Observations and Interpretation:
(1) About divorce
see ESV or 呂振中聖經譯本:
24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.
24︰1 「人娶了妻、做了那女人的丈夫以後、若因發現妻子有醜事，以致妻子在他眼中不蒙恩愛，他便給她寫了離婚書交在她手中，打發她離開他的家；
24︰2 那婦人離開他家以後，去跟著別人；
24︰3 這以後的丈夫也不愛她，也給她寫了離婚書，交在她手中，打發她離開他的家；或者娶她為妻的這以後的丈夫死了；
24︰4 那麼、打發她出來的這以前的丈夫就不可在婦人這樣蒙了不潔以後、再娶她為妻，因為這是永恆主面前可厭惡的事；你不可使永恆主你的上帝所賜給你為產業的地蒙受罪污。
24︰1 「人娶了妻、做了那女人的丈夫以後、若因發現妻子有醜事，以致妻子在他眼中不蒙恩愛，他便給她寫了離婚書交在她手中，打發她離開他的家；
24︰2 那婦人離開他家以後，去跟著別人；
24︰3 這以後的丈夫也不愛她，也給她寫了離婚書，交在她手中，打發她離開他的家；或者娶她為妻的這以後的丈夫死了；
24︰4 那麼、打發她出來的這以前的丈夫就不可在婦人這樣蒙了不潔以後、再娶她為妻，因為這是永恆主面前可厭惡的事；你不可使永恆主你的上帝所賜給你為產業的地蒙受罪污。
(NET) The issue here is not divorce and its grounds per se but prohibition of remarriage to a mate whom one has previously divorced
(NAC) The grammatical evidence from the sequence of clauses (ki + waw conjunctive) does not demand that remarriage here be necessarily sanctioned just because divorce was allowed in the first place.
(BKC) The purpose of this law seems to be to prevent frivolous divorce, and to present divorce itself in a disparaging light. Jesus
有醜事/indecency
(NET and BKC) The something indecent, which a husband might find in his wife, cannot refer to adultery for which the penalty was death (22:22). Nor can the indecency refer to the wife’s premarital intercourse with another man for which the penalty was also death (22:20–21).
Heb “nakedness of a thing.” The Hebrew phrase ...refers here to some gross sexual impropriety...any shameful thing.” ...specifically to sexual organs and, by extension, to any function associated with them. There are some aspects of human life that are so personal and private that they ought not be publicly paraded.
Conclusion: The first husband might hate his wife with no big enough reason to condemn her, but he might think that she and another man had improper relationship (anything other than intercourse) then he chose to divorce her. This law prohibit him to remarry her after she had married another man, probably to prevent care free divorce. In other words, the first husband was warned ahead of time before he divorced his wife. Think careful if you really needed to divorce your wife even your culture or other people might do that.
Application: God sees our marriage seriously and does not want people to divorce. God also sees our faithfulness to our husbands seriously, too. Before anything is too late, think carefully now. Think about the consequences of divorce.
(2) Remembering
No matter in the law regarding leprously (24:8-9) or regarding the justice to the foreigner/orphan/widow (24:17-18), or regarding leaving behind food for the poor (24:19-21), the law reminded Israel to remember their pass: how Moses prayed for the healing of Miriam, and how they were slaves in Israel and God saved them from Egypt.
Again the purpose of offering the first fruits from the ground is for remembering God giving them the Promise Land 26:3, 9. The result of the remembering this is to give to poor according to the Law and thus also showing their obedience to the law 26:12-14.
Application: Our offering to God today should also reflect our gratitude to God. How He saved us, gives us what we need, and therefore I should obey Him and help others.
Audrey
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