Can I Know The Will of God? Pt. 10 Four Commandments Connected By A Call To Purity

We are working our way through the Bible in a simple overview designed to show us how clearly God expresses His will for mankind, and believers in particular.

A command for sexual purity.

Exodus 22:16,17  And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. 17)  If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. 

Jehovah amplifies the marriage covenant that was given in Genesis 2. If a man seduces an unmarried young women, and they have a sexual relationship, the man is obligated to marry her. 

In the ancient culture, the process of marriage included the suitor bringing a dowry to the girl's father. 

God has an additional provision, that if the father refuses to allow his daughter to marry the man, then the suitor must still pay the dowry to her father.

This was an exceedingly wise and humane law, that operated powerfully against the sin of seduction and fornication. A man who might feel inclined to take the advantage of a young woman, knew that he must marry her, and give her a dowry, if her parents consented.

If they did not consent for their daughter to wed her seducer, he was obliged to give her the full dowry which could have been demanded had she been still a virgin.

A command against practicing witchcraft. 

Exodus 22:18  Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

If there had been no witches, such a law as this would not be given. The existence of this law, given under the direction of the Spirit of God, proves the existence of an evil, demonic practice.

A witch is a person who practices divination or sorcery by spiritual through demonic means. 

Whether a witch (or a wizard or sorcerer, or necromancer) only pretended to have occultic power, or whether they really possessed the power we cannot now determine. 

It is clear that witches, wizards, those who dealt with familiar spirits, etc., are represented in the scriptures as actually possessing some form of demonic power. 

They are described as able to evoke the dead, to perform magic, or having the ability to discover hidden or secret things by spells, charms, incantations.

It is important to note the context of this command against witchcraft. 

Moses had just led Israel out of Egyptian bondage a few short months ago. After crossing the Red Sea on dry land, Jehovah wiped out Pharaoh and his army. 

God then led them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai to give them His holy law. Thus, the Hebrews would remember the abilities of the magicians of Egypt and the various kinds of magic that they performed.

Therefore, God made it clear, that His people are not to engage in any form of the occult, whether witchcraft, sorcery, divination or necromancy.

This command will be further elaborated on later in the text of scripture. 

A command against beastiality. 

Exodus 22:19  Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. 

Beastiality is the practice of having sexual relations with an animal. This perverse practice was common enough that God gave a command forbidding this practice. 

The Hebrews were going to drive out all of the nations occupying the promised land and they would be exposed to their vile sexual perversion. Therefore, God issued commandments against these practices. 

This command will also receive more elaboration later on in the scriptures. 

A command against idolatry. 

Exodus 22:20  He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed. 

This commandment builds upon the first command not to have any gods before Jehovah. Idolatry was a consistent sin experienced by the Israelites throughout  their history. God knew that they would fall prone to this sin, and He warned them specifically about it. 

The idea in this text is that those who do sacrifice to an idol, are cut off from God, cut off from His covenant and have no hope of redemption. 

Such a person was dedicated to destruction, to be eradicated or destroyed for the sin of idolatry. This too, will be enlarged upon later in the scriptures. 

We might well wonder how anyone could even be seduced into idolatry, after having witnessed the mighty, saving work of Jehovah and experiencing His daily provision and protection. 

That this command is necessary, reminds us that the temptation to worship idols remains very strong, even in the modern world.

An idol is anything or anyone that we love and serve more than we love and serve God. Thus, a modern idol could be education, people, technology, material things, relationships, and so on.  

Thoughts to Ponder...

You notice that there is a common thread connecting each of these commandments. They are connected by God's demand for holiness in the lives of His redeemed children. 

We are commanded to live a morally pure life, and these four commandments show us more detail about holy living. No witchcraft, no beastiality, no idolatry and not fornication before marriage. 

When we look at the trends in modern culture, it is apparent why God gave these commands. Modern societies are just as easily afflicted with perversion and impurity as the ancient world was. 

We can rejoice that God's will is so clear and that He is showing us how to live a holy life that pleases and honors Him.

Bob