>>>Interesting post in light of current scandals
capo.org
LUST
INTRO:
Lust is not the most deadly sin; nor the worst. Pride may be. Lust may be "the widest road but it is not
the deepest pit." (Kreeft, p. 166) Its just that we frequently confuse quantity with quality. We live in a
"sex-obsessed, sex-saturated society. If lust ceased tomorrow, we would be plunged into the greatest
economic depression in history. Remove sex-appeal from advertising, advertizing from the economy, and
the economy from our civilization" (Kreeft, p. 165) and you see why that would cause a tremendous
economic depression. "But ours is only an extreme form today of [what is] a perennial phenomenon. It
did not take Freud or Hugh Hefner to discover lust is fun." (Kreeft, p. 165)
A couple of weeks ago I was with a younger friend who is a minister. He became a minister due to lust.
(Now I got your attention). Not through his own lust, but due to the ill-effects of another's lust.
Scott is a promising young minister, but he got that way only through the Lord's grace. Let me tell you
about how his father's lust brought him to his knees. Scott was a new Christian in our youth group a
hundreds of years ago, when I did youth work. His father was a friend of mine, and seemed to be a new
Christian. The father was married to a pert and wonderful lady, for over 20 years. They had three
children.
The father's office was about 200 yards from church, so I would frequently walk over, drop in, and even
had a Bible Study or 2 in this man's office. He and Paula had a normal marriage, in fact a pretty good
one, for all I knew. But Scott's father had begun to develop an affection for his secretary. Slowly, but
gradually, a sinful relationship began to blossom. At first, it was not even noticed. In fact, earlier he had
shown no interest at all in this secretary. Then as things progressed he began to find more and more
reasons to work overtime, hold night sessions, and go to dinner together.
This relationship was on Lust's highway to hell. The sin was almost guaranteed by the beginning of lust.
Had it been nipped in the bud, that would be one thing. If not, then it would grow. That is typical of all
sins, deadly or otherwise classified: If they are not stopped in their tracks, they will grow to bear fruit.
That is the nature of any sin: to seek its end goal, to drive on until completed.
Finally, the father of my friend, started spending the nights out, eventually moving in with the secretary
and divorcing his wife. He threw away a wonderful wife, three fine children, a showcase home, and a
good life ... for a couple of thrills. That is a profoundly foolish man, a man who like an adolescent values
the immediate thrill over any reasonable long-term plan, a man allowing lust to assassinate his family and
life. That's what lust will do.
He did finally get a divorce, crushing his family and children. The oldest son was in college at the time,
and learned for the first time what the life of grace was, and he came to his knees, no longer able to
depend on his earthly father, but coming to know his heavenly father in deeper ways. He realized that eh
had been depending on his earthly father - who had now failed him - when he should depend on his
Heavenly father. And out of that experience of helplessness and confusion, he was called into the
ministry.
But lust will destroy lives, murder entire families, and cripple individuals. Its ill-effects should not be
minimized. It is a sin to be reckoned with and avoided. If you are tempted by lust -and deep down you
know it, but no one else does - then listen closely about the dangers of, and remedies for, lust.
Lust has long been recognized as a deadly sin. As early as the 13th century, Chaucer warned about lust
as follows:
Interestingly, the Old English word used for lust is derived from luxury. Let me share a short lesson in
etymology. The 6th deadly sin in OE is Luxury. That did not refer to an abundance of material
possessions. Rather, luxury was associated lecherie - a craving for the sexually forbidden. Lust is a
shortened form of luxury/lecherie.
Lust is a repudiation of God's providence. Lust thinks it knows best; thinks it can secure fulfillment better
than God. Lust believes that sex is the way to happiness, and that the more sex, the happier a person will
be. Lust believes that nothing is off limits, and that if you can get it, then take it.
Lust dissipates and divides the soul, desiring every attractive body; purity of heart centers and unifies the
soul, desiring God alone.
Lust is an early symptom of depraved society. It is apparent in the early biblical narratives. From the
immorality at the time of the flood it was surely extant. In Abraham's time, several kings looked
admiringly, not to mention lustfully, at his wife - wanting her for their own. By the time of Gen. 18,
Sodom and Gomorrah were centers for organized lust. Not only was heterosexual promiscuity abounding,
but in this case, lust had gone beyond the pale, to gross homosexual perversion. In the Book of Genesis,
we see a clear case of lust when Potiphar's wife (Gen 38-39) seeks to seduce righteous Joseph, and when
he will not join her in sin, she retaliates by accusing him of rape. Lust, is a very old sin.
The outstanding OT illus of lust is David & Badsheba. As I comment on this, I want you to recall how
no one coerced David to do this, nor was it unavoidable. He sought it, willfully sinned, did not act to
stop, and was fully sinful.
Summarize pre-Bathsheba
[ When David and the other fighting men returned home from an early victory, the women went out
from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with
tambourines and lutes" (I Sam. 18:6). All this ticker-tape parade is nice for Saul, but look what they sing,
"Saul has slain his thousands, and David has slain his ten thousands" (v. 7). So the parade gives David
ten times the honor and reputation which is given to the present monarch!
This fame for David also has its costs or downside. From these verses, one can notice especially who it is
that is so taken with David, the leader. It was the ladies. You want to know what David looked like? He
looked like a mixture of Kevin Costner, Robert Redford, and Tom Cruise all rolled into one. The
soon-to-be King, David, was really a looker to the women. Not only were the masses in general taken
with David, but furthermore the women were really taken with this good looking, well-educated, brave
warrior, who could also play a mean guitar. It really griped Saul that the women were so taken with this
new playboy. Everything a women could ever want in a man was resident in David. Was that a problem?
Wouldn't most of us men kill to be that much of an object of desire? Most would, to their own detriment.
Sure David liked all the attention, and especially thrived on the attention from these fawning females.
Times haven't changed. The theological dynamics and times and people don't change. One of the
age-old, most deadly threats to Christian leadership is to receive too much attention from the opposite
sex. Christian leaders, business leaders, and political leaders can't hear this message too often. Our recent
religious and political history shows only too clearly the danger to leadership when too much attention is
given to leaders by the opposite sex.
A further indication of David's tendency to be a woman-pleaser is seen in I Sam. 25. David is moving his
troops about and he comes across a large field to cross. He petitioned the owner, Nabal (which means
"Fool" in Hebrew) to allow his men to pass through and simply allow his army to have some food and
basic rations. Nabal refused and David strapped up the sword. As he was about to attack and slaughter
the whole village, Nabal's wife, Abigail, came to David and brought gifts, begging him not to execute his
ambush. Her gifts were not too great, and one has to read this story and wonder how, and why David's
wrath was appeased so quickly. Some commentators attribute the avoidance of this disaster to the
wisdom or piety of Abigail. However, I think that one comes away either with the impression that David
was exceedingly reasonable and open to pacification. Or else one, who reads between the lines, sees that
David likely granted a stay of execution as a favor to that most attractive woman, Abigail. This was
another man's wife, who should have stayed at her own husband's side, but she thought her own
husband to be too foolish, and rather preferred the favor of the brave, Tom Cruise, who could sure play
a mean guitar.
David should have diagnosed this for what it was and avoided her entreaty. While we can admire David
for his mercy, we can't help but pity him for being so gullible (if that is what it is), or else for tiptoeing
into the danger zone of disaster by favoring another man's wife. at will get you when you do that. The
wife, Abigail, seems to have been in error for her behavior. She seems to have been interested in much
more than protecting her rather foolish husband.
Many times, I must admit, our wives pull us husbands out of potential danger. In this case, however,
Abigail seems much more interested in David than in her own husband. Within ten days her husband dies
of a heart attack, and immediately David asks her to marry him (I Sam. 25:39). She accepted the
proposal on the spot. Don't tell me there was no hanky-panky going on. Things haven't changed that
much. She "quickly" (42) got on her donkey and took her 5 maids and went with David's messengers to
become David's wife. What a grieving widow! Only 10 days after the death of her husband! But was
David pure in all this? It hardly seems possible. David had a hard time not charming the women and he
seemed to enjoy that. Although he broke no letters of the law, even in these early days, he was violating
the spirit of the law and was not honoring the fidelity of marriage which God required. He may not have
actually committed adultery by this point, but he likely wouldn't have satisfied Jesus' interpretation of that
law in Matthew 5, where he taught that to lust after a woman was to commit adultery with her in one's
heart.
Christians - male and female - must be on their guard in the area of sexual seduction. It often starts at an
early stage, in a seemingly innocent way. Before you know it you have a full blown "David Syndrome."
Elders, Deacons, Ministers, Politicians, and Directors - all Christians - should learn this lesson well and
constantly be on guard.
[ Another episode where David thrilled the girls - in a sensual sort of way was in II Samuel 6. After an
epic victory David returned the Ark of God to Jerusalem. The celebration was great. Once again David,
was a little naughty, but not enough to really get caught. He and the other celebrants danced mightily (14)
before the Lord. How religious. What could be more wholesome than a little festive, spiritual dancing?
Nothing, but this had a little sensuality mixed in. David seemed to carry off this dance scantily clad (14,
20). He wore a linen ephod (not to be confused with the full-length ephod worn by the Priests) which
was a close-fitting, a sleeveless pullover of about hip-length. The more he swirled, the more the girls
swooned. His (3rd) wife, Michal, saw him thrilling all the girls and knew exactly how he was appealing to
their prurient interests. Men may fool the rest of the world, but our wives know us, don't they? She
despised him. When he returned home after the dance she rebuked him - in v. 20: "How the King of
Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar
fellow would."
Notice in this same conversation, rather than admitting her correction or defending his moral purity by
refuting her allegations of sexual impropriety, v. 22 evidences David's pride, obstinacy, willful rebellion,
and unwillingness to repent. All of this would lead to serious danger. David responded to Michal by
saying, "I will become even more undignified than this ... But by these slave girls, I will be held in
honor." (2 Sam. 6:22) The King seemed more interested in thrilling the girls than in representing God.
David seemed to be on a collision course with immorality. He seems to have lost his humility and
awareness that he, too, is human and under God's law. This is a leader arrogating unto himself all the
exemptions possible. He would need a draconian doorstop to prevent him from going further. LUST is
not an isolated sin; it is a habit, a pattern.
All this prelude leads us to the major failing of David's career. From what I've already said you can
already see that David's famous tryst with Bathsheba was not a single, little, isolated blip on the graph.
Rather, he had already flirted with this problem, and it seemed to be growing. His sin had a history. It did
not appear out of nowhere; nor would it disappear by itself. So much does the unattended cancer grow in
our lives, that sin never vanishes on its own. I am not aware of a single recorded case - in the whole
history of all mankind - in which Satan and sin, voluntarily just packed up, surrendered, and vacated the
premises! It doesn't just leave us alone. Sin will either grow until it reaches its fulfillment in death - or else
it must be eradicated. James 1:13-15 also teaches this. Sin will grow as the most deadly and irreversible
cancer, if it is not stopped cold by the power of the Holy Spirit and radical obedience.
In David's life sin was not being eradicated; instead it was growing. If it is not checked at some point, it
would destroy David.
David's major failing is recorded in II Samuel 11-12. Please observe three stages of this tragic downfall:
(A) Setting, (B) Sin itself, (C) Cover-up.
A) The Setting. In v. 1 the leader is not leading or doing what he was supposed to be doing. David has
shirked his responsibility and is distracted - doing tasks other than those to which he was called. In the
normal time when Kings led their troops out to war, David sent a substitute, Joab, rather than personally
being involved in the campaign. It is a bad sign already that David is not about the business of his
assigned leadership.
B) The Actual Sin. The second stage of his fall is in vss. 2-5. These verses describe the crime itself, and
how it could have been averted. Instead of fighting with his troops, David lazily engorged himself with
luxury. The Bible states that he "got up from his bed" (2) one evening. Either he was just arising from an
all-night carousing, or else he was taking a lot of naps - instead of leading the troops. As he begins his day
- when the rest of the hard-working citizenry is completing their's -he begins another night of revelry.
From his rooftop penthouse, he notices a woman bathing. He quickly notices that the woman was
beautiful and he sends one of his couriers to find out who she is (2-3). Bathsheba was probably not
guiltless in this exhibitionism.
Stop for a moment and ask, "What should David have done at this moment of temptation?" The correct
action would have been to immediately confess his sin, seek to abort the seduction, and not pursue this
manner any further. He definitely should not have sent to find further information about this attractive
women. That's dangerous, to pursue a wrong relationship, when you know it is out-of-bounds. In fact
leaders, a good rule would be this: To the degree that a person of the opposite sex is attractive to
you - and you know when you really feel this - if the degree of attraction is high THEN the degree of
immediate and strict avoidance should be high. However, David did not nip this in the bud. Instead,
he allowed this sin to grow, and fester.
