Deuteronomy 21b-22

Sunday Morning Bible Study 10/11/2009

Deuteronomy 21:10 – 22:30 I.

Observation A. Who? Moses is giving instruction to the people of Israel. B. When? Following the 40 years of wandering in the desert and the time needed to arrive at the eastern side of the Jordan C. Where? The nation of Israel is camped on the east side of the Jordan, preparing to cross into the Promised Land. D. What are the main points? 1. Marrying a captive woman (21:10-19) 2. Rights of the Firstborn (v. 15-17) 3. Stubborn and Rebellious Son (v. 18-21) 4. Don't leave a body hung on a tree overnight (v. 22-23) 5. Care for a brother's property (22:1-4) 6. No cross-dressing (v. 5) 7. Spare the mother bird if taking the young (v. 6-7) 8. Build a parapet around your roof (v. 8) 9. Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard (v. 9) 10. Do not plow with an ox and donkey yoked together (v. 10) 11. Do not wear clothes of wool and linen together (v. 11) 12. Wear tassels on the four corners of your cloak (v. 12) 13. Accusations of premarital promiscuity (v. 13-21) 14. Sexual Sin (v. 22-29) a) woman is married...adultery b) woman is pledged to be married... • no resistance (consenting) • taken by force/raped c) rape of woman is unmarried and not pledged to be married... 15. Do not marry your father's wife (v. 30) E. Observation Questions 1. In the marrying of a captive woman...(#1 above) a) What does 21:12-13 tell us the woman was to do before she could be married? b) Does the woman's status change when she was married by an Israelite man? Was she still considered a slave? 2. Regarding accusations of premarital promiscuity...(#13 above) a) Who was responsible for producing proof of the woman's virginity? b) Where was the woman put to death if no proof of her virginity could be produced? 3. In the section on sexual sin (#14 above)... a) What are the two terms used for sex in this section? What does each imply about the woman's participation? b) What is assumed that a woman would do if forced into sex against her will? What does not doing this imply? II. Interpretation/Discussion Questions • Section 1: Marrying a Captive Woman • Was marrying a captive woman an act of love, selfishness, or both? Why or why not? • What, if anything, do the changes described in 21:12-13 suggest about the woman's heart? Is she forced? • Section 13: Premarital Promiscuity • Why do you think that a husband would falsely accuse his new wife of not being a virgin? (hint: punishment) • Who was ultimately responsible for a girl's virginity? • Why do you think that the guilty wife was put to death on her father's house steps? • Section 14: Sexual Sin • Why do you think that sexual sin is given such attention here? What's the issue? (hint: motive) • What do the similarities in punishment in the first two cases tell us about how “being engaged” was viewed? • What attributes of God's character do we see illustrated in this passage? • Does this passage point us towards Christ? If so, how? III. Application • God is holy. We are not. Just as a captive woman had no hope of being redeemed from slavery, so too do we find ourselves as captives to our own deprived nature. Yet, Christ redeems us from our captivity as his bride by his own will. • Sharing a gift as precious as sexual intimacy with anyone but your spouse robs both of you of the joy it's designed for.

MYA 2.0, A ministry of Metropolitan Baptist Church, OKC, OK (http://www.mbcokc.org)