But the messianic line until Mary was preserved through the union of a man and a woman in marriage. 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. When we thus honor marriage, we will see to it that the marriage bed, the blessing of sexual union, remains undefiled by sexual union outside of that marriage, which profanes. At times we are tempted to think that what God has called clean is really unclean (as was the case with Peter; cf. Deuteronomy 7:4. 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. Lev. 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 these verses the sin of David is contrasted against the backdrop of the devotion and discipline of Uriah. michigan state coaching staff; After Joseph and his generation died, a new king arose over Egypt who was not familiar with Joseph (Exodus 1:6-8). (Prov. First, since the sanctity of sex reflects its value, its beauty, its goodness, let us never think of sex as something dirty and defiling. 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. 24, 30) and the land (vss. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Exodus 2:21 Moses was content to dwell (Exo. Smith lives and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. Her name. It chronicles the story of their deliverance from four hundred years of bondage and how God sent Moses as an instrument of deliverance. 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. If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. The epidemic of sexual immorality is, I believe, the result of a failure to understand or appreciate the sanctity of sex and of marriage. It means a lot of people quit and left. Exodus is not used casually. This is a point which the prophets of the Old Testament will take up and greatly expand upon in later times. 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. This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:18-24). The exodus of Israel was not easy, and it took time, but it was a God kind of job. 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. I do, however, believe that the first sin is similar to that of adultery, and thus very instructive. Get a first look at Shaun and Lea's wedding on. 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. For the land has become defiled, therefore I have visited its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 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. There are many Christians in Ukraine. Shall I not punish these people, declares the LORD, And on a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself? (Jer. We sanctify sex because we value it highly, as a good gift from the hand of a gracious God. God delivered Israel, but many things had to be worked out of them. The assumption here is that the divorce is obtained in order to marry another, or that it will ultimately result in marriage to another. Israels sexual conduct set them apart from the Egyptians and the Canaanites. We all restrict the use of (we sanctify) those things which we most highly prize. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. 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. Visual and sensory (touch) stimulation are often the prelude to immorality. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. The reason seems to be solely because God has sanctified the marriage and the sexual sin has profaned it. But it is also referred to regularly in later Bible books. She has one stepson, Greg. 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. The forbidden fruit was forbidden, not because of any evil characteristic of the fruit itself, but because God sanctified or set it apart. Exodus 21:11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to . I think there is little evidence for this conclusion. When we sanctify sex, it is because we value it highly, not because we disdain it as something of little worth. 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. 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.". 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. I do not think that it is correct to conclude that adultery terminates a marriage, any more than it is correct to conclude that sin terminates our salvation. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? James 1:13-15). Spiritual adultery has also become rampant, and is condemned. The second layer of application relates to the church. Gen. 39:9; 2 Sam. (3) The sanctity of sex. Leviticus 18Israel is to distinguish herself from practices of Egypt and Canaan by maintaining sexual purity (vss. What does Exodus mean today? New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Our culture believes that the obtaining of a certificate of divorce legitimizes adultery. In order to do this, Christians must be holy, sanctified, just as God is holy (1 Peter 1:14-16). Based on the Hebrew Bible, intermarriage was quite frequent in early Israelite society. I started reading the series three days ago and devoured it! When we consider what does Exodus mean? we reach the books core message. My people consult their wooden idol, and the diviners wand informs them; For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, And they have played the harlot, departing from their God (Hos. him--perhaps to share his tent. In my opinion, the rampant sexual immorality of our day is not primarily the result of greater temptation, of increased sexual desire, of greater opportunity, or even of the availability of the pill and abortion. You may wonder what wood chisels have to do with the Seventh Commandment. Her duty of marriage.--Rather, her right of cohabitation. Men, what about that special car, or gun, or golf club? They were oppressive to the Israelites and made them create bricks. 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. I havent read a story that powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching in years! Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. The Scriptures frankly tell us that sexual sin can be the source of other sins. 7:3-5). Exodus 21:10 (MSG) If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. 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. 