A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV.
Verſ. 1. WHen a man hath taken a wife and marryed her, &c.]
Two things muſt be known for the fuller underſtanding of this law concerning divorces: firſt, that whereas it is ſaid here, that if after a man hath marryed a wife, his wife find no favour in his eyes, becauſe he hath found ſome uncleanneſſe in her, hereby is meant any thing whatſoever, either in her perſon or in her qualities and manners, which being at the time of marriage unknown to him, he hath afterwards diſcovered, and for it diſlikes and abhorres his wife, yea though the cauſe of his diſlike were never ſo ſlight a matter; and therefore did the Phariſees ſo propound the queſtion they made concerning this law, to wit, whether a man might put away his wife for every cauſe? Matth. 19. 3. and ſecondly, whereas it is ſaid of ſuch a man ſo diſliking his wife, then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and ſend her out of his houſe, the meaning is onelyonly, that if he put her away he muſt write her a bill of divorcement, &c. for this was not a diſpenſation in regard of that firſt divine inſtitution of marriage, allowing the Jews without ſinne to put away their wives upon any diſlike taken againſt them, contrary to that which God at firſt d…d eſtabliſh for a law to all po…terity, to wit, that a man ſhould have but one wife, and a woman but one husband▪ and they two ſhould be one fleſh (for even when Moſes law was in its full force ſuch divorcings were diſpleaſing to God, Mal. 2. 16. The Lord the God of Iſrael ſaith that he hateth putting away) no, it was onelyonly a law made in favour of the wife ſo put away, that ſhe ſhould have in this caſe a bill of divorce given her, that if ſhe were put away cauſeleſly ſhe might have this as a teſtimony for her that ſhe had not of her own accord forſaken her husband, but was put away, & that without any juſt cauſe on her part, and ſo was now free. It is true indeed that by this law there was implicitly granted a permiſſion or toleration of theſe unjuſt divorces to the Iſraelites in thoſe times, to wit, that they might without incurring any puniſhment thus put away their wives, and this injuſtice in the husband did ſo farre break the knot of marriage, that it was lawfull for the wife ſo put away to marry another husband; but yet ſtill this which was thus tolerated was ſin…ull in the husband, and diſpleaſing to God, and onelyonly permitted by Moſes for the hardneſſe of their hearts, Matth. 19. 8. Moſes becauſe of the hardneſſe of your hearts ſuffered you to put away your wives, that is, becauſe they were ſuch a perverſe and hard-hearted people that had they been reſtrained from this, they would have been likely to have made the lives of their wives extremely miſerable by all kind of ſavage and cruell tyrannizing …ver them, and perhaps would at laſt have attempted to make them away: and therefore alſo even this toleration of ſuch cauſeleſſe divorces was abrogated by our Saviour, Matth. 5. 31, 32. It hath been ſaid, Whoſoever ſhall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I ſay unto you, that whoſoever ſhall put away his wife ſaving for the cauſe of fornication, cauſeth her to commit adultery; and whoſoever ſhall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Verſ. 4. Her former husband which ſent her away may not take her again to b… his wife, after that ſhe is defiled.]
To wit, by marrying and lying with a ſecond husband, her firſt husband being ſtill living. It ſeems that after a man had given his wife a bill of divorce, and ſent her away, if he repented of what he had done▪ and was reconciled to his wife thus unjuſtly divorced, before ſhe had taken another husband, he might with her conſent cancell the bill of divorce, and receive her again as his wife; but after ſhe had once marryed another husband, he might not take her again, no not after her ſecond husband was dead, and that becauſe ſhe was defiled. But why is the wife here ſaid to be defiled with lying with her ſecond husband, ſince by the law of God ſhe might lawfully marry him? I anſwer, the moſt of Expoſitours ſay that it is becauſe this her ſecond marriage, her firſt husband being yet living, was againſt the firſt inſtitution of marriage, and ſo ſinfull, and onelyonly tolerated for a time amongſt the Jews becauſe of the hardneſſe of their hearts▪ Matth. 5. 31, 32. but yet becauſe it is hard to ſay how it could be ſin…e in her who was as it were perforce put away by her firſt husband, eſpecially ſince the Apoſtle hath determined in a like caſe, to wit, in the caſe of a wilfull ſeparation, that the innocent party may marry again, 1. Cor. 7. 15. therefore others think that by being defiled here is meant onelyonly her lying with her ſecond husband, which in a naturall way is accounted a pollution without any intimation of the ſinfulneſſe thereof; or elſe her being defiled in regard of him, that is, one whom he might no more touch nor meddle with, it being, as it follows in the next words, an abomination before, the Lord, that a man ſhould deliver up his wife, as it were, to another mans bed, and then take her when he pleaſed himſelf again.
