Deuteronomy 24:1-7 - More Ways to Steal A Cat

Introduction

[READING - Deuteronomy 24:1-7]

Deuteronomy 24:1–7 NASB95

1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, 2 and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance. 5 “When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken. 6 “No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge. 7 “If a man is caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

[PRAYER]

I saw a story yesterday about major drama in the world of professional fishing. Apparently the winner of a tournament was caught stuffing his keepers (the fish he submitted for weigh-in) with lead weights and fillets from other fish.

There was video of a guy who I supposed was a tournament director slicing four or five fish open and removing ping-pong-ball sized lead weights.

The director says to the man, “You were the champ, but you cheated. You got a boat. You got thousands of dollars that you stole from everyone.”

There’s a worldly adage that goes, “If you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t tryin’.”

But the world of God says in the Eight Commandment, “You shall not steal.”

When we last left off at the end of Deuteronomy 23, we were talking about another old adage; that one being, “There are many ways to skin a cat.”

As you know, that saying means there are many ways to do something, and there are surely many ways to steal.

At the end of Deuteronomy 23 we saw that to take advantage of a foreigner who has come to live in your land would be one way to steal.

To make an offering to God with what has been earned by way of sin is one way to rob God of the worship He deserves.

To charge interest to those in need is another way to steal.

To make a vow to God and not keep is how we steal from God what has been promised to Him.

Abusing the kind generosity of others is another way to steal.

In Deuteronomy 24, we see some more ways to steal a cat if you will—some more ways to break the eighth commandment, “You shall not steal.”

But what is stolen in Deuteronomy 24:1-7 is the same in every case, and that thing is sanctity.

The word “sanctity” refers to the holiness or sacredness of a thing.

In this passage, the sanctity stolen is the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of human life.

[TS] There are two examples of each robbery, so let’s look first at…

Exposition

A: Robbing Marriage of Its Sanctity

Example #1: No Marrying the Wife You Divorced After She’s Been Married to Another Man (Deut. 24:1-4)

Deuteronomy 24:1–4 NASB95

1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, 2 and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

The circumstances of vv. 1-3 are very specific and make the law of v. 4 a very narrowly applied law in Ancient Israel.

The specific case, an Israelite man had would marry an Israelite woman, find some indecency in her, and divorce her.

The Hebrew word behind “indecency” relates to nakedness leading some to conclude that the woman’s indecency was some type of sexual immorality falling short of adultery, which would have warranted the death penalty.

Some Jewish teachers taught that “indecency” was whatever the Jewish husband defined as indecency. This was abused to the point that women could be divorced for messing up their husbands favorite dish.

In any event, after the divorce, the woman would marry someone else, and then that marriage would end as well because of divorce or death.

The first husband was not then allowed to remarry his previous wife.

Verse 4 says this must not happen because…

…the woman has been defiled…

…it would be an abomination before the Lord…

…and it would bring sin on the Promised Land, which God was giving to His people.

We might then ask, “But how would this defile the woman? Why would this be an abomination before the Lord? And how would it bring sin on the Promised Land?”

Well, God’s design for marriage does not include things like indecency, adultery, or divorce.

His design is one man and one woman in covenant faithfulness for one lifetime.

Whenever someone injects indecency, adultery, or divorce for any reason into God’s design for marriage defilement, abomination, and sin are the result.

Indecency, adultery, and divorce rob marriage of its sanctity, and the eighth commandment says, “You shall not steal.”

[TS] Let’s look at the second example of how ancient Israel might rob marriage of its sanctity…

Example #2: No Going to War During Your First Year of Marriage (Deut. 24:5)

Deuteronomy 24:5 NASB95

5 “When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.

This law is straight forward. The newlywed husband was not to go to war or be charged with any military duty during his first year of marriage.

Instead, he was to be home with his wife for one year with the mission of making her happy.

This protected marriages in Israel.

A writing from ancient Syria during this time—a writing called, The Legend of King Keret, tells of a battle in which “even the new-wed groom goes forth [to war].” But then it says, “He drives to another his wife, to a stranger his well-beloved.”

That sort of thing wasn’t to happen in Israel.

But this law also prevented the Israelite King and his government from robbing a newlywed Israelite wife of her husband and robbing the newlywed husband of the opportunity to have a son to carry on his name.

Even the Israelite King and his government had to obey the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not steal.”

[TS] Now, let’s look at two examples of robbing human life of its sanctity…

B: Robbing Human Life of Its Sanctity

Example #1: No Taking a Handmill or Upper Millstone as Collateral (Deut. 24:6)

Deuteronomy 24:6 NASB95

6 “No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

The Israelites were not supposed to charge each other interest if they borrowed money from one another, but they could ask for collateral or a type of security deposit to insure that the debt was repaid.

Whatever was pledged as collateral, it could not be the handmill or the upper millstone of the handmill that a family used to mill wheat into flour from which came their daily bread.

Without the use of the handmill, the needy family that had to borrow from its neighbor would be that much more in need.

Without the handmill, the needy family may starve to death.

The one who accepted a handmill or upper millstone as collateral would essentially be taking—or stealing—a life in pledge, and the Eight Commandment says, “You shall not steal.”

