DON’T DO IT
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau who, for a single meal sold his inheritance as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done (Heb. 12: 16-17).
Some things we have done in our lives can be changed. Other things can never be changed and what remains is the pain of regret. Some sins can be forgiven and the consequences will fade into the distant past. Other sins, forgiven though they may be, will stay with us and haunt us for the rest of our lives.
As far as the sin of our unregenerate past is concerned, God wipes the slate clean.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psa 103: 12).
However, there are consequences we cannot escape which will follow us for the rest of our lives. King David knew this only too well. His moment of indiscretion with Bathsheba dogged him and his family for the rest of their lives, wrought havoc between him and his children, and resulted in rivalry, bloodshed and war. Even the legitimate son, Solomon, born of his union with Bathsheba, turned out to be a failure and paved the way for a split in Israel which was never healed.
What the writer points to here is two kinds of behaviour that stem from a dangerous mind-set that will inevitably lead to disaster; sexual immorality – a spiritual disease that has gripped the world because people ignore God and make their own rules. Let’s examine this attitude a little more deeply. Why has the world dispensed with God’s instruction not to be sexually immoral?
Let’s look at it this way. People worship false gods, not so much because they are convinced that their gods and what they stand for are the truth but because their gods approve of their sinful behaviour. They ignore God because they are looking for instant gratification. Instead of understanding that God created us in His image and that our lives must be lived in line with who He is, people have created gods in their image because they want to live as they choose. Inevitably, false gods approve of what is basest in human nature, sexual immorality and violence to get their own way.
In my country, our so-called democracy is a cover-up for mob rule. Marches and protests, which are supposed to bring about change, usually end in bloodshed, vandalism and looting. Sexual immorality, which is approved by the gods the people worship, has resulted in both an exploding population of illegitimate children and an out-of-control epidemic of AIDS and AIDS-related deaths.
Government coffers have been so plundered by greedy politicians and civil servants that the people groan under the weight of taxation and escalating costs. The country’s infrastructure is gradually collapsing because the money supposed to be used to run the country is either leaking into private pockets or given to the masses to support their ever-increasing number of illegitimate or orphaned children.
Why is this happening? The bottom line is that the majority of people want instant gratification with no thought for the future or for consequences. That was King David’s problem – hence he took Bathsheba; and it was Esau’s problem, hence he sold his birth right for a bowl of beans.
The difference between the godly and the ungodly boils down to this – the ungodly live only for now and for what they can grab for themselves while the godly take God seriously and live with an eye on the future because every choice they make now affects what happens to them later.
Casual sexual liaisons leave a trail of consequences which cannot be changed. Living only for now and making choices for instant gratification results in the same thing, a trail of devastation which cannot be changed. The writer says, “Don’t do it!” Jesus is a clear example of someone who kept He eye on the goal and moved steadfastly towards it.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12: 1b-2).
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.