Exodus 20:14 (Commandment Seven) Meditation

Text (Ex 20:14, NIV):

"You shall not commit adultery."

Amplified Rendering:

I, the LORD, the I AM of All Existence(1), AM your Eternal Spouse and Lover(2). I AM yours, you are Mine, and we will live that way forever. Through My finished work(3), you've become flesh of My Flesh, bone of My Bone, blood of My Blood, mind of My Mind, and heart of My Heart(4). Yes! You are not your own(5), you are Mine(6); and I will not share you with another(7).

Don't prostitute yourself or your members to another person, your culture, or anything that draws you from Me(8).

Love Me(9), devote yourself to Me(10)—directly, but also indirectly. Directly, by surrendering to Me and letting Me love you the way I want. Indirectly, by emptying your soul into your earthly mate: The One I chose for you (if you were yielded to Me and able to hear My Voice). If you didn't listen, jumped the gun, and rushed into something unwisely, My command still remains. Through Me, though, you can begin to experience true and genuine love, even in the midst of deep heartache and loss. I alone make such an on-going experience possible.

For those not yet married, the earthly marital acts are not yet available to you—even in your mind or heart(11). You must run from that which tempts you to violate the order I've created, purposed, and set in motion(12). While I may be directing this at you (as an unmarried person), this command to run from temptation applies equally to those who are married.

To you who are married: Forsake all others, and devote yourself to Me and your spouse(13). To do otherwise is an abominable profanation...to Me, and of Me. Don't unite with a prostitute, for in doing so, you yoke Me to a prostitute(14). Know this: The destructive fire of infidelity has no limits. It destroys and drags to hell those caught in its snare(15). Keep yourself pure(16), for only the pure in heart know and experience Me(17), the ultimate purpose of life(18).

To you who are unmarried: Devote yourself to Me, and cease any and all illicit sexual activity. All of it. Engaging in sexual acts and fantasies outside a marriage covenant is an abominable profanation. Lust will rot you from the inside out, and self-centeredness will suck the very breath from your lungs. This is FACT; there is no escaping the consequences of violating your covenant with Me or with your future spouse. Keep yourself pure, for only the pure in heart know and experience Me, the ultimate purpose of life.

To those of you who've fallen (and all of you have—every last one of you): Come to Me(19), tell me what you did and what's happened as a result, and let Me cleanse you(20). Surrender to Me, and let me change you. Let Me make you good so, through your surrender to Me, you'll be able to love another truly, faithfully. Only I can make such a thing a reality(21).

If you're still breathing, your life is redeemable—every aspect of it. Come to Me, and let Me make you good. Let me make you faithful to Me; for then, and only then, will you be enabled to be faithful to another. Without Me, adultery will have free reign in your life, and lasting faithfulness will forever elude you. The choice is yours. O, dear child, choose Me, and I'll help you stay faithful.

Consecrating Prayer:

Holy Father…

My heart belongs to You. You are above all other loves. Preserve me in purity, O God, that I might honor You, me, my future mate, my parents and elders, and my community of faith.

In the Name of Jesus, I ask these things…

Amen.

Notes

1. See Ex 3:14.

2. See Ho 2 (the entire chapter).

3. See Jn 19:30.

4. See Ro 8:15, Ga 2:19-21, Ph 2:5-8, and 2Pe 1:4.

5. See 1Co 6:19b.

6. See Ro 14:8.

7. See Ex 34:14 and Ho 2 (again, the entire chapter).

8. See 1Co 6:15-16.

9. See Dt 6:4-7.

10. See Ex 20:3 and 1Ki 8:61.

11. See Mt 5:27-28.

12. See Ge 39 (the entire chapter) and 2Ti 2:22.

13. See Ge 2:24, Mk 10:7, and Ep 5:31-33.

14. See 1Co 6:15-16.

15. See Pr 5:3-5.

16. See 2Ti 2:21.

17. See Ps 24:3-5 and Mt 5:8.

18. See Jn 17:3.

19. See Is 55:1-3 and Mt 11:28-30.

20. See Ps 32:5 and 1Jn 1:9.

21. See Mt 19:26, Jn 15:4-6, and Ph 4:13.

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