Because King David chose to use his leisure time in an undisciplined way, he stumbled into a very dangerous battle. Second Samuel 11:2 casually states that David walked onto his roof and “saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.” Now he wasn’t using his R&R time looking for the “kind of girl you can’t bring home to mamma,” nor was he carousing with pagan women in some nightclub or a pagan strip joint. He wasn’t even doing what many of us do, surfing the channels, when all of a sudden—bam!—a nude scene pops onto our HDTV screen. He was just relaxing, minding his own business, and there she was—a beautiful, nude woman.
This is precisely the danger I am warning against that can occur with the undisciplined use of your leisure time. You make yourself vulnerable to seeing things that you shouldn’t look at (whether on TV, the Internet, or wherever). Now before you cast stones at beautiful Bath[ing]sheba, you should know that it was perfectly normal to bathe on one’s roof. Unlike our Hollywood starlets today who clamor for attention, she may not have known that she had an audience. Both David and Bathsheba could have been simply trying to escape the heat of a sweltering spring day.
The problem was that David’s roof was higher than hers, and she started bathing before it was dark enough to conceal her body, so he got an eyeful. That left him with a tough question to answer. “Is it a sin to keep looking at a nude woman’s body?” You have to answer this question correctly. Why? Because in today’s porn-filled world, you can be sure that at some place and in some way, you too will either intentionally, unwittingly, or innocently be exposed to a “Bathsheba.”
I’ll tell you up front that David didn’t answer that question right. By today’s standard he looked at what could be considered a PG-13 rated movie (this rating contains nonsexual nudity and sensuality). In the following paragraphs, let me give you a biblical battle plan that will help you win your war against the enticing temptation of pornography.
Avoid Pornography—It Is Sin
You may have heard it said, or perhaps even used this line yourself to justify checking someone out: “You can look, so long as you don’t touch.” That doesn’t come from God. That is a lie straight from the mouth of Satan. The Bible repeatedly warns us that looking can be a grave sin, in and of itself. Jesus declared, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Jesus explains that looking is the first fruit that sprouts from a heart rooted in lust. Solomon warns also, “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids. For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life” (Proverbs 6:25–26).
God made women beautiful, and He also hardwired men to appreciate that beauty. It’s foolish to pretend that it’s no big deal when “Ms. All That” pops onto your screen, walks into view, or wiggles on a commercial. The question is, is it okay to look at nude women who are being provocative, or not? Let’s allow the Bible to answer that question.
Avoid Pornography—It Is Perverting
On one hand, in creating women in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26–27), God intends for men to view women with all the dignity proper for a person who reflects and represents the likeness of our invisible God. On the other hand, in creating clothing (Genesis 3:21), God doesn’t intend for men to look at naked women at our own discretion. Just like Adam and Eve’s fig leaves didn’t cover enough, the clothes that men and women make today often don’t either. The word used for garments in verse 21 suggests that God made tunics or long (non-sheer, non-body-hugging) robes to wear. God did this because when sin entered the world; it took up residence in all of our hearts (Mark 7:21–23).
As sinners, our lust easily perverts the God-given, powerful passion to reproduce and multiply. Lust enslaves us to an insatiable desire for sex, even when this means obtaining sex outside the bounds of His holy will. In response to that issue, God instituted clothing in order to protect and preserve His special gift, which is the enjoyment of nudity for private moments between a married man and his wife.
Outside of that God-blessed union, looking at nakedness perverts us in two ways. First, looking at nudity allows our strong passion for sex to dominate us. It takes precedence in our hearts, even over our desire to please God. Second, pornography perverts our appreciation of women so that we feel justified in looking at all women (even those who are not intentionally trying to be immodest) as objects rather than honoring them as divine image-bearers. The Word of God specifically charges us not to do that.
The apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to relate to “the younger women [in the church] as sisters, in all purity” (1 Timothy 5:2). That means you must learn to treat your sisters with a dignity that honors women; they are not to be treated like objects to be had. So, choose wisely whose ways you will follow. God made clothing as a covering so that you can keep your focus on Him. Satan wants to expose women to defile and pervert your passions. If you are going to win your secret sex wars, then you have to follow God’s marching orders and stop yielding to Satan.
Excellent article! I can relate to this very much, but with a slight difference. My object of affection is not necessarily a naked woman but a naked man. And yes since it is quite acceptable in our culture to have men appear half naked on magazine covers, it is quite a struggle really.
When we speak of modesty, we often associate this virtue with women but how about men? How should modesty be applied to men? I hope you can come up an article about this topic soon.
Keep up the good work. By the way, I’m a member of Courage, an apostolate for people struggling with same sex attraction. I can assure you that porn is one of the more common issues we have and so your blog really comes in handy in educating us about this topic.
Thank you and God bless your ministry.
Hello Courage. Just wanted you to know we do have some articles about this issues. I recommend you read Robert Brennan’s posts.
Heyo! I stumbled across this while googling for 1 Timothy 5:2 and I would like to say that:
— covenanteyes is very good
— I am glad you’re writing these articles =)
— but I know how easy it is to read 1 Timothy 5:2 and zoom in on the purity part, ‘cuz that is what I did for years. But please, I urge you not to get sidetracked. The main point of the passage is not sexual purity, but *pure family relationships*. We’re supposed to have FAMILY relationships with the Christian girls we know! We’re supposed to act like brothers (actual brothers) not only in terms of “don’t touch or look inappropriately”, but as defenders, servants and encouraging leaders. I believe you are doing well already, but this is a friendly encouragement not to get tricked into just “avoiding sin”. We have a lot more to do in life than just avoid sin — and one of the things we have to do is learn to delight in our sisters for their sisterliness. ^_^
Thank you. =P