Listen carefully, all you who kindle your own fire [devising your own man-made plan of salvation],
Who surround yourselves with torches,
Walk by the light of your [self-made] fire
And among the torches that you have set ablaze.
But this you will have from My hand:
You will lie down in [a place of] torment.-Isaiah 50:11, AMP
Humans are notorious for thinking we know better than God.
The warning from Isaiah 50:11 is to avoid falling into this pit of temptation. We are not to make our own fires–i.e. plans–but rather rely and trust in God.
This verse strikes me as rather appropriate for talking about cheaters as often I notice cheaters act as if they know better than God. They kindle their own fires while refusing to trust God to meet legitimate needs.
The variety of cheater this verse especially evokes for me is the kind that cultivates a “stable” of romantic partners.
They might tell a pastor or other Christians how “necessary” it was to kindle such fires. This would be the blame-shift, btw:
-This sort of cheater talks about how her husband never showed her enough attention; so, she decided to cultivate a bunch of romantic relationships at work and/or the bar scene.
-This sort of cheater talks about how his wife “never” wants to have sex with him; so, he decided to find some solace in hookups from Craigslist.
Both scenarios are cheaters building their own fires. These are fires that will result in sorrow and torment for both them and their partners–sadly.
God does not permit such fire building.
Instead of working to honor their marriage vows and trusting God in regards to said vows, these individuals took matters into their own hands. They built the destructive fires that cause incredible harm to themselves and others.
