Deuteronomy 22

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Deuteronomy 22:20-22, If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’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 an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you. If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

This chapter falls under the heading, "purity laws."  They are an elaboration of the seventh commandment regarding adultery.  Again, I struggled with this chapter.  At the time, women had very little control over what happened to them.  They had almost no standing in society. They certainly had very little control over their sexuality.  There seems to be little to no accommodation for this in the law. 

What we do know is that the relationship between God and the Israelites was often referred to as a marriage-type relationship.  When the Israelites worshiped other gods, it was seen as adultery and God detested this. Thus, there were strong consequences for those who engaged in what was considered the "great sin." Any sexual sin that threatened the marriage covenant was punished severely.  Again, it pointed to this metaphor of staying pure in their relationship with God.

Let's pray...Holy God, There is much I don't understand about Old Testament law.  There is much I struggle with in this chapter.  But I lay it down at your feet and give it to you.  I know that you are a good and loving God, a God who cares for all people.  In Your Name, Amen.