October 25, 2013
JESUS SAVES ADULTERERS
Deuteronomy 22:13-30
Amy Lyday
Central Truth
The covenant of marriage is a picture of God's covenant with His people. Adultery violates that covenant. According to the Law, the penalty for this sin is death.
Key Verse | Deuteronomy 22:22
"If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel." (Deuteronomy 22:22)
Deuteronomy 22:13-30
Laws Concerning Sexual Immorality
13 If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then hates her 14 and accuses her of misconduct and brings a bad name upon her, saying, ‘I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity,’ 15 then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate. 16 And the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to marry, and he hates her; 17 and behold, he has accused her of misconduct, saying, “I did not find in your daughter evidence of virginity.” And yet this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloak before the elders of the city. 18 Then the elders of that city shall take the man and whip 1 22:18 Or discipline him, 19 and they shall fine him a hundred shekels 2 22:19 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name upon a virgin 3 22:19 Or girl of marriageable age of Israel. And she shall be his wife. He may not divorce her all his days. 20 But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, 21 then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
22 If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.
23 If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
25 But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, 27 because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her.
28 If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, 29 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.
30 4 22:30 Ch 23:1 in Hebrew A man shall not take his father's wife, so that he does not uncover his father's nakedness. 5 22:30 Hebrew uncover his father's skirt
Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 22:13-30
In Genesis 1, we find God's design for all men and women. The crowning jewel of God's creation was Adam and Eve. When He created Adam and Eve, He created them "in His own image" (Genesis 1:27). No other created being bore God's image. God blessed the couple, saying: "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). God designed the union of a man and woman to create more "image bearers." The intention was that the holiness and purity of marriage would reveal more of God's image in this world. No wonder God viewed the couple and said that "it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, emphasis added).
When you compare the scene from Genesis 1 with the scene in Deuteronomy 22:13-20, the sins of slander, sexual promiscuity, adultery, and rape are absolutely horrific because they ruin what God intended for mankind as image bearers. It is no wonder why God exacts a high penalty for sexual sin and why His judgment is swift. In Deuteronomy 22:22, the punishment for adultery is death. That punishment seems really harsh. Yet, I am reminded that in Genesis 3, the spiritual adultery of another couple also brought death. Adam and Eve's original sin put a scarlet letter "A" on all of our chests, with the result that "[t]here is none righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10).
Thankfully, God's story does not end with Genesis 3 or Deuteronomy 22:22! Just as God provided a first sacrifice in the garden to cover Adam and Eve's sin, He also provided the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sins of the entire world, Jesus! Christ was drenched in scarlet blood so that we might no longer wear the proverbial scarlet letter. I think of the woman caught in adultery, awaiting her impending doom, and there stands Jesus saying, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone" (John 8:1-11). Jesus died for adulterers so that adulterers would never have to die. Jesus bore the penalty of Deuteronomy 22:22 by becoming sin for us. Those who trust in Christ will never receive the punishment of the Law because Jesus took it on our behalf.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you bear God's image as one of His created works? How has God designed you to reflect His creativity and glory?
2. How have you fallen short of God's image that was intended for your life (Romans 3:23)? Does this burden you? Confess these sins to God and a trusted Christian friend.
3. You were never meant to carry the burden of sin. Christ did that for you. Have you exchanged your sin for Christ's righteousness by placing your faith in Jesus? Share your story. If not, talk to someone today who knows Jesus!
4. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." (John 8:11) How does that statement make you feel? Jesus came to free sinners, not to condemn them. He made the way for us to leave sin behind. What sin is Jesus telling you to leave behind?