In past ages God used His holy prophets to deliver messages to mankind (Heb. 1:1). Whatever the prophets said, both vocally and with the pen, was designed to guide people into acceptable behavior before God. The Lord demands that human conduct be righteous, holy, and just. This would aptly describe moral behavior. A moral life is one that is clean, pure, and the which seeks the good of all men. On the other hand, immoral, or sinful behavior is detested by God. If one seeks to be right before God, his behavior must be moral regardless of the dispensation in which he lives. For this cause, the messages of the prophets concerning sin are timeless. The prophets had much to say about sinful lifestyles that are still prevalent in our world today. This article will examine some of the messages on sin delivered by the great prophets.
Sexual Sin
God is the originator of sexual activity. However, He designed sexual expression to be only within the limits of marriage (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:18-24; Heb. 13:4). Nevertheless, the beautiful things God has designed, man has found ways to pervert. Moses was perhaps the greatest prophet of the Old Testament (Deu. 34:10). Hear his emphatic statements that condemn sodomy: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination” (Lev. 18:22). “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you” (Lev. 18:24). God caused other nations to be case out of the land of Canaan because of acts that were sexually immoral, homosexuality being one of them. This teaches us that homosexuality is a major offense before God. This sin cannot and must not be taken lightly by men today.
Another sexual immorality the prophets addressed was adultery. Through Jeremiah God said of Judah:
How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are not end gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife (Jer. 5:7-8).
The Hebrews were acting like animals. A male horse will excitedly and loudly neigh after mares that “come in” at breeding season. How blatantly shameful was the behavior of this nation! The Lord refused to overlook this sin, for He said, “Shall I not visit for these things? Saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” (Jer. 5:9).
Recreational Sin
When speaking of intoxicating drinks, faithful prophets frequently pronounced “woes” upon individuals who partook of such (Pro. 20:1; 23:29-35). Isaiah said, “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink win, and men of strength to mingle strong drink” (Isa. 5:22). “Woe” meant the coming of sorrow, grief and trouble. Hosea said, “Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart” (Hos. 4:11). The prophets teach that man’s spiritual fervor, his ability to discern, and his relationship with God is damaged through partaking of alcoholic beverages.
Drugs like morphine, marijuana, cocaine, heroine, barbiturates, and the vast assortment of other street drugs are not mentioned explicitly in the Bible, but their effects to our thinking are basically the same as alcohol. If alcoholic beverages are condemned because of their effects to the mind, then it also follows that the illegal use and abuse of drugs would fall into the same category. Let no Christian assume that God will accept the social use of alcoholic beverages or the social use of drugs.
Sin toward Others
God’s law given through Moses identified acceptable behavior that men needed to show toward their peers. He forbade lying, stealing, murder, adultery, and injury; also cheating, mistreatment, abuse and false witnessing (Ex. 20-23). The prophets upheld each of these laws and condemned all violations. Habakkuk wrote, “Woe to him that builders a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!” (Hab. 2:12). Malachi wrote:
And I will come near to you to judgment; and will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts (Mal. 3:5).
Moral behavior demands that no man mistreat, trample upon, unjustly injure, cheat, lie to, oppress or mislead another individual, especially those considered helpless–that is, widows, orphans, and strangers.
The prophets had a strong and definite message on morality. The New Testament upholds every moral principle of the Old Testament. We must not think that God’s high and beautiful standard has been lowered. As hard as man may try, he cannot find a way to improve upon what God has established on moral issues or upon and subject for that matter. When followed, people lie safely, happily, prosperously, peacefully, and honorably.