At this point, David should have done as Job indicated in Job 31:1: "to make a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a woman." Remember that verse. And women, that applies to you, too. David's
problem began with unguarded eyes. Jesus taught that one's eyes were the input-windows into our lives.
The place to guard is those eyes. But David, the leader, thought himself immune from the attack of sin.
Yet none of us are immune from sin's onslaught! As Dwight L. Moody once said gazing at a burnt-out
wino one day, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Don't think that you are above seduction! No
Christian is immune from that temptation.
David's court servant reported back not only the woman's name (3), but also included in his research the
clear indication that she was definitely a married woman, and the wife of a specific man name Uriah,
who was of Hittite extraction (3). David immediately had enough information to tell him to cool it and not
pursue it any further. But no; the problem of sin is not a lack of information. He thought he was,
somehow exempt from all this, and that he would either be able to handle the temptation if it went
further, or else that since he was the King he had special prerogatives to abrogate the morality. David was
about to find out what Moses said in Numbers 32:23, "Be sure that your sin will find you out." No one
should be so foolish as to think that their sin, be it adultery or whatever, will not find them out. Sin will
find you out!
David then sent for Bathsheba (4) and they slept together that night having sexual intercourse. Then she
went home and it was shortly discovered that she was pregnant, now bearing David's child. Way to go
David. The deed is now done.
C) The cover-up. Verses 6-17, and 25ff. show the contrast between righteous, single-minded Uriah and
conniving David. Even the best of leaders have frailties, so don't put your faith in them, but only in the
Lord. David tries to cover-up this immorality and sends to the frontlines requesting that Uriah the Hittite
be given a leave (6). When Uriah reported to David, David went through the motions of inquiring about
the war and its leaders (7). Uriah had been one of David's Top Thirty bravest "mighty men" (23:39). The
King told Uriah to go home and take a personal weekend pass for R&R. David even sent a gift (a cold
bottle of Champagne?) to help Uriah enjoy the time (8). But Uriah, in contrast to David, was too
righteous to enjoy such a benefit, while his other comrades were fighting in the field. Uriah, with the
beautiful Bathsheba waiting at home, slept at the palace with all the other servants (9). What devotion!
David learned that his plan (for Uriah to have sexual relations with Bathsheba) had not worked and called
Uriah in to further urge him to go home and sleep with Bad-sheba. David, one of the best of leaders in
history, was surely stooping to a personal low at this point. Uriah refused to do this and defended his
actions (11). David's sin led him still further. David even threw a banquet for Uriah and intentionally got
him drunk, thinking that surely Uriah would then sleep with Bathsheba, and all could be covered up. So
strong was Uriah's resolve, however, that even when drunk, he would not go home. Once again, he slept
at the palace with the other official employees of the Throne. If anyone is a hero, it should be Uriah, the
Hittite.
So David gives up on this ruse and decides to send Uriah back into the war to have him legally
assassinated. He sent a message to Joab (15) to put Uriah in the front line "where the fighting is fiercest"
and allow him to be killed. So Joab followed that order and Uriah was killed. Finally David was
successful - at MURDER. Stop for a moment and count the number of the 10 Commandments
(especially, the 2nd table) which David broke:
#5 - He didn't heed the morality of his parents.
#6 - He murdered.
#7 - He committed adultery.
#8 - He stole another man's wife.
#9 - He bore false witness.
#10 - He coveted another man's wife and most valued possession.
This is why we say that sin is deadly and never isolated. It always blooms into others.
Joab then sent word that the deed had been accomplished. David told him not to worry that this kind of
thing happened all the time, "The sword devours one as well as another" (11:25). We should notice the
callousness which results from sin.
David did not try to stop sex. He was not a victim, nor a sexaholic, addicted to sex. He was a plain old
sinner, who did not trust God. All of scripture is unified in warning against lust as the prelude to adultery.
The NT is equally clear. Our Lord Himself never once lusted. That's how perfect he was. In Mt. 5, he
taught on lust in your heart. Jesus reaffirmed the OT command against adultery. However, he took the
law - as it was originally intended - and applied it deeper than the surface to apply even to the heart. Not
only was actual physical adultery wrong, but internal lust as well. In contrast to a mere external
application, Jesus said, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart." Jesus was not soft, understanding, nor very tolerant of sexual sin.
