So, the Egyptians devised a plan to set taskmasters over the Israelites and enslave them. The reproduction of life is that function which is carried out within the marriage union, according to Gods design and decree. Israel remained in the wilderness for forty years. Moses is born, and placed in a basket in the reeds of Nile. Her name. Sanctification is therefore one of the great, governing and guiding principles of the Word of God. It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. . She is the author of the self-published novel GLORYTHE HAIR. Fornication is also applied symbolically in the Bible to the sins of idolatry and apostasy, or the abandoning of God. Uriah was a Canaanite, but a godly one, while David, the Israelite, acted like a heathen. When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. And it was said, WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DISMISSAL; but I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matt. Num. (5) Though David had many wives, he was willing to take the one wife that Uriah possessed. Judgment awaits this nation, which is likened to a harlot. and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth. 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 . 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 . Numbers 5A test is given to determine whether or not a wife has been unfaithful to her husband. The sanctity of sex in marriage clearly calls for the sanctity of sex before marriage. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 4:11-12). Smith was also a freelance correspondent for BET news. Time will not permit further exploration, but take note of how often unity (e.g. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 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. The KJV Study Bible, Barbour Publishing, 2011, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. 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.. 6:15-20). Shaun and Lea exchanged their first kiss in a Season 3 episode of The Good Doctor. Our culture does not value sex, it thinks of it as very common, so common that virtual strangers will share lifes most intimate treasure. The Bible seems to teach that this union is not severed by anything but death, anything including divorce. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine. And, Paul says, it involves for Timothy the fleeing of youthful lusts, which surely include illicit sexual passions and conduct. Dr. Smith primarily teaches language arts. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. 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. Grietje Commelin. Intimacy. 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. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. As we established, Exodus means to leave or depart. Furthermore, there must be a distinction drawn between what is personally permissible and what is detrimental to others (cf. 20:6). (5) Divorce causes adultery. New Century Version Chapter Parallel Smith is also a playwrightand poet. Not to mention, the Israelites were a faithful people who believed in God. Here we come to one of the very crucial implications of the sanctity of sex. Women, why do keep your silver in a special place, bringing it out only for special occasions? 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). Those distinctions are spelled out in the Law, one of which is that of the maintenance of sexual and marital sanctity. The second layer of application relates to the church. When one comes to faith in Christ, when he is born again, that person becomes one with Christ. 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. 8-10). Satan, to save his skin, would begin to understand that he must begin to wage war on the seed of the woman. Prepare yourself. Categories . Then David said to Uriah, Go down to your house, and wash your feet. And Uriah went out of the kings house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. First, we move from a Jewish to a Gentile culture. It is also significant that He taught divorce causes adultery, except in the case where the divorce was based upon previous adultery. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? God has here joined a man and a woman so that they have become a unity. The word Exodus came from the Latin exodos and was adopted as the book's title when the Bible was translated into Latin. 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). God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. This union involved the husbands leaving of his parents42 and cleaving to his wife. It is very important for me to be precise in what I say here. Let those who think this is an occasion or an excuse for sin read Romans chapter 6 very carefully. 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. 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. And it came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and it will come about when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 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. Let us briefly consider the important truths our Lord taught on sex and marriage. michigan state coaching staff; Ex). The relationship between a husband and his wife is a union. 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. 13:4). 34:7). When God had created a mate for all of His other creatures, He looked upon Adam in his solitude and said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him (Gen. 2:18). 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. Marriage, by Gods decree, is sanctified, it is a relationship that is set apart and restricted. Our culture is adamantly opposed to the sanctity of sex. Can you guess what that was? John did not hesitate, even for a moment. Exodus 21:11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to . One can build up the other in those intimate areas of ones heart and life, but one can also do great damage in the intimate areas as well. If we have accepted the principle of sanctification in general, we must then see it in the particulars of our Christian experience. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. As I see it, the issue in Exodus 21 is two-fold, involving not only marriage, but slavery. At this time, the children of Israel were fruitful, increased abundantly, became exceedingly mighty, and there were people everywhere. 19:12-13, 23-24). 