While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. [Numbers 25.1-3]
The real story here is not illicit sex.
The real story is the jealousy it provoked (and, provokes) in God because God is a jealous God:
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]
And, if that is not convincing enough, God even calls Himself by the name "Jealous":
You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. [Exodus 34.14]
To read the Bible without an understanding of God's jealousy sets the reader up for gross misinterpretation of all that the Bible teaches. We simply must understand God's jealousy! How do we do that?
God graciously gave mankind the institution of marriage so that, aside from the procreation of offspring, we might better understand His jealousy. God's jealousy for 1st Commandment obedience from His people is not unlike the commitment portrayed in the traditional wedding vow to "forsake all others." It has nothing to do with reason but everything to do with a heart-commitment beyond reason. The beyond reason part is what distinguishes a "married" person. God wants us to be distinctly His and that very much implies that we must distinctly rely only on Him - for finances, security, health, and emotion - in fact, for everything.
To have relationships with debt, insurance, medicine and technology is one and the same as having an affair on God. It is philandering at its worst. In the very areas God wants us to be distinctly His, these idols offer themselves to us and then expect us to believe they are "from God." I have said it before and I will say it again, if I tell my wife that I got sex from another woman because I knew she wanted me to have that sex, it doesn't require a rocket scientist to figure out how that will end! Provocation of jealousy is not advisable - not with a spouse - not with God!
Bottom line: Marriage teaches us that reason has nothing to do with having "no other god." And, it is God Who says what is, and what is not acceptable in our relationship with Him. If we don't like it, we don't have to "marry Him." His distinctions are reserved for those who "marry Him" in faith in Jesus Christ. Not ironically, Jesus used unmistakably exclusive language as to what that looks like:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
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