There is a notion today that Christians have a low view of sex, in contrast to the supposedly high view taken by our heavily sexualised society. We contend that the Christian view is higher than what is commonly peddled in the media. Proverbs and the Song of Solomon celebrate sex. And Deuteronomy 22:13-30 gives high value to sex by showing the seriousness of violating biblical sexual norms.

First, it's a serious offence to falsely accuse one's bride of not being a virgin. The charge must be substantiated, and the bride's family must be given the opportunity to defend her honour by presenting the proof of her virginity. And if one is proven to have made a false accusation, he has to pay a fine of ″a hundred shekels of silver″ (over 1 kilogram) to the father (vv. 13-19). This is double the bride price prescribed in verse 29. The point here is that a man cannot get away with making false accusations against a woman, which he might be tempted to do if he finds that he does not like her.

Second, it's a serious offence to have sexual relations outside of marriage. Severe punishment is prescribed for premarital sex because it is ″an outrageous thing″ that pollutes the land, requiring the land to be purged through their punishment (vv. 20-21).

The apostle Paul says that those who continue in such sin should be excommunicated so that they will repent (1 Corinthians 5:5). Given the power of sexual temptation, severe punishments are commanded to serve as deterrents to sin.

Deuteronomy 2:22 describes classic adultery-a man sleeping with another man's wife. Both ″the man who slept with her and the woman must die″. In God's law, the same standards of morality are required of both men and women, unlike in many societies where women are at an unfair disadvantage.

Verses 23-27 deal with rape. Instructions are given to determine whether the sexual relations were consensual or forced. The command, ″do nothing to the woman″ who was raped (v. 26), contrasts with how raped women are sometimes punished in Asia, even subjected to ″honour″ killings because the rape brought dishonour to the family.

According to verses 28-29, a man who raped an unengaged woman must marry her. Today, men often discard women after having their ″fun″. God does not tolerate this, for sex is a serious act which permanently unites two people (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6; 1 Corinthians 6:16). Therefore, the man is commanded to marry the woman and never divorce her as the rape would have disqualified her from future prospects of marriage.

Lastly, verse 30 prohibits a man from marrying his stepmother. Like many families still do in Asian countries today, the ancient Israelites lived in small homes with several occupants, which may have increased the possibility of incestuous relationships. Sexual relations between close relatives is a new frontier of sex and romance projected in our media today. We must take it to heart that God abhors this.