truths of God about sex and marriage, beginning in the Old Testament, and then going to the New Testament. Not to mention, the Israelites were a faithful people who believed in God. The reason seems to be solely because God has sanctified the marriage and the sexual sin has profaned it. Exodus 21:10 (MSG) If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away the understanding. If He spoke it, He will make it good (Numbers 23:19). Sanctification involves purity, the absence of what is unclean. Shall I not punish these people, declares the LORD, And on a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself? (Jer. The text says: Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.". Our culture protests that Christians disdain and demean sex, that we have little appreciation for it. Our Lord says that this union of husband and wife must not be severed (Matt. and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 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. (1) The principle of sanctification. 6:15-20). 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. The Law pertaining to adultery also confirms the sanctity of marriage. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. He had to mature in Egypt away from his family. (NIV) Exodus 22:16-17, which seems to be a restating of the same law, sheds some light on this passage: If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. May it never be! 3, 24-30). 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. The consequences of either guilt or innocence are spelled out (vss. 20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. He warned us . 18:24-30). This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church (Eph. Sanctification involves setting something apart for a special use. They made their lives miserable with hard labor (Exodus 1). Abraham marries Keturah, who couldn't have been a daughter of Israel as Israel, Abraham's grandson was yet to have been born. Now, he tells Abram that the blessings He will give him and all the nations will come through his seed. However, the plan of the Lord prevails. 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. It's been a long road, but on . God created Eve and brought her to Adam for fellowship, to be his helper and his companion. Here, the church is the bride of Christ, with the responsibility of exemplifying the relationship of Christ to His church (Eph. Neither man nor beast was allowed to draw too near to it (Exod. The forbidden fruit was forbidden, not because of any evil characteristic of the fruit itself, but because God sanctified or set it apart. The exodus of Israel was not easy, and it took time, but it was a God kind of job. 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. So David sent and inquired about the woman. Exodus 21:11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to . The implications of the sanctity of sex and marriage are the subject of this lesson. We also can learn that sometimes we will wander in the wilderness until we get our acts together. It did not look bad, it did not taste bad. To John, my Stanley chisel is a wood chisel, only to be used for chiseling wood. My people consult their wooden idol, and the diviners wand informs them; For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, And they have played the harlot, departing from their God (Hos. We can be disgruntled about what is happening with our pastor or whoever our leader is. Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you (Gen. 12:10-13). What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. 11-31). It means a lot of people quit and left. Exodus is not used casually. In short, there has been both a leaving and a cleaving, a separation and a union. The University of Memphis alumnae has been in education for about 20 years after receiving the call to teach. Marriage is sanctified in the degree to which a man and his wife have fellowship with one another. Why did you not go down to your house? And Uriah said to David, The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. New Century Version Chapter Parallel Moses is born, and placed in a basket in the reeds of Nile. Second, we move from an Old Testament dispensation (centered around the nation Israel) to a New Testament dispensation (centered around a predominantly Gentile church). (4) The immediate results of Josephs actions were painful, but the ultimate outcome was the blessing of God. 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. John 3:16-17). Those of you that have read it, are you reeling also in the aftermath? Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular, To show willingness, be pleased, determine, undertake (to do anything), Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct, To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular, Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular, Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular. 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. 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. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery (Matt. 0. who does sean marry in exodus. In effect, Abram was not only endangering the promises of God and the purity of his wife, but he was paving the way for men to unknowingly commit adultery with his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins." . What does Exodus mean today? Then his father and his mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines? But Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she looks good to me.. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. Hands and eyes are involved as precipitating causes of immorality, however. How long will you remain unclean? (Jer. 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 king of Egypt was still determined to kill the male children. In later chapters Reuel is called Jethro. But Uriah slept at the door of the kings house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. I do, however, believe that the first sin is similar to that of adultery, and thus very instructive. Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. I havent read a story that powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching in years! Thus, one should be careful not to think or say that since adultery is a sin against a marriage, it has also, de facto, terminated the marriage. 19:6). 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. 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, . We sanctify sex because we value it highly, as a good gift from the hand of a gracious God. 10-21). Uriah was a Canaanite, but a godly one, while David, the Israelite, acted like a heathen. Mohar is the cash gift the groom gives the bride, as Eliezer, Abraham 's servant, gave "precious things" to Laban, Rebecca 's father, and as Jacob gave seven years of service for the hand of Rachel.The great sage and the ketubah's most important . 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. He has also set this unity apart, distinguishing it from the previous parental-child entity. The Israelites performed the same physical act of worship (obeisance) towards Yahveh and King David, as it is written, 1 Chr. To understand Johns response, you have to understand John. Adultery mocks the union of a man and his wife, and the God who joined them together. Our Lord teaches us here that divorce causes adultery. (5) Divorce causes adultery. 12:13; Ps. Some died on the spot for murmuring and complaining about Moses (Numbers 16:33). 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. Joseph suffered many things because of his brothers. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. This intimacy can be both constructive and destructive. From the very beginning of creation, to commit adultery was to violate the sanctity of sex in marriage. God is God, and He can manage timelines as well. We can cry out to God, and He will hear us. From the standpoint of the harm done to men, action sins are more serious. Numbers 5A test is given to determine whether or not a wife has been unfaithful to her husband. The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. 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. This is what we shall seek to learn from the writings of the apostles in the New Testament. Satan, to save his skin, would begin to understand that he must begin to wage war on the seed of the woman. We must begin by taking the Bible literally, and thus we acknowledge that any act of adultery must be avoided. Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed.. Having said this, let us note that eyes and hands are very precious body members. Understand they had been among people with idol gods. I have heard it cruelly stated or implied that had a mate satisfied his or her partner in marriage, adultery would have been prevented. Consider, for a moment, how that forbidden fruit (whatever it might have been) is similar to the forbidden fruit of illicit sex. Now when they told David, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house, David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? One of the most important lessons was deliverance would only come from God. 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. Away from his family, perhaps never again to return to his own people, how easy it would have been for him to succumb to the advances of his masters wife: And it came about after these events that his masters wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, Lie with me. But he refused and said to his masters wife, Behold, with me around, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. Can you guess what that was? John did not hesitate, even for a moment. 11. The Israelites themselves were set apart from the Egyptians and from all other nations. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins." If the passages don't mean that a woman has to marry her rapist, then what do they mean? Would You not be angry with us to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape? 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). 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. (2) While David enjoys all the luxuries of the palace, Uriah refused to enjoy them, even when urged on him. Furthermore, there must be a distinction drawn between what is personally permissible and what is detrimental to others (cf. Joseph ended up in Egypt away from his family and did not understand until decades later when his brothers came to Egypt why all these events occurred (Genesis 50:20). 6-8). 19:6). 29:20. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? Let us conclude by seeking to isolate the principles which underlie and govern sexual purity, and then some of the practical outworkings of these principles. . Prior to education, she worked in local and national television news for 13 years including positions as an overnight news anchor, reporter, and assignments editor at two local network affiliate stations. 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. At this time, the children of Israel were fruitful, increased abundantly, became exceedingly mighty, and there were people everywhere. (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. The Tennessee native is a member of Temple of Deliverance COGIC, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, Omicron Delta Kappa, The Golden Key International Honour Society, and Kappa Delta Pi. Answer. Smith lives and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Judaism condemned adultery and sexual immorality, as can be seen from John chapter 8. When we sanctify sex, it is because we value it highly, not because we disdain it as something of little worth. There is a saying that success is when preparation meets opportunity. Num. For a while, Shaun was dating Dr. Carly Lever (Jasika Nicole), a pathologist. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate (Matt. Smith was also a freelance correspondent for BET news. Visual and sensory (touch) stimulation are often the prelude to immorality. If the Seventh Commandment teaches the sanctity of marriage, it also teaches the sanctity of sex, for it is only in marriage that the pleasure and product (children) are to be experienced. The epidemic of sexual immorality is, I believe, the result of a failure to understand or appreciate the sanctity of sex and of marriage. My master made me swear, saying, You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 4:1-5). The opposite is true. Sexual sins and their penalties are spelled out in detail (vss. Intimacy. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you. They become one in spirit, and sexually they become one in physical union. 1 Cor. The Bible speaks otherwise. 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. Because of its significance and the power behind it, we use it gingerly. Personally, I have understood the word "before" here as referring to rank - that is, you may not consider any other god to be more valuable/worthy . him--perhaps to share his tent. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. Second, if we want the world to understand God's faithful love, we need to . 13:27). 13:4) implies that not every sexual practice of the pagan world is permissible or beneficial for the Christian. shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? "You shall have no other gods before me. The word Exodus came from the Latin exodos and was adopted as the book's title when the Bible was translated into Latin. An exodus of people left the company means the same thing. 2:11-12). I did something which would make you cringe. Yes, Marriage Matters to God. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness. Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Reproduction. Exodus. Their numbers threatened the new Pharaoh. (3) The way to fully keep the Seventh Commandment is to view sexual sin as so serious (damning) that we are willing to take any measure required to prevent it. Based on the Hebrew Bible, intermarriage was quite frequent in early Israelite society. Just a few verses away from the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:1-3, Abram places the seed in jeopardy, at least from a human perspective: Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. The Old Testament prophets take up the themes already developed in the Pentateuch. Second, in order to avoid the evils of sex, we need to minimize our exposure to those things which only stimulate lustful thoughts and sexual temptations. 4:11-12). 7:3-5). It is little wonder, then, that God has so much to teach man about sanctification in the Bible. One of these particulars is that of marriage. And the LORD GOD fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 5:27-32). [ESV] The ESV here provides a textual note on before, saying "or besides ." And indeed, many translations use that phrasing. If one were so serious as to be willing to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand then that persons attitude is what it should be with regard to adultery. The couple finally ties the knot and it's sure to be a wedding to remember. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. What I would say is this; if the slave viewed his marriage as sacred, and held it in high regard, then a provision to sustain his marriage is set forth here in this text: the slave can renounce his "freedom" and remain a slave to his master, and in so . 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. The Bible is full of Israelite men marrying foreign women. There were many things that Israel had to learn during this process. When God brought man and woman together as husband and wife, He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:27-28). How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? This event is described in detail in the second book of the Bible, called. As fans of the show will remember, they lost their unborn . The dubious distinction for the most well-known case of adultery would have to go to David, who sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah: Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. (2) The sanctity of marriage. But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. To play out her role as Gods priestly nation, Israel had to be separate, sanctified, different from the surrounding nations. The sin of adultery is dealt with so severely because it is a violation of the sanctity of the marriage which God has ordained and set apart. also 1 Tim. I find it interesting that the fruit of this tree of knowledge of good and evil was good, like everything else God created (cf. He joined the first man and the first woman together in marriage. He does not necessarily teach that attitudinal sins are as bad as action sins. Grietje Commelin. 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). Time will not permit further exploration, but take note of how often unity (e.g. When one comes to faith in Christ, when he is born again, that person becomes one with Christ. 51:4) and New, adultery is, first and foremost, a sin against God. Leviticus 18 and 20 emphasize the defiling nature of adultery, and warn that the practice of such sins will defile the land and will result in expulsion from the land, just as the Canaanites were expelled (cf. You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. Just as no man can have two masters, neither can one have two unionsone with Christ, and another with a harlot. Fellowship. (Prov. Mount Sinai, from which God spoke to Moses and the Israelites, was sanctified, set apart. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is very desirable. 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. They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing after his neighbors wife. I honestly don't think I'll ever be the same. Exodus 32:27. 5:18). 5:28-32). But David stayed at Jerusalem. 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. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Women, why do keep your silver in a special place, bringing it out only for special occasions? For this and other reasons, the Seventh Commandment is of vital importance, not only to a pagan world, but to a carnal and permissive church.
Episcopal Interim Ministry Training, Cat Bite Wrist Tendon, Sir Tatton Sykes 8th Baronet Net Worth, Articles W
Episcopal Interim Ministry Training, Cat Bite Wrist Tendon, Sir Tatton Sykes 8th Baronet Net Worth, Articles W