ADULTERY

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ADULTERY
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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• How does adultery "happen?"

• People don't just decide one day to hop in bed
  and be unfaithful to their spouse
• Adultery is the culminating act of a dozen or
  more tiny steps of unfaithfulness
• Each step in itself does not seem that serious or
  much beyond the previous step
• Satan draws a person into adultery one tiny step
  at a time
• And he does this over time so that our conscience
  is gradually seared
• This makes it easier to take "just one more step"
  thinking such a tiny step won't hurt us

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• The following "15 steps which analyze how
  adultery "happens are based on scores of
  interviews, counseling, and correspondence with
  church folk who fell into unfaithfulness

• Our question "How did this happen... what were
  the tiny steps which led to this mess?"
• While the order varied from case to case, the
  following is the general progression which
  surfaced in most incidents
• This is not some sort of theoretical list
• These are the actual steps taken by scores of
  church people who wound up committing adultery
  and regretting it later

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• Some of these people sobbed deeply as they
  shared, hoping that their own pain and failure
  might save other marriages

• This information comes to you at great expense

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 1. Sharing Common Interests

• "We just had so much in common, it was uncanny.
• "She and I both enjoyed music, and we were
  attracted to each other.
• "He was so spiritually-minded... I'd been looking
  for someone to share my spiritual struggles
  with.
• "We both loved horses, and started riding
  together.
• "We both shared a burden for the church and
  especially children's work.
• "She was the first woman I'd ever met who liked
  the outdoors, even hunting and fishing -- I was
  fascinated!"

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 2. Mentally comparing with my mate

• "My husband wasn't interested much in spiritual
  things, but this man knew so much about the
  Bible.
• "She was slim, attractive, and dressed sharp --
  quite a difference from my wife who didn't take
  care of herself much at that time.
• "She was so understanding and would listen to me
  and my hurts -- my wife was always so busy and
  rushed that we didn't have the time to talk.
• "My husband just would never communicate -- he'd
  come home from work and just sit there watching
  TV. I finally gave up on him. Then this man came
  along who was worlds apart from my husband -- he
  was gentile, loved to talk, and would just share
  little things about his life with me."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 3. Meeting emotional needs

• "He understood how I was feeling and offered me
  the empathy I was hungering for.
• "She was there when I needed her.
• "My ego was so starved for affirmation that I
  would have taken it from anyone -- I guess that's
  what started the whole thing.
• "No one had ever really believed in me until he
  came along. He encouraged me, inspired me, and
  believed so deeply in what I could become.
• "My wife was busy with the kids and not at all
  involved with my work. This girl admired me and
  treated me like I was really somebody. It felt so
  good."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 4. Looking forward to being together

• "I used to dread going to work, but after we
  started our friendship, I would wake up thinking
  of how I would see him later that day... it
  seemed to make getting up easier.
• "I would think of being with her the whole time I
  was driving to work.
• "I found myself thinking of him as I got dressed
  each morning, wondering how he would like a
  certain outfit or perfume.
• "I looked forward to choir practice every week
  because I knew he would be there.
• "Every time I drove by her house I would think of
  her and how we'd see each other that Sunday."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 5. Tinges of dishonesty with my mate

• "When my wife would ask if she was with the group
  I'd pretend I couldn't remember... right there I
  started building a wall between us.
• "I would act like I was going to practice with
  our ensemble, but actually I was practicing a
  duet with him.
• "Once my wife asked about her, but I denied
  everything, after all, we hadn't done anything
  wrong yet. Now I see that this was one of those
  exit points where I could have come clean and got
  off the road I was speeding down.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 5. Tinges of dishonesty with my mate (cont.)

• "Whenever we got together as couples I would act
  like I didn't care about him, and afterward I
  would even criticize him to my husband. I guess I
  was trying to hide my real feelings from my
  husband."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 6. Flirting and teasing

• "I could tell from the way she looked at me. She
  would gaze directly into my eyes, then furtively
  glance down my body then back into my eyes again
  -- I knew then that she was interested in more
  than my friendship. But, I was so flattered by
  her interest that I couldn't escape.
• "Then we started teasing each other, often with
  double-meaning kind of things. Sometimes we'd
  tease each other even when we were together as
  two couples. It seemed innocent enough at first,
  but more and more we knew it really did mean
  something to us.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 6. Flirting and teasing (cont.)

