May 20

May 20, 2010

Turkeys and adultery

Proverbs 5:3-5 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

The world we wake up into today does not want to admit there are any sexual boundaries. The rule of thumb is, do whatever comes naturally to you. This is what I love to call, “Jerry Springer Theology” and this way of thinking is both dangerous and deadly. We can learn a lot from Solomon as well as turkeys on this topic. What can a turkey teach us about faithfulness in marriage? Male turkeys, often referred to as toms or gobblers, are created with a unique ability. When a tom gobbles, all hens within range answer the call and move toward him. During the spring mating season, toms call for potential mates all day long. There is an exception, however. If a tom already has a hen with him, most of the time he will not leave his lady to check out another, no matter how enticing the response. The tom is wired to know that females come to him. In most cases, a mature tom will not leave the hen he can see to chase down a hen he cannot see. It's against his nature. But there are exceptions. Every now and then the tom will violate everything he knows to be true and leave his hen, most of the time he never comes home. What sounded like a willing mate was in reality an imposter holding a gun. A tom who stays with the lady he's with is virtually guaranteed to live out his days in contentment.

Take whatever steps you need to protect yourself from death. Be ruthless in establishing clear boundaries and accountability in this area. Who do you have asking you the hard questions?

Proverbs 6:32 But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.