Among the Ten Commandment which makes the difference, are “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy” and “ thou shall not serve other gods beside me ---because I am a jealous God” (Exodus chapter 20). Even then, these two Commandments are already common in other religions as the custom and tradition demand which also include observing the day of traditional religious ceremonies and festival of the gods and restriction of worshiping foreign gods in their own land which led to the persecution of the Apostles of Jesus Christ and early Christians.
Therefore, all the Ten Commandments introduced by God through Moses, are already existing long before he was born who also became one of the law breakers by killing an Egyptian and fled to Median to escape the wrath of Pharaoh and execution if found guilty, who later introduced the law “Thou shall not kill” among the ten commandments.
In another development, before Moses was born, Joseph refused to commit adultery with Portiva’s wife which landed him in jail and later become the Prime Minister of Egypt who later introduced the law “Thou shall not commit Adultery”. Joseph also accused his younger brother Benjamin for stealing his golden cup before Moses came to introduce the law “Thou shall not steal” as one of the Ten Commandments.
Based on this development, in-as-much-as the laws of Moses are concerned, there was no new law under the sun and the same applies to the biblical and secular marriages of every tribes and nations around the world where the bride price become absolutely optional.
BIBLICAL TIMES
In some culture and tradition, family of the same blood line do NOT pay bride price in Marriage. The biblical term used is “Kinsmen” . Evidently, Sarah was the daughter of Terrah same father with Abraham but of different mother (Gen. 20:10-12)). Therefore did not pay her bride price. Isaac was married to Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor brother of Abraham of the same father Terrah. So she was Terrah's granddaughter whose mother was Milcah . So there was no bride price involved. (Gen. 11:16-32, 22:20-24 & 24:20-24).
Consequently, the marriage presence was given to Rebecca instead and not to her father Bethuel. There was no bride price apart from jewels of gold and silver. Such costly presence far exceed the bride price which range between twenty and thirty pieces of silver and there was no such bargain on how much to pay but rather they sought for Rebecca consent either to accept or reject the marriage proposal which was the only bargain between the two parties considering the fact that both Isaac and Rebecca were sister and brother as the bribe price will only be applicable if he or she was going to marry outside their kinsmen of the same or another tribe as applicable in other parts of the world.
Therefore, the jewelry of gold and silver presented to Rebecca was to show appreciation for her acceptance and not based on bride price.
In another development, an Israeli soldier was allowed to marry the daughter of their enemies taken as captives and whose parent might had been killed at war without bride price ( Deut. 21:10-`14)
Similarly, Jacob married four wives but pay no bride price. Among them Lea and Rachael were his two sisters whose father was Laban being the brother of Rebecca same father Bethuel but served his uncle Laban in order to show appreciation for seven years on each of the two sisters making a total of fourteen years and Laban mentioned that their customs and tradition only allow the first daughter Lea to marry first before the second daughter Rachael whom Jacob loved so much. Which suggests that their customs did not allow bride price to be paid among sisters and brothers in marriage except outside the family folk which also suggests that you can marry your own sister born of the same father with you and not of the same mother like Abraham and Sarah’s case.
More evidently, each of the two sisters gave him their house maids without bride price making a total of four wives which gave birth to the twelve sons of Jacob that formed the nation of Israel. ( )
INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE.
Abraham was in Israel known as the “Land of Canaan” while he sent his servant to choose a wife in Iraq where his home town was located biblically known as “UR of Chaldean” and there he met Rebecca. Evidently, in 2004, American soldiers handed over the town of UR to the newly formed Irqi government after the dead of Sadam Husain.
Based on the covenant God made with Abraham, he could no longer step his foot in Iraq anymore, so he sent his servant to choose a wife from his home town among his kinsmen. Therefore, the Israelis are Babylonians by origin including Jesus Chris the King of kings and Lord of lords. So God is interested in Babylon being the only name among the countries on earth to appear again in the book of Revelation which replace the name “Israel” completely as God’s Kingdom on earth will represent the Golden Kingdom of Babylon that wears the golden crown that will never fade and whose kingdom that will have no end based on the prophecy of Daniel chapter 2 and based on the covenant God made with Abraham – the Babylonian.
Based on the international marriage, the full traditional marriage was not observed for not knowing the virginity of bride first before payment of bride price aside from the fact that both of them are sister and brother except for the home marriages where the bride loses her life if she is not found to be a virgin and will be stoned to dead at the door of her father’s House which is the same custom practice among the nations in the middle east and in other parts of the world depending on individual customs and tradition. However, Rebecca was proved to be a virgin when she arrived in Israel and was exceptionally beautify so admired by Isaac.
