Have we trials and temptations:

In the entry for David and Bathsheba, we observed in passing EZ 13:
[17] Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
[18] And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
[19] And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
[20] Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
[21] Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
[22] Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
[23] Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
When people grieve the truth it is God himself who CANNOT lie making them sad, not the hapless messenger. If we are sad because we have been lied to, it “cometh of evil.” Considering the number of true things there are in the world to be sad about, it is interesting to learn that political campaign managers are not alone in the universe in making people sad with lies. I would like to take this opportunity to talk about one application of lies to sorrow, in the context of sex.
In Turkey, the custom is to demonstrate conclusively that the newlywed woman has been found a virgin. To do so, they customarily hang the bloody sheets out for public observation. It is no surprise that more than one chicken has made the ultimate sacrifice on a marriage night to honor tradition even there, but why? We know from simple observation that there is more than one way to lose your virginity. Gymnasts typically rupture the hymen at a young age when doing the splits. The American Frontier is littered with accounts of women rupturing the hymen while riding astride on horseback. In fact, this is the oldest reason for confusion that I know. In Africa, competitive running has led to the premature loss of many a woman's virginity. Even as simple a thing as the insertion of a digit at an early age from intemperate appetite can account for its untimely demise. To the great good fortune of the Turks, their elders do not practice the Middle Eastern custom of clitoral circumcision, but other Islamic cultures are not so lucky. Contrast this with the French, who regard a gap at the confluence of the thighs to be a mark of femininity, a marked difference from the masculine gonads; an indicator of interest and aptitude.
I have departed from decorum to establish that there is a common motive for a woman to attempt deceit on her marriage night. This accounts for the disagreement in stories as to the pain involved etc. What of the godly husband under these circumstances? In times of good behavior, he is expected to be ignorant of deceit. If he is not, his own morals are suspect. My own experience here is that of a male of the species, but it shone some light on a reciprocal application. I had a girlfriend in college who did not turn back at any time from inquiring very specifically as to the entirety of my sexual history, without any exceptions, even the loss of my virginity. This may have been extremely rude (I haven't named her,) but it pointed to her deep distrust of those who had lied to her, and her desire to establish with certainty that I would negotiate in good faith for any marriage contract. I suppose that in the context of an engagement, it is not wrong for a boy to likewise inquire. The Lord has been arguably silent on the subject.
How does this bear on EZ 13? If a man does not inquire with specific intent, his wife will likely bring it up by logical inference after the first year or so of marriage. His world will be assailed by doubts that, “she must have lied to me about being a virgin.” The realization of this would come slowly and with much confusion. Grieving the truth can in no wise be as harmful as grieving the lie, but it should not be overlooked as legitimate grief. An abortion is the most extreme example, and it brings a sorrow of regret that a wife should be able to confide in her husband, not try to bear it alone.
There is another 5% to 20% of the population that endure statutory abuse. Those among this demographic are not always from the un-churched. When this problem besets a Christian youth, the discussion of “Honor thy father and mother,” becomes charged with conflict and strife. I also had a confidant who shared details from this situation with me before she married.
The idea is for you to learn from her mistakes and wisdom begins at the fear of the Lord. Only perfect love discharges that obligation, we cannot argue otherwise.
Leaving a discussion of the causes aside, I will address the scenario from scripture as best I may. For purposes of this discussion we will call that married profligate Jezebel. Jezebel is engaging in adultery on an ongoing basis, without getting caught. How could this have started? We know that this could have started with as small a consideration as disobeying 1 Cor 7:
[5] Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
Geographical separation on a business trip would be one example of how this could develop. Military service is another illustration and calls for our prayers on the behalf of their Christian spouses, particularly in time of war (“that your prayers be not hindered.”)
