What strange words we read when we come to the scripture of today’s study. It is taken from Deuteronomy 21:10-14.
10 When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God hands them over to you and you take them captive,11suppose you see among the captives a beautiful woman whom you desire and want to marry,12and so you bring her home to your house: she shall shave her head, pare her nails, 13discard her captive’s garb, and shall remain in your house for a full month, mourning for her father and mother; after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. 14But if you are not satisfied with her, you shall let her go free and not sell her for money. You must not treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.
BECOMING THE SPOILS OF A WAR
So to put this into modern language; sometimes when men went to war they took captives from the enemy. Often among the captives taken there would be some beautiful women. Occasionally the person who took the people captive would fall in love with one of these women and want to marry them.
FOLLOWING PROTOCOL
If that happened; this was the procedure to be followed: (The comments in the italicized parenthesis are completely those of the writer and they contain her very first unedited thoughts about this very strange and confusing subject.)
1) The capturer would bring the captive woman home to his own house. (No hanky-panky on the battlefield please. Show her respect and honor.)
2) She was to shave her head and pare her nails and discard her captive’s clothes. (We will see if she is still as attractive to you after a month of this! How will she look to you in plain clothes with a bald head and no fancy nails? Will you still lust after her?)
3) The woman was to remain in the man’s house this way for a whole month, and he was not to bother her in this time. (Leave her alone in her grief; you have ruined her whole world. The least you can do is to give her some space. How could she ever care for you since you have now destroyed all that she ever cared for?)
4) While this period of time was progressing; she would be allowed to mourn her former life and her former family. (Most likely the same man who brought her home with him could have been the very one who took the life of her father, husband or son. He could have also been the one who sent her Mother away into slavery.)
5) At the end of a full month, the person who had captured the woman could then go in to her and become her husband. (Don’t you know the woman was thrilled to come to the place where a man she hated would desire her as a wife? One month protected from this would feel like one second.)
IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG AND IT DOESN’T WORK OUT
Should this marriage go wrong later (I can’t imagine why); and the husband eventually finds out that he is dissatisfied with the woman over time, the capturer was directed to set the captive woman free.
The woman who had been the man’s wife could not be sold for money like a slave. (If he had not married her he would have been free to sell her as a slave; but not after the marriage had taken place.)
To marry her and then reject her would be to dishonor her; and the curse of slavery would now also be added on to her now overflowing basket full of misery. If after all of this she was found unsatisfactory; she would be allowed to go free.
Aren’t you glad?
FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE
But do you know what this “freedom” entailed for her?
This “freedom” would have given her a very hard life because in those days women could not conduct business without a man.
She would have had to live in poverty (having no property or family to look after her) and most of the people would have shunned her or pitied her.
These women truly had to live strictly by their wits.
Rarely would such a woman ever become married again.
Also; she would never have the chance to bare children of her own, and produce sons who would love and cherish her and look after her.
It would have been a poor, sad life for this woman who came into the situation simply because of the circumstances of war. She would have no people to go back to; or no one to rescue her.
LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
But you know what?
It could be a lot worse. She at least can’t be sold into slavery by this man who has now rejected her.
God’s instructions here do hold the man who captured her to a higher standard than the typical ancient war culture of society from that day.
TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY
What are we to make of this passage?
Why is it even mentioned in this part of the scriptures and hidden right in the middle of so many other instructions for Israel?
Most likely this is because the situations described came about because of the nation being at war.
These new rules were rules that would amount to being the new protocol that would be legal and right for Israel to follow during times when they were at war with another country (any nation that wasn’t Canaanite in heritage that is – the Canaanites were to be completely destroyed – even women and children.)
BETTER HERE THAN WITH A PAGAN NATION
Historically, female war captives often became the concubines of the men who captured them.
At least under these new rules which God introduced, the “humanity” of the woman is more preserved.
She is given time to mourn for her true identity before being assimilated into a completely different culture.
The captive woman is protected from having to live the life of a slave.
She has a man who will provide for her in a culture that didn’t do business with women.
Also; there was an opportunity to have her own children, regardless of how she felt about their father. They would love her and eventually, over time, make her life more complete.
FIRST CASE OF MARRIAGE RAPE?
Some people think this passage sanctions the act of rape in times of warfare; but is that REALLY so?
Much unlike the later historical times of St. Valentine; the women were not raped by the priests on their wedding nights.
Neither were they not encouraged to marry.
These women, though captives of war, did not have to live illegitimately among the strange and foreign-to-them culture of the times where they had landed. They became legal citizens at marriage.
They were provided for and allowed to have children within the bonds of matrimony; whether chosen as fate or persuaded by default.
I know the situation was not good; but it WAS much better than some of the alternatives of society in those brutal ancient days.
EVIDENCE AGAINST RAPE
Consider that the woman in question is a captive. Captive women in ancient cultures had NO rights whatsoever. Taking a husband from a victorious nation would offer them help for a brighter future with an easier life.
