Exodus 20:14 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
This commandment deals directly with the family. Adultery is a frontal assault to the proper hierarchy and responsibility that God has built into the family. God demands faithfulness to the vows of marriage. Solomon, an expert on adultery, had over 900 wives and concubines at one time. He had this to say to anyone considering adultery:
“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent” (Proverbs 6:23-29).
Parents must teach their children to be faithful to their marriage covenant by instruction and by example. This means showing children what fidelity and commitment looks like, even when it’s hard. Being faithful to marriage vows affects all of life. If this is not learned in the family, then the whole society will be adulterous and break all sorts of vows. A nation that is adulterous will not be a people whose word can be trusted.
