For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. (Proverbs 6:34)

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. (Song of Solomon 8:6)

And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. (Ezekiel 16:38)

The Good Book says...

Clearly, jealousy is a big thing here. And I'm not sure that it's all bad. God Himself is Jealous.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Adultery involves a quite severe and really, unless one is brainwashed, “unforgettable”, betrayal of friendship, love, trust and more. And in our day and age, and to avoid someone getting cheated either way, a judicial process is further needed to “administer” a divorce.

My view is, the question should (continue to essentially) be: ‘Why commit adultery??’. It does not just happen. There thus indeed is an “unforgivable” element of knowing and deliberate willingness involved here that does greatly poisons that marriage relationship. It is incontrovertible that the one being cheated on is effectively not loved.

As a comparative example, when one lies to, or even steals from, someone else there is usually an underlying reason, of e.g., wanting to protect/shield oneself or obtain something which may even be needed. So it is somewhat easier to forgive this. However in murder, (vs. killing/“manslaughter”), there really is no such “acceptable justification” and so the Biblical penalty is rightly capital punishment. In cases of adultery, that underlying reason is only an absence of actual love and that is what a marriage relationship is truly based upon. (And in such cases, even God judicially legislates that an “unloved” party should be doubly compensated (Deut 21:15-17). This would civilly translate (in a Christian society) in the at-fault party receiving only 1/3 of the “common wealth”).

As alluded to by Green Cochoa, I see that God understands all of this and why He has chosen to depict His relationship with His people as a marriage, as it involves the same free-willed choice of love but also the same hurt when adultery occurs. We were created as emotional beings, indeed here in God’s “likeness”, and it is not to be surprising, or even to be in any way stoically suppressed, that adultery is most hurtful and one is really free to react in whatever way the deem best to restore/maintain their emotional “sanity.”

But how do you say to a Christian or Adventist brother (or sister) forgive seventy times seven, and then say of course except in the case of jealousy....help me understand this dichotomy which clearly has to be in a persons mind at this point, in my opinion...

But then why commit any of the sins against our fellowman, they are all betrayals of a trust at some point....

In a way yes, however unlike in a marital relationship, other people than one’s spouse are not so intimately, emotionally confronted with that type of most cutting betrayal, manifested on various and unique levels. And paramountly, adultery was a capital sin, and thus fully under a single offense probation, if the victim so preferred.

The Biblical teaching (i.e., beyond one’s personal opinions/preference and/or “quaint” maxims) is that (a) some sins were to be judged more severely than others and (b) adultery was Biblical grounds for divorce, as even anchored by Jesus. So it is up to the victimized spouse to make that decision, who most likely will be acting with full knowledge of the truth and fact, especially if that at-fault spouse was truly honest in their confession and plea for forgiveness. If the victimized spouse cannot emotionally/psychologically/intimately live with this sin, even if confessed, and even if forgiven, (as there still is a looming/potential penalty for even forgiven sins (=the fist death)), then that Biblically is their righteous call.

Also, especially in our day and age, adultery/being promiscuous, can be a vital issue of life and death, so I see it as wise for God to allow divorce in such case, especially back in those earlier days when a form of those diseases could not be medically diagnosed.