Proverbs 6:30-31 (KJV) 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.
Proverbs 6:30-31 (NLT) 30 Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.
We've been talking about adultery and immorality, sexual sin... so why are these two verses smack dab in the middle of this discussion?
A man who is driven to theft by poverty is more worthy of pity than disdain; not so the adulterer. Again, the thief can make retribution, while the adulterer can have none to offer. - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Theft and adultery are brought into comparison. Theft under all circumstances is a lesser crime than adultery, but here it is minimized to the lowest degree. The case of a man is taken who steals to satisfy his hunger; the extent of the theft cannot be large, but yet he is punished, and called upon to make the amplest restitution. Much more, does the teacher infer, will be the punishment, and equally certain, where adultery is in question, and the crime is of the most heinous character affecting the most precious interests, and indulged in from the lowest of motives. - Pulpit Commentary
“The argument appears to be this: The thief, driven by hunger to steal, is regarded with pity rather than contempt, and yet is punished for the protection of society; how much more then shall the adulterer be despised as one who ‘lacketh understanding,’ and visited with a punishment for which there is no redemption.” Rel. Tr. Soc. Comm. - Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
If a theft, occasioned by hunger, is so punished, how much more severely shall the adulterer be punished?
In Exodus 22, there are laws on property rights and how much is to be paid back in the case of theft. Theft was punishable by a fivefold, fourfold, and twofold restitution (Exodus 22:1-4, 9), and, in the event he did not have enough, the thief was to be sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:89).
In this verse, it says the thief has to pay sevenfold back. This is an exaggeration of the Mosaic Law indicating the harshest penalty. And, yet, adultery, is even worse!
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In the case of the thief who was starving, his theft is understandable, although it was not to be ignored. It was still theft but not a despicable crime. But adultery has no extenuating circumstances. It is the theft of a spouse and a betrayal that has no excuse or justification. Adultery is such a deep betrayal and such a heinous act that there are no excuses that make it less despicable.
Here is the Mosaic Law about sex outside of marriage:
Deuteronomy 22:22-29 (NLT) 22 If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
23 If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, 24 you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
25 But if the man encounters a betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and lies with her, only the man who has done this must die. 26 Do nothing to the young woman, because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him. 27 When he found her in the field, the betrothed woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.
28 If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, 29 the man who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she must become his wife because he has violated her. He must not divorce her as long as he lives.
Leviticus 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
You may say, "Well, that's Old Testament. The New Testament isn't that harsh." Really? Let's look at it.
Matthew 5:28 (Jesus speaking) You have heard it said, You shall not commit adultery, But I say to you, anyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Matthew 19:6 (Jesus speaking) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no man must separate.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV) 19 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.
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In our world today, sex outside of marriage is not only tolerated but everywhere and at every turn, it is pushed. We are subjected to a constant barrage of satanic propaganda! It seems like very TV show, every movie, every book, every song, every advertisement promotes sex outside of marriage or sexual perversions. We are suppose to accept it as normal, celebrate it, and expect it. Parents are suppose to expect their children to have sex outside of marriage and approve of it. Girls are expected to have sex with boys on the first date or at any time, any place, any where. Boys are expected to have sex with girls at such young ages and are ridiculed if they haven't had sex yet. Men expect women to have sex with no strings attached and women expect men to have sex at the drop of a hat. Pornography and sexual perversions are suppose to be normal and celebrated. A teenage girl or boy is expected to "experiment". Any consequences to all of this are suppose to be shoved under a rug and ignored. It seems we are suppose to be "free" to do whatever we want sexually and have no consequences to deal with. Irresponsible sexual behavior is supposed to not be met with any consequences?
This is all in direct contradiction to God's Word. God set parameters for reasons and despite all our attempts to negate consequences to casual sex, there will be consequences. God warns us, so we are making choices against His warnings and then we want to whine when there are consequences to our irresponsible choices. We think God is being unfair. I mean, if you go against God's warnings and against all of human history, and you reap consequences, what did you expect?
For all my studies on Proverbs click HERE.
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.
