Hosea 3:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
Does this mean a man & a women that are both widowed and in there 70's & 80's that wish to have a sexual relationship would be called adulteress unless they get married?
Hello Vincent. The Hosea 3:1 reference you shared wouldn't apply to your question, as that was a specific command given by God to His prophet Hosea to present himself & his 'family' to the people as a graphic demonstration of the way that the Northern Kingdom (Israel) was behaving towards the God Who loved them. In that account, we see a very sad demonstration that Hosea had to engage in, which impacted more people than himself, but God had to get through to His people in such a manner.
In the relationship that you presented, as much as the couple are both widowed, in their later years, & certainly unable to conceive a child, it still remains that the matter of sexual fidelity must still be maintained. As both are single & able to be married without fear of having committed adultery, the matter of fornication (i.e. sexual engagement outside of marriage) is still evident. I realize that marriage is more than a piece of paper which verifies what has taken place; it involves a deep growing love, commitment, faithfulness, honesty, etc., which of course can be had even without that paper. But the door is still open to renege on that commitment. Therefore, a verified public declaration of marriage leaves everyone with no doubt of the relationship - any other relationship can bring up questions & destroy one's witness & standing. And this type of relationship, particularly if based purely on sexual gratification, the Lord cannot condone. You can see Jesus' Words in Matthew 19:3-9, particularly verses 5 & 6, pertaining to the 'one flesh' union that is enjoyed & blessed in a monogamous marriage. And 1 Corinthians 7:1,2, where the apostle speaks of sexual fidelity pre-marriage, & to enjoy the fullness of the blessings of a deep meaningful relationship, then the two ought to be married. The persons in your question may indeed enjoy all the facets of a marriage even to sharing in a Last Will & all possessions, so to make it official would be a very small matter.
Does this mean a man & a women that are both widowed and in there 70's & 80's that wish to have a sexual relationship would be called adulteress unless they get married?
In the relationship that you presented, as much as the couple are both widowed, in their later years, & certainly unable to conceive a child, it still remains that the matter of sexual fidelity must still be maintained. As both are single & able to be married without fear of having committed adultery, the matter of fornication (i.e. sexual engagement outside of marriage) is still evident. I realize that marriage is more than a piece of paper which verifies what has taken place; it involves a deep growing love, commitment, faithfulness, honesty, etc., which of course can be had even without that paper. But the door is still open to renege on that commitment. Therefore, a verified public declaration of marriage leaves everyone with no doubt of the relationship - any other relationship can bring up questions & destroy one's witness & standing. And this type of relationship, particularly if based purely on sexual gratification, the Lord cannot condone. You can see Jesus' Words in Matthew 19:3-9, particularly verses 5 & 6, pertaining to the 'one flesh' union that is enjoyed & blessed in a monogamous marriage. And 1 Corinthians 7:1,2, where the apostle speaks of sexual fidelity pre-marriage, & to enjoy the fullness of the blessings of a deep meaningful relationship, then the two ought to be married. The persons in your question may indeed enjoy all the facets of a marriage even to sharing in a Last Will & all possessions, so to make it official would be a very small matter.
This comment thread is locked. Please enter a new comment below to start a new comment thread.
Note: Comment threads older than 2 months are automatically locked.
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Please Sign In or Register to post comments...
Report Comment
Which best represents the problem with the comment?