Deuteronomy 22:13-30
13 “If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, 14 and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ 15 then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16 And the young woman's father shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her. 17 Now he has charged her with shameful conduct, saying, “I found your daughter was not a virgin,” and yet these are the evidences of my daughter's virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him; 19 and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days. 20 “But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, 21 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 a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.
23 “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24 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 out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor's wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you. 25 “But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. 27 For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.
28 “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, 29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.
30 “A man shall not take his father's wife, nor uncover his father's bed.
22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.
23 “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24 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 out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor's wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you. 25 “But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. 27 For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.
28 “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, 29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.
30 “A man shall not take his father's wife, nor uncover his father's bed.
Sexual morality was important in God’s commands because we later find out how it relates not only to God’s design, but also in our spiritual relationship with Him. How often we read in the Old Testament about spiritual immortality in man’s relationship with God, and in the New Testament with we who are the church in relationship with our Lord as His bride (1 Corinthians 6:13, 18-19, 2 Corinthians 11:2). The marriage bed is not to be defiled by adultery or other sexual immorality (Hebrews 13:4). We see how this is addressed as still a valid prohibition in these commands when we look at how 1 Corinthians 5:1 speaks of what is in this passage in verse 30. The command for sexual relations is for a man and wife only as we see again in 1 Corinthians 7:2. These verses in Deuteronomy cover the main situations of unmarried men and women and appropriate consequences based on the situations with punishment or restitution as is fitting. Willing or forced sex mostly determined the outcome. We do know that any sexual immorality is against His design and commands, for He made us to be holy as and because He is (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Those opposed to God and His design for man and wife in holy living are as Romans 1:28-29 and Leviticus 20:13 describe, willingly thinking debased things and defending them as they live in defiance of God and His righteousness in judgement (Romans 1:32). Furthermore, those seeking to pervert His predetermined and unchanging design go so far as to mix and match in detestable way as mentioned in Romans 1:26-27 as a result of self-worship and neglect of His perfect design for sexual morality to live by. These things fly on the face of an increasingly ungodly culture, but for us who know and follow the Lord in truth and obedience realize there is no living contrary to Him nor assent to those who choose to live in such defiance (Romans 1:32). God sees this then and now in the same ways. He does not change with the culture nor differently to different people in different times; His design and character do not change. Ever. To conclude this matter then, let us who are of the day walk accordingly (Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:16-17, 3:5-6) as called.
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