Difference between revisions of "Question: Why are Old Testament penalties for disobedience so harsh?"

(→‎The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience)
(→‎The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience)
Line 4: Line 4:
 
===The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience===
 
===The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience===
  
−
The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience. It was indeed quite harsh when compared to our modern standards, however for its time (in several aspects at least) it was step forward from the even harsher surrounding Near Eastern cultures. It was a lesser law meant to bring the Israelites to Christ incrementally. As Evangelical scholar and apologist Paul Copan has written:
+
The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience. It was indeed quite harsh when compared to our modern standards, however for its time (in several aspects at least) it was step forward from the even harsher surrounding Near Eastern cultures.
−
 
 
−
<blockquote>
 
−
'''Incremental Steps toward the Ideal'''
 
−
 
 
−
How then did God address the patriarchal structures, primogeniture (rights of the firstborn), polygamy, warfare, servitude/slavery, and a number of other fallen social arrangements that were permited because of the hardness of human hearts? He met Israel partway. As Jesus stated it in Matthew 19:8, "Because of the hardness of heart Moses was permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way." We could apply this passage to many problematic structures within the ancient Near Eastern context: "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted servitude and patriarchy and warfare and the like, but from the beginning it has not been this way." They were not ideal and universal.
 
−
 
 
−
[. . .]
 
−
 
 
−
In the New Testament, Paul assumes that God had been putting up with inferior, less-than-ideal societal structures and human disobedience:
 
−
 
 
−
* Acts 17:30: Previously, God "overlooked the times of ignorance" and is "now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent."
 
−
* Romans 3:25: God has now "demonstrate[d] His righteousness" in Christ, though "in forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed."
 
−
 
 
−
Like two sides of the same coin, we have ''human'' hard-heartedness and ''divine'' forbearance. God ''put up with'' many aspects of human fallenness and adjusted accordingly<ref>Copan, Paul "Is God a Moral Monster?" (Baker Books: Grand Rapids, Michigan 2011) print</ref></blockquote>.
 
−
 
 
−
As Copan cautions a page earlier:
 
−
<blockquote> Does that mean that God's ideals turn up only in the New Testament? No, the ideals are established at the very beginning (Gen 1-2). The Old Testament makes clear that ''all'' humans are God's image-bearers; they have dignity, worth, and moral responsibility. And God's idea for marriage is a one-flesh [meaning equal] monogamous union between husband and wife. Also, certain prohibitions in the law of Moses against theft, adultery, murder, and idolatry have enduring relevance. Yet when we look at God's dealings with fallen humans in the ancient Near East, these ideals were ignored and even deeply distorted. So God was at work in seeking to restore or move toward this ideal.
 
−
 
 
−
We know that many products on the market have a built-in, planned obsolescence. They're designed for the short-term; they're not intended to be long-lasting and permanent. The same goes for the law of Moses: it was never intended to be enduring. It looked forward to a new covenant (Jer 31; Ezek.36). It's not that the Mosaic law was bad and therefore needed to be replaced. The law was good (Rom. 7:12), but it was a temporary measure that was less than ideal; it was in need of replacement and fulfillment.
 
−
 
 
−
Though a necessary part of God's unfolding plan, the Sinai legislation wasn't God's final word. As the biblical scholar N.T. Wright affirms, "The Torah [law of Moses at Sinai] is given for a specific period of time, and is then set aside--not because it was a bad thing now happily abolished, but because it was a good thing whose purpose had now been accomplished." This is the message of the New Testament book of Hebrews: the old Mosaic law and other Old Testament institutions and figures like Moses and Joshua were prefiguring "shadows" that would give way to "substance" and completion. Or as Paul put it in Galatians 3:24, the law was a "tutor" for Israel to prepare the way for Christ.<ref>Ibid.</ref></blockquote>
 
  
 