20:6). I believe that there are several ways in which marriage is sanctified: Unity. (2) Sexual impurity defiles both the persons involved and the land. Throughout the Bible, God sets certain things apart; He restricts their use; He sanctifies them. 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. Exodus 22:16-17A man who seduces a virgin must marry her or pay the price of a virgins dowry. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? This may be a matter of personal conviction, over which there is some disagreement, but marriage does not make every sexual practice holy. That is a topic for another article. 2:19-22). and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. When I had fed them to the full, They committed adultery And trooped to the harlots house. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. "You shall have no other gods before me. I did something which would make you cringe. (1) Jesus had come to bear the penalty for sinners, and thus He did not come to condemn anyone, but to offer salvation to all (cf. 6:12). 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. So thank you to whoever it was that posted about the last book being released and brought the series to my attention. The word Exodus came from the Latin exodos and was adopted as the books title when the Bible was translated into Latin. God created Eve and brought her to Adam for fellowship, to be his helper and his companion. As I see it, the issue in Exodus 21 is two-fold, involving not only marriage, but slavery. He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh's daughter; He flees into Midian, and marries Zipporah. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 Pauls instruction is more general, but still very much to the point of sexual morality. In a divine vision, God said to Peter, What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy (Acts 10:15). Satan made great promises about the benefits of partaking of the fruit of that tree, but he failed to tell all. In later chapters Reuel is called Jethro. When Moses was born (Exodus 2), he escaped this fate and became an instrument God used to deliver the children of Israel. In fact, it wasnt bad, in and of itself. When we are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a sin, we will likely take the steps necessary to avoid it. As fans of the show will remember, they lost their unborn . (It is better for society that a man only think of murder than it is for him to take a life.) I understand that possessing ones vessel in sanctification and honor (1 Thes. God not only created man and woman, He also created the institution of marriage. . This is already the size of many metropolitan cities and doesnt count the mens female relatives or the men under 20 years. Judah marries Shu'a the Canaanite. Anytime you hear the word exodus, it causes you to notice. He equates sexual union with marital union. 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. Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away the understanding. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. The first is that the sanctity of marriage not only demands that we not defile the union in any way, including adultery, but that we actively seek to enhance the marriage. Thus Jesus majored on those sins which were more subtle, and which were more characteristic of the religious leadership of Israel. Let those who think this is an occasion or an excuse for sin read Romans chapter 6 very carefully. I know you all will understand my book hangover and all the emotions swirling through me after finishing it. Smith was also a freelance correspondent for BET news. One of these particulars is that of marriage. 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. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? While depriving a partner tempts them, fulfilling a partner does not necessarily keep them from sexual sin. 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. It is no wonder, then, that Eve was attracted to the forbidden fruit: When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate (Gen. 3:6). The Old Testament prophets take up the themes already developed in the Pentateuch. and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. Our culture does not value sex, it thinks of it as very common, so common that virtual strangers will share lifes most intimate treasure. Q. 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. 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). 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. 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). Sanctification is one of the great principles of the Bible, whether in the Old or the New Testament. 5:22-33). Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the LORD your GOD (Lev. NLT - 27 Moses told them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. In short, there has been both a leaving and a cleaving, a separation and a union. Shaun and Lea exchanged their first kiss in a Season 3 episode of The Good Doctor. So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac;read more.and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abrahams son, the sister of Nebaioth. Let us briefly consider the important truths our Lord taught on sex and marriage. To John, my Stanley chisel is a wood chisel, only to be used for chiseling wood. They become one in spirit, and sexually they become one in physical union. The dictionary highlights this when it points out the Biblical origin of the word (Merriam-Websters.com, 2022). Num. 51:4) and New, adultery is, first and foremost, a sin against God. 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. 5:27-32). The apostle Paul has the most to say of the apostles on the subject of sexual purity. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Adultery mocks the union of a man and his wife, and the God who joined them together. This sexual union consummates and symbolizes the union of marriage. Specifically, I am referring to what Paul has written in the Book of Ephesians, which especially relates to sexual impurity: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (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. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery (Matt. 