Today we are going to look at the World in Front of the Text of the Seventh Commandment, as found in Exodus 20:14:

You shall not commit adultery.

Last Friday we talked about the world of the text for this commandment, and as I mentioned then, the thing that struck me about this commandment is that it is as much about my respect for your marriage as it is about my respect for my own marriage.  I don’t think we think about it that way because it is assumed that I will care for my own marriage, after all, I made the vows to Holly that I made. That is my vow, that is my covenant, that is my promise.  I will keep it. But, according to this text, my commitment to your marriage must be as strong.

I think for us today, we need to hear about how important marriage is.  This bond between husband and wife is so strong and important; it is the building block of society and should be respected by all.  So, today a couple of questions about how we live this out in our lives.

First, how do we strengthen the marriages of our friends and neighbors?  Listen, marriage is hard. We all know that.  I love my wife.  Love her with everything that I am. But marriage is hard, and I know that I got the better end of this deal. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be married to someone like me.  We need to encourage the marriages of those in our lives who we love.  Pray for them. Be a sounding board, but also hold them accountable. When we see those who we love starting to drift towards bad decisions, we should, in love, help them to understand the error that they are making.  Often in our world, we are told to live and let live. That’s not how it should work as Christians, as iron sharpens iron, so should we help sharpen each other and each other’s marriage.

Second, how do we strengthen our own marriage?  I think the pandemic is going to cause a lot of us to be spending a lot more time with our spouses, and that’s a good thing. Do you spend time with your spouse?  Do you talk, openly and honestly about life?  Do you truly let them in?  Do you trust them?  With money? With your life? With everything? When we do not trust and are not open, we start building walls.

And, I want to say a final pastoral word.  Husbands, wives, let your spouse know your code to your phone.  Let them know your passwords to your emails and social media. Trust them. So many things are done in secret through technology now, and to combat that, light is always the best disinfectant.  Give your spouse these things.  Let them have access to them. And you will see a strengthened marriage because it shows trust. And when there is trust, it also reduces temptation. This is a major problem in marriages now. Make sure your spouse has complete access to your phone. It strengthens and protects your marriage.

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