Jump Start # 1107

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 “If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days.”

  I’ve been reading Deuteronomy. It really seems odd to have all the different illicit sexual situations discussed and contemplated. For instance, in chapter 22 alone we find:

• A married man discovers that his wife was not a virgin at marriage (vs. 13-19)
• A man is found lying with a married woman (vs. 22)
• An engaged girl lies with another man (vs. 23-24)
• A man rapes an engaged girl (vs. 25-27)
• A man lies with a girl who is not engaged (vs. 28-29)
• A man is not to lie with his father’s wife (vs. 30)

This is just one section of Deuteronomy. There are more like this. You’d think the laws within the 10 Commandments would be enough. The “Thou shalt not commit adultery” covers most of these. Yet, God knew it wasn’t enough. God dealt with every possible circumstance. There wasn’t a moral loophole that someone could find to escape the law of God.

All of this is interesting and helpful to us. It reveals:

1. Some things need to be spelled out very plainly so that there are no misunderstandings. God didn’t give the nation credit for making their own applications. God didn’t cover these delicate lessons in a generic manner with the intention that everyone would figure it out. There was no figuring here. God spelled it out. He thought about every possible way someone could disobey Him in this area.

This reminds us as parents, preachers and teachers that sometimes we too need to spell things out very plainly. Generic lessons can be so broad that no one makes application. We ought to learn from God about how to teach others. Giving others the benefit of the doubt may be the wrong approach. There is no missing what Deuteronomy is saying.

2. God understood His people. They were prone to do wrong. They would not think about the law. Their minds were running like animals. God didn’t assume that they would naturally get it.

In any congregation you will find some who are growing in faith and really trying to walk with God. Then you will find some who do not seem to get with the program. They bounce in and out of faith. They are on top of the mountain with God and in the valley of sin with Satan. There are those who constantly need to be encouraged, helped and watched. They don’t seem to get it. Unless it is plainly stated, they don’t see the danger of crossing the line of right and wrong. The principles of righteousness and moral purity are not understood. So issues like modesty must be clearly taught. They don’t seem to make application on their own.

3. This passage shows the consequences of sin. There are three things listed here. First, the man who thought he was just having a little fun, a little passion, a little romance, a little sex on the side, all of that came with a huge costs. He had to pay 50 shekels of silver. That wasn’t something that most carried in their pocket. That was a huge amount. He would be in serious trouble and have to work very hard to come up with that fine. His little romp in the sack was going to take a long time to pay off. But there’s more. He had to marry this girl. He may have never thought of that. He may never have wanted to marry her. Just a little pleasure on the side. Now this has turned his life into a nightmare. He has to marry her. There’s more. He cannot divorce her. God allowed certain reasons for divorce. Those reasons don’t fit here. His little pleasure became a life long commitment to her. He had her for life. There was no getting out of it.

Sin has consequences. We fail to see them. We see the fun. We don’t see the nightmare that follows. The man who has an affair, doesn’t see the divorce that follows. He doesn’t see having to sell his house, split his assets, and not seeing his kids on a daily basis. That wasn’t in his thinking. His name is shamed and he lives with a nightmare. The same is said for the person who is caught shoplifting. A little adventure becomes a nightmare of the police being called, having to go to court and having a record. The teenager who wants a little sex doesn’t see a child being born as a consequence. The girl drops out of school. The boy must work his tail off to provide support. The little fun is long forgotten by the long and hard road ahead of them. Every sin has consequences. Every sin has a nightmare attached to it. Every sin can ruin a life. Sin leads to addictions. Sin leads to loss of jobs. Sin leads to being shamed by God’s people. Sin wrecks our plans and hopes. Sin has consequences. If we could only see that.

What a disaster for the man who ignored God’s laws. God knew what He was talking about. What a disaster today for those who ignore God’s law.

The taste of sin quickly turns bitter when the consequences become known.

What an interesting passage.

Roger