Jeremiah 5:7-9
7 “How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. 8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. 9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?
This is a sobering passage, as God says that we deserve punishment for our sin of adultery and idolatry. One of the paradoxes of our sexuality is that even when we are blessed with a good sexual partner, we still are tempted to lust after others. Marriage, even marriage to a beautiful spouse, doesn't cure this temptation. This is alluded to in verse 7 where God says that He "fed them to the full", but they still "committed adultery". In verse 8 he describes us as "well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife". The image is that we are well-fed and should be happy with what we have, yet we persist is wanting something else, convinced that "the grass is greener" on the other side. This is why attempting to justify our sexual sin by blaming our singleness or aloneness is a poor excuse in God's eyes, because he knows that even when we are sexually blessed we still are not satisfied.
Lord, thank you for the blessing of my spouse, and help me to be content with Your blessings.
7 “How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. 8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. 9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?
This is a sobering passage, as God says that we deserve punishment for our sin of adultery and idolatry. One of the paradoxes of our sexuality is that even when we are blessed with a good sexual partner, we still are tempted to lust after others. Marriage, even marriage to a beautiful spouse, doesn't cure this temptation. This is alluded to in verse 7 where God says that He "fed them to the full", but they still "committed adultery". In verse 8 he describes us as "well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife". The image is that we are well-fed and should be happy with what we have, yet we persist is wanting something else, convinced that "the grass is greener" on the other side. This is why attempting to justify our sexual sin by blaming our singleness or aloneness is a poor excuse in God's eyes, because he knows that even when we are sexually blessed we still are not satisfied.
Lord, thank you for the blessing of my spouse, and help me to be content with Your blessings.