Deuteronomy 21:10-1410When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her. (Deuteronomy 21:10‑14)
HERE MOSES speaks of marriage and the family, and the first case is marriage with a captive taken in war. Apparently this was allowed under the law, but we are certainly not on Christian ground here. "The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did." Heb. 7:1919For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. (Hebrews 7:19). The law allowed a man to have more than one wife, but this was not God's original purpose for him. God's mind about a thing and what He allows may oftentimes be two different things.
The practice of having more than one wife, which often led to divorce, was a common thing among the nations around and became so in Israel, but it grew out of man's fallen nature and will. The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees, "Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so." Matt. 19:88He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:8). From the time that the Lord was upon earth it was not to be so any longer.
Oh how much we owe to His coming into this world and for the grace which lifts us up and gives power to walk in His truth. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:1717For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17).
Christianity has restored woman to her rightful place given her of God in His original creation, to be man's helpmeet and companion, at his side and one with him, though subject to him, a beautiful type of Christ and the Church, His Bride.
The law put a curb on man's fallen nature and will. The woman taken captive in war was to be allowed a month to mourn for her father and mother. After that the man could have her for his wife. But if after that the time came when he had no more delight in her, she could never be sold as a slave. She was to be set free to go where she pleased.
Do not these ways of God with His people of old tell of the gracious and righteous character of Him who ruled in Israel? Who would have thought of such details beforehand? surely not man! And this is all the more remarkable when we remember that Israel were still on the other side of the Jordan and had not entered the land. But such is the God we have come to know and with whom we have to do. If He expected righteousness from His people under law, how much more does He expect from us under grace, upon whom the full light of Christianity now shines. He has redeemed us with the blood of His own dear Son, and He has left us here to shine for Him in the midst of the deepening darkness and moral corruptions of this world hastening on to its judgment.
God was ordering beforehand for His own honor and for His people's blessing. Surely to walk in ways pleasing to Him is the only way of happiness.
Messages of the Love of God 8/3/1975