The seventh commandment

Exodus 22.16, 17

“If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.”

Deuteronomy 22.28, 29

“If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.”

Under the Law of God, premarital sex was to lead to marriage, contingent on the permission of the woman’s father. If the father refused to accept the young man who had lain with his daughter, then a fine was to be paid which would be equal to the normal dowry for a marriage.

These statutes seem designed to discourage the kind of premarital sexual activity which is so widespread in our society today. Sex leads to marriage or a fine. Either way, a young man living in a community where these statutes were faithfully enforced would think twice about having sex with an unmarried woman.

God’s intention for sex is that it be reserved for marriage. He designed His Law to enforce that intention and to discourage profligate and premarital sexual relations.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.