The Ten Commandments – #7

There was a time when no one talked openly about sex. At that time, there was still insatiable curiosity about it. So we got our information wherever we could find it. I asked my grandmother a question about something I had heard or read that engendered questions on my part about something I did not understand (sex). She then talked with herself, saying, “Well when my kids were not much older than you, I let them read it,” and went to her old trunk, pulling out an old, weathered magazine article, handed it to me and told me to read it. To this day, I don’t know what the article was about. So I got a lot of my information on the school grounds where some kids were already experimenting with sex without understanding what it was all about. Our conversations were in an unknown tongue. But here we are today, studying the Ten Commandments, and we have come to a commandment which says, “Don’t commit adultery.” We talk more freely these days about such things, so here goes:

God created one man and one woman, paired them together for life, and instructed them to have children. As other people joined the crowd to become part of the population, marriage ceremonies sealed unions between one man and one woman for life.

As time went on, irresponsible people broke the marriage vows and people who were not married to each other had sex. The act was called, “Adultery,” which is handed down from a Latin word which means “to corrupt,” and which has resulted in our word, “adulterate.” It has nothing to do with being an adult, even though it’s practiced by adults. So we might translate the Seventh Commandment, “Don’t corrupt your marriage.”

Oh, and did I mention that in the old days the penalty for adultery was death by stoning?

Jesus went deeper in the interpretation by showing us how “lust in the heart” leads to actual sexual involvement with another person. As time has gone by, we have begun to understand that sexual license apart from marriage, whatever you call it, is sin. Not only that, it leads to problem after problem in human relationships that are affected by the attitude “do whatever you like when it comes to sexual activity.”

Rather than spelling it all out and trying to explain, the Seventh Commandment plainly states, “Do not commit adultery.” Society is based upon the stability of homes, which have a greater chance of remaining strong when people are true to their marriage vows.

What about all the other subjects revolving around sex in today’s world? One thing at a time, please. This blog is about The Ten Commandments. Just joking. All our complicated questions involving sex in any way bring us back to God’s will concerning the subject. This blog is not a comprehensive essay about the general subject of sex, although it could be if space permitted.

All of our deeds in this life can be guided by one simple principle, “Behave toward others as you would prefer them to behave toward you.” and “Love God and your fellow human beings,” behaving accordingly. Living by these principles, you will be enabled to obey the commandment, “Do not commit adultery.”

A beautiful love song,”I Honestly Love You,” tugs at the heart strings, but examination of the lyrics shows that although she loves him and wants him to love her, they are calling it off before it gets started. The reason? Maybe one of them or both of them are already married to someone else. Dropping the whole thing is a wise move.

It is remotely possible that someone out there is toying with the idea of an affair and perhaps this little interlude with music will change your mind.

Commandment #7: You shall not commit adultery.