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He fulfilled the Law of Moses. God reminds us that his ways are not our ways in {{s||Isaiah|55|8-9}}:
 
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He fulfilled the Law of Moses. God reminds us that his ways are not our ways in {{s||Isaiah|55|8-9}}:
Line 33: Line 12:
 
</blockquote>
 
</blockquote>
  
−
Capital punishment was required generally for five reasons:
+
Capital punishment was required generally for five reasons in Israel:
 
#Sexual purity. Sexual acts were given perhaps the strictest boundaries. This applies for adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, incest, and rape
 
#Sexual purity. Sexual acts were given perhaps the strictest boundaries. This applies for adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, incest, and rape
 
#The worship of other Gods. God's people had to maintain a theological purity. Worshipping other gods in the scriptures is most often compared to adultery and/or whoredoms. Anything that usurped the authority of Jehovah was strictly prohibited. This applies to divination, and sacrificing to false Gods.
 
#The worship of other Gods. God's people had to maintain a theological purity. Worshipping other gods in the scriptures is most often compared to adultery and/or whoredoms. Anything that usurped the authority of Jehovah was strictly prohibited. This applies to divination, and sacrificing to false Gods.
Line 42: Line 21:
 
The following were defined as crimes worthy of capital punishment under the Mosaic Law:
 
The following were defined as crimes worthy of capital punishment under the Mosaic Law:
  
−
#Adultery (Leviticus 20:10-21)
+
#Adultery (Leviticus 20:10-21) - Sexual fidelity was paramount for keeping the family unit intact.
−
#Bestiality (Exodus 22:19)
+
#Bestiality (Exodus 22:19) - Prohibitions against sexual promiscuity and adventurism enforced the familial ideal
−
#Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-16,23)
+
#Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-16,23) - God required the fidelity and faithfulness of the Israelites.
−
#Cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17)
+
#Cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17) - This also enforced the familial ideals of Israel
−
#Divination (Exodus 22:18)
+
#Divination (Exodus 22:18) - Witchcraft was equivalent to usurping the power of Yahweh since it convinced people into worshipping other Gods. The worship of other Gods is frequently juxtaposed with themes of whoredom and adultery.
−
#False prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1-11)
+
#False prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1-11) - There had to be a way to know who was a true prophet of Jehovah.
−
#Fornication (Leviticus 21:9)
+
#Fornication (Leviticus 21:9) - Sexual fidelity was the primordial factor that enforced Israel's familial ideals.
−
#Homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22)
+
#Homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22) - The joining of man and woman ensured the continuation of species and the rising up of a righteous generation of followers to Jehovah.
−
#Human sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2)
+
#Human sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2) - The practice was deplorable as it wasted God's creation and was a frequent practice of neighboring civilizations.
−
#Incest (Leviticus 18:6-17)
+
#Incest (Leviticus 18:6-17) - Another law creating strict boundaries around sex. The bounds that God placed on sexual practice were for the specific purpose of fulfilling the ideals of the Plan of Salavtion--to bring righteous souls to the earth so that the could participate in the gift of mortality and becoming like God.
−
#Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16)
+
#Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16) - Self-evident. This law applied to everyone whether Israelite, non-Israelite, slave, freeman, etc.
−
#Murder (Exodus 21:12-14)
+
#Murder (Exodus 21:12-14) - Self-evident. The taking of innocent life was a very serious threat to creational ideals.
−
#Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-27)
+
#Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-27) - Self-evident.
−
#Rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 17:12)
+
#Rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 17:12) - Another law regarding familial unity and congruency. Rebelliousness upset the family order. Though the laws governing capital punishment here were casuistic.
−
#Sacrificing to false gods (Exodus 22:20)
+
#Sacrificing to false gods (Exodus 22:20) - Consecrating oneself to God was of the utmost importance.
−
#Striking your parents (Exodus 21:15)
+
#Striking your parents (Exodus 21:15) - Another law regarding familial ideals.
−
#Violating the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2)
+
#Violating the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2) - Strict laws ensured that Israel learned obedience and consecrated themselves to God.
 