If defrauding one another began that way, its first observable consequence (as opposed to spiritual consequence,) would have been adultery. While adultery is ALWAYS wrong all the time, the spiritual fallout is not as well discussed as it might be. Ecc 5:
[5] Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
[6] Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore [why] should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
Here we see by necessary inference that if we break a vow, God becomes angry at even our prayers, and destroys the work of our hands. Isa 59:2 talks about another example of God not hearing prayer. The normal Christian mistake to make is that God will be angry for ever. I will affirm the opinion that he is not, from Ps 30:5 and Isa 54:8. Here I am not prepared to illustrate any spiritual system of measurement, but we can know without doubting that God does not call eternity a moment. I had a dictionary once that defined a moment as 17 minutes. My point here is that it might be as long as the rest of my life, but it might be as short as a year or two.  Whatever the case, it is not eternal.
My next point comes from 2 Tim 3:
[1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
[6] For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
[7] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I think this is where the College/University slang “creeping” comes from. I speculate that such a situation could develop from a Christian father in a leadership position making unethical advances toward his daughter. The daughter would be inclined to do almost anything to preserve her father's reputation as she matured and he repented. Those who attempt to lead such individuals captive, do so by pretending to know more than they can prove. They blackmail the girl with threats that they will spread stories about her daddy if she does not extend them sexual favors. Under these circumstances, if temptation hit her cunningly, she might step foot on a slippery slope of immorality that would be hard to arrest unaided.
2 Tim 2:
[24] And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
[25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
[26] And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
I once had to refer to myself as a prisoner of war of Satan, behind enemy lines without a uniform. The implication of having no uniform is that one may be executed summarily as a spy. In this theory, we are suggesting that Jezebel was a long term captive. She is indicted by the passage about Cane:
Heb 12:
[15] Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
[16] Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
[17] For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
[The blue highlighting notices bitterness. I use the illustration that wine left standing out overnight turns to vinegar. By analogy, Anger allowed to linger past sundown turns to bitterness. Col 3:
[19] Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
...comments on that as well.
Why could someone arrive at the estate where they cannot repent? Consider 1 Tim 4:
[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
[2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
[3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
I can’t remember if it was Don, or Tom, but the illustration that a bad nerve process of a burn might generate confused, yet still painful, sensation instead of numbness was helpful to me.
Further commentary on this worst case scenario is available at Heb 6:
[4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
[6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they  (who/m) crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
We should not overlook 1 Pet 3:
[7] Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
As a weaker vessel, biblically there should be latitude assigned accordingly. [See also Ecc 7:26-29.] In my life, when a friend embarks upon an endeavor that brings censure or disrepute in the near term, I apply the rule “Give latitude in proportion to character,” and back their play in the same way. Despite this mitigating consideration, God made women as well as men, and they are not exempt from eternal condemnation.
How should we treat a person in this circumstance? Lk 16:
[1] And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
[2] And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
[3] Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
[4] I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
[5] So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
[6] And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
[7] Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
[8] And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
[9] And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
[10] He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
[11] If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
If a person is making friends of this world with unrighteous mammon, this passage may find drastic application. It IS however, a practical application of 1 Cor 5:
[5] To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
I have a personal appreciation for the baseball legend Yogi Berra. He is famous for having said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” This alludes to the biblical concept of hope. What he did not say was “It’s NEVER over.” While we are playing with baseball analogies, I’ll throw in another one. A game is nine innings long unless it is called on account of rain. During those nine innings, most games are decided without a problem. On those occasions when a game goes into extra innings, I consider that the team with the most endurance wins. I argumentation and spiritual life there might be a parallel. I can make all the necessary and requisite arguments in a particular arena for nine innings. If it goes into extra innings, it becomes a battle of the wits. I use this as a measuring stick to apply Pr 26:
[4] Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
[5] Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
I think the wise man gave the verses ordinal value.
Going back to Jezebel: I think she embarked upon that long perverted road by misapplication of Eph 6:
[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
[2] Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
[3] That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
The simplest way to point out her mistake (and one of which I am not personally free) is to contrast it with the statement: Perfect children honor perfect parents perfectly.
God does not cease to agape us when we go astray, but it doesn’t make him rejoice. I think in Heaven we will be incapable of grief because we have seen perfect justice done on judgment day by the righteous judge.)