• "We would laugh and talk about how it seemed like
  we were "made for each other" so much. Then we'd
  tease each other about what kind of husband or
  wife the other one would have been if we'd
  married each other.
• "He had those killer eyes. When he'd look at me
  in that "special way" I would just melt. It was
  hopeless fighting my urges -- he had me."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 7. Talking about personal matters

• "We would talk about things -- not big things,
  just little things which he cared about, or I was
  worried about.
• "We'd meet together for coffee before church and
  just talk together.
• "I was having problems with my son and she seemed
  to understand the whole situation so much better
  than anyone else I talked with. I'd tell her
  about the most recent blow-up and she would
  understand so well. We just became really deep
  friends -- almost soul-mates. That's what's so
  weird about all this -- we never intended for it
  to go this far."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 7. Talking about personal matters (cont.)

• "I had lost my Dad just before we got to know
  each other and he had lost his mother a few years
  earlier. He seemed to understand exactly what I
  was going through and we would talk for hours
  about how each of us felt.
• "I was so lonely since my husband died and hungry
  for someone to share life with. Then he began to
  call just because he cared. I loved hearing his
  caring voice at the other end of the line, even
  though I knew he was married.
• "We spent so much time together at work that I
  swear she knew more about me than my wife ever
  did -- or even cared to know."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 8. Minor yet arousing touch, squeeze, or hug

• "He never touched me for months. Then one night
  after working late, we were walking toward the
  door when he said 'You're so special, thanks for
  all you do..." then he turned and hugged me
  tenderly, just for a second. I loved how I felt
  for that moment so much that I began to replay it
  over and over again in my mind like a videotape.
  Now I know that I should have stopped it all
  right then. I never intended to ruin my family
  like this.
• "She was always hanging around our house and was
  my wife's best friend. Often she would stay late
  to watch TV, even after my wife went to bed. She
  would sit beside me on the couch and I was drawn
  to her like the song says... like a moth to the
  flame.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 8. Minor yet arousing touch, squeeze, or hug
  (cont.)

• "He would often pat me on the shoulder -- you
  know, in appreciation for a good job I'd done.
  But I knew it meant more than that.
• "The first time she touched me was when we were
  doing registration together. We were sitting
  beside each other. I'd say something cute or
  funny and she would giggle, then under the table
  she'd squeeze the top of my leg with her hand.
  That was really exciting to me.
• "Every time she shook hands with me at the door
  she seemed to linger, sort of holding my hand
  more than shaking it. No one else would notice,
  but I knew there was more to her touch than
  appeared to the eyes. She knew too."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 9. Special notes or gifts

• "He would write these little encouraging notes
  and leave them in my desk, pocketbook, or taped
  to my computer. They didn't say anything which
  could be traced. If anyone found them they
  wouldn't suspect anything. But we both knew what
  was going on, we just didn't want to stop yet.
• "I would sometimes call him and leave a short
  message on his answering machine. He would leave
  little notes in my Bible.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 9. Special notes or gifts (cont.)

• "He would buy me a little gift -- not that
  expensive, but it always showed he had taken
  extra thought to get exactly what I liked. Of
  course everyone else thought he was just being a
  good boss.
• "She started leaving unsigned notes to me in my
  desk sharing her feelings for me. It scared me at
  first, because I thought someone would find one.
  But after a while I found myself looking forward
  to the next one, even though I knew the risk."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 10. Inventing excuses to call or meet

• "I started figuring out ways I could drop off
  something at her house when her husband was gone.
  He and I knew each other and I would always
  return borrowed tools in the afternoon when I
  knew she'd be there alone.
• "I would wait until the end of the workday then
  I'd call him just before closing time about
  something I'd made up as a 'business question'
  and we'd talk.
• "The more entangled we got, the more I planned
  times where he and I could practice together. We
  started meeting more often."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 10. Inventing excuses to call or meet (cont.)

