There are several stands of this Siberian Iris in our backyard. For a short time, they display beautiful purple bearded flowers like these. The rest of the season, its long, tall green leaves provide visual interest in the landscape. Unlike some of the flowering plants we grow, no part of this iris species is edible. They can be toxic to pets and cause severe abdominal issues for the human folk. They could be labeled beautiful but deadly.
The Bible speaks of many things that could fit the label beautiful but deadly, including many forms of sin. Our world largely ignores the warnings. Often, the warnings are not only ignored, but the issue is at best winked at and at its most outlandish, celebrated as both normal and desirable.
While that could apply to many sins, this morning I’m thinking of adultery. It comes in many forms, but it makes the list of the Ten Commandments.
You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14
Almost 9 chapters of the book of Proverbs speak against it.
My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
Incline your ear to my discernment;
That you may keep discretion
And that your lips may guard knowledge.
For the lips of a strange woman drip honey
And smoother than oil is her speech;
But her end is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol. Proverbs 5:1-5
Depending on how you count, there are between 50 and 80 verses that speak against adultery in the Bible. Some commentators take the count even higher, to over 100.
Adultery isn’t just a sin issue and rebellion against God. It’s a covenant issue, breaking the covenant of marriage between husband and wife. It isn’t a gender issue; both genders break the covenant, although women report doing so at a slightly lower ratio.
Popular culture tells us it’s fun, freeing and might even be good for marriages. God says don’t do it.
The attraction may be beautiful, but beware. Remember, it is beautiful but deadly.
Keep your covenant.
Be blessed
Kevin
SUMMARY
Like the beautiful but toxic Siberian Iris, adultery is an attractive sin that Scripture repeatedly and clearly warns against — a covenant-breaking choice that culture celebrates but God forbids.
KEY POINTS
The Bible addresses adultery extensively, from the Ten Commandments to nearly 9 chapters of Proverbs, with somewhere between 50 and 100+ verses speaking directly against it
Adultery is fundamentally a covenant issue — a breaking of the marriage bond — not merely a moral infraction or a gender-specific failure
While popular culture frames adultery as liberating or even beneficial, God’s consistent message across both Testaments is unambiguous: keep your covenant
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