Law as Hedge – The Seventh Commandment

Law as Hedge

Exodus 20:14

“You shall not commit adultery.”

Sinful people need restraints to keep them from giving vent to their most pernicious and destructive desires. Laws keep us driving on the right side of the road, and for that we are glad. Rules and codes tell us how to build safe homes, and what our children can and can’t bring to school. We’re glad about that, too.

In the matter of sex, the Law of God puts up a hedge of protection around the community of the faithful, to protect them against influences and practices that demean the soul and destroy the fabric of society. The seventh commandment restrains the illicit longings of our naturally sinful hearts and teaches us how to think about sex, feel about sex, value and prioritize sex, and practice it in a way that shows love for God and neighbor.

We should be glad about this, too.

What evidence do you see to indicate that this hedge has been compromised in your church?

Daily meditation in the Law of God helps us along the path of holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Rom. 7:12). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is 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.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.