Troublesome Topic: Old Testament Motivation to Abstain from Sexual Misconduct
What are some of the motivating factors that would encourage people to abstain from sexual misconduct in the Old Testament era?
Summary: the “price to be paid” for sexual misconduct could be any of the following or a combination of them depending on the situation. (For details about specific situations see below).
The death penalty
Huge debts, some of which were a burden for years and some for decades
A loss of the bride price
Shame and Loss of reputation with its consequent loss of business dealings
Inability to find a future spouse, thus no children and an inheritance that, in the end, goes to a brother.
Having a child that is always considered illegitimate
A daughter that never leaves home but lives with her father or brother
However, the level of rejection often exhibited (and evident in the Christmas story) was not required by the Law. God is a God of gracious acceptance and extreme holiness at the same time. He always wants us to learn something from our mistakes and if we are willing to repent, He does not reject us.
Details of Various Situations
- What would motivate a betrothed man to abstain from sexual intercourse with his betrothed wife until they were married if he intended to follow through and marry her?
He must pay whatever her father demanded, which could saddle him with debt for years
Bad reputation
Loss of business
Stressful family relationships
An illegitimate child
2. What would motivate a betrothed man to abstain from sexual intercourse with his betrothed wife and then return her to her father?
He must pay whatever her father demanded, which could saddle him with debt for decades, almost like servitude. This fine would be much larger than if he married her.
Very little chance of finding another man to give him his daughter in marriage (if he did, there would be no bride price from his father to pay a second bride price, he would have to save it up himself, if he could even find a wife)
No wife meant no children, and his inheritance would eventually go to his brothers
Very Bad reputation
Loss of all business in hometown area
3. What would motivate a father to protect his daughter from rape?
If she were betrothed, he must return the bride price
He would not be able to find another husband for her
She would live in his house the rest of his days
He and his whole family would suffer shame and a bad reputation
4. What would motivate a father to never commit incest with his daughter?
No chance of finding a husband for her
No bride price possible
No respectable grandchildren by her
She must live in his house the rest of his days
He and his whole family would suffer shame and a bad reputation
5. What would motivate a young woman to stay away from potential rape situations before marriage?
No possibility of marriage and children
She must stay in her father’s house all his days and then go live with a brother.
No bride price for her father
Much shame suffered by her family
6. What would motivate a young woman to stay pure and not have a sexual affair before being betrothed?
She would be stoned in front of her father’s house!
7. What would motivate a married man or married woman against having an affair?
The death penalty.
8. What would motivate a young man against committing rape?
The death penalty.
9. What would motivate a young man against having sex with a girl he was not betrothed to?
If found out, he would be killed along with her.
What about Our Culture Today?
Think about the following questions and answer them yourself:
What motivations exist in our culture to persuade someone to not go down the road of sex outside of marriage?
Do our motivations seem to work very well?
At this point in this study series on the Covenants, I could include a section about Divorce and Remarriage, but I have not done so because my coverage of divorce and remarriage has grown to be 14 lessons long, and all but two of them come from the New Testament. If you are interested in my study on Divorce and Remarriage, the first lesson is: Missing Puzzle Pieces and Some Guiding Principles About Divorce and Remarriage.
The next lesson in all three series on Covenants is: Why So Much War?
The next lesson in Why Is That in the Bible? is: Murder by an Unknown Perpetrator