This passage continues on as it emphasizes God's order once again only this time in the area of the marriage relationship. Notice that the emphasis is on God's ordained order. V. 5, - the separation of the sexes through clothing. VV. 6-7, - the observance of the parent/child order. V. 9, - the order established in the plant world. V. 10, - the animal word. V. 11, - even the area of clothing. All of these are placed within the same text as the divine order of the marriage, showing us that our God is interested in every area of life. We cannot pull vv. 13-29, the prohibition against adultery, out of this text without the rest.

Observe what Paul did in Rom. 13:9. He makes it very clear that these laws which we have been and are looking at are still expected of God's people today. In fact, he points out that we should be under no obligation to any man except the obligation as given in the law, to love one another. We are to be free to do this. Remember, to love one another means to be faithful to God's law towards one another.

1. The seventh commandment as given by our Lord is what, Ex. 20:14; Rom. 13:9?
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a. What is the penalty for the violation of this, Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22?
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b. What were some of the practices of the inhabitants of the land, Lev. 18:24?
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c. What was the result of these practices, Lev. 18:25? __________________________

d. Not only were God's people to observe to do what God told them to do in Lev. 18:3-23 in order to be holy even as He is holy (Lev. 11:44; 18:30; I Pet. 1:16), but why else were they told not to defile themselves with these heathen practices, Lev. 18:28?
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e. Of course, Lev. 18:29 is applied by Paul in I Cor., chp. 5, where he tells God's people today how to deal with those who do these things. They are to be cut off from the congregation in accor­dance with Lev. 18:29. Paul does take it a little farther. What does he say will happen to the person who defiles himself after the manner of the heathen around him, I Cor. 3:17? ________________________________________________________________________ ________

Therefore, we see that the purpose of the law given here in Deut. 22:13-30 and Lev. 18:3-23 was to "cleanse" the land so the land would not do the same to them as it did to the Canaanites. The land reflects God's established order, and the violation of that order will result in even the land "fighting" against the violator. All creation reflects the Creator. Man can flee to the very depths of hell, or the farthest reaches of the earth or universe, and he will not escape God's es­tablished order. Therefore, man's best bet is to live within that order as revealed in His law, Ps. 139.

2. This passage which protects the family starts with a protection against slander for the wife from the husband. What did he accuse her of here, Deut. 22:14? _______________________

a. Why did he make this accusation, v. 13? ___________________________________________

b. Evidently he was desiring to be released from the marriage, because what was the penalty if his charges were true, v. 21? _________________________________________________________

c. If his charges were not true, what three things were done to the husband, vv. 18-19?
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The elders would be the civil government. The woman's right of appeal or protection in this matter was her father who went to the civil authority, Ex. 18:21. If she had no one to pleaded her case for her, then Lev. 5 indicates she could go to the priest and plead her cause before God. "Token of her virginity." We have no idea what this was other than a supernatural intervention by the Lord.

d. The one hundred shekels of silver was a very heavy sum. It would break the average husband and make him a slave to the wife. The money was given to the father to remove it from the husband's grasp. In this he also lost what, v. 19B?
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Here, also, we see that the wife was guilty until vindicated, and God vindicated her. The result was death on her part if guilty, yet, if she wasn't, her husband became her slave. We see, then, that the law of God was very even handed in these matters. No doubt the husband would be very certain before he brought such a charge against his wife.

These laws (vv. 13-29) were reflected in our laws and enforced probably up to World War II. As we have read, this was one of several reasons for the War, to help speed up the removal of the influence of scripture from the American Society. (See Institutes, pgs. 590-594 for complete treatment of this slander).

Verses 22-27 take for granted a couple of things. One, the woman would cry out for help. Second, there would be those around her who would help her. We covered this in a previous les­son, these laws concerning the bystanders. Therefore, the violation was done with the woman's consent. Betrothed was considered the same as married, even though the two had not yet come together, Matt. 1:18-19.

