Deuteronomy, chapter 24, comments: treatment of newly married, the poor in lending, employees, and charity

 

Deuteronomy 24:1 ¶  When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2  And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. 3  And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 4  Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

 

For those Christians who try to put themselves back under the law in their conservatism let it be underscored that the woman who is divorced here cannot be remarried to her original husband who divorced her for not being pure when he married her under the Law given to Moses. See Deuteronomy 22:13-21 for a possible reference.

 

Note that Joseph had the legal right to put away Mary, his betrothed, for being pregnant based on this Law.

 

Matthew 1:19  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

 

Later, in a different context Jesus alludes to this Law.

 

Matthew 19:3 ¶  The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4  And he answered and said

unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7  They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8  He 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. 9  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10  His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

 

Paul also refers to this Law.

 

Romans 7:1 ¶  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another,

even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

 

Jewish men, as men in all cultures, were prone to be immoral at times as well. But the onus has traditionally been on women to be pure and men were either allowed to “sow their wild oats” as young men and in our American culture in the early days at some levels in society even introduced to prostitutes to enable them to grow up, to mature, so to speak. But, women were always pushed to be moral and virgin when married. However, Jesus upended that nonsense in His encounter with the woman caught in adultery. The men who accused her didn’t have a leg to stand on. When you are no better in God’s eyes than the one you accuse you have a problem. See John 8:1-11.

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 24:5 ¶  When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. 6  No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge. 7  If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you. 8  Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. 9  Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt. 10  When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 11  Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. 12  And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: 13  In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

 

Remember the following passage;

 

Deuteronomy 20:7  And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

 

It is worth noting that in a world with no Social Security or retirement plan a woman’s only source of sustenance in her old age would be her son. These kinds of rules do not only benefit the man but give the woman a chance to rejoice at a son who would care for her in her old age should she live that long. This is also and more directly evidence that God blessed us with conjugal bliss and that the physical love between a husband and a wife is not sin.

 

Verse 6 commands that the basic items needed for survival, in this case the stones that ground the wheat they ate, were forbidden to be taken for collateral for a loan.

 

Verse 7 warns against taking Hebrew brethren as slaves by force.

 

Verses 8 and 9 reinforce the instructions regarding the various skin diseases already discussed and suggest a warning. Miriam must have looked pretty scary.

 

Another rule in verse 10 affords the borrower some dignity as he must voluntarily surrender his collateral and not have it taken from him in his own home. People did not have several changes of clothing, particularly poor people. They would have slept in their clothing and a covering like a cloak was used for many purposes. The lender was to return the pledge each night for the borrower to sleep in. This seems to make the pledge only symbolic by our standards but it does remind both parties of their responsibilities to each other under God’s rule.

 

Deuteronomy 24:14 ¶  Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: 15  At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee. 16  The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. 17  Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge: 18  But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing. 19  When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. 20  When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 21  When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 22  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

 

Here is a rule for treating employees decently and not oppressing a working-class person. This also shows the Biblical doctrine of paying your employees each day for the work they have done. Holding back wages is a violation of God’s commands to the Israelites. I doubt many modern conservative Christian business owners who want to be a stickler for the Law applying to our lives today pay their employees at the end of the day.

 

Some cultures in history would punish entire families for the crimes of one person. Here it is stated that the person who sins must pay but others are not made to suffer punishment for that person’s sin, particularly close family members.

 

Again, rules that show compassion and justice to those less fortunate are laid out. The Israelite was to remember where they had been and their condition when dealing with each other with mercy, compassion, and charity now.