Proverbs 6:30-31 (NLT) 30 Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.
We've been talking about adultery and immorality, sexual sin... so why are these two verses smack dab in the middle of this discussion?
A man who is driven to theft by poverty is more worthy of pity than disdain; not so the adulterer. Again, the thief can make retribution, while the adulterer can have none to offer. - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Theft and adultery are brought into comparison. Theft under all circumstances is a lesser crime than adultery, but here it is minimized to the lowest degree. The case of a man is taken who steals to satisfy his hunger; the extent of the theft cannot be large, but yet he is punished, and called upon to make the amplest restitution. Much more, does the teacher infer, will be the punishment, and equally certain, where adultery is in question, and the crime is of the most heinous character affecting the most precious interests, and indulged in from the lowest of motives. - Pulpit Commentary
“The argument appears to be this: The thief, driven by hunger to steal, is regarded with pity rather than contempt, and yet is punished for the protection of society; how much more then shall the adulterer be despised as one who ‘lacketh understanding,’ and visited with a punishment for which there is no redemption.” Rel. Tr. Soc. Comm. - Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
If a theft, occasioned by hunger, is so punished, how much more severely shall the adulterer be punished?
In Exodus 22, there are laws on property rights and how much is to be paid back in the case of theft. Theft was punishable by a fivefold, fourfold, and twofold restitution (Exodus 22:1-4, 9), and, in the event he did not have enough, the thief was to be sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:89).
In this verse, it says the thief has to pay sevenfold back. This is an exaggeration of the Mosaic Law indicating the harshest penalty. And, yet, adultery, is even worse!
In the case of the thief who was starving, his theft is understandable, although it was not to be ignored. It was still theft but not a despicable crime. But adultery has no extenuating circumstances. It is the theft of a spouse and a betrayal that has no excuse or justification. Adultery is such a deep betrayal and such a heinous act that there are no excuses that make it less despicable.
Here is the Mosaic Law about sex outside of marriage:
Deuteronomy 22:22-29 (NLT) 22 If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
23 If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, 24 you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
25 But if the man encounters a betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and lies with her, only the man who has done this must die. 26 Do nothing to the young woman, because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him. 27 When he found her in the field, the betrothed woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.
28 If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, 29 the man who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she must become his wife because he has violated her. He must not divorce her as long as he lives.
Leviticus 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
You may say, "Well, that's Old Testament. The New Testament isn't that harsh." Really? Let's look at it.
Matthew 5:28 (Jesus speaking) You have heard it said, You shall not commit adultery, But I say to you, anyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Matthew 19:6 (Jesus speaking) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no man must separate.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV) 19 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.
In our world today, sex outside of marriage is not only tolerated but everywhere and at every turn, it is pushed. We are subjected to a constant barrage of satanic propaganda! It seems like very TV show, every movie, every book, every song, every advertisement promotes sex outside of marriage or sexual perversions. We are suppose to accept it as normal, celebrate it, and expect it. Parents are suppose to expect their children to have sex outside of marriage and approve of it. Girls are expected to have sex with boys on the first date or at any time, any place, any where. Boys are expected to have sex with girls at such young ages and are ridiculed if they haven't had sex yet. Men expect women to have sex with no strings attached and women expect men to have sex at the drop of a hat. Pornography and sexual perversions are suppose to be normal and celebrated. A teenage girl or boy is expected to "experiment". Any consequences to all of this are suppose to be shoved under a rug and ignored. It seems we are suppose to be "free" to do whatever we want sexually and have no consequences to deal with. Irresponsible sexual behavior is supposed to not be met with any consequences?
This is all in direct contradiction to God's Word. God set parameters for reasons and despite all our attempts to negate consequences to casual sex, there will be consequences. God warns us, so we are making choices against His warnings and then we want to whine when there are consequences to our irresponsible choices. We think God is being unfair. I mean, if you go against God's warnings and against all of human history, and you reap consequences, what did you expect?
- Had you ever realized how despicable adultery and fornication is? How stealing another person's spouse or betraying your own spouse is so bad?
