Recently I saw a Facebook post with a meme that stated “Rape
someone and pay 50 shekels of silver to her dad” and “eat pork and go to
hell.” Both of these statements were
attributed to the God of the Old Testament.
Like Chad Gross, I am not a fan of memes, especially ones that are
“ridiculing and take shots at the opposition.”
But my main reason for responding to this would be to provide an understanding of these two
laws that are described in the Old Testament.
Clearly we cannot get this from a few words on a meme.
Rape Someone and
Pay 50 Shekels
Deuteronomy 22: 28-29
28 If a man comes upon
a young woman, a virgin who is not betrothed, seizes her and lies with her, and
they are discovered, 29 the man who lay with her shall give the young woman’s
father fifty silver shekels and she will be his wife, because he has violated
her. He may not divorce her as long as he lives. 1
Critics attack these verses as the woman appears to be
nothing more than her father’s property.
But a closer look will provide evidence that this law was actually meant
to protect the woman. Exodus 22: 15-16
helps to provide a backdrop for this scenario:
15 When a man seduces a virgin who is not
betrothed, and lies with her, he shall make her his wife by paying the bride
price. 16 If her father refuses to give her to him,
he must still pay him the bride price for virgins.2
In each case, the man is guilty. However, in verse 28, it
does say that “they” (as opposed to he) are discovered. This seems to imply the woman was complicit
in the act, although the man clearly bears the burden of responsibility for
initiation.
It is important to understand in this culture and time
period that it would become very difficult for a woman to find a husband if she
is no longer a virgin. So this law is
actually for women’s protection.
According to Paul Copan, these passages allow for two
courses of action:
1.
If the
father and daughter agree to it, the seducer must marry the woman and provide
for her all of her life, without the possibility of divorce. The father (in conjunction with the daughter)
has the final say-so in the arrangement.
The girl isn’t required to marry the seducer.
2.
The girl’s father (the legal point person) has
the right to refuse any such permanent arrangement as well as the right to
demand the payment that would be given for a bride, even though the seducer
doesn’t marry his daughter (since she has been sexually compromised, marriage
to another man would be difficult if not impossible). The girl has to agree with this arrangement,
and she isn’t required to marry the seducer.
In this arrangement, she is still treated as a virgin.
Again, we don’t see a lack of
concern for the woman. Her well-being is
actually the underlying theme of this legislation.3
Eat Pork and Go to
Hell
Regarding this statement, I am not familiar with an OT
passage that states this. Deuteronomy 14:8
mentions even touching the carcass of a pig makes one unclean. But this is not eternal condemnation. If an Israelite ate or even touched pork, they would then need to adhere to the process of being made clean.
There are various reasons given as to why the Israelites
were called to refrain from pork in the Old Testament. Some scholars point to the fact that other nations
surrounding them sacrificed pigs to idols.
So refraining from eating this type of meat was a distinct reminder for
them to refrain from mixing pagan practices with their worship of the one true
God. This command only applied during OT
times. It is made clear in the New
Testament that all foods are made clean (Mark 7:19). So this temporary restriction most likely served
as a specific purpose to draw God’s chosen people closer to Him.
Footnotes:
1. Taken from www.biblegateway.com and the NASB revised edition
2. Ibid
3. Is God a Moral Monster by Paul Copan pgs. 118-119
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