Verses 28-29. Here was the law concerning an unmarried woman and a man, married or not. First, he offered the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, again, a rather hefty sum. This would be the dowry of a virgin bride (Institutes, pgs. 176, 363, 417). If the father accepted the price, the woman was to become his wife with no right of divorce. He lost that by his action before marriage. Second, if the father refused to allow them to marry, he was still given the fifty shekels of silver, Ex. 22:16-17.

Let's look at the dowry very quickly. This was a sum paid to the father (or family) of the bride for the loss of a valuable family member. It was open for negotiation in important al­liances between families, nations. It was not necessarily paid in money or kind, but might be paid in service as with Jacob, Gen. 29, or David, I Sam. 18:25.

At times the sum was established as in these cases here in Deut. 22:28, 29; Ex. 22:16-17. Here God saw to it that the family did not lose the value of a virgin daughter. She could be "given" at a later time to a man without the man having to pay the "dowry" and the family would not lose the income through the actions of the man who seduced her.

At the "betrothal" the sum was agreed upon and paid by the groom to the bride's family. From then on she was considered married even though the "waiting period" might be a year or so before she would leave her father's house.

This is too close to ignore. Let's look at the NT doctrine which this illustrates. (The true significance of the wedding covenant, IBYC, Box One, Oak Brook, Ill., 60521).

1. Christ left His Father's house to come to earth to gain a bride for Himself, Eph. 5:25-28.

2. Christ had to pay the price, "dowry". This "bought" us from our father, the devil, Jn. 8:44.

a. This price was His own blood, I Cor. 6:19-20; I Pet. 1:18.

b. If for no other reason this should cause us to want to glorify Him.

3. After the dowry was paid, the marriage covenant was established. The man and woman were now considered husband and wife and the bride remained in her dad's house. Here we see the believer is set apart exclusively for Christ, Eph. 5:25- 27.
a. During this time God has provided pastors and teachers to perfect His bride for the coming wedding, Eph. 4:11-13; II Cor. 11:2.

b. Also, during this period, the bridegroom is preparing a place for His bride, Jn. 14:2.

c. Also, during this time, the bride is officially His even though she is not with Him. She is required to live for Him, II Cor. 5:14. She is the representative of Him and His Kingdom, Col. 1:13.

4. The Bridegroom left with His bride something to remind her of Him, I Cor. 11:25 (Lord's supper).

5. He returned to His Heavenly Father's house following the payment of the dowry, Jn. 6:62; Eph. 1:20-23.

6. After the appointed time of separation is fulfilled, Christ will return to take His purchased bride unto Himself, Jn. 14:3.

a. We expect this return, yet we know not when. It will be preceded by a shout, I Thess. 4:16.

7. The bride will be caught up with the Lord to be with Him, I Thess. 4:14-17.

8. Christ's union with His bride, the Church, will be in the heavens for all eternity, I Thess. 4:17.

We see this reflected in the law as given here in Deut. 22:28-29; Ex. 22:16-17.

In closing, let's be reminded of the importance which God places upon the family unit. Any attack (adultery, etc.) is "life for a life". Humanistic law not only disregards the family but will undermine it as it attempts to create disrespect between all members as well as do away with the established authority. Just watch how they present parents and children. The children are the ones who "have it together" while the parents just stumble through. Let us not think for a minute that the unchecked immorality in the media is not there for a reason. Norman Lear knows what he is doing as he attempts to undermine authority, responsibility and morality with his many "sit-coms". The soaps know what they are doing as they present immorality so beautiful. The goal of the world is to destroy the family, thereby society, so they can create a new order in the image of man. NO ONE who makes any claim at all of a love for our freedom and America can watch this immoral garbage without being a hypocrite. Its purpose is to undermine the moral fiber of our families, thereby the fiber of our society. It is only self-deceit to think it can be watched without effecting the family. THE LORD HIMSELF WILL SPUE OUT THE PEOPLE WHO ATTEMPT TO PLEASE BOTH THEIR SENSUAL DESIRES AND THE LORD GOD, Rev. 3:14-19. Let us not be deceived for a moment into thinking our enemy doesn't know this, Jude 11; Rev. 2:14.

Also, the purpose of state education is to destroy loyalty to the family, to God and to the nation and replace that with a loyalty to a one-world government.