Sex and Stealing

Proverbs 6:29-30 (KJV) 
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 

We need to note the distinction Scripture makes in verse 29: both the man who has sexual relations with another man’s wife and the man who touches another man’s wife will be punished. In other words, people who engage in a close intimate relationship of touching are still guilty of adultery even if they come short of the full sexual act. Some people caught in adultery claim, “We did not have sex (intercourse).” But this verse teaches that simply not having sex does not vindicate people from being guilty of adultery. They will not escape the punishment for this sin.
Having affairs in today’s society seems to be accepted. All one has to do is watch the television set during the day with all the soap operas and you will see the ultimate in wife swapping, cheating on your wife or husband. The nightly shows are not much different. Sex once was a bedroom word now has become the subject of most programming today. Marriage once was sacred but in the times we live it is an option that one takes after having several children or not at all.

Solomon proceeds to contrast the sin of adultery to another of the Ten Commandments: stealing (vv. 30-31). He describes a man who is hungry (ra’eb)—famished, at the point of starvation—who steals to sustain his life. Usually, people do not condemn this person for such a crime. They understand the desperation of the situation and have compassion on him. If the legal authorities catch the man, the courts will usually not punish him to the full extent of the law. However, neither will they simply excuse him. In ancient times, if the man was caught he had to make restitution. Indeed, he had to repay seven times what he stole—even if it took everything, he had.
A young woman was soaking up the sun's rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but replied, "Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!" Then he asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?" Again, she said, "Yes!" But by now her curiosity was very much aroused. At last the lad sighed and said, with obvious relief, "Will you hold my quarter while I go in swimming?"