Some choices have consequences that do not disappear when the event is over. We can walk away from what we have done, but we cannot always walk away from the damage it has caused.
“If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.” (Exodus 22 v 16-17)
This is not about rape but seduction.
A man persuades a young woman into a sexual relationship and then thinks he can simply walk away. At the time of this statement, a woman’s future security and standing in the community could be seriously affected if she was no longer a virgin and remained unmarried. God says there must be a cost. He cannot take and then disappear.
But she is not simply handed over to the man because he has slept with her. The father may refuse, and the man still has to pay.
This principle extends far beyond this situation: God holds us responsible for the damage we cause, especially when someone else is left to carry the consequences.
We live in a world where it’s tempting to enjoy the moment and leave someone else to pay the bill. We can damage trust, relationships, reputations, and lives, and then move on as though nothing happened.
God says we are responsible for what we do.
But then the gospel turns the principle upside down.
We had a debt we could never pay. Yet Christ did not leave us to carry the cost. Paul writes: “You were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:20
In Exodus 22, the person who caused the damage had to pay. At Calvary, the innocent One paid. He took the cost that belonged to us so that we could belong to him.