Therefore the strange law introduced by some church leaders that a man must not know his wife until he had paid her bride price like Rebecca’s case is not applicable in- as- much- as it was an international marriage where a man living in any part of the world authorizes his family to marry a wife and send to him irrespective of being a virgin or not and in as-much-as- there was no bride price paid in Rebecca and Isaac’s case based on their customs and tradition and she was proven to be a virgin.
Some church leaders use the story of Isaac and Rebecca and destroy marriages frustrating their children to become children from broken homes whom they identify as “Fornication Children” based on the fact that the man had not paid her bride price so it is a sin and both of them and their children will walk into hell fire which has no proof in the bible. Remember the Judgment day is near! Every false doctrine will be brought to judgment.
FORNICATION MARRIAGES
The phrase “Fornication marriage” is not in the bible but is used by some church leaders to destroy marriages. Fornication marriage has no based in the bible from the book of Genesis to Revelation to be used as a base to cause broken homes. Based on this development, the man and woman were forced to separate and their God given children are being identified as the “Children of Fornication” or “Children born of Harlotry” as they become desperate prostitutes and criminals and hate to see anything called “Church” which separate their mother and father in the name of “Being Born Again”. In most cases, most women remain unmarried claiming “I am married to Jesus” to make heaven.
From the biblical perspective, “Fornication” and “Marriage” are two separate words that cannot be combined together. Pattern of traditional marriages are only found in the Old Testament scriptures and not in the New Testament. Evidently, the word “Adultery” is only found in the Ten Commandment and not “Fornication” in-much-as marriage could be established with or without bride price. (Exodus chapter 20). Based on the fact that ‘Fornication” only refer to a Harlot or Prostitute who trade with her own body for money (Revelation chapter 17) and prostitution or harlotry is forbidden in the law of Moses whose penalty is “stone to dead”. Therefore fornication is only practiced by the gentiles known as the none Jews.
However, some men harbor prostitute based on contract and she is at liberty to go out and sell are body and return to the house and living with the man as her husband like the Woman of Samaria and it could be her own house. This is what we could described as “Fornication Marriage” (John chapter 4, 8:41 and Mat. 19:8-9). This kind of relationship is quite different from a woman who remains with a man with or without bride price but faithful to him and in most cases had children born with him; she is not to be classified as a prostitute or harlot. Therefore Jesus said, “ Do not divorce a woman unless for fornication” meaning unless she is secretly committing fornication with other men (Mat chapter 19).
Most men married without bride price and had children who graduated from the universities and secure good jobs and later went to the family and perform all the marital rites in order to have total control of the educated children else he loose them if the woman latter fully remarried by another man who performs the full marital rites according to some traditions.
I know of several Pentecostal church leaders who never performed any marital rite with their wives but latter perform those rites with their children based on the customs and tradition of the land in order to gain total control of his children.
Therefore, fornication is a sin, which is punishable by hell fire on the day of judgment ( Rev. Chapter 21:8 ) and not based on bride price depending on the custom and tradition of the land and circumstances surrounding such marriage, Therefore, based on the biblical perspective, it is absolutely no compulsory that a man must pay for his wife bride price to be recognized as a true wife depending on the custom and tradition of the land.
THE MARITAL BOND
Amidst the numerous customs and traditions all over the world, God only recognizes the marital bond and not the bride price and expensive wedding rings. What God recognizes as marriage is the sexual bond between a man and woman even though it is just the one day of bodily contact with no further protocols to be observed like Adam and Eve case. Right from the first day you establish the bond, the man becomes your husband and the woman becomes your wife. This bond determines the sin of either Adultery or Fornication because your body is the temple of God as every manner of sin is committed outside the body but sexual sin involve your own blood exchange in the act for reproduction ( 1st Cor. 6:18 )
Consequently, if a very rich man pays ONE MILLION DOLLARS as bride price but refuses to exchange the blood as a bond through sexual act, God does not recognize such marriage who also sees it as wickedness on the part of the man who pour out his semen for the avoidance of pregnancy such as the use of Condom (Gen chapter 38).
Therefore, if the rich man’s gate keeper sleeps with his wife just one day, he automatically becomes her husband for having established the bond with her and not the bride price paid by the rich man. Therefore, it is a sin to separate a man and woman even with children who had already established the bond whom God had recognized as husband and wife, in-as-much- as several biblical marriages were established with or without bride price as also applicable in other parts of the world depending on the customs and tradition of the land and the circumstances stranding such marriages.
Therefore stop destroying marriages because of bride price.
“What God had joined together let no man put asunder” (Mat. 19:6 )
