Bible Studies for Life Sunday School lesson for October 4

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School lesson for October 4

By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University

Honor Marriage

Exodus 20:14; 2 Samuel 11:1–5

If you are a parent, you know that there are some life lessons that are too important to be passed on to children just once. Some lessons, perhaps, can be handled in a single telling: pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza, the designated hitter is an affront to all right-thinking people, thou shalt not touch thy beloved father’s thermostat — those sorts of things. But there are other lessons, lessons in which matters of actual life and death are at stake, where just once won’t do.

We tell our children again and again to look both ways before they cross the street, to buckle up when they get in the car, to drive the speed limit and so forth. Some of these “life or death” lessons are so important that we try to get through to our children in multiple ways. We might simply forbid our children from doing something, but we might also try to show them that avoiding some particular action is just the smart thing to do.

In our household, we were very clear with our children that illegal drugs were forbidden. At the same time, we also tried to explain why doing drugs wasn’t smart. We warned them about getting kicked out of school, getting arrested, having a wreck, getting a DUI and all the other dangers that drugs entail.

It is interesting to see how often the Bible takes the same approach with certain issues, issues including adultery.

Honor marriage with faithfulness and purity. (Ex. 20:14)

On the one hand, the Bible issues a clear command on the matter: “You shall not commit adultery” is seventh of the Ten Commandments. Alongside this command (and others, by the way; see Lev. 20:10; Deut. 5:18; Matt. 19:18, etc.), the Bible also tries to show the wisdom of avoiding adultery.

The book of Proverbs especially takes this approach. Proverbs doesn’t repeat the prohibition against adultery; what it does instead is warn the reader of all the dangers and pitfalls that await those who pursue it. The sage in Proverbs warns that adultery leads to public humiliation when others learn about it (5:14; 6:35), that it leads to violence when the aggrieved husband finds out (6:34), that it can lead ultimately even to death and the grave (2:18–19; 7:23). Far better, Proverbs insists, is finding satisfaction and joy in the charms of one’s own spouse (5:15–19).

Let faithfulness and purity guard your thoughts. (2 Sam. 11:1–3a)

The latter half of King David’s life vividly illustrates the terrible consequences that can attend adultery. The story is familiar enough: David’s troops went off to war, but the great king opted to remain in Jerusalem. As he walked around on the roof of his palace, David made his grave error. It was not a sin for David to notice the beautiful woman who was bathing. It was not even a sin to be attracted to her. David’s sin came at the moment he chose to act on his attraction rather than turn away. At this moment his attraction turned to lust.

Faithfulness includes honoring the marriage commitments of others. (2 Sam. 11:3b–5)

The consequences of David’s actions would echo through the rest of his life. Caught in adultery, he would turn to murder to cover it up. Exposed as an adulterer, he would lose the respect of his family. Having lost respect for their father, one son would sexually abuse his half-sister, and another would launch a full-scale political rebellion; both would be killed in the process.

Speaking of adultery, Proverbs asks, “Can a man carry fire in his bosom without burning his clothes?” However attractive adultery may seem in the moment, God has ordered the world in such a way that consequence follows disobedience. God has given marriage to humanity as a gift; it is not just wrong but foolish to squander that gift.