Relationships—The studies to follow focus particularly upon relationships prior to marriage as well as those within and outside of the marriage bond. This week’s study focuses upon premarital relations.
Interesting fact: God’s word always strikes the perfect balance when it references the physical relations between a man and a woman. In doing so, it safeguards the purity of the children’s minds. Adults reading the Bible all know what God meant when He said, “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived” (Genesis 4:1). However, this statement hardly even piques a child’s innocent curiosity. For those who might attempt to find fault with the first example as somehow unclear, God gives a more explicit passage yet still retains the spirit of purity. The book of Judges says, “they found . . . four hundred virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male” (Judges 21:12). Clearly, these four hundred virgins had not known a man because they had never lain with man.
Bible study tip: Be careful not to define a Bible word simply based upon its usage within a single context. There frequently exists broader or more distinct meanings used within other contexts in scripture. Failure to properly understand a Bible word in one context will hinder one’s understanding of a verse in other contexts. The word virgin serves as a good case in point.
Sunday, Day 232—Church Day (no devotional)
Monday, Day 233—Whoso Findeth a Wife
Tuesday, Day 234—Seeking Wise Counsel
Wednesday, Day 235—Church Night (no devotional)
Thursday, Day 236—Preparations for Marriage
Friday, Day 237—A Call for Purity
Saturday, Day 238—The Sins of the Parents
Day 232: Church Day
Ruth 2:9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.