Anti kidnapping laws in the OT -
"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be out to death." (Exodus 21:16)
"If a man kidnaps is caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, then that THIEF shall DIE; so you shall purge the evil from among you." (Deut. 24:7)
The POW - prisoner of war must not then be considered as kidnapped person. God made societal improvements upon two inevitable cultural practices of ancient Near Eastern societies - Indentured Servitude (slavery) and POWs in warfare.
Dr. Adaquate then quotes this passage, presumably to negate my pointing out kidnapping was condemned in OT and NT.
And when the Lord thy God hath delivered [a city] into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee (Deuteronomy 20:13-14)
It would be amazing to live in a war-free world. Since war was a way of life in the ancient Near East God did prescribe some laws to His Israel about proper conduct should they go to war.
When the Lord GIVES - indicates that the city has REJECTED Israel's terms of peace. It should not be assumed that terms of peace were not first offered as would often be the case in warfare.
"When you draw near to a city to fight against it, you shall proclaim peace to it. If it responds with peace to you and opens [its gates] to you, all the people found within it shall become your forced labor; and they shall serve you. But if it does not make peace with you, you shall besiege it." (vs. 10-12)
I may speak about the forced labor in another post.
Although rape was a common feature in Near Eastern warfare, the Israelite soldiers were prohibited from raping women. Sex was permitted only within the bounds of marital commitment. Kidnapping for sex slavery was forbidden -
(Exodus 22:16-17, Deut. 22:23-29)
Marriages in Israel were not entered into lightly. The woman POW was a fact of warfare. The laws of Moses benefitted and protected the female POW.
Of course left homeless she would probably resort to prostitution or left for starvation. The homeless woman was in a very bad situation in ancient times.
The perspective soldier / husband of a woman POW could not even marry too easily and immediately as was seen in
Deut. 21:10-14.. The separation process allowed for a period of reflection in the man. The seriousness of marriage was contemplated while the POW lived under the support of the soldier. She was given time to make a transitional break with the tragic past.
The laws of the sanctity of marriage must accompany the treatment of the woman POW. The women captured in war were not left to be outcasts but rather laws facilitated them being integrated into Israelite society.
Had they been slaves, there were laws protecting run away slaves. There were punishments to those who returned run away slaves to their masters.
Israel was commanded to offer safe harbor to foriegn runaway slaves
(Deut. 23:15-16).
The fugitive harboring laws applied also to Israelite servants who left harsh employers to seek refuge.
Compare that with the Fugitive Slave Laws of the American South. The laws governing slaves running away in the US are comperable to the ancient Code of Hammurabi. Ancient Lipit-Ishtar, Eshuna and Hittite laws called for fines for those helping fugitive slaves.
Just like divorce was against God's will He made protective provisions for the woman should the divorce happen so also God made provision for the inevitability of war.
It should be noted that the distintion is made between the nations that God specifically on a one time bases ordained to be judged in the entering in to Canaan and the nations which were far off.
"Thus shall you do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not among the cites of these [Canaanite] nations.
But of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not allow anything that breaths to live; But you must utterly destroy them: the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you.
So that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they do for their gods ..." (Deut. 15-18)
That includes burning their children in the fire to Molech.
That includes religion whoredom and temple fornication.
That includes sex with near relatives and with animals.
That includes deep demonic covenants and consecrating things and possessions of all kinds to Satanic powers of deep occultism.
These were once in history special judgments of non repeatable nature.
So
Deut. 20:10-15 concerns general warfare which most nations could hardly avoid.
The judges and priests of ancient Israel were not insensative to the cause of people who were fleeing from harsh treatment. This included consideration of POWs who ran away from harsh male soldier captors.
The laws of the Hebrews show improvement over general practices of surrounding cultures. They show a movement TOWARDS a more just society while recognizing the inevitable practices of the ancient world.
We see anti-kidnapping, anti-harm, anti-slave return regulations in
Exodus 21:16, 20, 26-27 and Deuteronomy 23:15-16 and 24:7. Under such laws antibellum slavery as practiced in the Americas could not have existed.
War was unavoidable to most nations, covenanted to Yahweh or not. God's laws minimized the effects of war. How the survivors were to be treated is given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.
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