Thou ſhalt not eauſe the land to ſinne, &c.]
That is, thou ſhalt not cauſe the land to be defiled with ſinne, and ſo to be liable to puniſhment, or make others to ſinne by thine example.
Verſ. 5. When a man hath taken a new wife he ſhall not go out to warre, &c.]
This law was for the exemption of thoſe that had taken a new wife, that is, thoſe that had newly marryed a wife, from being ſent forth to warre, or from being charged with any buſineſſe, to wit, any publick imployment that would neceſſarily▪ cauſe him to be abſent from his wife: and the ground of this law was not ſo much the unfitneſſe of ſuch men for publick imployments, in regard their minds would ſtill be ſo much upon their wives, as the providing for the ſettling of their love one to another, as is manifeſt by the following words, he ſhall be free at home one year, and ſhall chear up his wife which he hath taken. When a woman is newly marryed, and ſo taken from her fathers houſe and family, and tranſplanted into a new ſtock, ſhe is ſubject to grieve much, and hath the more need to be tendered and cheriſhed by her husband; and beſides, if the firſt year by living lovingly together their hearts be once throughly ſettled one to the other, there would be the more hope of wellknit affections for ever after; and to give a priviledge to the new-marryed man in this reſpect, was this law given the Iſraelites.
Verſ. 6. No man ſhall take the nether or the upper milstone to pledge, &c.]
For one of the milſtones being gone, the other is unuſefull, and by conſequence the taking of any thing as a pledge, that is of the like neceſſary uſe for the exerciſe of a mans calling, or for the ſuſtenance of his life, is here forbidden. See Exod. 22. 26.
Verſ. 7. If a man be found ſtealing any of his brethren of the children of Iſrael, &c.]
See the note upon Exod. 21. 16.
Verſ. 9. Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam, &c.]
This example is added, to render them the more carefull of what he had enjoyned in the foregoing verſe, to wit, that in the plague of leproſie they ſhould obſerve diligently and do according to all that the prieſts the Levites ſhould teach them. Remember, ſaith Moſes, what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam, that is, remember how for her ſinne and contempt of Moſes the Lord ſtruck her with leproſy, and thereby be warned to take heed of ſinning againſt God by ſlighting the directions of the Levites, whom God hath ſet over you to teach you in all things what ye ſhould do, leſt otherwiſe ye provoke God to puniſh you, and to ſtrike you with leproſy as he did her▪ or rather, Rem…mber what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam, that is, remember how ſhe was by Gods ſpeciall command ſhut out of the camp ſeven dayes, untill ſhe had been purified according to the law: If ſhe might not be exempted, who then ſhall plead exemption? See that therefore ye carefully obſerve thoſe laws given concerning the ſhutting up of the lepers, and the cleanſing of them when they are healed, and whatever elſe from the law of God the Levites ſhall direct you to do.
Verſ. 10. When thou doſt lend thy brother any thing, thou ſhalt not go into his houſe to fetch his pledge, &c.]
Some conceive that the end of this law, enjoyning the pledge ſtill to be brought to the doore, was to make men carefull ſo to order their expenſes, that they might not be put in the ſight of their neighbours to pawn their cloaths, and to curb the creditour, that he might not be too harſh and g…eedy in exacting a pledge. But farre more probable that is which is held by moſt of Expoſitours, namely, that God did he…ein provide for the poore man, both that the creditour might not pick and chuſe his pledge where he pleaſed, though it was that which he was very unwilling to part with, but ſhould be content wi…h that which ſhould be brought out to him; as likewiſe bec…ſe poore men are uſually aſhamed that ſtrangers ſhould come in and in every corner behold their penury and want.
Verſ. 13. In any caſe thou ſhalt deliver him the pledge again when the ſunne goeth down, that he may ſleep in his own raiment, and bleſſe thee.]
Concerning this law, ſee the No…e upon Exod. 22. 26. As there the Lord preſſeth this work of merciemercy upon his people, by threatning that if by keeping away ſuch a neceſſary pledge the poore man were provoked to crie unto him he would heare his cries, and be avenged on ſuch a hard-hearted creditour; ſo here alſo, by promiſing that in caſe they did herein ſhew merciemercy to the poore, the poore ſhould bleſſe them, that is, pray for them, and he would heare their prayers, and ſo by their prayers the poore ſhould be able abundantly to require them though otherwiſe they were not able to do it.
And it ſhall be righteouſneſſe unto thee before the Lord thy God.]
That is, the Lord will accept of it as a holy and good work, and will abundantly reward it; and indeed the righteouſneſſe even of ſuch works in the beſt of Gods ſervants conſiſts more in Gods acceptance of them, becauſe he ſaith they ſhall be righteouſneſſe unto them, then in any perfection that is in them.