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Proverbs 6:32-35 What Does Proverbs Say About Adultery 9.22.19 · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Well, our text this morning is Proverbs chapter 6, verses 32 to 35. And I would ask if you're able to stand in honor of God's word as we read it, to stand. We'll pray together and then we'll begin. Beginning in verse 32. He who commits adultery lacks sense. He who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy makes a man furious and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
• 0:31
  He will accept no compensation. He will refuse, though you multiply gifts. Lord God, we, in your word, read in Psalm 30 that you lift us up, that you hear our cries for help and you heal us. Lord, your word says that you rescue us from the depths, that you restore our lives. And God, we rejoice this morning that your anger lasts but a moment, but your graciousness lasts a lifetime.
• 1:03
  And Lord, we come to a passage this morning which will remind some of us of pain and violation. And for those, God, I would humbly ask that you transform their mourning to joy. And God, I know that others will receive this word as a warning not to walk down those same roads. And for those, I ask that they have the faith to trust your wise counsel. God, be glorified in the preaching of your word. May its truths resound in our minds, in our hearts, and in our lives.
• 1:36
  And it's in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. You can be seated. You know, the pastors at Highland are committed to, even bound to, preach the whole counsel of God. If the Lord allows me to live long enough, one of the things on my bucket list would be to preach every one of His inspired words. But you also know that this commitment then leads to occasionally uncomfortable situations.
• 2:08
  Several times a year, I end up teaching sermons on topics which, if it were up to me, I probably would have avoided. This sermon was both difficult to prepare and will be difficult to teach. And not because I'm ashamed of the Word of God in any way, I'm not. Not because I think the Word of God in this regard to be untrue. I believe that it is absolutely true when it speaks. But instead, because I know how hurtful this particular issue is to many in this room. I've heard the testimonies.
• 2:42
  I've witnessed the devastation caused by sin. I've seen firsthand the fallout that sexual infidelity can cause. I know that many this morning have been the victims of marital unfaithfulness. The hurt and violation you feel is real. I know that any reminder of that event dredges up feelings of pain and sorrow. I also know that some perhaps in this room have even been the cause of that devastation.
• 3:15
  Any reminder for you dredges up feelings of guilt and shame that perhaps feel beyond your capability to bear. So please know that as we begin, that I approach this topic with a sense of sorrow for those who have been hurt by adultery, also with a sense of hope for those who feel like they're beyond the forgiveness of God. If you've been violated, you are not beyond God's ability to heal.
• 3:44
  If you've been the one who has committed that sin, you are not beyond God's ability to restore. In answer to our question this morning, what is the sermon title? What does Proverbs say about adultery? In answer to that question, a lot. It says a lot. In fact, I was trying to think of another topic in all of Scripture, Old and New Testament, which had devoted to it three full consecutive chapters in God's Word.
• 4:15
  And I can't think of one. You think about the sovereignty of God. Now, if you were to systematize the Old and New Testaments, the sovereignty of God would have an absolute pile, a huge heap of Scripture references devoted to it, certainly. The love of Christ would have a huge mound of truth behind it. But try to think of another topic which devotes three consecutive chapters.
• 4:46
  I can't think of another one. And yet here we have Proverbs 5, 6, and 7. I have not included PowerPoint this morning because I want our focus, our study to be on these three chapters, which are easily turned to. I want us to see God's word for yourselves from the word of God that is sitting on your laps. And so there won't be verses on the screen this morning because they're so easy to turn to, but we will be in those.
• 5:16
  three chapters. And beginning in chapter 6 and verse 32, our text for this morning, notice the first verse. You'll notice first the statement that is made is that adultery is destructive. It's destructive. Look at verse 32. He who commits adultery lacks sense. He who does it destroys himself. You'll notice this one verse makes two startling statements regarding this particular sin. First, is that it lacks sense.
• 5:46
  The same Hebrew phrase could be translated is devoid of sense or lacks a heart understanding. It literally could be translated adultery is stupid.
• 6:02
  That is the literal rendering of those words. Adultery is stupid. It makes no sense. And I'm sure that there are some in here who could give public testimony to the truth of that statement. I will not have you stand up, raise your hands, give that testimony now. But adultery is a violation of the logical pattern that God designed when he created mankind. There is a logical way that the world works. There is a logical way that marriages...
