Sexual Immorality
David and Bathsheba by Bryan Gibson
Sexual Immorality Lessons from Proverbs by Bryan Gibson
Homosexuality by Dave Brown
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David and Bathsheba
by Bryan Gibson; Edited by Dave Brown
The story of David’s sin with Bathsheba is told in 2 Samuel 11. Most of our readers are probably familiar with this story, so let’s look at some the lessons we can learn from it.
It can happen to the best of us. Here was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), a man who had displayed remarkable faith on many occasions, taking someone who was not his wife and committing adultery with her. Surely God intended there to be a lesson in this for all of us. None of us are immune to this sin, and the sooner we realize that, the better prepared we’ll be. “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Take every precaution necessary, or it could be one of us he devours next.
We all understand that a woman’s body, when not properly clothed, can incite lust in a man. What was it that aroused David? What was it that caused him to ask about Bathsheba and have her brought to him? Obviously, it was the sight of her naked body. It couldn’t have been anything else, because he didn’t know anything else about her. We do not know if Bathsheba deliberately exposed herself to David. Surely she could look around and see if men were looking at her from the rooftops. And there is no evidence that she resisted his advances. If nothing else, this incident teaches that women should be very careful about what they wear or don’t wear (see 1 Timothy 2:9-10). And for the men, ask yourselves, was this David’s first trip to the rooftop? What rooftops are we visiting?
Husbands and wives must be committed to strengthening their relationship and keeping their vows. When we read or hear of a case of adultery, it should cause us to think about ways we can keep that from happening to us. Let’s go back and read the passages again about the marriage relationship, and then let’s get busy applying them (see Matthew 19:1-12; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7; Colossians 3:18-19; Titus 2:3-5).
Regrettable decisions are sometimes made in the heat of the moment. It is hard to think straight when lust is in the heart. It seems that nothing could deter David from committing this act, not that she belonged to another man, and not that he had other wives to fulfill his desires. But that’s the way lust behaves. It ignores right and wrong. It pays no attention to consequences. It runs roughshod over our conscience. None of us can tell what we would do if we had the total power of a king who could command anything, even the death of an innocent man to cover up his heinous act. Even when many know of virtually sure consequences, they give into the temptation of the moment.
So let us not wait until the heat of the moment to make a decision. At the first sight of temptation, we need to run and hide. That is essentially what Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife made advances toward him (Genesis 39:7-12). We know that it is wrong to commit adultery, or to have sexual relations before marriage, so we need to develop a plan of action right now to “flee fornication” and keep it from ever happening to us.
We may be forgiven of adultery or fornication, but we may have to suffer for it the rest of our lives. The degree of this suffering cannot be over-stated. We have known of cases that have caused extensive pain to those who were in no way related to the offending parties. When something like this becomes known to the church, and is most certainly will (e.g., see 1 Corinthians 5), those who have the normal Christian love for the offenders (that we are all to have for one another) are devastated. The feeling in one’s stomach just knowing about it is hard to bear, we can only imagine what is like for those who are closely related to the offenders. But, of course, we should never allow such a thing to diminish the love that we have for one another.
David was forgiven after he finally acknowledged his wrong, but look at the consequences he had to endure (2 Samuel 12:9-14). Read the rest of 2 Samuel and you’ll see that David, in many ways, was never the same man again, and his empire was certainly not the same. We may not suffer the same consequences that David did, but we will suffer nonetheless. It may be nothing more than losing the trust of someone we love, which is bad enough, but often times, it is far worse than that. There are many potential consequences, such as teenage pregnancy, AIDS and other sexually related diseases, a wrecked marriage, a broken home, etc. “Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife...” (Proverbs 6:27-29).
Sexual Immorality Lessons from Proverbs
by Bryan Gibson
The Book of Proverbs has much to say about the sin of sexual immorality, especially in the following passages: Proverbs 2:10-20; 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18. Let’s consider some practical points we can learn from those passages.
Gain as much knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as you can, because this is the key to prevention (2:11-12, 16; 6:20-24; 7:1-5; 9:13-18). Those who apply themselves to learning God’s word develop greater conviction, greater courage, and greater spirituality. According to the above passages, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding will “keep” us, “preserve” us, and “deliver” us—from this sin as well as others. Those who give in to this temptation are described as “simple,” as those who “lack understanding.”
Do not play around with this temptation; get as far away from it as possible (Proverbs 5:7-8; 7:24-26). The New Testament teaches us to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18), and part of fleeing is avoiding situations which could easily lead to sexual immorality.
Do not be taken in by smooth, flattering, or enticing speech (Proverbs 2:16; 5:3; 6:24; 7:5, 21). Boys will sometimes heap praise on their girlfriends, hoping they will give them what they want. Lines will be used like, “This will bring us closer together,” or, “You have such a beautiful body, you don’t need to hide it.” Others might say, “This is what people do when they love each other.” Don’t be fooled. Someone is trying to get you to do something wrong, and that is not love (please read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
This sin cannot be hidden from God (Proverbs 5:20-21). You may be able to hide it from your parents, or in the case of adultery, your spouse, but your Creator will still know. Some speak of having a “secret affair.” There is no such thing. “The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths” (Proverbs 5:21). Sooner or later it will come out.
Sexual immorality can have some disastrous consequences, both emotional and physical (see all the passages listed at the beginning of the article). It robs young men and women of their virginity, something which many later regret. It can lead to unwanted pregnancies, which then leads some to commit further sin by getting an abortion. Some do harm to their bodies by contracting one or more of the sexually transmitted diseases. Besides all this, it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), and this separation will become eternal, unless we repent (Revelation 21:8; 22:15). So many people look back on this sin and say something like, “Oh, I wish I would have listened to those who warned me about this. I made a terrible mistake” (Proverbs 5:12-14).
Sexual desires should be fulfilled only in the marriage relationship (Proverbs 5:15-20). Besides this passage in Proverbs, the teaching of Hebrews 13:4 is very clear: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
Homosexuality
by Dave Brown
It is difficult not to be alarmed when our culture is such as to encourage our young people to practice homosexuality by claiming that it is just “an alternative life style.” Consider God’s statement to his people (Lev. 18:21-24) “Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.” I have included the context here to make a strong point. Look at where God placed this sin — right along with child sacrifice and bestiality. “It is an abomination.” Read further and see that this was one of the main reasons for the Canaanites being “cast out” of the land, or as it says, “the land spewed out its inhabitants.” Consider Sodom and Gomorrah. In both cases God consumed entire populations.
The New Testament is equally clear (1 Cor. 6:9-10) “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor {the} covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” What could be clearer than that?
There is no room for a Christian to hate, fear or wish to do violence to those who practice homosexuality. But we have to maintain our right to teach the truth on this subject, and we need to be exercising that right without fear. For, practicing homosexuals are exercising their rights, and are extending them to unbelievable limits. No nation can last when its people have the attitude that this just does not matter. Are we prepared for God to give us up?
Romans 1:26-32
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.
28 And even as they refused to have God in (their) knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; …
32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them.
While our laws require us to allow many things that are immoral, e.g., drunkenness and lying to name a couple, there is a difference between allowing things that our laws say we must allow and consenting that what is being allowed is acceptable to God.
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
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