- Have you betrayed your spouse (adultery) or your future spouse (fornication)? No matter what excuses and justifications you think you have, they are worthless in the eyes of God. God knows all and He certainly knows that you had a choice and you made the wrong one. Are you mad at God? Or are you repentant? If you are repentant, then go to God, confess your sins and ask for forgiveness. He forgives and cleanses you from all unrighteousness. If you are mad at God, you need to be honest and ask yourself why. Who is really at fault? If you still don't understand why sexual promiscuity is wrong, you might need to go back and read and research it again. God didn't set parameters to be a killjoy. There are reasons and you can know those reasons if you read His Word and listen to Him. (You can go back in this series of studies on Proverbs for more information on it too.)
- How do you feel pressured to have sex outside of marriage? Is it peer pressure? Is it the love you have for someone that pressures you? Is it all that you see on TV, movies, in songs, etc? Is it self imposed pressure? Is someone coming on to you and pressuring you? Is it pornography that has a hold on you? Bring it all to God. Repent any sins. Ask for forgiveness. Then ask the Holy Spirit within you to help you be strong and stand up against all the satanic, external pressure to do wrong. You have a secret weapon to help you - the Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit resides in you to help you do what God commands us to do. We are not alone and helpless. But we have to be willing and cooperative with the Holy Spirit.
- Maybe you haven't given in but are facing real problems for doing the right thing. People making fun of you, ridiculing you on social media, making up lies about you out of jealousy, etc. This type of bullying, like all bullying, can bring such pressure and misery to someone that it can be deadly. They want to do the right thing and are comfortable with their choices but it seems everyone else in the world thinks they are stupid and worthless for their choices. If that's you, I understand. God understands. God certainly sees all those pointing fingers at you and lying about you. All it is, is jealousy and the desire for you to join them in their sins so they can feel less responsible for their poor choices. It doesn't work, God knows they made poor choices and that they sin continually. They will still have to account to Him and deal with the consequences of their sins. But misery loves company. It gives them a false sense of security. But you are forcing them to acknowledge that what they are doing is not right. You are refusing to follow them in their folly and it forces them into an uncomfortable feeling. That is no excuse for how brutal people are. God is asking you to do the hard thing, the right thing and to be obedient. But He has not left you helpless. You don't have to endure alone. He gave you the Holy Spirit to be your champion and your help. There are other Christians out there too who can be a support to you. Hopefully you have parents or family who can be supportive of your choice to do the right thing. Don't give in and don't suffer alone. Reach out to God and trust Him to take care of these bullies. Give it some time. Endure it knowing it is just for a season. It will not last forever. And the rewards of obedience will far outweigh the cost you pay!
- I also ask you to pray for those who are abusive to you for doing the right thing. Their bullying comes from a place of darkness. There are reasons they are doing what they are doing and they need Jesus. One day you will be walking in the rewards and blessings of obedience. They will be living with the consequences of their disobedience. They can be saved, forgiven, cleansed and their situation redeemed but only by Jesus Christ. So pray that they receive Jesus as their Savior and that they can know what it is like to be saved, cleansed, set free!
- Maybe you've lost a spouse to adultery. How betrayed did you feel? Would you wish that on your worst enemy? Did you feel like someone stole your spouse, your life, your trust? Can you understand what these verses are talking about, how extreme adultery is? You know from experience? God loves you. He knows exactly what is happening in your life. If you were faithful, it didn't go unnoticed. Your job now is to work with the Holy Spirit within you to get to a point of forgiveness. Trust God to deal with your spouse and anyone he/she's dallied with. God wants to redeem your situation and bring healing and blessing into your life. So work with Him to get to that place. Follow God's leading carefully as to what He wants you to do. Make your decisions prayerfully.
- Can you see that God is betrayed when we commit spiritual adultery with any idol? When we push God away in order to betray Him for something base? God gave His Son to have a relationship with us again. He has done everything, provided everything for us to be one with Him. But if we reject Him and go after anything else, it is a betrayal and robs God of our faithful presence.
For all my studies on Proverbs click HERE.