• 6:34
  and he says adultery is illogical. In other words, King Solomon reiterates the creation order by saying that mankind is not an animal, despite what we hear, despite what we've been told, despite what our children are being taught in schools. If you want to classify us according to the animal kingdom and call us mammals, fine.
• 7:06
  Live birth, fur bearing, okay? Some more fur than others. But to call us animals is not totally accurate because we've been given something that animals, every other animal has not been given. And that is a unique position endowed with the very image of God, which makes us different than any other kind of animal. My wife, Hallie, was, when we first got married, a first grade teacher.
• 7:38
  She taught first grade. We were living, we had a little apartment, you know, just newlyweds. I was teaching high school about a 45 minute drive north of where we lived. She was teaching first grade about a 45 minute drive south of where we lived. And so we went opposite directions. We'd teach, we'd come back home, meet back up for dinner. How was your day? How was your, you know, how was the kids and how was high school and who'd you get lunch with and all of those things. And I remember the day that she came home teaching first grade, she had little six-year-olds, you know.
• 8:07
  And praise God for kindergartners and first graders. I think, I don't remember who I was telling on the worship team this last year, but I'm just so thankful that God never made an ugly first grader. You know, 0%, kindergarten, first grade, they're just adorable, heart-wrenchingly cute. You know, eventually their paths begin to diverge, all right? And we end up where we all are now.
• 8:34
  Man, every single one, 100%. She's got these adorable little kids, and they're six years old. And when they're six, when they're in first grade, they still love their teachers. They love them. They love going to school. They can't believe they get to be there. And again, as they get older, those paths eventually diverge. But she's got these little kids and just eating out of her hand. And she's a great elementary school teacher. She really is.
• 9:02
  I remember the day she came home and she said, well, I tried to explain evolution to the first grade students. And she, of course, does not hold to evolution or evolutionary theory or evolutionary theory applied to biology or anything else. That is not what she believes. She believes in a creator. But she said, I tried to explain that this is where most people think that we came from. You know, the goop.
• 9:29
  became fish and the fish became reptiles and reptiles became birds and the birds became mammals and then mammals became apes and monkeys and then the apes and monkeys became us, right? And I don't think that's an unfair treatment of the explanation of it. She's explaining this to the six-year-olds and guess what their response was? You guys, they're first graders. They were blown away like jaws drop. People think that? Yeah.
• 10:01
  That's crazy. I mean, I remember writing down this stuff. That's crazy. People think we came from monkeys? Yeah. That doesn't make any sense at all. You know, you're right. The only way that that makes sense is if you try to erase the possibility of a loving creator.
• 10:25
  If you erase that, if there's an agenda behind it, you're willing to erase that possibility. Now you've got to connect dots that don't necessarily connect. And you come up with just wild theories. Impossible to prove. Makes no sense at all. Six-year-olds, we're just seeing right through it. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. To call us just one step better than monkeys is illogical.
• 10:58
  We are not animals. We may be fur bearing, but you're also image bearing. And that makes you different. How does that make you different? It makes you different because animals may have many partners over the course of their lives. They may. Listen, they have not been endowed with morality. Your dog is not thinking about right and wrong, right? Nor are monkeys, nor are lizards, nor are any. They're not thinking about that. They're impulsive.
• 11:32
  instinctual, right? That's how they think, but we are not animals. We have been designed uniquely for one other only. And in fact, the very fabric of our society depends upon committed adults who will raise their children in the fear and admonition of God. That's how this works. Otherwise, the whole thing falls apart.
• 11:58
  It doesn't make sense. It's devoid of sense. It lacks a heart of understanding. Adultery is stupid. Notice second, he who does it destroys himself. Verse 32 says, he who commits adultery destroys himself. Adultery is a sin against the body. You've heard that before in sermons, right? But not only that, adultery is actually a sin against the soul. You listen to the same verse.
• 12:25
  From the King James. Now, anytime I have to read the King James, I got to like put my King James hat on because it's tough to even read. But listen to what it says. Whoso committeth adultery lacketh understanding. He that doeth it, and here's the key, destroyeth his own soul. It's not only a bodily offense as most sins are, but this actually says it's a soul offense. Now, that is not to say that adultery is unpardonable. I have heard people preach that. That's not what the Bible says.
• 12:58
  Your sin can be forgiven. Absolutely. It can be cleansed. You really can. The truth of that statement, Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, but he washed it white as snow. That is offered, even in things like adultery, even in the big ones. The guilty person can certainly be forgiven, but what this is saying is that the damage caused by that sin will be great. It will be a great, great damage caused. Adultery is a liar.
