When the Old Testament talks about a man having sexual relationship with the woman, it used 2 distinct phrases:
1) The man knew the woman.
2) The man lay with the woman.
There is a careful distinction between the two. The bible only says the man knew the woman if the relationship between the man and the woman was legitimate, based on a covenant. If the man merely has a sexual relationship without making a covenant with her, the bible merely says he lays with the woman.
Referring to point nbr 1, the word know/knew/knowing is not readily grasped as 'know' has a much deeper meaning in the original scriptural context than merely knowing facts. In Genesis 4:1 "And Adam knew Eve his wife..."(King James version). Adam had sexual relations with his wife but merely to limit it to a sexual relationship is to completely miss the purpose of God. What God is aiming at is at the word 'knowing'. The end purpose of marriage that God has for us is through the union, the man and the woman truly know one another. Marriage -- Union -- Knowing
Mark 8:36-37 "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"
Jesus was talking about the worth of the human soul. Marriage is planned by God to open the way for 2 human souls to know each other; to know each other to the innermost depths of every area of their lives - physical, mental, emotional & culturally. This is how D Prince explains it. I could not have done it better. In the union of 2 persons, some people put all the emphasis on sex, some put it all on the intellect. But in God, it is the total knowing by one person of another.
When God insists on a commitment & a covenant in a marriage, He is providing protection for each party from being exploited & betrayed. Any woman who allows herself to be sexually exploited by men without that man first making a covenant & a commitment, she's really prostituting her personality. This is not just talking about sexual immorality, the woman is desecrating the most precious thing that she has - her personality, exposing her personality to someone who is not willing to pay the price! It is the same with men.
There is a lot to talk about lust. But in a nutshell, the essence of lust is using a human personality as a means, not appreciating the personality in itself, but exploiting it for selfish use. It applies to both man and woman.
Proverbs 7:6-27 (New Living Translation) describes it most vividly.
6 I was at the window of my house looking through the curtain,
7 I saw some naive young men and one in particular who lacked common sense.
8 He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house 9 It was at twilight, in the evening, as deep darkness fell.
10 The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart.
11 She was the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home.
12 She is often in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner.
13 She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said,
14 “I’ve just made my peace offerings and fulfilled my vows.
15 You’re the one I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are!
16 My bed is spread with beautiful blankets, with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.
17 I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses,
19 for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip.
20 He has taken a wallet full of money with him and won’t return until later this month.
21 So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery.
22 He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap,
23 awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.
22 He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap,
23 awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.
24 So listen to me, my sons and pay attention to my words.
25 Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path.
26 For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims.
27 Her house is the road to the grave. Her bedroom is the den of death.
25 Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path.
26 For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims.
27 Her house is the road to the grave. Her bedroom is the den of death.
Peter & I knew of a decent young chap who died of AIDS some 20 years ago. He got mixed up with a very bad crowd and worst, he went on holiday with them. At his friends' prodding, he decided to try out sex with a prostitute in Thailand. He thought that since his friends had it many times, there was no harm in trying it out. Anyway what are the chances of getting VD or AIDS for trying it out the 1st time? Well, he got unlucky. Peter visited him a few times and within a year, he died of AIDS. He was only 23 years old!
Peter's old classmate, a very good looking guy got AIDS too. He had so much going for him and because he could not accept the disease, he committed suicide. His parents were devastated. He hung out with terrible people who gave him the disease. So you see, you dont have to get AIDS from prostitutes, but from friends who are sexually immoral!
So how can we protect ourselves?
The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins people commit are outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually, sin against their own bodies. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
There are many things we are asked by God to fight & confront our sins/situations face to face. But ONLY with sexual immorality, we are asked to flee, not fight it. Run!
We have to order our lives according to God's law. Accept what God says about the sanctity of our bodies, the sanctity of our marriage and bed undefiled. Dont sin against our own bodies.
God is always right and what He says in the Word is good for us. God sets up fences & boundaries for our good & protection. If we rebel against it, it will be to our own destruction. Ip, we have to pray for our mutual friend, if he continues to sin, he will meet with destruction & worse he will not find salvation in God.
Another step to watch is what you allow into your heart as well as what you let out of your heart. If a person indulges in fantasies/explicit sexual scene, these can warp his/her perspective of what he/she is looking for. So if a relationship is based on flirtations & shallow or physical involvement, it can keep a person from finding the person he/she is really seeking for. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all guard your hearts for everything you do flows from it."
Matthew 5:27-28 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
This shows that God judges intentions rather than deeds. When I wanted to decorate my new home, I would already have a mental idea of what it would be like to have it. The same applies to your relationships with people. Thus a mental act of adultery will precede any physical action. Your circumstances might never permit a physical act of adultery to take place, however, rehearsing it in your mind is every bit as offensive to God.
God frequently used marriage as a metaphor for his covenantal relationship with Israel. Hence, when the prophets were called to criticise God’s people for lusting after foreign nations, the activity was condemned in the same terms as the ‘adultery’ with foreign gods to which it later led. For people to respect the wisdom of God, they have to reserve their gaze for him alone and abhor adultery.
If we consciously guard our hearts, we will have the abundant life that Jesus talks about. God is good all the time!! You will see, Ip, that he is SO real!! So marriage bells ringing in the near future? Haha
Blog about prayer the next round. Ta!