• "She started arranging her schedule so that her
  husband dropped her off at committee meetings. I
  would hang around and offer to take her home,
  acting with as much nonchalance as I could muster
  up.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 11. Arranging secret meetings

• "By now we both were so far gone that we started
  meeting secretly at the mall parking lot. It know
  now how foolish this was, but I was driven by
  something other than good sense at that time.
• "We started arranging to work evenings on the
  same nights, then we would leave early and meet
  each other in the dark parking lot."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 11. Arranging secret meetings (cont.)

• I started making sure he knew my travel schedule
  so we could attend the same conferences. We still
  weren't involved physically at that time, but
  there was such excitement and romance to it
  all... even the secrecy seemed to make it more
  exciting.
• "She would sometimes call me just before lunch
  and we'd sneak through a drive-up together, and
  then spend the rest of my lunch hour talking
  quietly to each other."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 12. Deceit and cover ups

• "Once we were meeting secretly I had to invent
  all kinds of stories about where I'd been to
  satisfy my wife. By now I had built a towering
  wall of dishonesty between us.
• "Pretty soon my whole life was full of lies. I'd
  lie about where I was going, where I'd been, and
  who I'd been with. The more suspicious my husband
  got, the better liar I became. But he knew
  something was going on. It's hard to lie without
  people suspecting it.
• "I joined several groups so that I would have an
  excuse to be away in the evenings."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 12. Deceit and cover ups (cont.)

• "She would ask when I'd gotten off work. I'd
  simply lie about it, and she never knew what hit
  her. How can I ever regain her trust now?
• "We agreed that if anyone saw us driving around
  we would both tell the same story that my car
  wouldn't start, he stopped to help, an we were
  going together to get a new fuse to replace the
  broken one he'd discovered.
• "By now my whole life was a lie, so I began
  telling them regularly to cover up our little
  meetings."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 13. Kissing and embracing

• "The whole thing seemed so exciting by now. I was
  such a fool. We were meeting secretly and both of
  us were fearful of being caught. But that only
  seemed to increase our common ground. When we'd
  meet, we would embrace as if we'd not been
  together for years -- like in the movies when
  someone comes home from the war.
• "Once we started meeting secretly the end came
  fast. We kissed and hugged like two teenagers
  going parking for their first time.
• "It just felt so good to be hugged and loved by
  somebody who really cared about me."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 14. Petting and high indiscretion

• "At this point my glands took over. I forgot
  reason altogether and was willing to risk
  everything for more.
• "It was like I was a teenager again -- going too
  far, then repenting and promising to do better
  then just as quick I was hungrily seeking more
  sin.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 14. Petting and high indiscretion (cont.)

• "When my husband and I were dating we struggled
  with 'how far to go.' Well, here I was again
  struggling over the same issue. Friendship with
  this guy didn't seem so wrong. But now were we're
  going further than I ever intended. But, I felt
  curiously justified going exactly as far as I had
  with my husband when had been dating. In a way, I
  think some of my resentment against my husband's
  constant pressure on me started coming out. I'm
  not saying that it wasn't wrong. Just that I kind
  of felt justified.

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 14. Petting and high indiscretion (cont.)

• "At about this time I began fooling myself into
  thinking I was heroic for not going "all the
  way." That's what I wanted to do. But by doing
  "everything but" I fooled myself into thinking I
  was successfully resisting temptation. What I
  didn't realize was that, not only was what I was
  doing wrong, but that eventually I would take the
  next step. It's just not possible to freeze a
  relationship -- you have to go ahead with it, or
  break it off totally."

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DESCENT INTO ADULTERY

• 15. Sexual intercourse

• "Soon I quit resisting and was swept into
  outright adultery.
• "One thing led to another and finally we ended up
  in bed with each other.
• "Though we never intended it to go that far, we
  eventually went all the way and had sex.
• "One night we couldn't seem to stop ourselves (at
  least we didn't want to) so I completed my
  journey of unfaithfulness to my husband -- I had
  sex with this man."