• 13:29
  It seems good. It promises happiness in life. It promises excitement, joy, and laughter. Flip a page to the left to Proverbs 5. Look at verse 3. For the lips of a forbidden woman. Now, that word forbidden means foreign or strange, right? What he's talking about there is a woman whom you're not married to, a woman that ain't your wife. That's what he's talking about. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil.
• 13:59
  In other words, it sounds great. It seems sweet, but don't fall for it. In the end, all that adultery delivers is disaster. Keep going. Look at verse four. But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps follow the path to Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life. In other words, she doesn't care if you live or die. Her ways wander and she does not know it.
• 14:31
  Skip a couple of verses, continue in verse 9. You will give your honor to others, your years to the merciless. Lest strangers take their fill of your strength, your labors go to the house of a foreigner. So all that you work for will be taken from you. At the end of your life, you groan when your flesh and body are consumed and you say, how I hated discipline. My heart despised reproof. I didn't listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I'm at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.
• 15:03
  Turn, if you would, another page, chapter 6 and verse 25. Do not desire her beauty in your heart. Do not let her capture you with her eyelashes. There's an old 80s band that I think worded it well. It's REO Speedwagon. You're thinking of your white lies. You're putting on your bedroom eyes. That's what he says. Don't let her capture you with her eyelashes.
• 15:33
  Verse 26, for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread. Stop right there for just a second. You may read that and say, you know what? That actually is pretty cheap. That doesn't cost that much. A loaf of bread, I can afford that. Notice, translator's notes, okay? What the translators will try to do is take the Hebrew line and they will try to, as word for word, as much as it makes sense in English, translate the words. But then they will often make notes and say, but if you want to know what they mean in the Hebrew, these are not the words.
• 16:04
  Okay, the words are, the cost of a prostitute is a loaf of bread. If you want to know what that Hebrew phrase means, they will at times put little translator's notes. And you'll notice in your Bibles, everybody's Bible right there has a little number one. Little superscript, hypertext, little number one that refers down to an end note at the bottom of your page. Everybody see it? You say, well, what does that mean? The cost of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread? No, what it means is the prostitute will only leave you with a loaf of bread.
• 16:35
  She doesn't take the loaf of bread. She takes everything else and leaves you with breadcrumbs. That's what he says. It is devastating. Keep going. But a married woman hunts down a precious life. Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes into his neighbor's wife. None who touches her will go unpunished. People do not despise a thief if he steals.
• 17:05
  to satisfy his appetite when he's hungry. But if he's caught, he will pay sevenfold. He will give all the goods of his house. In other words, adultery will cost you far more than you ever wanted to pay. The consequences of adultery are far worse and much more long-lasting than any temporary happiness that that sin may provide. The adulterer, in my experience, almost invariably becomes wracked with guilt and shame. This is what I've seen.
• 17:36
  almost always destroys his or her family, friendships, almost always disqualifies him or herself from public usefulness in the Lord's service. And there's a lie out there that says, and I hear this lie, I do. I've had people sit in my office and quote this lie to me, trying to justify this particular sin by saying, God just wants me to be happy. And that is true, but it's not the way that people mean it. By the world's definition,
• 18:05
  They would say, God wants you to be happy based on your own pursuits. Pursue whatever you want. Pursue whatever makes you happy. But the world has a very shallow definition of happiness. People will be tempted to think I'm not loved at home. This other person gives me attention and affection the way that my spouse does not. I'm happier when I'm with them. So that's what will make me happy. But heed the warning of Proverbs. Stay home. It's destructive. Notice second.
• 18:35
  Chapter 6 and verse 33. Adultery is disgraceful. It's disgraceful. Look at verse 33. He will get wounds and dishonor. His disgrace will not be wiped away. Disgraceful. My family last week went to Coors Field and watched a Rockies game. And it was the Rockies versus the Mets. And it was a great game. The Rockies won. We really enjoyed watching. But Rockies and Mets. But whenever we go to the baseball games, I don't own any Mets stuff.
• 19:04
  And nor do I root for them when they're in town. I mean, the only town that supersedes my love for the Rockies is the Dodgers. You guys all know. So I own Dodger stuff. And so whenever we go to a baseball game, regardless of who's playing, we wear our Dodger gear, okay? So it was a Rockies and Mets game, but there was a little section of gardeners that were all in their Dodger stuff, okay? So we're wearing the blue and all that stuff. And you guys, listen.
