Week 61, Day 3: False accusations
Today’s Reading: Deut 22:1-30
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
We have various laws given in this chapter, addressing several different areas. The one that I wanted to comment on today is regarding what is said beginning in verse 13. A man takes a wife but then later “turns against” her. He charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her saying that she was not a virgin. The parents were to bring out evidence (garments) to the elders proving that she was indeed a virgin when she got married. The man is then punished because he publily defamed a virgin of Israel. The elders chastise him and fine him a hundred shekels of silver. He is then not allowed to ever divorce her. I think that the reason that this passage stands out to me is how lightly our society today takes someone remaining a virgin until marriage. It is clear that the women of Israel were to keep themselves pure until marriage. If she was found to not be a virgin then she was supposed to be stoned for committing “an act of folly ” in Israel by playing “the harlot”. Such behavior was not to be tolerated but was to be purged from among them. It is shameful that fornication is so common among young people today. Even some so called Christians say that young people just need to “sow their wild oats”. Such thinking leads young people to go wild and destroy their morals. A destruction of their morals only feeds more sinful practices to follow. Got does not and never has looked with favor upon someone committing sexual acts before they are married. He designed such things to be enjoyed only in the marriage relationship. We are to keep the marriage bed undefiled.
Question: Why do you think that it is so important for us to teach young people to remain sexually pure and chaste until marriage? How can this be accomplised? Often young people seek to understand where to draw the “line” in their actions, what would you tell them to encourage them/ teach them to remain pure?
Popularity: unranked [?]