MARCH 2
V. Marriage, Divorce, and Sexual Relations A. Marriage
Modern notions of proper marriage
relations do not necessarily reflect the custom and laws of the Israelites.
Most noticeable is the tacitly permitted practice of polygamy in the ancient
law. In centuries to come most societies, both religious and secular, will
generally disapprove of the practice. Nothing
is said in the Laws of Moses regarding any prerequisites for marriage, or
regarding any required formalities. The marriage relationship is assumed to be
permanent in nature and necessary for the establishment of certain rights and
for the legitimacy of sexual relations (and for having offspring therefrom). Only the following special laws relating to
marriage are given.
MARRYING A
CAPTIVE WOMAN. Deut. 21:10-14
When you go to war against your enemies and the lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.
FIRST-YEAR
FREEDOM. Deut. 24:5
If a man has recently married,
he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he
is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
IF VIRGINITY
DOUBTED. Deut. 22:13-21
If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity," then the girl's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate. The girl's father will say to the elders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. Now he has slandered her and said, T did not find your daughter to be a virgin.' But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver" and give them to the girl's father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
If, however, the charge is true
and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the
door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to
death. She has done a disgraceful thing in
B. Divorce
Although scholars have long
debated whether the Laws of Moses permit divorce for seemingly any cause,
unlike in other nations the Israelites are at least taught the seriousness and
finality of a dissolved marriage. Later Scripture indicates that any ease of
divorce under the Laws of Moses may be merely a concession on God's part at
this time.
FINALITY OF DIVORCE Deut.24:1-4.
If a man marries a woman who
becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and
he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his
house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and
her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives
it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband,
who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.
That would be detestable in the eyes of the lord.
Do not bring sin upon the land the lord
your God is giving you as an inheritance.
C. Sexual Violations
1. Introduction
CONTRAST WITH PAGANS Lev. 18:1-5. The lord said to Moses, "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: 'I am the lord
your God. You must not do as they do in
2. Adultery
At the heart of the marriage
relationship is the idea of faithfulness to the vows of commitment.
Faithfulness is important both in marriage and in the people's relationship
with God. Their unfaithfulness to God is considered spiritual adultery. Breach
of the marriage vow by sexual relations with a person other than one's spouse
is so serious that it is prohibited by one of the ten basic commandments.
ADULTERY PROHIBITED Deut. 5:18 . "You shall not commit adultery.
LAW AGAINST ADULTERY Lev. 18:20.
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.
PENALTY FOR ADULTERY Lev. 20:10
If a man is found sleeping with
another Deut. man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must
die. You must purge the evil from
ADULTERY WITH ONE BETROTHED Deut.22:23,24
If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the girl
because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
WHERE
BETROTHED IS SLAVE. Lev.19:20-22.
" 'If a man sleeps with a woman who is a
slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her
freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death,
because she had not been freed. The man, however, must bring a ram to the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the lord. With the ram of the guilt
offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the lord for the sin he has committed, and
his sin will be forgiven.
TEST OF
ADULTERY. Num. 5:11-31
Then the lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to
them: 'If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him by sleeping with
another man, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected
(since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act),
and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and
she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not
impure—then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering
of a tenth of an ephah0 of barley flour on her behalf. He must not
pour oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for
jealousy, a reminder offering to draw attention to guilt.
" 'The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the lord. Then he shall take some holy
water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the
water. After the priest has had the woman stand before the lord, he shall loosen her hair and
place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for jealousy,
while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. Then the priest
shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man has slept
with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your
husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. But if you
have gone astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by
sleeping with a man other than your husband"— here the priest is to put
the woman under this curse of the oath— "may the lord cause your people to curse and denounce you when he
causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell.1"
May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells
and your thigh wastes away"
" 'Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it."
" 'The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. He shall have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water will enter her and cause bitter suffering. The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the lord and bring it to the altar. The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. If she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then when she is made to drink the water that brings a curse, it will go into her and cause bitter suffering; her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste away, and she will become accursed among her people. If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is free from impurity, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.
" 'This, then, is the law
of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles herself while married to her
husband, or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his
wife. The priest is to have her stand before the lord and is to apply this entire law to her. The husband will
be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her
sin.'"
3. Fornication
Sexual relations between unmarried
persons may result in certain adverse consequences. As noted previously, the
woman's lack of virginity at the time of marriage can subject her to
punishment. (See Deut. 22:13-21.)
4. Prostitution
Prohibition of sexual relations given in exchange for money concerns not only the unapproved sexual activity itself, but also forbidden participation in pagan cult worship, in which prostitution by both men and women is commonplace.
EVIL OF PROSTITUTION Lev. 19:29.
" 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or
the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
NO CULT PROSTITUTION Deut.23:17,18
No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the lord your God to pay any vow, because the lord your God detests them both.
5. Incest
Sexual activity between blood
relatives and other near relatives is prohibited. This is therefore the formal end of the early
period during which extremely close relatives married each other, presumably
for more rapid propagation of the human family.
PARENTS Lev. 18:6-8 [deut.22:30]
" 'No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the lord.
" 'Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.
PENALTY Lev. 20:11
" 'If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
SISTER. Lev. 18:9
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
HALF-SISTER. Lev. 18:11
" 'Do not have sexual relations with the
daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
PENALTY Lev. 20:17.
" 'If a man
marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they
have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes
of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.
GRANDDAUGHTER. Lev. 18:10
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your
daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you.
AUNT OR UNCLE. Lev. 18:12-14
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.
" 'Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.
PENALTY. Lev. 20:19,20
" 'Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.
" 'If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. Lev. 18:15
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her.
PENALTY. Lev. 20:12
" 'If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
SISTER-IN-LAW. Lev. 18:16
" 'Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother.
PENALTY. Lev. 20:21
" 'If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. Lev. 18:17
" 'Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
PENALTY. Lev. 20:14
" 'If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.
TWO SISTERS. Lev. 18:18
" 'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have
sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
6. Violation of Uncleanness
Because a woman is considered
ceremonially unclean during her menstrual period, sexual relations during that
time are prohibited.
MENSTRUAL
INTERCOURSE. Lev.18:19.
" 'Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the
uncleanness of her monthly period.
PENALTY. Lev. 20:18
" 'If a man lies
with a woman during her monthly period and
has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow,
and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.
7. Homosexual Practices
HOMOSEXUAL CONDUCT PROHIBITED Lev. 18:22.
" 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
PENALTY Lev. 20:13.
" 'If a man lies
with a man as one lies with a woman, both of
them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their
blood will be on their own heads.
8. Bestiality
BESTIALITY PROHIBITED. Lev. 18:23
" 'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
PENALTY. Lev.20:15,16 [Ex. 22:19 ]
" 'If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.
" 'If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
9. Conclusion
WARNING ABOUT SEXUAL SINS. Lev.18:14-30 [20:22,23]
" 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
" 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things — such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. 1 am the LORD your God.'"
PEOPLE TO BE SEPARATE, Lev.20:24
But I said to you, "You will possess
their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk
and honey." I am the lord your
God, who has set you apart from the nations.
D. Separation of Sexes
CLOTHES OF
OPPOSITE SEX. Deut.22:5
A woman must not wear men's
clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the lord your God detests anyone who does
this.