Thursday, July 23, 2015

Deuteronomy 22: Responsibility

Many of the laws in Deuteronomy 22 detail the responsibilities of various parties.  Whether you are a neighbor, a hunter, a married person or a homeowner, you incur certain responsibilities with your role.

For instance, the Bible says that a man is obligated to help his neighbor's animals in distress.  If they are lost or fallen, he must help them and restore them to their owner (vs. 1-4).  It's not just a nice thing to do - it's the Law!

The same can be said of building a parapet (safety railing) around the edge of one's roof.  Sure, it's a good idea, but it's also the Law (vs. 8).

Hunters and farmers have responsibilities under the Law, too.  In gathering prey, a mother should not be taken along with her chicks (vs. 6-7)  Farmers must not use more than one kind of seed in their vineyard, and may not plow with a donkey and ox yoked together (vs. 9-10).

In the section concerning sexual relations (vs. 13-30), we see many different situations described and how they ought to be handled.  Many of them concern who bears responsibility when a sexual relationship falls short of a blessed marriage.  Sometimes it is the man, such as when he wrongfully accuses a woman of not being a virgin when he married her (vs. 18-19).  Sometimes it is the woman, when she is indeed guilty of what she has been accused of (vs. 20-21).  Often it is both parties, such as when they commit adultery or have extra-marital sex (vs. 22-24).

In this section, the Law serves as a helpful guide in assigning moral responsibility and guilt in various social situations.

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