#2 – The 7th Commandment
August landed us on the 7th Commandment — the one encouraging us to be faithful.
Faithful in our marriages, yes, and also faithful in every other relationship we’re part of. At work. At school. In our families. In friendships. In church. In play. In every space where people trust us.
Faithfulness is more than simply staying committed when it’s convenient. It’s about being trustworthy, dependable and true to the commitments we make — even when no one is watching.
Bible reading 📖
Exodus 20:14 (NIV)
“You shall not commit adultery.”
Esodo 20.14 (Motu)
Basio heuda hanai.
Reflections 🙌
Adultery begins in the heart before it is ever acted upon. It is a violation of the marriage covenant, but at its deepest level, it reflects a breach of faithfulness — first in our relationship with God, and then in our relationships with one another.
Jesus takes this command even deeper in Matthew 5:27–28, teaching that the heart matters, not merely the outward action. This brings us to the words, “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8).
A pure heart is not simply a heart that avoids sexual sin. It is a heart that seeks to remain undivided before God — faithful in its thoughts, motives, desires, words and relationships.
Adultery destroys trust between husband and wife, but unfaithfulness damages many kinds of relationships: friendships, families, communities and, ultimately, our fellowship with God. When we allow desires, deception or self-interest to take God’s rightful place, something within the covenant relationship is fractured.
The command, then, is not merely “Do not cheat.” It is an invitation to faithfulness.
Purity of heart is not perfection. It is a heart continually surrendered to God — a heart that asks Him to search its motives, cleanse its desires and teach it to love faithfully.
Let’s return to the beginning of creation, to Eve’s story. Although Genesis 3 comes long before the Ten Commandments were given, there is a clear connection in the principle of disobedience and divided loyalty.
Eve’s sin began before she ate the fruit. It began when she listened to the serpent’s voice and allowed his words to challenge what God had already commanded.
She knew what God had said, yet she entertained another voice.
Then she looked at the fruit. She saw that it was desirable, took it, ate it, and gave some to Adam. The progression is striking:
She listened → she desired → she took → she ate → she gave.
The outward act was eating the fruit, but the turning point had already taken place in her heart.
This connects beautifully with Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” — Matthew 5:8
Purity begins with what we allow into our hearts and whose voice we choose to believe.
Eve did not begin by openly declaring her rebellion against God. It started more subtly. She listened to another voice. She entertained a question about what God had said. She looked at what God had forbidden, and as she continued to dwell on it, desire grew. Eventually, she reached out and took what God had said was not hers to take.
The fruit was not the beginning of the sin. The heart had already begun to turn.
And this is why God is concerned not only with what we do, but with what is happening within us. A pure heart is a guarded heart — one that knows God’s voice, trusts what He has said, and refuses to give another voice greater authority.
Eve’s story reminds us that compromise rarely announces itself as rebellion. Sometimes it begins with something as simple as listening to a voice that causes us to question what God has already said.
And this is where Eve’s story brings us back to the 7th Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.” At its heart, this commandment calls us to faithfulness — to honour the covenant we have made and to guard our hearts against divided loyalty.
Faithfulness in marriage begins in the heart long before it is tested by an outward action. It is choosing to protect what God has entrusted to us, to recognise when another voice or desire begins to draw our hearts away, and to remain faithful to the person and covenant we have committed ourselves to.
And the principle reaches beyond marriage. We are called to be faithful in every relationship and responsibility entrusted to us — in our families, friendships, workplaces, churches and communities.
The 7th Commandment is not simply about what we must not do. It reminds us of who we are called to be: people of faithfulness, with hearts that are loyal to God and true to our commitments.
Prayer 🙏
Lord,
Teach us to be faithful in all our relationships, and above all, faithful to You.
Grant us wisdom to love, honour and respect one another, and discernment to guard our hearts and remain true to the commitments we have made.
Above all, give us understanding to live according to the decrees and commandments You gave us so many years ago, and the grace to carry them into our lives today.
Amen 🙏
To God be the glory always ❤️🙏
