5:28-32). The exodus of Israel was not easy, and it took time, but it was a God kind of job. I do, however, believe that the first sin is similar to that of adultery, and thus very instructive. A few months ago, I was talking on the phone to my friend, John Maurer. 24, 30) and the land (vss. In later chapters Reuel is called Jethro. That is a topic for another article. The consequences of either guilt or innocence are spelled out (vss. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following: 1. 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). . . So, too, the pleasures of sexual sin are prominently proclaimed, but the price for immorality is exceedingly high (cf. From the Old Testament perspective, adultery was a violation of the sanctity of marriage, which God established, and which the Law sought to maintain. We know, of course, that the Lord Jesus was not born of the union of Mary and Joseph, but by a supernatural conception brought about by the Holy Spirit. 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). Verse Concepts . This event is described in detail in the second book of the Bible, called. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. To understand Johns response, you have to understand John. We sanctify sex because we value it highly, as a good gift from the hand of a gracious God. He then immediately turns to our sanctification as it relates to our sexual conduct. Neither man nor beast was allowed to draw too near to it (Exod. Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. Sometimes, people feel ready to make the big exodus from study to leadership, but they have not been released into ministry yet. His indignation at discovering his daughter-in-law was pregnant out of wedlock (not knowing yet it was by him), reveals that sexual immorality was clearly condemned (cf. 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. He has also set this unity apart, distinguishing it from the previous parental-child entity. 4:1-5). When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core theme. For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. We all restrict the use of (we sanctify) those things which we most highly prize. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. Leviticus 18Israel is to distinguish herself from practices of Egypt and Canaan by maintaining sexual purity (vss. How many times have we heard that adultery breaks the marriage union, that is, that adultery (legitimately) causes divorce? God delivered Israel, but many things had to be worked out of them. Pauls words in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 go much farther, showing the implications of a Christians sexual union with a harlot. Community answers are sorted based on votes. All rights reserved. "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 . Many are crying out to God, and He hears them. 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. This union involved the husband's leaving of his parents 42 and cleaving to his wife. 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. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is available. When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. Furthermore, there must be a distinction drawn between what is personally permissible and what is detrimental to others (cf. Taken as a whole, I believe that the above passages convey several vitally important truths, which we must pause to underscore: (1) Adultery is a more serious sexual sin because it is a violation of a marriage. There is no explanation for this name change, but the title "priest of Midian" accompanies both names, and he is called Moses' father-in-law, so it is safe to assume this was the same man. The difference between John and myself over the use of a wood chisel is also a matter of sanctification. Let those who have already divorced and remarried remember that divorce and immorality (as all other sins save unbelief) is not an unpardonable sin. The third chapter of the Book of Genesis is significant to our study as well. Some scholars estimate that if we factored in those groups and other factors, there would have been as many as 3 million Israelites exiting Egypt. Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed.. Abraham marries Keturah, who couldn't have been a daughter of Israel as Israel, Abraham's grandson was yet to have been born. 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. 3, 24-30). 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. Second, if we want the world to understand God's faithful love, we need to . While depriving a partner tempts them, fulfilling a partner does not necessarily keep them from sexual sin. 19:6). Numbers 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. Exodus 21:10 (MSG) If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. I understand that possessing ones vessel in sanctification and honor (1 Thes. It can dull the mind, like wine, making one insensitive to reality (Hos. When we are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a sin, we will likely take the steps necessary to avoid it. 25:1-9). In the midst of that conversation I said to John, John you would not have been very happy with me. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Exodus 2:21 Moses was content to dwell (Exo. The husband and wife become one. Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. Some died on the spot for murmuring and complaining about Moses (Numbers 16:33). 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 . There were many things that Israel had to learn during this process. Sanctification involves purity, the absence of what is unclean. (5) Divorce causes adultery. Let us briefly summarize this revelation. Most Americans seem to think that human sexuality is to be used in the same way I use my Stanley chiselthe more uses to which it can be put, the better. (2) We can see by Josephs words that adultery was not only wrong, but that he understood it to be sin. Pharaoh also instructed the midwives to kill the male children during birth but spare the female children (Exodus 1:15-16). Visual and sensory (touch) stimulation are often the prelude to immorality. The differences between holy and unholy, clean and unclean are crucial. 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. Our culture believes that the obtaining of a certificate of divorce legitimizes adultery. 7:3-5). And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:2-3). The word fornication comes from the Greek term porneia (from which we . While I have cited only a portion of this important paragraph (vss. 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. More than this, it was very desirable: And out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). Here we come to one of the very crucial implications of the sanctity of sex. As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love. 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). 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. Not only did his master not give him authority over his wife, he could not have done so. Some people did not enter the promised land that God had promised to give them because of their disobedience. I started reading the series three days ago and devoured it! James 1:13-15). In both cases, partaking of the forbidden fruit brings disastrous results. 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 word exodus is significant because it means departure. Israel was tired of being in bondage. Hands and eyes are involved as precipitating causes of immorality, however. 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. In conclusion, let me suggest three additional ways in which the sanctity of sex is to be applied in a practical way. 20:22-27). Now, he tells Abram that the blessings He will give him and all the nations will come through his seed. but the scene where Cecilia says goodbye to Sean in Exodus literally broke me. Why should I pardon you? 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.". 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. In the Bible, this word is used for the departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt. The book of Exodus not only tells some of the Bibles most famous events, but the word means something that sums up the books entire message. Finally, sexual purity is vitally important to the Christian life because it is directly related to ones sanctification: For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. As for your adulteries and your lustful neighings, The lewdness of your prostitution On the hills in the field, I have seen your abominations. The Good Doctor. "If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. However, the plan of the Lord prevails. At this time, the children of Israel were fruitful, increased abundantly, became exceedingly mighty, and there were people everywhere. 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. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 5:7-9). It was Gods will to use Joseph as a forerunner to prepare the children of Israel for what was next (Genesis 45:7-9). (It is better for society that a man only think of murder than it is for him to take a life.) Who knows better how to hurt his mate than the one who has the most intimate knowledge of her? For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification (1 Thess. 19:9). The relationship between a husband and his wife is a union. Fornication is also applied symbolically in the Bible to the sins of idolatry and apostasy, or the abandoning of God. Grietje Commelin. In both the New and Old Testaments we are urged to let the pleasure and enjoyment of sex within marriage serve as a godly defense against sexual immorality:44. 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. If you have been following global events, the people of Ukraine are making an exodus because the Russians have invaded their country. Deuteronomy 22When a man accuses his wife of not being a virgin at the time they were married, the parents can show her (blood-stained) garment as proof of her purity. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate (Matt. The second layer of application relates to the church. (1) The principle of sanctification. While illicit sexual union is a sin, those unions which violate a marriage are taken more seriously. 13-21). 10-21). For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. The word exodus literally means "the road out". For this reason it says, Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Eph. God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. How long will you remain unclean? (Jer. 2. The sexually immoral, such as the woman caught in the act of adultery, honestly acknowledged their sin, but the scribes and Pharisees were hypocritical, refusing to acknowledge their own self-righteousness. 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? In chapter 38, Judah engaged in sexual union with his daughter-in-law, whom he thought to be a Canaanite cult prostitute (38:14-23). Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion. So thank you to whoever it was that posted about the last book being released and brought the series to my attention. This is already the size of many metropolitan cities and doesnt count the mens female relatives or the men under 20 years. 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. (4) The immediate results of Josephs actions were painful, but the ultimate outcome was the blessing of God. This was now accomplished. I would further suggest that these four areas (there are probably others, too) provide the glue which holds a marriage together. If you owned a Mercedes Benz, would you loan it to a neighbor to go hunting in, or to haul firewood? 4:4), and holding the marriage bed in honor, keeping the marriage bed undefiled (Heb. Spiritual adultery has also become rampant, and is condemned. So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.. Marriage's original intent was so that man would not be alone . 13:4). 