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The Relative First Dispensation of Old Testament Law, Marital Purity and Continuity
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Deuteronomy, a book of the bible, means generally “second law”. Evidently, the Hebrew translators of the Greek edition must have realized there were two dispensations of Moses' law. They did not refer to the book merely from the first two words as in the modern, Hebrew title, “aylleh haddevarim”, meaning “these are the words”, but the book was seemingly given a title denoting its subsequent content. (Greek texts are revealing of many things.) Therefore, relatively speaking, there must have been a first giving of a set of laws by Moses. We will take a look into how we can decipher the first giving of the law from the second through a study of a reproof and repeal of divorce and remarriage by Jesus Christ the Lord. Genesis gives us a history of God's creation. Through it and other books of the bible we are given a chronological, ideological glimpse of the past, present and future. God's written word tells us what (and whom!) we need to know according to all time. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2) We know history, and future expectations, even future history according to events that shall pass. One event that passed was the coming of the expected prophet of God's people like Moses: Acts 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. The book of Exodus, separate from the book of Deuteronomy, relatively can be respected as a book of the first giving of the law. It explains the dowry responsibility of a man who takes the virginity of a girl (Ex. 22:16). Even if her father disallows the man to marry her, the man is still required to pay the dowry price (Ex. 22:17). The second giving of the law supplements the concept of the prerequisite of female virginity and sexual chastity for marriage (Dt. 22:13-21, 28, 29). Jesus made it clear that the law would be fulfilled: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mt. 5.18) Now, let's look at the correcting and repeal of the divorce and remarriage law in the “second” giving of the law--Deuteronomy 24. 1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. The Pharisees, tempting the Lord Jesus, referred to the divorce law. Jesus answering, implied that particular giving of the law was not fulfilling God's intention of marital purity and continuity, referring to the previous and historical times written in Genesis: “from the beginning”. Mt 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
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