Adultery is not only a direct attack against what God has ordained to reflect his image in humanity, as one man and one woman compliment each other in a marital relationship, it is a direct attack upon civilized society as well.
It is an act of unfaithfulness that entails a broad spectrum of sins rooted in idolatry.
According to Solomon, the person who commits adultery lacks sense, which ultimately leads to self-destruction (Prov 6:32).
Adultery is such a serious offense against God that it was considered a capital offense (Lev 20:10).
Throughout the ebb-and-flow of Israel’s history, she was called out time-and-again for her adulterous behavior.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote,
How can I pardon you? Your children have forsake me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores (Jer 5:7).
Elsewhere, the prophet Hosea would record an accusation from the Lord God concerning Israel by writing,
Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, and committing adultery; they break all the bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed (Hosea 4:1-2).
Jesus warned of the seriousness of committing adultery by making it clear that by even looking upon a woman, so as to lust after her, adultery could be committed (Mt 5:27-ff.).
Those who commit adultery, whether against a spouse or against Almighty God, are demonstrating their own lack of character; if the person cannot keep his or her commitment to the one he or she married, then that same person is hardly going to exhibit a faithful commitment to anyone or anything else of much lesser sanctity.
In fact, the Apostle Paul lists adultery right along with other egregious sins that prevent those who practice them from entering the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-ff).
Therefore, the command to refrain from committing adultery becomes that much more important, as it effects not only temporal decision-making in the here and now, it effects a person’s eternal destiny as well.
So, the next time you contemplate involving yourself in an “affair,” you may want to pause and ask yourself, “Is this really worth the heartache?” Because that is all you will garner from it.
“Is destroying my relationship with my wife or husband, or even with Almighty God, worth all the lying, cheating, and deceit?”
If you really think that it is, then you are obviously stupid enough to do just about anything, including forfeiting your life (Prov 7:23).
Conversely, the wise man or woman will steer clear of the illicit relationship, and be content with the person whom God has joined you for peace of mind, body, and soul.
You can do that right now by recommitting yourself to not only your husband or wife, but to the Lord God Almighty who providentially brought you together in the first place.