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. He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh's daughter; He flees into Midian, and marries Zipporah. One of the most important lessons was deliverance would only come from God. 19:6). Flee immorality. Her restoration is described as a marriage between God and His bride. The union of husband and wife is one of the unique elements of marriage. The KJV Study Bible, Barbour Publishing, 2011, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. (1) Jesus teaches here that it is not enough to keep the Law in its letter, but must also keep it in spirit. 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. The king of Egypt was still determined to kill the male children. in 1971. Deuteronomy 7:4. (2) Sexual impurity defiles both the persons involved and the land. He is a purist in that regardI am not. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. It chronicles the story of their deliverance from four hundred years of bondage and how God sent Moses as an instrument of deliverance. Dr. Sandra Hamer Smith is a Christian and wife to Sylvester Smith. As fans of the show will remember, they lost their unborn . The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. 22-33), the important point to recognize here is that the relationship of a Christian husband and wife is to be a reflection of the relationship of Jesus Christ to His church. michigan state coaching staff; From the very beginning of creation, to commit adultery was to violate the sanctity of sex in marriage. Joseph suffered many things because of his brothers. 11-31). They were oppressive to the Israelites and made them create bricks. 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. The consequences of guilt or innocence are spelled out (vss. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the. Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. To play out her role as Gods priestly nation, Israel had to be separate, sanctified, different from the surrounding nations. In chapter 35, Ruben lay with one of his fathers concubines (35:22). The children of Israel did all work in the field as well. God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. We can learn from the book Exodus that the Israelites continued to cry out to God until He delivered them. Thus, when a divorce is granted due to adultery, a later marriage on the part of the innocent (that is, not guilty of adultery) party is not viewed to be adulterous. It's been a long road, but on . If we have accepted the principle of sanctification in general, we must then see it in the particulars of our Christian experience. The forbidden fruit was not forbidden because is was intrinsically bad. Anytime you hear the word exodus, it causes you to notice. Uriah was a Canaanite, but a godly one, while David, the Israelite, acted like a heathen. Sanctification was, for example, the first great test which man failed in the Garden of Eden. This is a point which the prophets of the Old Testament will take up and greatly expand upon in later times. I would suggest that the four things which set a marriage apart from other relationships are the very four things which distinguish a Christians relationship with his Lord and with His body, the church. [ESV] The ESV here provides a textual note on before, saying "or besides ." And indeed, many translations use that phrasing. Their numbers threatened the new Pharaoh. We must even distinguish between what is personally permissible and what is personally beneficial (1 Cor. Reproduction. When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. You may wonder what wood chisels have to do with the Seventh Commandment. 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. Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? When some have read Deuteronomy 7:2-5, they conclude that God is opposed to intermarriage among the races. The foundation for the sanctity of marriage and sex is laid early in the Book of Genesis, where we read of the first marriage. After Joseph died, the children of Israel were numerous, a great nation. The Law pertaining to adultery also confirms the sanctity of marriage. So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abrahams son, the sister of Nebaioth. Satan, to save his skin, would begin to understand that he must begin to wage war on the seed of the woman. 18:24-30; 20:22-26). (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. Bible Answer: Marriage between people of different races occurs every day in spite of the conflicts that occur between nations and different interest groups. 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. As I see it, the issue in Exodus 21 is two-fold, involving not only marriage, but slavery. Some have attempted to show that the sin committed in the Garden of Eden was a sexual sin. This incident reveals several important truths: (1) Joseph knew he could not lie with this woman because she was the wife of another man. Her duty of marriage.--Rather, her right of cohabitation. (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. We can be disgruntled about what is happening with our pastor or whoever our leader is. 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. The children of Israel had become a threat, for the Egyptians might not control them. In the Book of 1 Corinthians he focuses on illicit sexual union and its relationship to the believers union with Christ: Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. 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. In fact, it wasnt bad, in and of itself. The apostle Paul has the most to say of the apostles on the subject of sexual purity. The Bible is full of Israelite men marrying foreign women. I did something which would make you cringe. From the standpoint of the harm done to men, action sins are more serious. and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. Shall I not punish these people, declares the LORD, And on a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself? (Jer. There is usually a large number of people making an exodus. 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.
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