Instruction 7 says "no adultery". For Moses time, a free life in community is not possible if people are worried about someone "taking" their wife while they are at work in the field.
But more than "wife robbing", fidelity and faithfulness are the cornerstone of human relationship. We show respect for our friends and neighbours by how we keep our promises. God values promise keeping.
Tehcnically, adultery is the forsaking of marital vows through sexual activity with someone other than one's spouse. In our cyber culture, some people have extended the definition to include emotional intimacy beyond just sexual.
Adultery breaks the "to no other" part of the marriage vow. For adultery to happen, there is a third person who aids and abets the unfaithful spouse to cheat. So the "no adultery" instruction is not just to the spouse who is thinking about cheating. It is also to the third person who is thinking about inserting themselves into someone's marriage.
God who created marriage, is passionate about staying faithful in the relationship and working things out, rather than turning to people outside the marriage for gratification. God uses marraige to grow people, and his purpose for marriage is thwarted when one or both of the spouses releases the pressure with adultery.
So "no adultery", God says. "Respect other people's marriages, and stay faithful to your own."
Write
Think about your faith story: what experiences shape your value of marraige and fidelity? Who exemplify faithful marriages to you? How has adultery impacted you?
Presently, how is adultery impacting you?
Who do you know is struggling with adultery first hand - as the one cheating or the one cheated on?
Pray
What
is God saying to you today? What's Good News to you?
Talk to God about your attitudes towards marriage and fidelity Thank God for the way he is faithful to you, and the way he takes you back when you have been unfaithful.
Pray about how adultery has impacted and is impacting you. Ask God for the help you need, the reassureance of his presence, and the courage to train to be a faithful person.
Pray for the person you know who struggling with adultery first hand. Ask God to give you the wisdom and opportunity to walk with them.
Pray for an experience of God's love, grace and mercy in the way God is faithful to you, and the way God wants to train you to be faithful in marriage and all relationships.