"And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money." Exodus 21:7-11

The Mosaic covenant has been criticized by many who say that under it, while certain then prevalent practices are forbidden, ( e.g. idolatry, incest, homosexuality etc. ) others, such as slavery and polygamy seem to be tacitly condoned, and even regulated. How can a perfect God allow this to happen? In this weeks text above, it actually seems to give permission for daughters to be sold like property! What about the rights of women ?

The wisdom of God is manifested here. To completely abolish ALL institutions that were widely prevalent at the time, though sound in theory, would in practice be such a culture shock so as to be completely un-followable by Israel. Thus we see Him drawing the hard and non-negotiable lines on certain issues, but in others, completely transforming current practices by mandating gentle and humane practices that were completely at variance with prevailing norms in the surrounding nations. This was to ensure that Israel distinguished itself as a nation from other nations by following a different standard of behavior towards the least privileged - namely, women, widows, children, orphans, the poor, slaves and foreigners. The Bible repeatedly reminds Israel that they should never forget that they themselves were once foreigners and slaves in Egypt, and therefore should be compassionate to those belonging to those classes amongst them.

Last week we saw that a Hebrew slave did not serve for life, but a maximum term of seven years, or less, if - during his term there happened to occur a nationwide seventh Year of Jubilee. In that case he could leave on that year. His property rights were respected and he went out with what he came in. This would also apply to women servants except in the case of where they were to be married to the master of the household or his son, in which case the law gave them security for life, or the freedom to leave.

These women were not sex slaves. The law was very clear about the treatment of unmarried girls. "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." - Exo 22:16 This was to prevent people from exploiting their daughters and men from taking advantage of them. These women were to be accorded the privileges of wife and daughter in the household, and exempted from performing the same duties as those required of the male servants.

If the marriage was happy there was no issue. If however, she did not 'please' her master, then she could be redeemed by another Israelite - not sold to a foreign nation - and the Bible clearly notes that this would be considered deceitful treatment. What seems to be the other option is for the master or son to take another wife, with this person still retaining all the privileges of food, shelter, clothing and conjugal rights (In this case polygamy seems to be the better option than deceitful treatment)...If not, this person would regain her freedom.

This may seem shocking to our current culture and sensibilities. Far more shocking however is that our current practices fall way short of even this set of "primitive and backward" laws!

Our unmarried daughters willingly trade a physical relationship for no security whatsoever. "Living together" does not confer any privileges at all. Worse, as soon as a child is born, a large percentage of men move on to the next woman leaving a single mom struggling to raise a child without a father, and the man has no responsibility for providing for her till she is redeemed by another. We have the unfortunate results of children born out of wedlock who grow up without a father, are put up for adoption or worst of all, aborted.The porn and sex trade industry chews up young women and spits them out once they are no longer youthful or attractive. In some "advanced" countries women may willingly(?) choose this lifestyle, in most others, they are forced into it by circumstance or violence. Today Mail order brides are sold by fathers to those in other countries where they have no privileges and rights or path to freedom. Rich middle eastern men take advantage of their divorce laws to "temporarily" marry young women, pay a bride price to the father, and then divorce them when done. The deceitful treatment continues!

The Mosaic Law made allowances for mans sinful conditions. Jesus tells the Pharisees questioning the divine wisdom of Moses in permitting divorce that - "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way." - Matt 19:8 God's moral law made no such allowance. "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Matt 19:4-6

It is highly sobering to look at the Mosaic Law which made allowances for sin, and see how woefully short humanity falls in meeting even the most basic amount of decency envisaged in it. It reveals the wickedness of our hearts and the face of Sin with crystal clarity. It shows us the heart of God,and his love for all humanity in His concern for the least of us.

We should be praying and weeping for humanity in sackcloth and ashes, and the wicked should be trembling in fear for that day when He will require of their hand every tear, every bruise, every drop of blood shed by the innocent. He will give them blood to drink instead of water for the blood they have spilled, and the fires of hell for the torment they have caused.

"O Lord, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the wicked exult?
They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
They crush Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
They have said, "The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed."
Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.
Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it."
Psalm 94:1-15