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. He joined the first man and the first woman together in marriage. He equates sexual union with marital union. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Exodus 2:21 Moses was content to dwell (Exo. 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. 5:7-9). 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. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! 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). And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. He feared that Israel would unite with Egypts enemies (Exodus 1:9). I know you all will understand my book hangover and all the emotions swirling through me after finishing it. Published by at February 16, 2022. 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. In conclusion, let me suggest three additional ways in which the sanctity of sex is to be applied in a practical way. 7:3-5). 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. 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. As for a man or a woman, if there is a medium or a spiritist among them, they shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them (Lev. 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. Not only did his master not give him authority over his wife, he could not have done so. Judaism condemned adultery and sexual immorality, as can be seen from John chapter 8. Thus, it was not necessary for our Lord to dwell on the sinfulness of sexual immorality, since the Jews of His day agreed with Him on this point. The Good Doctor. So thank you to whoever it was that posted about the last book being released and brought the series to my attention. According to Matthew 19:9, if one divorces and marries another (except for the divorce based on the immorality of the other partner) that person commits adultery. The Egyptians worshipped gods created by their ancestors, but the Israelites kept their faith. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. 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. While the seduction of a virgin entails either marriage to the virgin or the payment of her dowry price to the father, sexual union with a married woman is punishable by death. 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. It marks out yet another way in which the marriage is sanctified. 4:3-8). Gen. 1:11-12, 31). The Bible is full of Israelite men marrying foreign women. Bible Answer: Marriage between people of different races occurs every day in spite of the conflicts that occur between nations and different interest groups. Exodus 21:10 (MSG) If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. Drink water from your own cistern, And fresh water from your own well. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. 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). and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. 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. (2) Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience, while most of the apostles addressed Gentiles. We know that God is not a man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19). 3, 24-30). Shaun and Lea got engaged in the Season 4 finale. It can dull the mind, like wine, making one insensitive to reality (Hos. Consider, for a moment, how that forbidden fruit (whatever it might have been) is similar to the forbidden fruit of illicit sex. 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. The children of Israel did all work in the field as well. Verse Concepts . "You shall have no other gods before me. 11. 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, . Throughout the Scriptures, both Old Testament (cf. The sanctity of marriage is indicated by the statement in Genesis 2:24, that a man must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. Thus, in the gospels we see how our Lord pressed beyond the actual act of adultery to the attitudinal sins of adultery: You have heard that it was said, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; but I say to you, that every one who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. 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. Mount Sinai, from which God spoke to Moses and the Israelites, was sanctified, set apart. Sinai was a further means of sanctifying His people, to be a priestly nation: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles wings, and brought you to Myself. He has also set this unity apart, distinguishing it from the previous parental-child entity. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. And the man said. 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. 5:28-32). Exodus 32:27. It is about friendship first and foremost. And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect love working together is Jesus Christ. Shaun ( Freddie Highmore) and Lea ( Paige Spara) started out as neighbors. From what we have already learned in Genesis, it is apparent that the Israelites understood what adultery was and that it was sin. (1) Jesus teaches here that it is not enough to keep the Law in its letter, but must also keep it in spirit. The incidents in chapters 34 and 38 indicate that the Law of Moses only codified what was already understood to be wrong. Some people did not enter the promised land that God had promised to give them because of their disobedience. Let those who would consider divorce an option carefully ponder the implications of their actions in accordance with our Lords words here. We must begin by taking the Bible literally, and thus we acknowledge that any act of adultery must be avoided. I do, however, believe that the first sin is similar to that of adultery, and thus very instructive. Abraham marries Keturah, who couldn't have been a daughter of Israel as Israel, Abraham's grandson was yet to have been born. But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); so that the land may not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. If He said it, He will do it. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. Having said this, let us note that eyes and hands are very precious body members. 