Published by at February 16, 2022. We also see how the Lord made Pharaoh release His people. In Ephesians chapter 5 Paul focuses on the relationship between the Christian husband and wife, and the way it portrays an important spiritual truth to the world: So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. First, we move from a Jewish to a Gentile culture. 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, Paul says, it involves for Timothy the fleeing of youthful lusts, which surely include illicit sexual passions and conduct. 18:24-30). 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. 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? 5:28-32). Throughout the Scriptures, both Old Testament (cf. Get a first look at Shaun and Lea's wedding on - EW.com 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. But David stayed at Jerusalem. The foundation for the sanctity of marriage and sex is laid early in the Book of Genesis, where we read of the first marriage. These three texts provide us with the essence of our Lords teaching on adultery and sexual immorality. 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. And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. I find it interesting that the fruit of this tree of knowledge of good and evil was good, like everything else God created (cf. 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. The covenant which God made with Israel on Mt. Moses consented, and in course of time took to wife Zipporah, one of Reuel's daughters. 2:16-22). "You shall have no other gods before me. It did not look bad, it did not taste bad. Some have attempted to show that the sin committed in the Garden of Eden was a sexual sin. Ex). 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. Israels sexual conduct set them apart from the Egyptians and the Canaanites. We can learn from the book Exodus that the Israelites continued to cry out to God until He delivered them. Moses is born, and placed in a basket in the reeds of Nile. 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. Num. Our Lord is teaching us that we must, unlike our culture, take sexual sin most seriously. God delivered Israel, but many things had to be worked out of them. Indeed, in verse 16 Paul makes a statement of monumental importance. Dr. Smith primarily teaches language arts. Exodus 21:10 - Bible Hub And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. It marks out yet another way in which the marriage is sanctified. I did something which would make you cringe. The differences between holy and unholy, clean and unclean are crucial. This is not one of the high points in Abrams life. The Israelites performed the same physical act of worship (obeisance) towards Yahveh and King David, as it is written, 1 Chr. Eph. 4:1-5). Judaism condemned adultery and sexual immorality, as can be seen from John chapter 8. James 1:13-15). Their people have been under the foot of the Egyptians for four hundred years. In chapter 35, Ruben lay with one of his fathers concubines (35:22). 6-18), as well as illicit intercourse (vss. Exodos means leave, and the book of Exodus tells how the nation of Israel left Egypt. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? 13:27). Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control (1 Cor. They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing after his neighbors wife. He has also set this unity apart, distinguishing it from the previous parental-child entity. Abraham marries Keturah, who couldn't have been a daughter of Israel as Israel, Abraham's grandson was yet to have been born. 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. 10-21). I would suggest that the categories of unity, intimacy, reproduction, and fellowship are four specific benchmarks of the quality of our marriages, and thus four specific areas for concentrated effort. Finally, we will attempt to discover how these principles apply to our daily Christian walk. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. The Gentiles were more like the Canaanites of Old Testament timesthey were distinctly pagan in their sexual conduct and values. And I will destroy her vines and fig trees, Of which she said, These are my wages Which my lovers have given me. And I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field will devour them (Hos. The Bible speaks otherwise. Exodus 22:16-17A man who seduces a virgin must marry her or pay the price of a virgins dowry. To play out her role as Gods priestly nation, Israel had to be separate, sanctified, different from the surrounding nations. When we come to our last text, we come full circle: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge (Heb. At times we are tempted to think that what God has called clean is really unclean (as was the case with Peter; cf. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? As we established, Exodus means to leave or depart. In fact, it wasnt bad, in and of itself. 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. Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. 2:11-12). Joseph suffered many things because of his brothers. Deuteronomy 7:4. The Good Doctor. 19-23). Here, the church is the bride of Christ, with the responsibility of exemplifying the relationship of Christ to His church (Eph. 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. 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. Understanding marriage as a covenant which establishes between husband and wife a "partnership of the whole life" in which they "mutually hand over and accept each other" (see Code of Canon Law, c. 1055 and c. 1057) can greatly enrich our appreciation of this special union that is: (a) sacred in the plan of God; (b) permanent, faithful . 4:3-8). Great were the consequences. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. 42 One may wonder why only the husband is to leave his father and mother, and not the wife. The Bible seems to teach that this union is not severed by anything but death, anything including divorce. The New Testament portrays a very similar picture. It is little wonder, then, that God has so much to teach man about sanctification in the Bible. Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the kings house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. Physical intimacy is the most obvious, but there is also a spiritual and emotional intimacy. 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. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is available. 13:4) implies that not every sexual practice of the pagan world is permissible or beneficial for the Christian. We must distinguish between truth and error, between good and evil, between holiness and unrighteousness. 5:7-9). 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. It is against the backdrop of Israels history as described in Genesis that the Seventh Commandment is given to the Israelites: You shall not commit adultery (Exod. God was faithful to his promise that Abrahams descendants would number the stars in the sky (Genesis 26:4). From the standpoint of our sin against God, attitudinal sins and action sins are both rebellion against God. v. 24). How many times have we heard that adultery breaks the marriage union, that is, that adultery (legitimately) causes divorce? Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following: 1. Can you guess what that was? John did not hesitate, even for a moment. The opposite is true. The Bible says, Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needed not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Judgment awaits this nation, which is likened to a harlot. Leviticus 18Israel is to distinguish herself from practices of Egypt and Canaan by maintaining sexual purity (vss. Sanctification involves purity, the absence of what is unclean. Dr. Sandra Hamer Smith is a Christian and wife to Sylvester Smith. 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). What does it mean to bow and serve in Exodus 20:5? First, I believe that a Christian has the right to divorce a spouse for adultery, but that this is never ones duty, and seldom ones highest calling. Drink water from your own cistern, And fresh water from your own well. Leviticus 20Israel is not to play the harlot by consulting mediums or spiritists, but they are to consecrate themselves to the God of Israel, who sanctifies them (vss. The important thing to note here is that God also promised salvation through the seed of the woman in the midst of the curse pronounced on Satan: And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you will bruise him on the heel (Gen. 3:15). It is very important for me to be precise in what I say here. Adultery mocks the union of a man and his wife, and the God who joined them together. That is a topic for another article. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. 34:7). He feared that Israel would unite with Egypts enemies (Exodus 1:9). While depriving a partner tempts them, fulfilling a partner does not necessarily keep them from sexual sin. I do not think that it is correct to conclude that adultery terminates a marriage, any more than it is correct to conclude that sin terminates our salvation. Second, we move from an Old Testament dispensation (centered around the nation Israel) to a New Testament dispensation (centered around a predominantly Gentile church). 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. We must start by praying for them, seeking what God will do. also 1 Tim. Feedback: Does the Bible Teach Sexual Assault Victims Must Marry Their May God grant you the conviction to stand against the flood of cultural and peer pressure. I understand that possessing ones vessel in sanctification and honor (1 Thes. 7:3-5). I will also put an end to all her gaiety, Her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, And all her festal assemblies. Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed.. There are other instances of sexual immorality in Genesis, but let us turn our attention to the bright light of Josephs character, in contrast to that of his close relatives.43 Joseph was a young man, with all of the sexual desires of any other healthy male. Furthermore, there must be a distinction drawn between what is personally permissible and what is detrimental to others (cf. 5 Surprising Things That the Bible Says about Marriage Closely related to the union of a husband and his wife is the intimacy which they experience in marriage. Categories . And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 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. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. The word exodus is significant because it means departure. Israel was tired of being in bondage. Exodus 22:16-17 "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. 12:13; Ps. First, since the sanctity of sex reflects its value, its beauty, its goodness, let us never think of sex as something dirty and defiling. 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). But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 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. 5:27-32). Exodus 2:21 - Bible Hub 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 . This is already the size of many metropolitan cities and doesnt count the mens female relatives or the men under 20 years. This is what we shall seek to learn from the writings of the apostles in the New Testament. her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage shall he not diminish, Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not, Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular, To scrape off, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold, Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular, Flesh, as living, for, food, food of any kind, kindred by blood, Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular, Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Exodus 21:10 If he takes another wife to himself (Exo. 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. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? It is crucial to study the book of Genesis to understand Exodus. What Does Exodus Mean? - Christianity.com (2) Sexual impurity defiles both the persons involved and the land. It can dull the mind, like wine, making one insensitive to reality (Hos. God increased the midwives and gave them houses (Exodus 1:16-21). 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. We need only look at men like David and Solomon, who had so many wives they couldnt keep up with them, but still sought after more (such as David sought Bathsheba). The Egyptians worshipped gods created by their ancestors, but the Israelites kept their faith. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. It's been a long road, but on . They become one in spirit, and sexually they become one in physical union. When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. The Hebrew midwives feared God and would not do what the king of Egypt asked. One of the most important lessons was deliverance would only come from God. The difference between John and me in this instance is that John believes everything should be used for the purpose it was made. The Ravenhood Series by Kate Stewart blew my mind and I can - reddit Thus Jesus majored on those sins which were more subtle, and which were more characteristic of the religious leadership of Israel. 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 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. For starters, we need to get the nature of marriage right. from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods. Solomon held fast to these in love. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? It means a lot of people quit and left. Exodus is not used casually. We also can learn that sometimes we will wander in the wilderness until we get our acts together. Exodus 32:27. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is very desirable. He is a purist in that regardI am not. Later, God commanded Moses to take a census of all the Israelite men over 20 years old, which amounted to six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. (Numbers 1:46). 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). The reason seems to be solely because God has sanctified the marriage and the sexual sin has profaned it. Then the LORD GOD said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him. And out of the ground the LORD GOD formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. I honestly don't think I'll ever be the same. 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. There is usually a large number of people making an exodus. When one enters into a sexual union, Paul reasons, one enters into marital union. [ESV] The ESV here provides a textual note on before, saying "or besides ." And indeed, many translations use that phrasing. Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? From the very beginning of creation, to commit adultery was to violate the sanctity of sex in marriage. The third chapter of the Book of Genesis is significant to our study as well. (2) Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience, while most of the apostles addressed Gentiles. 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. 8-10). We must begin by taking the Bible literally, and thus we acknowledge that any act of adultery must be avoided. 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? If we misrepresent God's design for marriage, then we distort His means of revealing His love for the church. For the land has become defiled, therefore I have visited its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. The word fornication comes from the Greek term porneia (from which we . 13-21). 11-31). This intimacy can be both constructive and destructive. 6:15-20). This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church (Eph. Their numbers threatened the new Pharaoh. She has one stepson, Greg. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. For a Christian to engage in sexual intercourse with a harlot puts two unions in conflict: his union with Christ and his union with a harlot. The epidemic of sexual immorality is, I believe, the result of a failure to understand or appreciate the sanctity of sex and of marriage. Men, what about that special car, or gun, or golf club? Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. We can be disgruntled about what is happening with our pastor or whoever our leader is. 43 In Genesis chapter 34, Dinah is apparently forcibly raped by Shechem, a deed to which Jacobs sons violently reacted as an abomination (cf. . This is a point which the prophets of the Old Testament will take up and greatly expand upon in later times. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 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. We all restrict the use of (we sanctify) those things which we most highly prize. I havent read a story that powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching in years! 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). 4:1ff.,), intimacy and fellowship, and reproduction (evangelism, fruit bearing) are discussed in the context of ones personal walk with the Lord or with the corporate union of believers in the body of Christ. Exodus. 5:18). He did not permit man to use it. 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. The apostle Paul has the most to say of the apostles on the subject of sexual purity. This union involved the husband's leaving of his parents 42 and cleaving to his wife. Sexual sin defiles the people (vss. 19:4-6a). If we have accepted the principle of sanctification in general, we must then see it in the particulars of our Christian experience. him--perhaps to share his tent. (4) While Uriah was willing to lay down his life for the king and the nation, David was willing to take Uriahs life to save his own reputation and to satisfy his own sexual desires. Smith lives and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the LORD your GOD (Lev. 15:19). 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. 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.
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