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==Question: Why are Old Testament penalties for disobedience so harsh?== | ==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=== | ||
| − | 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. | + | 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. (See our article about viewing troubling texts from the OT [https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Mormonism_and_difficult_Bible_questions#Question:_How_can_one_approach_reconciling_confusing.2C_seemingly_disturbing.2C_or_otherwise_troubling_texts_from_the_scriptures.3F here]). |
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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}}: | ||
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For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. | For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. | ||
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| + | 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 | ||
| + | #'''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. | ||
| + | #'''Common moral injustices''' - this applies to theft, murder, kidnapping, and human sacrifice. | ||
| + | #'''Maintaining sociological order''' - This applies to cursing and striking parents. | ||
| + | #'''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: | The following were defined as crimes worthy of capital punishment under the Mosaic Law: | ||
| − | #Adultery (Leviticus 20:10-21) | + | |
| − | #Bestiality (Exodus 22:19) | + | #'''Adultery''' (Leviticus 20:10-21; Deuteronomy 22:13-21) - Sexual fidelity was paramount for keeping the family unit intact. |
| − | #Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-16,23) | + | #'''Approaching the Ark of the Covenant''' (Numbers 4:15, 20; 1 Samuel 6:19-20; 2 Samuel 6: 6-7) - See "Approaching the Tabernacle." |
| − | #Cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17) | + | #'''Approaching the Tabernacle''' (Numbers 1:48-51) - This applied to non-Israelites who ''encroached'' on the tabernacle. This doesn't mean that outsiders weren't welcome (Exodus 22:21), just that intruders that disrupted the communal interest in an obviously malicious way were to be punished. |
| − | #Divination (Exodus 22:18) | + | #'''Bestiality''' (Exodus 22:19) - Prohibitions against sexual promiscuity and adventurism enforced the familial ideal |
| − | #False prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1-11) | + | #'''Blasphemy''' (Leviticus 24:10-16,23) - God required the fidelity and faithfulness of the Israelites. |
| − | #Fornication (Leviticus 21:9) | + | #'''Cursing your parents''' (Exodus 21:17) - This also enforced the familial ideals of Israel |
| − | #Homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22) | + | #'''Disobeying the judge or priest that mediates a specific case''' (Deuteronomy 17:8-13) - As noted in the New Oxford Annotated Bible, <blockquote>In the pre-Deuteronomic period, legal cases in which there was an absence of physical evidence or of witnesses were remanded to the local sanctuary, where the parties to the dispute would swear a judicial oath at the altar (19.17; Ex 22.7-11; 1 Kings 8.31-32; note also Ex 21.6). These two laws (17.2-7,8-13) thus fill the judicial void created by Deuteronomy's prohibition of the local sanctuaries (ch 12). Now, any case that requires recourse to the altar is remanded to the central sanctuary; all other cases, even capital ones, may be tried locally (vv 2-7). <b>8.</b> These cases must be referred to the central sanctuary because, in the absence of witnesses o evidence, local officials cannot make a ruling. ''Between one kind of bloodshed and another'', the legal distinction between murder and manslaughter (Ex 21. 12-14; Num 35. 16-23). In each pair, he distinction is between premeditated or unintentional offenses. <b>9:</b> The tribunal at the sanctuary includes both priestly and lay members. The account of Jehosophat's setting up tribunals throughout Judah composed of lay and clerical judges reflects this law (2 Chr 19. 5-11)."<ref>Bernard M. Levison, ''Commentary on Deuteronomy'' in "The New Oxford Annotated Bible" (ed.) Michael Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, Pheme Perkins (New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010) 278.</ref></blockquote> |
| − | #Human sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2) | + | #'''Divination''' (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27) - 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. |
| − | #Incest (Leviticus 18:6-17) | + | #'''False prophecy''' (Deuteronomy 13:1-11; Zechariah 13:3) - There had to be a way to know who was a true prophet of Jehovah. |
| − | #Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16) | + | #'''Fornication''' (Leviticus 21:9) - Sexual fidelity was the primordial factor that enforced Israel's familial ideals. |
| − | #Murder (Exodus 21:12-14) | + | #'''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. |
| − | #Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-27) | + | #'''Human sacrifice''' (Leviticus 20:2) - The practice was deplorable as it wasted God's creation and was a frequent practice of neighboring civilizations. |
| − | #Rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 17:12) | + | #'''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 Salvation--to bring righteous souls to the earth so that the could participate in the gift of mortality and becoming like God. |
| − | #Sacrificing to false gods (Exodus 22:20) | + | #'''Kidnapping''' (Exodus 21:16) - Self-evident. This law applied to everyone whether Israelite, non-Israelite, slave, freeman, etc. |
