Risk an Affair?
January 31, 2009
by: Amy Forbes
I'm currently reading a book by Jerry B. Jenkins called "Hedges - loving your marriage enough to protect it". Having personally been in the position where I've had to step back from a friendship with a member of the opposite sex I found this book to be easy to read, intriguing and convicting with simple examples and ideas to help me to step back.
The first chapter discusses two couples. The husband (John) of the first marriage works with the wife (Sue) in the second marriage. All four are friends but when John and Sue are away on a business conference they make the step to take things a step further and end up committing adultery.
The author likens this to the bible story of David and Bathsheba (who was married to Uriah):
- While David's army was away at war he stayed in Jerusalem. One night when he couldn't' sleep he wandered around the terrace on his roof when he saw Bathsheba bathing through a window of her private residence. He saw her beauty and instead of turning around the seed of lust was planted in his heart.
- He took it a step further and sent his servants to find out more about her. They answered that she was married to Uriah.
- David took it another step further and requested her presence and they ended up sleeping together.
- But it didn't end there, David was so enamored with Bathsheba that he sent her husband Uriah to be placed on the front lines of the battle and it was there that he was killed.
The saying "it takes two to tango" is a universal cliché. What David saw that starry night on his roof was the beginning of sin not just against God but against Bathsheba and her husband. It took Nathan the prophet to point out to David what he'd done and it was only then that David recognized his sin and was willing to make amends.
Ask yourself; are you like David and Bathsheba or John and Sue? Are you in danger of taking a friendship with the opposite sex further than it should? Jerry Jenkins in this book gives some worthy biblical ideas of how to put hedges around your marriage and protect it. In my next post I'll share what he suggests and give an example how I recently had to apply them to my own marriage
Amy is a born again Christian and a former wicca (story for another day). She is married with three children and lives in a small town in New Zealand. She works part-time developing websites. Amy is a frequent guest writer at Spiritually Unequal Marriage. She is faithful to share how God has worked in her life, her husband's life and in their marriage. You can find Amy at her personal blog, Home With Amy and I Love Vintage Things.