These situations when they occurred required that the man MARRY the woman. A married woman cannot be raped (legally) and this fact was especially true back in those days because she would have been considered her husband’s property by the ancient laws.
No one of that ancient and uncivilized culture and society had ever heard the term “martital rape.” They would have laughed if they had.
A TIME FOR ADJUSTMENTS IN LIFESTYLE
The law required the soldier who desired her as a wife to first bring her home with him and wait 30 days for her to adjust to the new life circumstances before consummating the marriage.
In this period of thirty days she could mourn her old life during these days and the emotional distress would be less because she was shown this respect instead of a type of “rape-on-demand” situation; which was very common of other cultures during war times.
In some cases the period of waiting was extended even further to a length of three months in order to be sure that the woman was not already with child before the marriage.
AVOIDING PAYING THE DOWRY OF THE BRIDE
It could also be pointed out that this arrangement was ideal for a less-than-wealthy man to obtain a bride. He did not have to pay the woman’s family a bride price; he simply took her home with him after battle and because she was a captive; he owned her, like property, though she did have marital rights that would protect her more than if she were destined to living in slavery.
Should things not work out later; the man could not sell her into slavery, but he had to set her free.
At that moment; she could basically decide if she wished to be submissive to this man or if she wished to resist him and be set free to deal with all of the things a single woman had to deal with in that culture.
Either way; she would be saved from slavery. Both parties won something; she was saved from slavery and he was saved from a dowery price he could never have afforded otherwise.
Of course, it was never intended as a perfect arrangement.
RECOGNIZING THE TIMES AND THE CULTURE
As we consider more and more of the Old Testament laws we will sometimes see that some of these laws were created simply to deal with the times and cultures in which certain things were happening.
This passage is clearly one of those cases.
Such a law as this one would not need to even be considered within today’s society; as women now have legal rights that allow them to handle their own affairs.
In those ancient days though these laws were needed and they were a good thing which God required for the sake of humanity.
For our own day and time this particular law has served its purpose, except for use with cultural studies and comparisons, which do sometimes prove helpful in determining God’s best ways for all generations. Some people groups needed what others did not.
LAYING A FOUNDATION
When God gave these civil laws to Israel he was not trying to create a perfect nation or a perfect society.
No; He was trying to establish laws that could be a foundation for Israel to build and grow upon. God was meeting these humans where they were and He would help them to grow and improve from that place as time advanced.
These first laws were basic beginnings for establishing a nation which could bring about a Messiah who would have the final say and establish the laws that would last forever.
A huge gap in time and growth existed that had to be filled with gradual improvements as the people were ready to accomplish them.
COMPARING OTHER TIMES AGAINST THESE LAWS
God never wanted wars; but He permitted them.
He never wanted unhappy female prisoners of war, but He permitted this too, and in that permission He set up ground rules that would work better for them in the environment that existed at that time.
I’m thinking of a different time-frame and another similar situation during the reign of Esther and The King; and how all of that worked together for good simply because of God’s will and those faithful who chose to follow it.
The laws of that day were archaic too and also would have been strange to us today; but in that time they brought about the right circumstances for one of God’s greatest miracles.
We don’t always need to question “why” but we simply have to trust that God always knows the right thing to do for everyone. It isn’t always logical and it doesn’t always make sense to us.
JESUS MAKES A DIFFERENCE
When He began to set up the basics for Israel to follow, God knew that laws did not change men’s hearts; which was the ultimate goal; but time and mercy and forgiveness do bring about that change when they are combined with perfect love.
That is what Jesus did for us.
He brought us to the place of perfect love; which always overcomes and exceeds even the strongest of laws.
In today’s passage God is laying the basic foundation rules for the nation that would eventually produce The Messiah.
The imperfect laws given to an imperfect culture and society would eventually evolve into a more perfect law; yet at that time it was drastically raising the standard for the women who were so innocently involved.
This was only because God is merciful and kind and because He loved them and considered every angle for them. He sees what we do not see, and He knows what we do not know. In this case; He knew what Israel needed to move on to becoming what they were destined to be. He was simply laying the basic ground rules.
GRASPING THE CONCEPTS OF CASE LAW
To completely understand this; one must understand the concept of “case law.”
Case law usually gives “If” circumstances. For example; “if a man thinks so and so; he should do such and such.”
One mistake that many atheists make is to interpret “case” laws as if they were commandments. The Commandments are always the law; but “case law” was formed for only certain circumstances. Case laws are never commandments that are meant to be kept forever.
The laws we discuss today would fall into the category of “case laws” because they were formed for only certain circumstances in a certain period of time and for only a certain group of people in society.
In this “case” Israel had instructions as to the best path to take when these things happened. The case laws established by God for these circumstances and times were of a very high standard compared to the rest of the cultures in the area.
We have to look at this subject with those facts in mind and realize that by giving Israel these “case laws”; Israel would come closer to being the nation that God needed for them to be. Over time these laws would evolve to a more righteous state, sort of like fruit ripening on the vine.