</onlyinclude>
 
</onlyinclude>
 
{{endnotes sources}}
 
{{endnotes sources}}

Revision as of 16:19, 13 February 2019

  1. REDIRECTTemplate:Test3

Question: Why are Old Testament penalties for disobedience so harsh?

The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience

The Law of Moses was a very strict law that was designed to teach the Children of Israel obedience. It was indeed quite harsh when compared to our modern standards, however for its time (in several aspects at least) it was step forward from the even harsher surrounding Near Eastern cultures.

When Jesus Christ came to earth, He fulfilled the Law of Moses. God reminds us that his ways are not our ways in Isaiah 55꞉8-9:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Capital punishment was required generally for five reasons in Israel:

  1. Sexual purity. Sexual acts were given perhaps the strictest boundaries. This applies for adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, incest, and rape
  2. The worship of other Gods. God's people had to maintain a theological purity. Worshipping other gods in the scriptures is most often compared to adultery and/or whoredoms. Anything that usurped the authority of Jehovah was strictly prohibited. This applies to divination, and sacrificing to false Gods.
  3. Common moral injustices - this applies to theft, murder, kidnapping, and human sacrifice.
  4. Maintaining sociological order. This applies to cursing and striking parents.
  5. Maintaining ritual purity. God wanted Israel to be a people that was set apart from the rest. They had to show it through moral advances, strict obedience, and setting the world aside. This applies to Sabbath breakers and some of the strict legislation set for the Israelite camp.

The following were defined as crimes worthy of capital punishment under the Mosaic Law:

  1. Adultery (Leviticus 20:10-21) - Sexual fidelity was paramount for keeping the family unit intact.
  2. Bestiality (Exodus 22:19) - Prohibitions against sexual promiscuity and adventurism enforced the familial ideal
  3. Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-16,23) - God required the fidelity and faithfulness of the Israelites.
  4. Cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17) - This also enforced the familial ideals of Israel
  5. Divination (Exodus 22:18) - Witchcraft was equivalent to usurping the power of Yahweh since it convinced people into worshipping other Gods. The worship of other Gods is frequently juxtaposed with themes of whoredom and adultery.
  6. False prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1-11) - There had to be a way to know who was a true prophet of Jehovah.
  7. Fornication (Leviticus 21:9) - Sexual fidelity was the primordial factor that enforced Israel's familial ideals.
  8. Homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22) - The joining of man and woman ensured the continuation of species and the rising up of a righteous generation of followers to Jehovah.
  9. Human sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2) - The practice was deplorable as it wasted God's creation and was a frequent practice of neighboring civilizations.
  10. Incest (Leviticus 18:6-17) - Another law creating strict boundaries around sex. The bounds that God placed on sexual practice were for the specific purpose of fulfilling the ideals of the Plan of Salavtion--to bring righteous souls to the earth so that the could participate in the gift of mortality and becoming like God.
  11. Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16) - Self-evident. This law applied to everyone whether Israelite, non-Israelite, slave, freeman, etc.
  12. Murder (Exodus 21:12-14) - Self-evident. The taking of innocent life was a very serious threat to creational ideals.
  13. Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-27) - Self-evident.
  14. Rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 17:12) - Another law regarding familial unity and congruency. Rebelliousness upset the family order. Though the laws governing capital punishment here were casuistic.
  15. Sacrificing to false gods (Exodus 22:20) - Consecrating oneself to God was of the utmost importance.
  16. Striking your parents (Exodus 21:15) - Another law regarding familial ideals.
  17. Violating the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2) - Strict laws ensured that Israel learned obedience and consecrated themselves to God.


Notes


Retrieved from "https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/index.php?title=Question:_Why_are_Old_Testament_penalties_for_disobedience_so_harsh%3F&oldid=208806"