Article October 31, 1988 Issue

Honoring the moral law

The Scriptural command "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is much more than an arbitrary restriction on human behavior. It's divine Love's mandate for truly satisfied living.

Reita N. Donaldson

Think back for a moment to the times of Moses. Think of how Moses gave to the Israelites the law of God, the Ten Commandments. Was the law well received? Were the people glad to obey it? Generally, no.

The Old Testament prophets continually warned the Israelites, in the most vivid terms, of the dangers of their godless ways. Isaiah admonished, "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin."^{Isa. 30:1.}

Is God's law honored any more today? Perhaps in a few respects it is. We may, for instance, have a better understanding of Deity as one God. And most people know it's wrong to steal, to murder, to slander, and so on. But what about the moral law as it relates specifically to sexual relations? Consider the commandment "Thou shalt not commit adultery."^{Ex. 20:14.} We might readily concede that this particular law of God is largely unheeded. Especially if we think of adultery in its widest meaning: not just infidelity to the marriage covenant but any unchaste behavior.