• 19:30
  I know I talk about baseball a lot. I know I talk about the Dodgers a lot. I care about baseball and the Dodgers this much, okay? Compared to Jesus, the kingdom, the church, my wife, right? I mean, I don't care, you guys, okay? And to be honest with you, I root for the Rockies almost every time. It's fun. But I'm there in my Dodgers shirt, rooting for the Rockies.
• 19:55
  I walked up, and I'm walking around that big walkway they have where all the food is and all that stuff, right? And so I'm walking there. Our family had split up. It's crazy. Our boys are old enough now. You just hand them a $20 bill, and you say, come back with dinner, you know? So they go, I want this, and I want that, and I want that, and I want that. And so, you know, everybody gets their food, and we all reconvene, and they've got pizzas and change. Amen? And, right, so we all reconvene. Well, I'm walking through this walkway thing, and listen, I'm just minding my own business. I'm not.
• 20:22
  Yelling, let's go Dodgers. There's no chance coming. Nothing like that. I'm just walking. I walk by this Rockies fan. He waits until he's all the way past me. He looks back and says, that's disgraceful. He's walking, right? Really? That's disgraceful. We're making reference to my shirt. And I thought, you know what? Of all of the things that our society participates in,
• 20:59
  and roots for, and applauds. Think about all of the time you hear public applause for things which are deplorable, which hurt people, which cause destruction and disintegration. Think of all of the cancers in our culture which are being applauded. Me wearing this shirt in this place, that's what's disgraceful? I'm a disgrace? I'll take the shirt off.
• 21:31
  I mean, honestly, I just, I don't care. That's the disgrace? It says here, the disintegration of marriage, the breaking of marriage vows. That's, he says, what is disgraceful. I was honestly praying about how to word this next statement. I think what I've landed on is this. Adultery is plural. You say, well, obviously, it takes two people. Nah, it's more plural than that. Adultery is plural.
• 22:04
  Here's what I mean. Adulterers deceive themselves into thinking that their sexual sin only involves or affects the two people involved. You'll hear it said that consenting adults should be allowed to act however they want and do whatever they want. It shouldn't be anyone else's business, right? That is the message that's preached. It's not true. Sexual sin has a ripple effect that moves out like waves in the ocean after an earthquake.
• 22:36
  You know, those massive underwater earthquakes and it sends those huge waves out. And as soon as we have those earthquakes, everybody who lives on almost any continent within miles of the shore is put on alert tsunami watch, right? Because that earthquake shifted everything so much that it's sending an absolutely devastating wave toward the shore. It swallows, it tears down everything in its path.
• 23:07
  Adultery affects not only the spouses, the two people involved, but the spouses of those people, their kids, their friends. It affects their churches. If those two people aren't married, because I've heard it tried to be justified in the church. Well, we're not married, so there are no spouses. There are no kids. If they're not married, then it affects their future spouses. Listen, if you're entangled in that now, you're single.
• 23:34
  But you're entangled in that sin now. You may try to justify it thinking, well, I haven't committed my life to anybody. I don't have any kids. This affects only me and them. The problem is there will be a day you want to get married. And you on that day are going to have to try to explain it. That conversation is going to come up. Who have you been with? How many people? How many times? That is a hard conversation to have. I think that there are some who think that there may be a loophole in the whole thing.
• 24:09
  I'm not married, and I'm engaged to the person who will be my husband or wife anyway, right? So what's the big deal? It doesn't affect my future spouse. That is my future spouse. So what's the big deal? Listen, here's the big deal. I hope you guys know me. I hope you know my heart. Man, I'm not trying to hammer anybody. I'm not. I'm just trying to speak the truth and give good advice. Let's say that this is the two of you. You're engaged.
• 24:46
  I mean, that's got to be the loophole, Pastor Danny. We're against my wife, husband. What's the difference? It's just a date. The difference is this. Being with somebody before you're married is being with somebody who is not your husband or wife, right? It's a declaration. Every time you're together, it's a declaration that you are willing to be with somebody who is not your spouse. What makes you think you will suddenly stop doing that after you say your vows?
