22:16,17
These laws concerning virgins. It seems to us that a very mercenary attitude is taken towards marriage! However, it can fairly be said that our attitude towards marriage in our society is far too romantic. Marriage does, and should, involve romance, as other parts of the Bible make clear, but it is also a very practical matter. It is a simple fact that societies work better when marriage is strong. This applies both to the families involved, and to society as a whole. We should also note that the Bible is clear that sex before marriage is wrong.
22:18
We then come to a number of random laws. A sorceress was not to be allowed to live. As with much of the law, we find the penalty unduly harsh. As indicated before, sometimes this is because in our times penalties are not harsh enough.It may also be useful to look at things in another way. Suppose the law is indicating what the perfect society will be like, and so anything that is contrary to that picture is not to be allowed at all. So the key lesson to be taken from this verse is not the killing of sorcerers or witches, but that such things have no place in the kingdom of God. I am not suggesting that this in any way presents a perfect or complete way of looking at things, but can sometimes be a helpful lens.
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