51.v. Wilderness – 16.a. “Laws Concerning Sexual Immorality”

 

 

Deu 22:13-30  “If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then hates her and accuses her of misconduct and brings a bad name upon her, saying, ‘I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity,’ then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate. And the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to marry, and he hates her;  and behold, he has accused her of misconduct, saying, “I did not find in your daughter evidence of virginity.” And yet this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloak before the elders of the city. Then the elders of that city shall take the man and whip him, and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name upon a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife. He may not divorce her all his days.  But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.  “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.  But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her. “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.  “A man shall not take his father’s wife, so that he does not uncover his father’s nakedness.

All this simply reinforces the principle that virginity was valued, highly valued, in Israel. Today, far too many people – men and women – sell themselves cheaply by easily giving away their virginity.

Adultery was not to be condemned with a double standard; if it was wrong for the woman, it was wrong for the man, and vice-versa. Though the death penalty for adultery was carried out rarely, it still had value. It communicated loudly and clearly an ideal that Israel was to live up to, and it made people regard their sin much more seriously. Today, we have done away with this ideal, and people don’t care much about adultery – and society suffers greatly as a result. (Guzik)

These and the like regulations might be needful then, and yet it is not necessary that we should curiously examine respecting them. The laws relate to the seventh commandment, laying a restraint upon fleshly lusts which war against the soul. (Henry)

The laws in this section have the design of fostering purity and fidelity in the relation of the sexes, and also of protecting the female against the malice of sated lust and the violence of brutal lust. (Unknown)

In considering these plain-spoken laws it is just to remember that with all their imperfections they represent an advance in social ethics; an upward stage in the struggle against debasing practices and the sinful passions and lusts of humans. (Cambridge)

6.q. “Worthy are you”

Revelation 5:9   “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

When John first saw the scroll he looked at it with anticipation and desire to know what it contained.  It was important.  It was a scroll that was in the presence of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God and God Himself.  No one in heaven or earth was found worthy.  John wept.  Then one of the elders said do not weep any more for there is one who can open the scroll and its seals.  The one who could open it had been slain and with His blood, He ransomed people for God and His kingdom.  These people will reign with God on earth. John heard praises and saw the worship of God and the Lamb.  Worthy are they of our true and deepest worship.  Worthy are thy of our devotion.  Worthy are they of our humble service before them.  Worthy are they of all our heart, soul and mind.  Worthy are they or our time and possessions.  Worthy are they of all we have.  And yet we seem to keep too much of this world and its influences in our lives.  We get distracted by busyness and whatever else this world has to offer and lose sight of our God and Savior.  We are given a recorded revelation by God through John on the worthiness of God and the Lamb that was slain. This is not something we should take lightly.  It should fill our thoughts so that what we think, say, and do are worthy of the price that was paid through the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ.