v1-4: There was responsibility to care for a brother's property; he might live far away, or not be known to the one finding the property; this responsibility therefore carried a cost.

This teaching is found elsewhere; Prov 3.27; 1 John 3.17, so we cannot ignore it or reject it. The command to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ is clear, even at cost to oneself. If all in the Church have this attitude, then brotherly love and unity are promoted.

v5: The Lord God made male and female distinct; we are thus to avoid anything which blurs that distinction.

v6-8: Rules of mercy; providing for the future survival of birds, and providing for the safety of people.

v9-11: Separation and purity; the separateness of Israel was also to be seen in their practices, in sowing, in ploughing, and in clothing.

For the Christian, the application here is:

• to teaching (v9-sowing), for we are not to mix truth and error;
• to service (v10-ploughing), for we cannot serve God together with unbelievers;
• to conduct and attitude (v11-clothing), for we must pursue a consistent, single-minded life.

v13-21: An accusation of adultery had to be properly investigated. The wife's parents were to be involved, and where necessary, provided the proof of here virginity. In the Church also, such accusations must be dealt with in a godly and proper way. Where the wife is proved to be faithful, the husband cannot divorce her..

The punishment in these chapters is sometimes severe. But it is never cruel. Punishment was swift. So unlike surrounding nations, where torture and cruelty were common-place. See also 20.18..

v22-30: The sins of adultery, fornication, and rape were all punishable by death. God has ordained that human society should be based on exclusive hetro-sexual relationships. Anything that undermines that is wrong. This passage teaches the seriousness of sexual sin, and the necessity of sexual purity.

v22: Contrast John 8.4, where a man and woman were allegedly found in the act of adultery. The double standards of the day were evident in that the man was apparently allowed to go free.

v23-27: A woman pledged to be married (engaged) is regarded as married; she is not free to be with another man.

The distinction to be made here in the case of rape is that the woman would cry out for help. In the city, assistance would come, but not in the countryside.