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. Kill everyone - even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.". Second, if we want the world to understand God's faithful love, we need to . 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 word exodus is significant because it means departure. Israel was tired of being in bondage. 13:4). The word fornication comes from the Greek term porneia (from which we . 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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. This intimacy can be both constructive and destructive. 6-8). Finally, we shall attempt to distill the biblical teaching into a few guiding and governing principles. 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). "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 . Our Lord says that this union of husband and wife must not be severed (Matt. A few months ago, I was talking on the phone to my friend, John Maurer. 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. We will discover in our lesson that marriage and sex were also sanctified by God. It is very important for me to be precise in what I say here. Categories . Not to mention, the Israelites were a faithful people who believed in God. 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. Fornication is also applied symbolically in the Bible to the sins of idolatry and apostasy, or the abandoning of God. 11-31). I find it interesting that the fruit of this tree of knowledge of good and evil was good, like everything else God created (cf. These three texts provide us with the essence of our Lords teaching on adultery and sexual immorality. He had to mature in Egypt away from his family. While illicit sexual union is a sin, those unions which violate a marriage are taken more seriously. Exodus 32:27. Finally, we will attempt to discover how these principles apply to our daily Christian walk. Neither man nor beast was allowed to draw too near to it (Exod. There is usually a large number of people making an exodus. Furthermore, the one who divorces their spouse also causes them to commit adultery, since a remarriage is assumed. Just what is it that distinguishes a mans relationship with his wife from other relationships? And one said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. The forbidden fruit was not forbidden because is was intrinsically bad. who does sean marry in exodus. This union is set apart, it is to be distinct from the previous relationship of parent and child. (2) The sanctity of marriage. Why should I pardon you? Dr. Smith has freelanced for the Tri-State Defendernewspaper and Contempora magazine. That's the immediate need that marriage was created to address in Genesis 2. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you. The nation Israel is kept apart from other nations by her time in Egypt, and in the plagues, the Israelites are distinguished from the Egyptians. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? In the Bible, this word is used for the departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt. Sanctification involves setting something apart for a special use. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. 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. Marriage, in Josephs understanding, was an exclusive relationship. 4:1-5). Here, Davids immorality led to the additional sin of murder. We must distinguish between truth and error, between good and evil, between holiness and unrighteousness. (2) Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience, while most of the apostles addressed Gentiles. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. God is faithful. Sexual intercourse with a harlot, contrary to popular thought, is no casual matter, it is a union as well. If He said it, He will do it. To John, a wood chisel is to be sanctifiedset apart for use only on wood. It is God who brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. 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 start by praying for them, seeking what God will do. In the midst of that conversation I said to John, John you would not have been very happy with me. The covenant which God made with Israel on Mt. Viewed from a contemporary secular perspective, sexual pleasure restricted only to marriage is a tragic waste, a failure to make full use of ones sexual potential, and thus to deprive oneself of a great deal of sexual pleasure. It is little wonder, then, that God has so much to teach man about sanctification in the Bible. Closely related to the union of a husband and his wife is the intimacy which they experience in marriage. He did not permit man to use it. In both cases, the forbidden fruit is forbidden. 25, 27, 28), thus resulting in expulsion from the land. 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. It can dull the mind, like wine, making one insensitive to reality (Hos. In other words, what is it that makes a marriage distinct, unique, sanctified? He joined the first man and the first woman together in marriage. God increased the midwives and gave them houses (Exodus 1:16-21). (4) The immediate results of Josephs actions were painful, but the ultimate outcome was the blessing of God. (4) Adultery is a violation of the union of marriage. The New Testament portrays a very similar picture. 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. Smith is also a playwrightand poet. Not only was this event crucial for the . The Israelites performed the same physical act of worship (obeisance) towards Yahveh and King David, as it is written, 1 Chr. We must even distinguish between what is personally permissible and what is personally beneficial (1 Cor. 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 . 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. To play out her role as Gods priestly nation, Israel had to be separate, sanctified, different from the surrounding nations. Sanctification, therefore, was the first test which God gave mankind, and it was this test which man failed. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. Satan can be expected to attack the sanctity of marriage in order to wage war on the seed..