Adultery and Near Relations – The Seventh Commandment

Adultery and Near Relations

The Seventh Commandment

Adultery with near relations is prohibited.

Leviticus 20:20

“If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.”

Leviticus 20:12

“If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them.”

Here again we see the equating of uncovering nakedness with actual adultery. It’s not clear why the penalty for lying with one’s aunt is not as severe as in other instances—especially that of lying with one’s daughter-in-law. But, again, God’s thoughts are not ours. Our duty is to understand as far as we can and to obey in the power of God’s Spirit (Ezek. 36:26, 27). The instructions here—both as to prohibitions and sanctions—are quite clear.

We are now accepting registrations for the course, Spiritual Maturity 1: Revival. This free, six-session course by T. M. Moore allows you to study by yourself or with a mentor, and includes free resources from Patrick, Columbanus, Luther, and Edwards, among others. Visit The Ailbe Seminary for more information on this training opportunity.

–

In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.