WHY ADULTERY IS PLAIN STUPID By Bob Russell

WHY ADULTERY IS PLAIN STUPID  By Bob Russell

As we near the end of 2013, it is worth reflecting on the careers of two prominent political leaders whose careers came to an abrupt conclusion this year. All because they couldn’t discipline their sexual desires.

The mayor of San Diego lost his career, while a former congressman once considered the leading contender for the mayor’s seat in New York sank to the bottom of the polls after new allegations surfaced during the primary race. His political future appears to have little hope.

It might be easy to pass these off as aberrations, had we not seen numerous business, church and other leaders go through similar “flameouts” the past three decades. Someone described idiocy as repeatedly doing the same thing but expecting different results. So all leaders who consider themselves immune to temptation should pay attention to what has happened to others—and Scripture.

A word to the wise.

A good portion of the first section of Proverbs counsels young men to avoid adultery and remain faithful to their wives.

It’s not surprising that King Solomon begins his book of wisdom with this subject because some of the smartest, richest, most influential people in the world have been ruined by illicit affairs. When their adultery is ultimately disclosed the first reaction is not usually, “I have sinned” but, “How could I have been so stupid?”

Solomon suggests several reasons why it’s wise for a young man to avoid sexual impurity.  His wise counsel, sadly gained from first-hand experience, applies to both men and women.

Adultery’s dangers

1. Eventually the adulteress will turn against you. “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave” (Proverbs 5: 3-5).

2. You waste a lot of energy and money. “Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man’s house.”  (verses 8-10).

3. You risk disease. “At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent” (v. 11).

4. You forfeit your influence with others. “I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly” (v. 14).

5. You miss out on the lasting fulfillment of a committed marriage. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.  A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.” (vs. 15-19).

6. You have to face God someday. “For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.”  (v. 21).

7. Pursuing affairs leaves you vulnerable to sexual addiction and lifelong guilt.“The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly” (vs. 22-23).

Worldly warning

Although filmed more than 25 years ago, Fatal Attraction still airs regularly on television. The temptress in the film becomes enraged when the adulterer (played by Michael Douglas) terminates their brief relationship. The spurned woman relentlessly pursues him. Her neurotic obsession eventually results in horrible violence, total disclosure and family disgrace. Even the secular world warns about the potential disasters of adultery.

Underscoring its dangers, in the next chapter Solomon returns to the subject and warns that “the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished” (Proverbs 6:26-29).

A word to the wise should be sufficient: “A man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.” (v. 32).

We could add: The man who remains faithful is judicious and whoever does so saves himself a whole lot of grief. During the coming year, vow to be the kind of leader who embraces moral discipline—and, by doing so, avoids personal disaster.hroughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

We need to be grateful all year round.