"The Law of Jehovah Is Perfect" -Conclusion of Laws That Highlight Judicial Mercy and Fair Treatment

The Law also protected women, children and families, providing for them. It commanded parents to give their children constant attention and instruction in spiritual things. (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) It forbade all forms of incest, under penalty of death.  (Leviticus, chapter 1 8) It likewise forbade adultery, which so often breaks up families and destroys their security and dignity.  The Law provided for widows and orphans and in the strongest possible terms forbade the mistreatment of them. -Exodus 20:14; 22:22-24. 

In this connection, however, some might wonder 'Why did the Law allow for polygamy?' (Deuteronomy 21:15-17)  We need to consider such laws within the context of the times.  Those who judge the Mosaic Law from the prospective  of modern times and cultures are bound to misunderstand it.  (Proverbs 18:13)  Jehovah's standard, set way back in Eden, made marriage a lasting union between one husband and one wife. (Genesis 2:18, 20-24)  By the time Jehovah gave the Law to Israel, however, such practices as polygamy had been entrenched for centuries. Jehovah well knew his "stiff-necked people" would frequently fail to obey even the most basic commands, such as those forbidding idolatry.  (Exodus 32:9)  Wisely, then, he did not choose that era as the time to reform all of their marital practices.  Keep in mind, though,  that Jehovah did not institute polygamy. He did, however, use the Mosaic Law to regulate polygamy among his people and to prevent abuses of the practice. 

Similarly, the Mosaic Law allowed a man to divorce his wife on a relatively broad range of serious grounds.  (Deuteronomy 24:1-4) Jesus called this a concession that God had made to the Jewish people "out of regard for [their] hardheartedness."  However, such concessions were temporary.  For his followers, Jesus restored Jehovah's original standard for marriage. -Matthew 19:8. 

Next time: "The Law of Jehovah Is Perfect" - The Law Promoted Love

From the book: Draw Close to Jehovah