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Preventing Adultery

• Marriages that meet a spouse's needs are less
  vulnerable to an extramarital affair

• However, the failure of men and women to meet
  each other's needs is due to a lack of knowledge
  rather than a selfish unwillingness to be
  considerate
• Meeting these needs is critically important
  because in marriages that fail to meet needs, it
  is striking and alarming how consistently married
  people seek to satisfy their unmet needs through
  an extramarital affair
• If any of a spouse's five basic needs goes unmet,
  that spouse becomes vulnerable to the temptation
  of an affair
• Therefore, the best way to prevent adultery is to
  meet all the needs of your spouse and make your
  marriage strong

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The Five Needs of a Wife

• The wifes first need is for affection

• To most women affection symbolizes security,
  protection, comfort, and approval
• When a husband shows his wife affection, he sends
  the following messages
• (1) I'll take care of you and protect you
• (2) I'm concerned about the problems you face,
  and I am with you
• (3) I think you've done a good job, and I'm so
  proud of you

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The Five Needs of a Wife

• The wifes first need is for affection (cont.)

• Men need to understand how strongly women need
  these affirmations
• For the typical wife, there can hardly be enough
  of them
• A 15 second hug can communicate all of the
  affirmations
• But, affection can be shown in many ways such as
  kisses, cards, flowers, dinners out, opening the
  car door, holding hands, walks after dinner, back
  rubs, phone calls--there are a thousand ways to
  say "I love you"
• From a woman's point of view, affection is the
  essential cement of her relationship with a man

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The Five Needs of a Wife

• The wifes second need is conversation

• Wives need their husbands to talk to them and to
  listen to them they need lots of two-way
  conversation
• In their dating life prior to marriage, most
  couples spent time time showing each other
  affection and talking. This shouldn't be dropped
  after the wedding
• When two people get married, each partner has a
  right to expect the same loving care and
  attention that prevailed during courtship to
  continue after the wedding
• The man who takes time to talk to a woman will
  have an inside track to her heart

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The Five Needs of a Wife

• The wifes third need is honesty and openness

• A wife needs to trust her husband totally. A
  sense of security is the common thread woven
  through all of a woman's five basic needs
• If a husband does not keep up honest and open
  communication with his wife, he undermines her
  trust and eventually destroys her security
• To feel secure, a wife must trust her husband to
  give her accurate information about his past, the
  present, and the future
• If she can't trust the signals he sends, she has
  no foundation on which to build a solid
  relationship.
• Instead of adjusting to him, she always feels off
  balance instead of growing toward him, she grows
  away from him

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The Five Needs of a Wife

• The wifes fourth need is financial commitment

• A wife needs enough money to live comfortably
  she needs financial support
• No matter how successful a career a woman might
  have, she usually wants her husband to earn
  enough money to allow her to feel supported and
  to feel cared for

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The Five Needs of a Wife

• The wifes fifth need is family commitment

• A wife needs her husband to be a good father and
  have a family commitment
• The vast majority of women who get married have a
  powerful instinct to create a home and have
  children
• Above all, wives want their husbands to take a
  leadership role in the family and to commit
  themselves to the moral and educational
  development of their children

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands first need is sexual fulfillment

• The typical wife doesn't understand her husband's
  deep need for sex anymore than the typical
  husband understands his wife's deep need for
  affection
• But these two ingredients can work very closely
  together in a happy, fulfilled marriage
• Sex can come naturally and often, if there is
  enough affection

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands second need is recreational
  companionship

• He needs her to be his playmate
• It is not uncommon for women, when they are
  single, to join men in pursuing their interests
• They find themselves hunting, fishing, playing
  football, and watching sports and movies they
  would never have chosen on their own
• After marriage wives often try to interest their
  husbands in activities more to their own liking

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands second need is recreational
  companionship (cont.)

