579 - Marriage to a Captive Woman

Marriage to a Captive Woman

In the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 21: verses 10–14, God instructs the Israelites regarding the treatment of women captives.

“Suppose you go out to war, against your enemies …and the Lord, your God, hands them over to you, …and you take some of them as captives. 

And suppose you see, among the captives, a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her …and want to marry her. 

If this happens, you may take her to your home, where she must shave her head, cut her nails, and change the clothes she was wearing, when she was captured. 

She will stay in your home, but let her mourn, for her father and mother, for a full month. 

Then you may marry her, and you will be her husband …and she will be your wife. 

But if you marry her and she does not please you, you must let her go free. 

You may not sell her or treat her as a slave, for you have humiliated her. 

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Unfortunately, human trafficking, sexual slavery, and many types of bondage and coerced labor are going on all around us still today. 

This is true even in middle-class American and Western European neighborhoods. 

Wise moms and dads need to be aware of this dark, seamy underside of contemporary culture. They should keep their antennae out for signs of suspicious goings-on in the local community. 

Most of us go about our business blissfully ignorant of the suffering and tragedy that could be taking place under our very noses.

Most of the human trafficking that goes on in the U.S. and other developed western nations is happening on the fringes of “respectable” society. 

The vast majority of the victims are undocumented immigrants and poor, homeless, or displaced individuals who are tricked or forced into slave labor or sexual slavery through various forms of deception and intimidation.

That’s not to say that this ugly problem can’t raise its head closer to home. For example, there is a recent case in which a middle-class Christian girl was seduced by an attractive “boy at school.” 

She was drugged, without her knowledge, and photographed in the sex act. The perpetrators of the crime threatened to publish the photos, if she didn’t agree to work for them as a prostitute. 

At that point, she felt trapped. 

This is not meant to terrify you with sensationalistic details. Parents just need to know that things like this are happening even in 21st century America. 

There are devious individuals “out there” who are skilled at turning a profit by taking advantage of vulnerable, trusting, and naïve teenagers and young adults. 

Not all modern-day slaves are working in the “sex trade.” Many are day-laborers, housekeepers, restaurant workers, construction workers, and carnival employees. 

If you see someone that you suspect might be a victim of trafficking, watch for evidence that he or she is being controlled. 

Tell-tale signs include inability to move or leave a job, fear or depression, lack of identification, or marks of physical abuse. 

If you have an opportunity to speak with such an individual, in a non-threatening situation, ask questions like, 

• “What type of work do you do?” 
• “Are you being paid?” 
• “Do you want to be doing this work?” 
• “Can you leave, if you choose to do so?” 

On the home front, the best way to fight human trafficking is to build strong relationships with your own children. 

The family should be their primary point of connection. Home should be the place where they are valued and build their positive self-image. 

You can protect them against all kinds of negative outside influences simply by forging a bond of mutual trust. 

Let them know that there are dangerous people in the world. 

Then make it clear that they can always come to you with their needs, problems, and concerns. 

Say things like, 

• “There’s nothing you can’t tell me,” 
• “You could never do anything that would cause us to love you less.” 

Children who get that kind of affirmation at home generally aren’t inclined to go looking for it somewhere else.

Praise be to God!