God was patient with Israel and He is patient with us.
We all are on a journey to grow closer and closer to God. The Messiah added into the equation is what brings us to complete progress. Israel had a long way to go to reach that point.
NOT ABOUT MORALS BUT ABOUT CULTURAL ISSUES
It is interesting to note that many of these Old Testament “case laws” were not about moral issues, but are more about the cultural issues of the times in which they were formed.
Something we have not yet discussed is very important though.
This case law allows an Israelite to marry a foreign woman, as long as she is among the prisoners of war.
A MAJOR EXCEPTION
So even though God had strictly forbidden Israelites from marrying foreign women of other cultures; here He is making a concession and allowing it.
Why would that happen?
This concept of no foreign marriages is often spoken of in the Hebraic scriptures. This is a major exception to the rule. It means that under the right circumstances a Jewish man could marry a gentile woman.
Wow!
A WOMAN WITH A LEGAL CHANGE OF STATUS
Of course, we can go so much further with this thought and consider how Christ reconciled the Gentiles unto God and know that his sacrifice allowed them to come into the Family of God by adoption (or a legal change of status.)
The woman, if she was willing for the marriage to take place, needed to shave her head and trim her nails. This was symbolic of cleansing as well as helping to make the adjustments to the new culture and the losses she had encountered.
In this cleansing she was preparing to become a part of a new community. It compares with how Jesus cleanses our sins and makes us a part of The Kingdom of Heaven and The Family of God.
This new life the captive woman was preparing to enter was with a community that did not allow anything pagan. Idol worship was out of the question in this new community. She had been very pagan in the past. In order to meet the requirements of the cleansing; the woman had to accept the True God of Israel and put away all of her past idols.
When the husband witnessed this; he knew that she had come completely under his authority; which was subject to God’s authority. He would then realize it was time for the marriage to take place.
THE ENDING OF THE STORY HAS CHANGED NOW
Perhaps we can see the soldier of Israel in a little different light now.
He is taking this woman who has lost all that she ever had or knew of life and providing her with a new and better life.
This man who truly loves her enough to wait for her, patiently gives her time to accept the facts and to put away the past.
Isn’t this exactly what Jesus did for us?
The husband-to-be is helping a woman who has died to herself open up once again to enter a new and better future than she had experienced in the past, a future with a loving family and children and blessings overflowing. She will have a future in the land flowing with milk and honey.
Who would have ever thought this was the way the story would end for her?
(Maybe some of us who have read the love story of Ruth and Boaz had a clue; but not many could have imagined the end.)
FINDING A BETTER REALITY
How on earth has our vision of this lustful, selfish man turned around to be a vision of a man who is patiently waiting on the woman he loves to know his father and his family and to understand why accepting it all and coming under his authority will bring her a new and richer life?
He looks upon her in the ugly clothes she now wears as she mourns for her past, with a shaved head where a beautiful head of hair had once crowned her head. He now sees a body that is not groomed with the adornments of the world.
He still loves her and He still desires to marry her.
The one who captured her for her beauty now sees her; flaws and all, and He still wants to spend forever with her.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE HEART OF THE WOMAN
The “catch” to this vision is the heart of the woman.
She has to see who he truly is and learn to love him above all others; even those that she loved and cherished before. Now He has to be THE ONLY ONE.
If the woman can’t come to love the groom, even as much as the groom is willing to provide for her and give her a new name and a new life; then she may choose to walk away.
He isn’t one for revenge.
This Groom will sadly set her free if that is truly what she wants.
He only wants her; if she wants him.
This lover of her soul is passionate and could never endure a lukewarm romance.
ISN’T THIS JUST LIKE JESUS?
Just like Jesus.
He takes us as we are and He loves us even after he has heard our deepest, darkest secrets and seen how many flaws we have covered up and hidden away from the eyes of the world. He KNOWS us completely; and He still loves us.
Jesus fights the battles with the enemy for us and tries to bring us home to a better place.
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
I can’t think of these “case laws” without wondering about that famous woman at the well.
It was said that on the day she met Jesus she had already gone through five husbands and wasn’t even married to the one she was presently living with.
Just like this “case study” above; Jesus came to her at that old well full of pure and living water, and offered her an alternative to the life she had been stuck in for so many years.
She was overjoyed.
This happy woman went running all over town telling everyone that she had met The Messiah and He had told her everything she ever did.
He KNEW her and still He loved her.
This is how we should be walking through our Christian life; exclaiming our joy and loving our days with The Lord.
IMPORTANT DECISIONS
The captive woman in today’s passage had important decisions to make.
Whatever she decided would change her life forever.
We too have the same decisions.
As for me, and I hope for you, I know the One who has captured my heart. I know the warrior who has fought the battles that kept me inside another Kingdom. Now He has found me and He is desiring that I go home with him.
I know my decision.
Do you know yours?