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). Uncovering the nakedness of a relative is prohibited (vss. 13:4) implies that not every sexual practice of the pagan world is permissible or beneficial for the Christian. Virginity is thus looked upon as a stigma, from which one should rid oneself as quickly as possible. The covenant which God made with Israel on Mt. Visual and sensory (touch) stimulation are often the prelude to immorality. Marriage is defined in Scripture as a covenant before God, joining a man and a woman together for their lives ( Genesis 2:24 ). John 3:16-17). 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. 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. New American Standard Bible Chapter Parallel Exodus 21:10 (NAS) "If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights. 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. 29:20. Exodus. Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you. She has one stepson, Greg. The Bible speaks otherwise. Will God forgive me for losing hope and the will to live? Any books with similarly powerful stories that you can suggest. It is crucial to study the book of Genesis to understand Exodus. 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. Second, we move from an Old Testament dispensation (centered around the nation Israel) to a New Testament dispensation (centered around a predominantly Gentile church). who does sean marry in exodus. He warned us . Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed.. 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. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is forbidden. 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. Why should I pardon you? . 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. Satan made great promises about the benefits of partaking of the fruit of that tree, but he failed to tell all. Lots of exceptions to the rule. Our Lord says that this union of husband and wife must not be severed (Matt. The king of Egypt was still determined to kill the male children. 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. Community answers are sorted based on votes. I will also put an end to all her gaiety, Her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, And all her festal assemblies. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery (Matt. He did not permit man to use it. Fellowship. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. We must remember that those who teach and lead are held to higher accountability (James 3:1). I havent read a story that powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching in years! 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. 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. 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. Physical intimacy is the most obvious, but there is also a spiritual and emotional intimacy. Their people have been under the foot of the Egyptians for four hundred years. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. 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. He joined the first man and the first woman together in marriage. Teenagers, culture is lying to you. Thus, whatever one does, he does in union with Christ. Many are crying out to God, and He hears them. 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. (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. Her duty of marriage.--Rather, her right of cohabitation. Her restoration is described as a marriage between God and His bride. Some have attempted to show that the sin committed in the Garden of Eden was a sexual sin. In short, there has been both a leaving and a cleaving, a separation and a union. 18:24-30; 20:22-26). Answer. Joseph suffered many things because of his brothers. 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 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. 19:9). There are many Christians in Ukraine. 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. Some people seem to disdain sex in marriage as much as the Bible disdains it outside of marriage. Judah marries Shu'a the Canaanite. A few months ago, I was talking on the phone to my friend, John Maurer. 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. When we are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a sin, we will likely take the steps necessary to avoid it. From the standpoint of our sin against God, attitudinal sins and action sins are both rebellion against God. In other words, what is it that makes a marriage distinct, unique, sanctified? For starters, we need to get the nature of marriage right. God was faithful to his promise that Abrahams descendants would number the stars in the sky (Genesis 26:4). 51:4) and New, adultery is, first and foremost, a sin against God. Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. 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. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate (Matt. Now, he tells Abram that the blessings He will give him and all the nations will come through his seed. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. 6-8). 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. 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. 5:22-33). (2) The sanctity of marriage. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 Pauls instruction is more general, but still very much to the point of sexual morality. Sometime later, Moses was married to Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel, the priest of Midian ( Exodus 2:16-22 ). 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. God is faithful. Sin entered the human race and human history, and the consequences are evident all about us. 4:4), and holding the marriage bed in honor, keeping the marriage bed undefiled (Heb. The consequences of guilt or innocence are spelled out (vss. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. We will discover in our lesson that marriage and sex were also sanctified by God. 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). 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. Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So, too, the pleasures of sexual sin are prominently proclaimed, but the price for immorality is exceedingly high (cf. (4) The immediate results of Josephs actions were painful, but the ultimate outcome was the blessing of God. 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. Our Lord teaches us here that divorce causes adultery. This incident reveals several important truths: (1) Joseph knew he could not lie with this woman because she was the wife of another man.