Deuteronomy 21:10 says, When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, This statement by Moses assumes two things. One, the people of Israel would go forth in war, and two that by their faith in God that they would be victorious. If we want to be victorious in the world today by our faith in God, we must be willing to go forth in war against the forces of evil in the world. Of course, in this case we must rely on God to direct our actions. Verse eleven adds, And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; Moses then told them that they might see a beautiful woman among the captives and desire her. Whether it is a beautiful woman or anything else, while we are in a battle against evil in the world, something may catch our attention as something that we desire. Verse twelve adds, Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; Moses didn't deny them the fight to give in to their desire, but told them they should bring the woman to their house, but then he listed requirements before the man could marry her. Though God may allow us to have certain things of the world that we desire, He will also likely put requirements on us to keep us from being led away from Him. Verse thirteen continues, And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. The woman was to put off the raiment of her captivity and be given a month's time to mourn the loss of her parents, and then the man could marry her. Verse fourteen concludes, And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her. Moses said that if the man then decided he didn't want to be married to her, he could let her go, but he wasn't to sell her, though she had been a captive, nor was he to attempt to trade her for merchandise. God was looking out for the woman, who had nothing to say about her situation. I don't believe that God ever expects us to use nor try to benefit materially from our treatment of the lost people of the world today. Verse fifteen states, If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Moses then gives the rules for a man having two wives, which was never God's intention. Just as the people of Israel too often failed to follow God's law for marriage, so do we today. Moses said that if the man loved one wife and hated, or didn't love, the other, and the one that he loved the least gave birth to his first born son, that there were rules of inheritance then applied. If we go against God's law in a particular situation, that does not void any other law of God. Verse sixteen adds, Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: Moses said that the man could not make the firstborn son of the wife that the man loved the most the one to inherit if the wife he loved the least had already given birth toa son. Verse seventeen continues, But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. Moses said that the man was to give his firstborn son who was born of the wife he loved the least his rightful birthright. Again, breaking one of God's laws does not negate any of His other laws. This situation could have been avoided if the man had not had more than one wife.
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