Here is what Eric says:
And according to this chapter [I Cor 7], who decides whom a woman should marry?Wow. You will notice he quoted 7:39b... 'b'? As in, 'the second half of the verse'?
...she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:39b, ESV, emphasis added).
Perhaps because this is the whole verse:
1Co 7:39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
Wow. Not ‘a woman’ but… the wife, whose husband is dead.
And as for ‘the whole chapter’, the passage immediately prior says:
1Co 7:37 Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. 1Co 7:38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
And, ironically for a post which speaks of ‘the bondage of betrothal’ the ESV, his chosen version (in a mistranslation, but it’s his chosen version) translates that passage:
I Cor 7:36 (ESV) If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,[i] if his[j] passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38So then he who marries his betrothed(AP) does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.So much for the bondage of betrothal!
3 comments:
What about Ruth who took the advice of her mother and asked a man to marry her?
This gives women the choice to ask a man of their choice?
Sorry I missed this comment FJ. Sometimes blogger plays me tricks.
I'm afraid that you have misread the text. I will post it here for you, and you can comment once you have re-read it:
Rth 3:1 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
Rth 3:2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.
Rth 3:3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
Rth 3:4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
Rth 3:5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
Rth 3:6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
So, first of all, it wasn't 'Ruth who took the advice' but 'Ruth who followed the command'.
Rth 3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
Rth 3:8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Rth 3:9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
Rth 3:10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
Rth 3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
Rth 3:12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Rth 3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
Second of all, she didn't 'ask Boaz to marry her' but to fulfill his legal role as Levirate Kinsman redeemer. He himself pointed out that he was not, indeed, closest in relationship and, if the closer kinsman wished, he could take Ruth. Hardly then the 'man of her choice'.
Ruth had bound herself to follow God's law. As such she was bound to marry whoever was closest in relationship to her dead husband. I hardly think this is what the dating crowd has in mind as 'choosing' a husband.
Note: In case it wasn't clear the very 'bade' in verse six is the same as the Hebrew verb used in Gen 2:16 for God who 'commanded' the man that he could eat of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And the levirate law can be found here:Deu 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
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