The Seventh Commandment that ‘You shall not commit adultery’, which can be found in both Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18, is all about faithfulness. Adultery is at epidemic levels in our society and is one of the most destructive experiences that anyone can go through because it is a breach of faith. God wants people to be protected by faithfulness.
Not only is physical adultery condemned in the Bible, but throughout scriptures, the Bible warns against spiritual adultery. It is easy to be self-righteous and say that we have not committed adultery. But Jesus said in Matthew 5:27, “I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” God wants us to avoid all forms of adultery so that we can live faithful lives and live with the security that we will not be betrayed.
1. Guard Your Thoughts (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Corinthians 10:13)
2. Guard Your Heart (Proverbs 4:23; John 8:1-11; Matthew 5:5)
3. Guard Your Actions (Genesis 39:6-12; 1 Corinthians 6:18)
Apply
1. Guard Your Thoughts
It is true that temptation is not a sin, but how we allow it to take root in our minds is of our own free will (Romans 12:2). As Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” Our thoughts grow, they come from our will and they determine our actions. King David’s affair with Bathsheba started from him not guarding his mind. He allowed his mind to wander. Intrigue and temptation got the better of him. King David - this strong, faithful, admired, honourable man - was weak in his mind. He had Bathsheba brought to him and he slept with her. From here stemmed many difficulties for King David. Our thoughts can lead to decisions that can bring blessing or destruction. Adultery begins to play itself on the stage of imagination before it occurs in real life. So, take action to guard your mind. If you want to be someone who lives in happiness and blessing and under God’s protection, it is important to chase purity and run from disaster. This means: Be careful of the things you look at; Don’t just watch anything on TV, even if it’s popular a lot of shows can be highly sexualised and crude; Think carefully about how you use social media. Ask God to show you if there is anything you have allowed into your mind that you shouldn’t have (2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Decide to guard your eyes, guard your conversations and guard your thoughts.
2. Guard Your Heart
There must be a higher level of purity because there is so much opposition to God’s perfect plan (Proverbs 4:23). Children are taught in school from a young age to act upon how they feel, instead of protecting their hearts and bodies. High profile people are loudly advocating for more sexual freedom and liberation, which can affect the views and standards of relationships. So called sexual freedom where no one gets hurt has resulted in great numbers getting hurt. Families are broken, hearts are broken, trust in other people is broken. So do not let your heart start loving what is not right to love. Samson in the Bible was a great man of God with the anointing of the spirit of God, but his heart was all over the place! He gave his heart to any women he fancied which resulted in him losing his favour, his strength, and ultimately his life. When King David acted upon the desires of his heart, instead of following God’s plan and direction, he allowed his heart to become hard and corrupt. He became desensitised to what was right and wrong. Instead of stopping at one bad act, after he slept with her, he then tried to cover his mistake with lies which led to Bathsheba’s husband dying, an unwanted pregnancy and a ripple effect of bad consequences. Once your heart is unprotected, it is hard to recover. The good news of the gospel however is that if you have made mistakes, whether big or small, God is a God of love and mercy. Jesus showed this when a woman who was caught in adultery was brought before him. When the teachers of the law expected him to punish her and condemn her, He showed compassion. When they all left, He did not condemn her but protected her and said “Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (Luke 8:1-11). Our actions have consequences. For this can bring about heavy pain, shame, humiliation, they can bring ruin to our future and our families. But there is a way out. When we really repent, God will show His grace and forgiveness. He can give us a new heart. Purity of heart is what we should all aim to have (Matthew 5:5).
3. Guard Your Actions
When somebody commits adultery, they decide that they’re going to act on their temptations, but you must decide that you will never commit the act of adultery (e.g. Joseph in Genesis 39:6-12). Joseph made the decision to continually say no. He had made it clear to Potiphar’s wife that sleeping with her would be wrong, but he had to act before an idea planted in the mind would resort to falling into sin. Joseph literally ran. He was clear on God’s standards for his life (1 Corinthians 6:18). Today, in this seventh commandment, God challenges us to decide to not commit adultery. Adultery is destructive in so many ways. God wants us to avoid pain, and to live lives of security and faithfulness. Today is the day to take action to guard your mind, heart and actions, and to live a faithful life.
