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Deuteronomy 22.28, 29
28 “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, 29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to 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. Illicit sex must lead either 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.
T. M. Moore
The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.