Walking On Hot Coals

The Lord Jesus described the Israel of His day as "an evil and adulterous generation" and the apostle Peter wrote of those whose eyes were full of adultery and could not cease from sin (2 Peter 2:14). Obsession with sexual evil has been characteristic of many in western society since what is sometimes called the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s - a term indicating the abandonment of traditional restraints in favour of "free love", cohabiting without marriage, wife swapping and the like.

The social effects of World War II, the increased intellectual and economic independence of women and general material prosperity all contributed to this permissive development. The corruption that is in the world through lust had in this respect risen to the surface. It paraded hideously and without shame, becoming to many the accepted norm, a way of life.

In Proverbs 6 Solomon urged the folly of sexual promiscuity: "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?" These vivid figures of speech are no exaggeration. Even from the standpoint of personal health and satisfaction, or in its effects on society, sexual permissiveness has searing consequences. On a more important plane, disregard of divine moral law is an affront to the Creator, bringing first a sense of spiritual guilt and then a hardening of conscience against the Spirit's voice.

There is growing evidence of widespread disillusionment with the effects of the "sexual revolution", a deep dissatisfaction with its counter-productiveness in so many ways. A surfeit of indulgence untempered by responsibilities in marriage, produces a reaction of boredom and emptiness. Without the intended communion of spirit which belongs to the total commitment of man and wife to each other, the pleasure of mere physical indulgence soon palls. Many people have had more than their share of heart-break through broken relationships; after becoming emotionally involved they've been "dumped" without consideration when a lover has been attracted to yet another casual relationship. Chastened by the trauma of such experiences there often emerges a strong desire for stability and commitment in marriage. This factor is also doubtless reflected in the proportion of divorcees who seek remarriage. Every aspect of the permissive society's departure from divine law brings its own inherent penalties - walking on hot coals, feet are scorched!

God's counsel in Scripture flows from His perfect wisdom and love. His words are "life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh" (Prov. 4:22); or as the NIV translates it, "health to a man's whole body." We are fearfully and wonderfully made, physically and psychologically. God's ordinance of marriage is designed for our maximum benefit, spiritually, mentally and physically. When fulfilled according to divine intention the concept of one man, one wife, life-long brings greatest personal blessing and best contributes to the wholesomeness of society.

The reserve and sanctity of the marriage relationship is beautifully expressed in Song of Songs 4:12:

A garden shut up is my sister, my bride; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. A similar metaphor is used in Prov. 5:15:

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

The passage continues, "Should thy spring~ he 'dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets? Let them be for thyself alone, and not for strangers with thee." "Rivers of waters in the streets" - fitting metaphor for the promiscuous scene today!

Many, then, are finding through experience what Bible believing Christians learn from the inspired Word. "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light" (Prov. 6:23, 24) and "He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding; he doeth it that would destroy his own soul. Wounds and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away" (vv. 32, 33). The wounds, dishonour and reproach resulting from a permissive way of life are seen in millions of lives today. The pace of the "sexual revolution" is said to have slowed down a little for the moment in western society. Yet the promiscuous trend still flourishes among many, to whom the word seems appropriate, "God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonoured among themselves" (Rom. 1:24).

As disciples of the Lord Jesus we are intended to be "the salt of the earth," a restraint on prevailing moral corruption. In all matters affecting moral principles the healthful teaching of Scripture clearly points the way (e.g. I Tim. 4:12; I Thess. 4:3; Heb. 13:4). Here is an area of our experience in which Christian disciplines can bring such rich dividends of personal joy and satisfaction, enabling us also to be seen as lights in the darkness for the help of others.

unknown | Aug 1984
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