• If their attempts fail, they may encourage their
  husbands to continue their recreational
  activities without them
• But this option is very dangerous to a marriage,
  because men place surprising importance on having
  their wives as recreational companions
• Among the five basic male needs, spending
  recreational time with his wife is second only to
  sex for the typical husband

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands third need is an attractive spouse

• A man needs a wife who looks good to him
• In sexual relationships most men find it nearly
  impossible to appreciate a woman for her inner
  qualities alone--there must be more
• A man's need for physical attractiveness in a
  mate is profound

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands fourth need for a man is domestic
  support

• He needs peace and quiet
• So deep is a husband's need for domestic support
  from his wife that he often fantasizes about how
  she will greet him lovingly and pleasantly at the
  door, about well-behaved children who likewise
  act glad to see him and welcome him to the
  comfort of a well-maintained home
• The fantasy continues as his wife urges him to
  sit down and relax before taking part in a tasty
  dinner
• Later the family goes out for an evening stroll,
  and he returns to put the children to bed with no
  hassle or fuss

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands fourth need for a man is domestic
  support (cont.)

• Then he and his wife relax, talk together, and
  perhaps watch a little television until they
  retire at a reasonable hour to love each other
• Wives may chuckle at this scenario, but this
  vision is quite common in the fantasy lives of
  many men
• The male need for his wife to "take care of
  things"--especially him--is widespread,
  persistent, and deep

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The Five Needs of a Husband

• The husbands fifth need for a man is admiration

• He needs her to be proud of him
• Wives need to learn how to express the admiration
  they already feel for their husbands instead of
  pressuring them to greater achievements
• Honest admiration is a great motivator for men
• When a woman tells a man she thinks he's
  wonderful, that inspires him to achieve more
• He sees himself capable of handling new
  responsibilities and perfecting skills far above
  those of his present level

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THE ADULTERESS

• NKJ Proverbs 913 A foolish woman is clamorous
  She is simple, and knows nothing.

14 For she sits at the door of her house, On a
seat by the highest places of the city, 15 To
call to those who pass by, Who go straight on
their way 16 "Whoever is simple, let him turn
in here" And as for him who lacks understanding,
she says to him,
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 17 "Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in
  secret is pleasant."

18 But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of hell. NKJ
Proverbs 3020 This is the way of an adulterous
woman She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I
have done no wickedness."
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Proverbs 210 When wisdom enters your heart,
  And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you Understanding
will keep you, 16 To deliver you from the
immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters
with her words, 17 Who forsakes the companion
of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her
God. 18 For her house leads down to death, And
her paths to the dead
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 19 None who go to her return, Nor do they regain
  the paths of life --

NKJ Ecclesiastes 726 And I find more bitter
than death The woman whose heart is snares and
nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God
shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be
trapped by her.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Proverbs 71 My son, keep my words, And
  treasure my commands within you.

2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the
apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers
Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to
wisdom, "You are my sister," And call
understanding your nearest kin, 5 That they may
keep you from the immoral woman, From the
seductress who flatters with her words.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 6 For at the window of my house I looked through
  my lattice,

7 And saw among the simple, I perceived among the
youths, A young man devoid of understanding, 8
Passing along the street near her corner And he
took the path to her house 9 In the twilight, in
the evening, In the black and dark night. 10
And there a woman met him, With the attire of a
harlot, and a crafty heart.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 11 She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would
  not stay at home.

12 At times she was outside, at times in the open
square, Lurking at every corner. 13 So she
caught him and kissed him With an impudent face
she said to him 14 "I have peace offerings
with me Today I have paid my vows. 15 So I
came out to meet you, Diligently to seek your
face, And I have found you.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 16 I have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored
  coverings of Egyptian linen.

17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and
cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love
until morning Let us delight ourselves with
love. 19 For my husband is not at home He has
gone on a long journey 20 He has taken a bag
of money with him, And will come home on the
appointed day.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 21 With her enticing speech she caused him to
  yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him.

22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes
to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction
of the stocks, 23 Till an arrow struck his
liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not
know it would cost his life.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children Pay
  attention to the words of my mouth

25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths 26 For she has
cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by
her were strong men. 27 Her house is the way to
hell, Descending to the chambers of death. NKJ
Proverbs 2214 The mouth of an immoral woman is a
deep pit He who is abhorred by the LORD will
fall there.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Proverbs 51 My son, pay attention to my
  wisdom Lend your ear to my understanding,

2 That you may preserve discretion, And your lips
may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of an
immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is
smoother than oil 4 But in the end she is
bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold
of hell.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 6 Lest you ponder her path of life -- Her ways
  are unstable You do not know them.

