What other scriptures warn against the consequences of adultery and immorality? Proverbs 22:14—The Deep Pit Introduced “The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is cursed by the LORD will fall into it.” (Proverbs 22:14) • A vivid picture: sweet-sounding words conceal a plunge into judgment. • The verse assumes literal truth—there is real, divinely-imposed disaster for those who ignore God’s design for purity. Warnings Repeated Throughout Proverbs • Proverbs 2:16-19—“Her house sinks down to death … none who go to her return.” • Proverbs 5:3-5, 8-11—Honeyed lips end in “bitter wormwood,” bodily ruin, and lifelong regret. • Proverbs 6:27-29, 32-35—Playing with fire guarantees burns; adultery “destroys himself.” • Proverbs 7:22-27—“An arrow pierces his liver … her house is the road to Sheol.” • Proverbs 9:17-18—Secret thrill; unseen tomb. • Proverbs 23:27-28—“A prostitute is a deep pit … she multiplies the faithless among men.” All echo the same theme: temporary pleasure, permanent loss. God’s Law Establishes the Standard • Exodus 20:14—“You shall not commit adultery.” • Leviticus 20:10—Death penalty under Mosaic law. • Deuteronomy 22:22—Both guilty parties face judgment. • Job 31:11-12—Adultery “a heinous crime … a fire that burns down to Abaddon.” God’s holiness never shifts; violation carries severe, tangible consequences. Historical Lessons: Real Lives, Real Losses • Numbers 25:1-9—Israel’s immorality brings a plague that kills 24,000. • 2 Samuel 11–12—David’s night with Bathsheba invites a lifetime of family turmoil; “the sword shall never depart from your house” (12:10). • Hosea’s marriage parable—National unfaithfulness mirrors marital betrayal and leads to exile (Hosea 4:11; 9:10-17). Scripture records these events to show that God’s warnings are not theoretical; they unfold in history. Prophetic Voices on National Decline • Jeremiah 5:7-9—Adultery cited as a reason for looming judgment. • Malachi 2:14-16—Treacherous dealings with “the wife of your youth” draw God’s wrath; He “hates divorce.” • Ezekiel 16 (selected)—Jerusalem’s “adultery” brings devastating siege and exile. Personal impurity corrodes families; collective impurity corrodes nations. Jesus and the Apostles Intensify the Call • Matthew 5:27-28—Lust of the eyes equals adultery of the heart; drastic measures urged. • Matthew 19:9—Illicit divorce-remarriage labeled adultery. • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18-20—Sexual sin bars the kingdom; believers must “flee” because their bodies are Spirit-owned temples. • Galatians 5:19-21—Sexual immorality listed among works of the flesh that forfeit inheritance. • Ephesians 5:3-6—“Not even a hint” allowed; God’s wrath rests on the immoral. • 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6—Sanctification defined as abstaining from sexual immorality; the Lord avenges offenses. • Hebrews 13:4—God “will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” • Revelation 2:20-23—Christ threatens to “strike her children dead” for Jezebel’s immorality. • Revelation 21:8; 22:15—The sexually immoral consigned outside the eternal city. New-covenant grace does not lessen the stakes; it heightens them by revealing the heart-level standard. Immediate and Eternal Consequences Summarized Physical: disease, unwanted pregnancy, violence (Proverbs 6:34-35). Emotional: shame, broken trust, lifelong regret (Proverbs 5:11-14). Social: family fragmentation, legal fallout, public disgrace (Job 31:10). Spiritual: hardened heart, loss of fellowship, forfeited rewards (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Eternal: exclusion from the kingdom, second death (Revelation 21:8). The thread from Genesis to Revelation is unbroken: adultery and all sexual immorality are deadly pitfalls. God’s Word exposes the lure, announces the consequences, and calls every reader to walk the narrow way of purity. |
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