• 25:19
  You've already showed them. I'm willing to be with somebody who's not my spouse. Just because that one date passes and you say all the right words doesn't mean now suddenly you're not being willing to be with somebody who's not your spouse. And you say, okay, Pastor Daniel, what do we do? If that's us, we're entangled in it. We're caught in it. What do we do? You got two options, okay? And this is for the kids. I'm assuming they're kids, relatively speaking, okay? Engaged, involved. You got one of two options.
• 25:50
  cease and desist, right? Be away. Until that day where you come back together, be away. God will bless your coming together, okay? Or what's the other option? Get married. I'll hit you two right now. I mean, I can. I have. You know how many lobby weddings I've done? I mean, I really have. Listen, run home. Put on your nicest dress. Run home. Put on a suit. Put on a tie. You don't have one. I'll let you borrow one.
• 26:21
  Right? Come back. We'll see you guys back here in an hour. We'll make some commitments. You call your moms and dads. Get them in here. Right? And we'll do it right now. Have the party later. Who cares about the party? Right? Be right. Be right with the Lord. Adultery. It's disgraceful, it says. Third, adultery is indelible. Indelible means that it leaves a permanent mark. It's hard to forget. It will not easily be forgotten. Look at verse...
• 26:49
  34, for jealousy makes a man furious. Now we've obviously shifted here. This man is not the adulterer, but instead the victim of adultery. Another man has slept with his wife and it makes that man furious and he will not spare when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation. He will refuse, though you multiply gifts. Adultery is like a permanent marker. Our text describes the anger of a violated husband.
• 27:15
  unable to be satisfied, no matter the apologies, no matter the restitution offered. But it goes far beyond that. No matter how deeply regretful the guilty party may be, the wounds of adultery never fully heal. So understand the permanence of it. I think the challenge would be, the encouragement would be,
• 27:37
  If you're tempted by adultery, if that is a temptation, like, man, I really, I do. I'm feeling pulled away from my spouse. I'm feeling pulled in another direction. Don't, and you're caught up in that kind of fantasizing about it. Don't stop too early. Carry that fantasy all the way through. We always get up to the 10 minutes, but then we seem to forget the 10 years that follow, right? He says, no, go all the way through.
• 28:11
  Imagine the next day and the next day and then 10 years later and 20 years later. Imagine that. Can you imagine if David and Bathsheba, David's looking at Bathsheba and saying, oh, it's pretty good. Bring her to me. If his counselors had said, and they did, I think, right? But if his counselors had said, no, no, no. Imagine the next day. Imagine losing your son. Imagine losing your throne. Imagine the loss and the devastation that this is going to be. If he had just thought it all the way to the end, I don't think he'd have done it.
• 28:40
  I don't. The cost is too high, would have been his conclusion. Well, how do I combat sexual temptation? A few things. And I'm just going to give some just rapid fire points here. Let God's word speak for itself. How do I combat sexual temptation? First, rejoice. And you say, wait, what? I have heard, you know, preaching on sexual temptation and everything else and how to combat it and how to go about staying away from it. The other thing, I've never heard point number one, rejoice.
• 29:09
  But turn to Proverbs chapter 5 and look at verse 15. I understand that there are little ears in the room, okay? God's word in chapter 5, and especially verses 15 in their context, become very graphic, all right? And so I'm going to allow the adults to understand the metaphors, all right? Verse 15, drink water from your own cistern. Everybody got it?
• 29:41
  If you're in the third grade and you're not sure what I'm talking about, I'm talking about standing in line at the drinking fountain. Drink water from your own cistern. Flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad? Why would you waste it is what he's saying. Streams of water in the streets? You don't do that. Let them be for yourself alone and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed. What does it say? And rejoice. Rejoice in the wife.
• 30:13
  Of your youth. Now you adults in the room. Continue to read silently if you would. Verses 19 and 20. You see the rest of what he has to say. Adultery is just tangible complaining. That's what it is. It's a declaration that God has provided. That what God has provided does not satisfy. Adultery stems from discontentment. Discontentment stems from a lack of trust in the Lord. To provide for you what you believe you need to be happy. Rejoice.
• 31:00
  In the wife of your youth. Second, recall. Recall, you continue in the same text. Look at verse 21. For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord. He ponders all his paths. In other words, there's no such thing as secret sin. Recall, remember that God sees everything. His eyes are everywhere. He sees everything. Even the things that we think are done in secret. Third, rehearse. Rehearse. Go back to chapter 5. If you were paying attention, you notice I skipped verses 7 and 8 of chapter 5.