7 Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not
depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove
your way far from her, And do not go near the
door of her house, 9 Lest you give your honor
to others, And your years to the cruel one 10
Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your
labors go to the house of a foreigner
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 11 And you mourn at last, When your flesh and
  your body are consumed,

12 And say "How I have hated instruction, And my
heart despised correction! 13 I have not obeyed
the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to
those who instructed me! 14 I was on the verge
of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and
congregation." 15 Drink water from your own
cistern, And running water from your own well.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
  Streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be only your own, And not for
strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be
blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her
breasts satisfy you at all times And always be
enraptured with her love.
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THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by
  an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of
  a seductress?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the
LORD, And He ponders all his paths. 22 His own
iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is
caught in the cords of his sin. 23 He shall die
for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of
his folly he shall go astray.
59
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Proverbs 623 For the commandment is a lamp,
  And the law a light Reproofs of instruction are
  the way of life,

24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the
flattering tongue of a seductress. 25 Do not
lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her
allure you with her eyelids. 26 For by means of
a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious
life.
60
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his
  clothes not be burned?

28 Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be
seared? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's
wife Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief If he steals to
satisfy himself when he is starving. 31 Yet
when he is found, he must restore sevenfold He
may have to give up all the substance of his
house.
61
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks
  understanding He who does so destroys his own
  soul.

33 Wounds and dishonor he will get, And his
reproach will not be wiped away. 34 For
jealousy is a husband's fury Therefore he will
not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will
accept no recompense, Nor will he be appeased
though you give many gifts.
62
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Exodus 2014 " You shall not commit adultery.

NKJ Exodus 2017 " You shall not covet your
neighbor's house you shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his
female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor
anything that is your neighbor's." NKJ Matthew
527 " You have heard that it was said to those
of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 "But
I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to
lust for her has already committed adultery with
her in his heart.
63
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ 1 John 216 For all that is in the world --
  the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
  the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is
  of the world.

NKJ James 114 But each one is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth
to sin and sin, when it is full-grown, brings
forth death. NKJ Romans 623 For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
64
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Malachi 213 And this is the second thing you
  do You cover the altar of the LORD with tears,
  With weeping and crying So He does not regard
  the offering anymore, Nor receive it with
  goodwill from your hands.

14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the
LORD has been witness Between you and the wife of
your youth, With whom you have dealt
treacherously Yet she is your companion And your
wife by covenant.
65
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant
  of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly
  offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit,
  And let none deal treacherously with the wife of
  his youth.

16 "For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates
divorce, For it covers one's garment with
violence," Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore
take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal
treacherously."
66
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Galatians 519 Now the works of the flesh are
  evident, which are adultery, fornication,
  uncleanness, lewdness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy,
murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like of
which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told
you in time past, that those who practice such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
67
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ 1 Corinthians 613 Foods for the stomach and
  the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both
  it and them. Now the body is not for sexual
  immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the
  body.

14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also
raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know
that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I
then take the members of Christ and make them
members of a harlot? Certainly not!
68
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit
  with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man
does is outside the body, but he who commits
sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19
Or do you not know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you
were bought at a price therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
69
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ 1 Corinthians 316 Do you not know that you
  are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God
  dwells in you?

17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will
destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which
temple you are.
70
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ 1 Thessalonians 43 For this is the will of
  God, your sanctification that you should abstain
  from sexual immorality

4 that each of you should know how to possess his
own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not
in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not
know God
71
THE ADULTERESS (cont.)

• NKJ Proverbs 313 Do not give your strength to
  women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

NKJ Hosea 411 " Harlotry, wine, and new wine
enslave the heart. NKJ Proverbs 3130 Charm is
deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who
fears the LORD, she shall be praised.