[TS] The second example of robbing human life of its sanctity is found in v. 7…

Example #2: No Man-Stealing (Deut. 24:7)

Deuteronomy 24:7 NASB95

7 “If a man is caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

An ultra literal translation of the word “kidnapping” in v. 7 would be something like “to thieve a breathing creature,” in this case a fellow Israelite.

The one who kidnaps another Israelite to harm him or to profit by selling him into slavery shall die.

That sort of evil had to be purged from among the Israelites because the Eighth Commandment says, “You shall not steal.”

[TS] …

Illustration

““““GREENVILLE, N.C -- A North Carolina man says his divorce was almost unbearable, but an unusual legal claim just landed him a $750,000 judgment.

According to court documents, Kevin Howard recently won a judgment against his ex-wife's lover for "alienation of affections" -- a claim that exists in just a handful of other states across the country -- according to court documents.

Alienation of affection laws, sometimes known as "homewrecker" laws, allow the spouse to sue another person for "purposefully interfering with the marital relationship," according to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute.

The person sued is usually the person a spouse cheated with.

Howard had been with his wife for 12 years. When she approached him about separating, the couple started attending marriage counseling.

But something felt off, so Howard hired a private investigator, who uncovered the affair, he told CNN.

Howard blamed the other man for alienating his wife from him, according to court records.

In August, a judge ruled in Howard's favor.

"He was a colleague of hers from work," Howard said. "He ate dinner with us several times, we spent time together ... I thought this was a friend."

But the lawsuit wasn't just about the money, he said.

"I believe in the sanctity of marriage," he said. "Other families should see what the consequences are to not only breaking the vow to whatever religion you subscribe to, but also your legal responsibilities."

CNN has been unable to contact the defendant.

Cynthia Mills, Howard's attorney, told CNN she's argued at least 30 "alienation of affection" cases during her 31-year career. She has five cases of the sort open right now.

"It's very prevalent," she said.

To have a chance at winning the lawsuit, a cheated-on spouse should be able to show the couple was happy before the affair and a lover came between them. In other words, that a third party got in the way of the relationship and caused its downfall.

Mills said the tort began from old English law, when women were viewed as property. In the same way that a man could sue for the theft of a horse, he could sue for the theft of a wife. Now, any spouse can sue regardless of their gender or their partner.

In many of Mills' cases, it's not really about the money, she told CNN.

"The idea is keeping the marriage sanctified and keeping the family together," she said.

But people have still made some serious bank taking their exes to court.””””

Application

Violating the sanctity of marriage or the sanctity of human life has its earthly consequences as the article I just read to you shows.

But the eternal consequence of violating the sanctity of marriage or human life is that both are sins against God, and every sin against God deserves death.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the pay for sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Every sexually immoral person, every adulterous man or woman how has violated the sanctity of marriage—every kidnapper and murderer who violated the sanctity of human life—can find forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Jesus kept all the law of God—including this portion in Deuteronomy 24:1-7—He kept it all perfectly.

Not only that, Jesus gave Himself as the payment for our sins on the cross.

His resurrection proves that, if we truly trust in Him, we have His law-keeping righteousness imputed to us and that our law-breaking sinfulness was imputed to Him on the cross.

And, if we have trusted in Him, His Spirit lives within us making us want to obey God’s Word when it commands us to uphold the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of human life.

Followers of Jesus must not rob marriage of its sanctity.

In Matthew 19 some Pharisees came to Jesus believing that Moses in Deuteronomy 24 permitted them to divorce their wives for any reason. All they had to do was write her a certificate of divorce, and that was it.

But Jesus brought it back to the beginning—long before Moses…

Matthew 19:4–6 NASB95

4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

If we followers of Jesus would uphold the sanctity of marriage, we must honor God’s design for marriage.

But then Jesus brought the conversation with the Pharisees around to the heart…

Matthew 19:8–9 NASB95

8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Followers of Jesus have new hearts through faith in Him—new hearts that are looking to honor God’s design for marriage—not hard hearts looking to end a marriage silly selfish reasons.

He said immorality (i.e., fornication) was the only excusable reason for the end of a marriage.

Anyone who divorces his wife for any other reason and then gets remarried commits adultery.

As with marriage, followers of Jesus must not rob human life of its sanctity.

Life is the gift of God, and yet human life is robbed of its sanctity today through human trafficking, slavery, abortion, murder, and even predatory lending practices.

No follower of Jesus should be involved in human trafficking, slavery, or abortion, and yet the pornography industry is built on those abominable pillars.

If we are watching pornography then we are robbing human life of its sanctity.

This should not be so for the Christian.

No follower of Jesus should be involved in loan-sharking, trying to deceive or exploit borrows with high interest rates.

But listen to how Jesus says we should lend…

Luke 6:34–35 NASB95

34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

[TS] …

Conclusion

There is forgiveness for all our sins—even our most egregious sins—in Jesus Christ.

And if we’ve experienced that forgiveness, our desire is to be faithful sons and daughters of the Most High.

Apart of being a faithful son and daughter of the Most High means upholding the sanctity of marriage and upholding the sanctity of human life at every opportunity… even in the way we lend to others.

[PRAYER]