Based on several pertinent biblical scriptures, we will be reflecting on the holiness of married life, including the risks of extramarital affairs. Not just the married, but also the single, should be aware of it. 

Sirach 23:18-21 The one who sins against His marriage bed says to Himself, “Who can see me? Darkness surrounds me; the walls hide me; and no one sees me. Why should I worry? The Most High will not remember sins. His fear is confined to human eyes and He does not realize that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun; they look upon every aspect of human behavior and see into hidden corners. Before the universe was created, it was known to Him, and so it is since its completion. This man will be punished in the streets of the city, and where He least suspects it, He will be seized.

Our actions and decisions have consequences, and we must take responsibility for those consequences. Additionally, it can be seen as a reminder that we must take responsibility for the actions we take in the present, as we will be held accountable for them in the future. Secret sin, especially secret sexual sin, is devastating, ravishing, and dangerous and leads only to destruction. The apostle John writes a wonderful truth concerning hidden sins in 1 John 1:9 where he states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

We can take the example of King David committing adultery with a woman named Bathsheba who consequently became pregnant. Upon learning of Bathsheba’s condition, David tried to cover his sin and eventually arranged for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle. David with a few followers and his personal guard, fled across the Jordan from Absalom, his son. 

The stress of being in the wrong relationship is just not worth it. 

Genesis 12:10-19 Now there was a famine in the land. So, Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know well that you are a woman beautiful in appearance; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. When the officials of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female slaves, female donkeys, and camels. But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.” And Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.

Abram and Sarai were cousins. Yet immediately after his great act of faith, Abram is shown in all his human frailty. During his sojourn in Egypt, Abram’s fear caused him to lie and to betray his wife, Sarai, to protect himself. Hearing of Sarai’s beauty, Pharaoh took her into his house, unknowingly that she was a married woman. Despite Abram’s weakness, God revealed himself as Redeemer and rescued Sarai. God sent plagues on the house of Pharaoh. Pharaoh knew they were due to Sarai’s presence within his household. Faced with divine retribution for his unconscious error, Pharaoh immediately summoned Abram and confronted him. Abram’s silence implied his guilt. Pharaoh returned Sarai and forcibly escorted them from Egypt. The story of Abram and Sarai is the story of God’s plan to bless the nations and eventually bring redemption through this family. God is gracious enough to rescue and redeem even when we fail. But it also reveals that it is foolish to use deception to save ourselves. God rescues us from the prison of our own sin. Abram’s lie showed his lack of faith; he did not trust that God could protect him from the power of the Egyptians. 

Genesis 20:1-18 From there Abraham journeyed towards the region of the Negeb and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While residing in Gerar as an alien, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” And King Abimelech of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a married woman.” Now Abimelech had not approached her; so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart; furthermore it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then, return the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours.” So Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were very much afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that ought not to be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking of, that you did this thing?” Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, there is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house that I said to her ‘this is your kindness you must do me: at every place, to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’ Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him. Abimelech said, ‘My land is before you; settle where it pleases you.’ To Sarah he said, ‘Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; it is your exoneration before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.’ Then Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

A person who walks uprightly shelters under the protection of God, provided we have a desire to follow Him.

This was a scary thing to hear from God, even in a dream, that Abimelech would die. But the point had to be made to Abimelech, even though he could truly say he acted in the integrity of his heart and innocence of his hands, God kept him from the worse sin. God’s protecting power can guide even a pagan king. God did not let Abimelech touch Sarah. Her womb was going to bring forth the son of promise, who would eventually bring forth God’s Messiah. We should not condemn others as we all are God’s children. God warns the righteous not to sin because He cares and loves us and if we don’t sin, we shall surely live, because we took the warning seriously.

God’s mercy did not leave Abraham, even though Abraham didn’t trust God the way he should. God empowered his priests to be instruments of forgiveness to act as mediators of reconciliation. Even though Abraham was in sin, he was still a prophet and man of powerful prayer.

There are times when God overlooks our sins and protects us, filling us with His blessings because we are chosen for a purpose.

Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This commandment teaches us to be content with what God has given us, and to not covet what He has given to another. 

Genesis 14:21-23 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord, God Most High, maker of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal-thong or anything that is yours, so that you might not say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

Leviticus 18:20 You shall not have sexual relations with your kinsman’s wife and defile yourself with her.

This is a breach of the seventh commandment, not only adultery is defiling a man’s wife, but the adulterer defiles himself: but especially this, which defiles a man both in soul and body, and brings a blot and stain upon his character. The seriousness of this offense results from the fact that the marriage relationship was instituted by God.

Deuteronomy 22:22 If a man is caught lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman as well as the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

This was to protect the integrity of the covenant with the LORD and the family. God always intended for marriage to be the union of one male with one female.

2 Samuel 11:2-3 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. It was reported, “This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

Let’s examine our conscience, think back if we have committed any of these sins and ask the Lord for forgiveness so He’ll have mercy and pity on us. If we believe we have committed any of these sins, let us go for confession and ask the priest to bless us in the name of the Lord.

Transcribed by Durriya Alphonso