Title: Shouting, graceful city/Exodus 22:16-17
Content: Shouting, graceful sex / Exodus 22:16-17
Key Verse: “If a man seduces a virgin to whom he is not betrothed to lie with him, he shall give her to him as a wife” (Exodus 22:16).
Word: Sexual seduction or indulgence is a perpetual problem in human society. If you don't clearly organize your thoughts on this, you'll fall for it without realizing it. Imagine a society where relationships between men and women are beautiful and sex is not ugly and is considered happiness.
‘For the sex of our beautiful children’, in short, shout! It is the slogan of someone who gave a fresh and beautiful challenge and shock to our society. That's right. Sex is one of the most noble blessings God has given to man, and it is a beautiful thing. Sex can be truly elegant.
Today's meditative verse assumes that both men and women are unmarried. If a man seduces a woman to lie with her, he is obliged to take a woman as his wife. In Jewish culture, a dowry is paid to the bride's house to bring a woman to the wedding. However, if the bride's house refuses to give the man a daughter, the man must give the bride's house the amount of money equivalent to the dowry. This way, when this woman later marries another man, it was proved that the woman did not commit a crime herself, and she can defend her honor.
In the culture of the Old Testament times, women were socially weak. Today's text is focused on protecting women. It makes men completely responsible for treating women sexually, and further clarifies that women are personal beings, not sexual objects. Let's apply it to today's situation. Commercializing sex is against God's will. The idea that women are inferior to men is wrong. There should be a personal relationship and encounter between a man and a woman.
Churches and Christians should show leadership in correcting our society's wrong gender perception and establishing a beautiful sexual culture. Neither male nor female are complete alone. Only when we hold hands can we enjoy full beauty. Christian couples should set an example in planting and nurturing correct sexual awareness and culture, and Christian families should be at the center of this work.
Prayer: Pray for believers to exercise leadership in correcting the distorted sexual culture in our society. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer