“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
I hope you read through the entire study and answered all the questions. Maybe you did as I did and dug deeper into the life of Bathsheba. I loved the way the writer, Susan Henderson, concluded the study, making us stop and examine our lives. We point the finger at Bathsheba and anyone like her and cry, “adulteress.” When we think of adultery, it is the human side of infidelity. Those of us who have or have had successful marriages know marriage takes patience and work. It’s not all about romance and sex. It’s about making a “til death do us part” commitment to faithfully love our husbands. It’s about weathering the good and bad in life side by side.
What about spiritual adultery? Are we guilty of committing this sin? Our writer states, “Whether or not we’ve ever been caught up in an illicit sexual affair, we’ve all played the role of Bathsheba from time to time. We love careers, hobbies, and yes, even family more than we love God.” We often allow the latter to become our “lovers” or our “gods.” This is far from pleasing to God. In our relationship with Him, we have the responsibility of pledging an even deeper love. We must spend time with Him for the love to grow. We can’t be so preoccupied with other things in our lives He ends up with “leftovers” at the end of our hectic days.
If you have found yourself to be guilty of spiritual “adultery,” take this sin to Jesus with a contrite heart, He stands ready to forgive and restore. If you have any doubts, go back over your study of Bathsheba.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray today for leaders and staff of the FWB Board of Retirement.