• 31:33
  But look what they say. Verse 7. Oh, now, O sons, listen to me. Do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her. Don't get near the door of her house. Flip the page. Chapter 7. Look at verse 6. For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice. So King Solomon is saying, I looked out my window, and what did I observe? I've seen among the simple. I have perceived among the youths.
• 31:59
  A young man lacking sense. He looks out his window and he sees this young man walking down the sidewalk and King Solomon knows what's coming. Look what he says. Passing along the street near her corner. That's the adulterous woman, right? Taking the road to her house.
• 32:16
  In the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness, this young man is being tempted. And so he alters his course to go by her house. And who knows what he's thinking? He might see, maybe to catch a glimpse, maybe to see. So he's flirting with this idea. Verse 10 says, behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She's loud and wayward and her feet don't stay at home. Now she's in the street. Now she's in the market. She's on every corner lying.
• 32:45
  in wait and drags him. If you read the rest of that chapter, drags him in. Little does he know, the text says, that he is one second away from his liver being pierced with an arrow. You know, adultery is never a first step. Never. You don't fall into it. You walk into it. People commit adultery because they practice. They rehearse. Things like flirting.
• 33:19
  emotional affairs, fantasizing, pornography. If you want to avoid adultery, practice something else. Rehearse faithfulness. Imagine Solomon speaking to his own sons. Listen, boys, if walking by the adulteress's house is a temptation, then what? Take another way. What, do you live in a one-road town? Take another way. What's wrong with you? It's like the drunk.
• 33:52
  who one time told me, it's hard not to be tempted because I drive by a bunch of bars on my way home from work. Man, go the long way, right? Better to go the extra 10 minutes than to be driving by that temptation. Don't rehearse. How do I combat it? That's a pretty good way, I think. Rejoice, recall, rehearse. What do I do if I've already committed it? What do I do if I've already committed sexual sin?
• 34:22
  I think the answers are probably pretty obvious. Repent. Repent comes from the Greek word metanoia. It's a compound word, meta meaning change, where we get the word metamorphosis, transform. Noia meaning one's mind, one's will, one's volition, one's purpose. To repent is much more than a simple confession. It's much deeper than a cheap apology. Repentance is a change of mind. It's a changing of direction after exposure to something. And in the New Testament,
• 34:53
  Repentance refers to our changing of our minds and changing our plans after exposure to the Lord. That's first, repent. And second, restore. Restore. This is the great thing about our God and maybe one of my favorite things about our God. He doesn't just forgive. He actually helps to restore us. One of the things I honestly wish we could have incorporated into our study of Proverbs is personal testimonies. I just didn't feel like it was the right thing to do.
• 35:23
  It's proven difficult because I don't want to ask people to stand up and confess their greatest mistakes. I don't know who would. But here we have King Solomon doing exactly that. Don't forget that the author of the text himself was the result of an adulterous affair. Right? King David and Bathsheba. He was the result of adultery and yet was able to be used in mighty ways. Let us also not forget that he himself committed adultery. You read his biography, he was an expert in the field.
• 35:55
  Thousands of times. Thousands. And if any one of us thought there was a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow, Solomon walked down the road a thousand times and said, nope, it's the edge of a cliff. That one was the edge of a cliff. That one was the edge of a cliff. We said earlier that adultery is like a permanent marker. And it is. It's like a tattoo. No matter what you do, that ink will always be there. But like a great artist, the Lord can turn that original ugly tattoo into something beautiful.
• 36:27
  The mark may still be there, but the Lord can redeem it. I know that many have been deeply hurt, wounded by this particular sin. Highland, let me just encourage you. Rejoice in your spouse. They are God's loving provision for you. There's only pain and grief outside of your house. Stay home. Rehearse righteousness. Don't be fooled by the lies which would say that your greatest joy is a denial of God's truth.
• 36:58
  And God, I pray that again, you would bless the hearing of your word. God, I pray that you would be exalted in the preaching of your word. And Lord, as we sing and pray to close, Lord, I pray that you would remind those who have been hurt that there is genuine healing and that you would remind those who have committed sin, which is every one of us, God. Every one of us have things to confess. None of us get to stand in judgment on another. None of us do.
• 37:27
  And so Lord, remind us that you are not only a forgiving God, but a restoring God as well. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.