Let me point out a few things about this verse:
a) It is categorical with no exceptions; "But I tell you (solemn oath), anyone...". This applies to all people,
at all times. There are no exceptions in this verse. To lust after another person is always a sin.
b) It is applicable to both genders. Sure it is addressed to men, and does not literally say that for a woman
to lust after a man is sin. Yet it is clear from the rest of scripture that women, too have problems with
lust. For male or female to sinfully lust is deadly. Still I think it is interesting that men are singled out
here. Maybe God knows some tendency, that equal right-ists have not discovered. Maybe males are
more lustful than females - on the whole. Then males need repentance and need accountability. Dads and
future dads, on this father's day, will you recognize your tendency to lust and commit yourself to strive
for the purity God desires you to have?
c) The sin is so deadly as evidenced by its remedy. You'll note that the remedy in vss 29-30 is to cut off
the offending member - be it an eye or a right hand: "It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be go into hell." Would Jesus be so extreme, so radical, so uncompromising
as to advocate that a person sever a limb or gouge out an eye rather than commit a sin? Yes he certainly
was. I don't think you need to literally amputate your members, but nonetheless, that is how strong Jesus
says the danger is. Sin is not a little dangerous; it is deadly. If you don't think so, remember King David.
The NT PATTERN is seen James 1:35 ff. In that passage, James deals with a pathology of lust, how it
develops, and where it will lead if not stopped. Jas. 1:13 begins by affirming that we cannot blame God
for our sin. We cannot say that God tempts us. He allows our temptations, but He is not directly, causing
us to sin. But, as v. 14 continues, this is how sin develops. Each one is tempted when, by his own
LUST, he is dragged away and enticed. Those are steps one and two.
First we are tempted, but underneath that is lust, or evil desire. That then leads to being dragged away or
enticement. Then that LUST "conceives"; it gives birth. Have you noticed that sin multiplies, and neither
dies out on its own, nor goes away? Lust leads to enticement, which in turn leads to conception of sin.
Sin, when conceived, grows and leads to death. That's why this and every sin is deadly.
Let me illustrate it:
A co-worker begins to lust. They should "Gouge out their eye" and nip it in the bud. If not that leads to
"after hour meetings", and then heightened temptation. Later this lust develops and grows. It conceives as
a weekend is planned. Then almost out of control, it is far beyond the platonic. Soon adultery is
committed, and then the parties begin to justify themselves. What may begin small and manageable
grows out of control.
Samuel Smiles, the poet wrote:
Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny. (cited in Kreeft, p. 169
NT verses against lust and how to handle:
Col. 3:5 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity,
lust, evil desires, greed, etc"
1 Thess. 4:3-5 "It is God's will that you should be holy; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that
each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate
lust like the heathen who do not know God."
2 Tim. 2:22 "Flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace..."
John diagnoses all sin as deriving from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of
life. I Jn. 2:16
I Pet. 4:3"For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do - living in
debauchery, lust drunkenness, orgies, etc. Rom. 1 also teaches that God will turn some over to their own
lusts. Proverbs 6:25 Do not lust in your heart
One of the best illustrations of lust I know is the South Indian monkey trap; place paw in coconut to get
candy. Hole is just big enough to slip hand into, but not large enough to allow withdrawal of clenched fist.
That's the way lust is. We can get into a trap easily, but as long as we hold onto that sin, we cannot
extract ourselves. We must unclench our lustful fists and let go of sin. Else we'll remain trapped.
Appl. is any of you flirting with lust? Stop it right now. Don't let it go on??
2) Regularly check in for preventative
3)
One Remedy (cf. Beatitude of Blessed are the pure in heart... for they shall see God.
Two cases in which lust is proper:
a) First for own spouse. God intended for married persons to be passionate about one another. If we do
not desire one another at times, our marriages are not right. It is fine to lust after your spouse. To be
averse to them is to invite sin down the road.
When I was a young Christian I heard a Baptist pastor give this homespun proverb: "If you eat steak at
home, you won't eat bologna on the road."
b) Lust is in order toward the things of God, in the sense that we should fervently desire God and his
holiness. We should "pant after him", says the Psalmist. We should be as a bride to her groom on their
wedding day. We should be enthralled in love with God. We should desire him - of course not in a
physical manner, but still the desire should be strong.
Aquinas analyzed (our society) as follows: "Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived
of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures."... sex is often a
substitute for God. The deepest passion of the soul is meant for God. When the true God comes, the
false gods go. To conquer lust, forget about lust and love God." (Kreeft, p. 169.) |
