14 “You shall not commit adultery.
With the devaluing of people that has become pervasive in our culture, the place of sexual intimacy has also been devalued. Instead of it being a sacred activity, it has been sold as a glorified handshake. It has become just something people do to have fun. We won’t talk about the sexually transmitted diseases and broken promises. That would be too painful. God has a design for sex. That design is that we would only have sex with our spouse. Sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse is considered adultery. This verse does not deal with premarital sexual relations. That gets dealt with in later chapters. But the principle is the same. When we devalue human life to that of an animal, which is what evolution does, we lose the sacredness of sexual intimacy. For so many, sexual intimacy has lost its sacredness. Sexual abuse and multiple partners can rob sex of its specialness. God’s ideal, His standard, is sometimes recited in the traditional wedding vows. That standard is that we forsake all others, cling solely to our spouse. That exclusivity creates the strong bond of attachment that provides the safety and security needed for a lifelong partnership. Adultery just breaks that bond. When affairs happen, physical or emotional, that connection gets injured. The standard is for our protection. It is not that God is depriving us of the best, but that He is protecting us from the worst. He knows the results of adultery and wants to spare us the pain. Those who have experienced the pain of an affair know this firsthand. Nothing healthy results from adultery. The effects are deep and long-lasting. The Lord wanted to spare the Israelites of this pain, so he gave this command. All these commands are to protect us from pain, not deprive us of pleasure. The best intimacy is that inside the marriage bond. But because our culture is so broken, and our view of sex is so warped, it is very hard for most to experience the fullness that marital love can provide. God warned us, but we failed to heed the warning.
The Arnold Journey 