The Eighth Commandment: Statutes and Precepts (31)

Deuteronomy 24.5
“When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.”

We note here, first of all, that there were situations in which war was necessary and legitimate in ancient Israel. This is not the place to outline the criteria for a just war, but merely to acknowledge that such was understood to be a lawful part of life in Israel.

What we note here, primarily, is the priority of family over state. A newly married man must be allowed the opportunity of being with his wife and, presumably, beginning a family, before he could be asked or required to risk his life in war against an enemy.

In Israel, under the Law of God, the people and their communities did not exist for the sake of the State. Rather, the State was instituted to protect families and communities so that the people could increase, multiply, and flourish, and thus fulfill their God-given mandate. What the State could require of the people – either in terms of money or service – was strictly regulated.

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.