According
to Paul the apostle, “husbands and
wives”
were to have “power”
over each other's bodies in the marriage relationship, and in
chapter seven and verse five of First Corinthians, Paul warned the
“husbands and wives” among
the church members, “defraud you not one the
other”
where we read:
Defraud
you not one the other, except it be
with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and
prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your
incontinence.
The
verse begins, “Defraud
you not one the other, except it be
with consent for a time,...” Paul
began with the words, “Defraud you
not” or
“do not despoil, make destitute or keep back” “one
the other” which
means “reciprocally, mutually or one spouse from the other”,
“except it be”
or “unless indeed or perhaps it is” “with
consent”
which means “out of harmonious and accordant agreement or compact”
“for a time”
which means “towards and in regard to a measure of fixed and
definite time whether larger or smaller”. The “husband
and wife”
were not to “keep back” “conjugal rights” from one another
unless they “agreed” for a certain amount of time to do so.
The
verse continues, “...that
you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together
again,...” Paul
added the words, “that you may give
yourselves” which
means “so the married church members may cease from labor,
loitering and leisure” “to fasting”
which means
“voluntarily abstaining from food or physical desires” “and
prayer” or
“worshiping or setting apart a suited time for addressing God”;
“and come together again”
which means “assemble with conjugal cohabitation anew, further,
moreover and in repetition”. The “exception” given by Paul for
the “husband and wife”
to “keep away from” each other was to “fast”
so each of them could be with the Lord Jesus in “prayer”
or “worship”.
Finally
the verse says, “...that Satan
tempt you not for your incontinence.” Paul
ended this verse with, “that
Satan”
which means “lest the prince of evil spirits and the inveterate
adversary of God and Christ” “tempt
you not”
or “doesn't try, make attempt, endeavor to test the married couple
maliciously and craftily put to proof feelings or judgments” “for
your incontinence”
which means “because of the married couple's want of self-control
and intemperance”. The “husband
and wife”
were to “come back together” conjugally to avoid having “Satan”
tempt them for not being with one another.
When
we consider these words from Paul, we understand the importance of
the physical relationship in marriage. Not only did this keep the
“husband and wife” from “fornication”, but also kept them
away from the “temptation” of “Satan” himself. Jesus
Christ desires that we live a life that is pleasing to him, and in
the marriage relationship, “conjugal rights” align with doing so.
If a married couple avoid these “rights”, unless it is for a
specific agreed upon time to “fast and pray”, they open
themselves up to temptation from “Satan”, and his desire
is to destroy not only the marriage, but also the “husband and
wife” individually. If we are married, let us go to the Lord in
prayer concerning these issues, and may we not only discover His will
for us in this matter, but also His protection from “Satan”
as well.
Next
time Paul tells the church members that he speaks “this
by permission, and not of commandment”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment