Together in Christ: 'Appropriate Intimacy: Avoiding What Is Reckless, Sinful, and Damaging' — Proverbs 30:20

The Holy Spirit emphasizes the proper context for men and women to find holy and appropriate sexual intimacy:

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. ^[1]

God wants us to find the right person and proper place to build an enriching life of intimacy and fulfillment. ^[2] This is why He disdains and condemns sexual promiscuity and sexual predators regardless of gender! ^[3] Today's strong message is specifically directed toward married men, warning them against sexual relationships with women other than their wives. When a woman can callously enter into sexual sin with a married man and sees nothing wrong with her sexual encounter, she disregards the destruction brought on the man, his wife, and his family. Our verse is intentionally shocking and graphic as it portrays her brazen behavior after devouring the man sexually: She "wipes her mouth and says, 'What's wrong with that?'"

The man is equally guilty for entering into this adulterous relationship. Once a man is willing to disregard God's words of condemnation concerning adultery, ^[4] he releases disastrous consequences on those around him. He recklessly throws away his marriage covenant, and his actions brazenly proclaim — like the women mentioned in our verse — "What's wrong with that?" When people allow their lustful appetites to become their gods, their out-of-control desires dominate their lives. ^[5] God is clear about such behavior when He addresses men:

Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who sleeps with another man's wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. ^[6]

Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. ^[7]

As our age becomes sexually supercharged — similar to the first-century church's environment, we must heed the Scriptures, recognizing God's desire to protect our families and especially our marriage partners. Rather than licking our lips in salacious pursuit of our lusts, let's re-commit ourselves to honoring God. Let's find friends to help hold us accountable for our thoughts and behaviors. As disciples of Jesus, we want to pursue God's intended plan for purity in marriage. ^[8] While God can and will forgive our confessed sin and purify us when we turn from that sin, ^[9] the consequences of this kind of betrayal and the damage it causes in precious people are not easily undone or forgotten.