| − | #Striking your parents (Exodus 21:15) | + | #'''Murder''' (Exodus 21:12-14) - Self-evident. The taking of innocent life was a very serious threat to creational ideals. |
| − | #Violating the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2) | + | #'''Rape''' (Deuteronomy 22:25-27) - Self-evident. |
| + | #'''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 22:19, 20; Numbers 25:1-9; Deuteronomy 13: 7-19; 17:2-5; 2 Chronicles 15:12-13; 1 Kings 14:9-16; 1 Kings 18:37-40) - Consecrating oneself to God was of the utmost importance. This applied only to Israelites who had covenanted to follow Yahweh and then sacrificed to someone else. Sacrificing to other gods is often juxtaposed with themes of whoredom and adultery. | ||
| + | #'''Striking your parents''' (Exodus 21:15) - Another law regarding familial ideals. | ||
| + | #'''Violating the Sabbath''' (Exodus 31:12-15; 35:2) - Strict laws ensured that Israel learned obedience and consecrated themselves to God. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Some have claimed that there was a death penalty for mixing certain kinds of fabrics together.<ref>Jeremy Runnells, "Letter to a CES Director" 2013</ref> It is true that there was a prohibition for this type of mixing given in Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:9-11. Yet neither scripture points to a penalty of death for their violation. Why these mixing laws were given has been difficult to explain for biblical scholars though there are a number of different theories.<ref>Paul Copan, ''Is God a Moral Monster''? (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011) 114–49. See also Bob Deffinbaugh "8. The Clean and Unclean-Part I (Leviticus 11)" ''Bible.org'', accessed March 20, 2019, https://bible.org/seriespage/8-clean-and-unclean-part-i-leviticus-11.</ref> | ||
</onlyinclude> | </onlyinclude> | ||
{{endnotes sources}} | {{endnotes sources}} | ||
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[[es:Pregunta: ¿Por qué las sanciones del Antiguo Testamento para la desobediencia tan dura?]] | [[es:Pregunta: ¿Por qué las sanciones del Antiguo Testamento para la desobediencia tan dura?]] | ||
[[pt:Pergunta: Por que as punições do Velho Testamento eram tão severas?]] | [[pt:Pergunta: Por que as punições do Velho Testamento eram tão severas?]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Questions]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:37, 13 April 2024
FAIR Answers—back to home page
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. (See our article about viewing troubling texts from the OT here).
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:
- 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.
- Common moral injustices - this applies to theft, murder, kidnapping, and human sacrifice.
- Maintaining sociological order - This applies to cursing and striking parents.
- 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:
- Adultery (Leviticus 20:10-21; Deuteronomy 22:13-21) - Sexual fidelity was paramount for keeping the family unit intact.
- Approaching the Ark of the Covenant (Numbers 4:15, 20; 1 Samuel 6:19-20; 2 Samuel 6: 6-7) - See "Approaching the Tabernacle."
- Approaching the Tabernacle (Numbers 1:48-51) - This applied to non-Israelites who encroached on the tabernacle. This doesn't mean that outsiders weren't welcome (Exodus 22:21), just that intruders that disrupted the communal interest in an obviously malicious way were to be punished.
- Bestiality (Exodus 22:19) - Prohibitions against sexual promiscuity and adventurism enforced the familial ideal
- Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-16,23) - God required the fidelity and faithfulness of the Israelites.
- Cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17) - This also enforced the familial ideals of Israel
- Disobeying the judge or priest that mediates a specific case (Deuteronomy 17:8-13) - As noted in the New Oxford Annotated Bible,
In the pre-Deuteronomic period, legal cases in which there was an absence of physical evidence or of witnesses were remanded to the local sanctuary, where the parties to the dispute would swear a judicial oath at the altar (19.17; Ex 22.7-11; 1 Kings 8.31-32; note also Ex 21.6). These two laws (17.2-7,8-13) thus fill the judicial void created by Deuteronomy's prohibition of the local sanctuaries (ch 12). Now, any case that requires recourse to the altar is remanded to the central sanctuary; all other cases, even capital ones, may be tried locally (vv 2-7). 8. These cases must be referred to the central sanctuary because, in the absence of witnesses o evidence, local officials cannot make a ruling. Between one kind of bloodshed and another, the legal distinction between murder and manslaughter (Ex 21. 12-14; Num 35. 16-23). In each pair, he distinction is between premeditated or unintentional offenses. 9: The tribunal at the sanctuary includes both priestly and lay members. The account of Jehosophat's setting up tribunals throughout Judah composed of lay and clerical judges reflects this law (2 Chr 19. 5-11)."[1]
- Divination (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27) - 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; Zechariah 13:3) - There had to be a way to know who was a true prophet of Jehovah.
- Fornication (Leviticus 21:9) - Sexual fidelity was the primordial factor that enforced Israel's familial ideals.
- 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) - The practice was deplorable as it wasted God's creation and was a frequent practice of neighboring civilizations.
- 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 Salvation--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) - Self-evident. This law applied to everyone whether Israelite, non-Israelite, slave, freeman, etc.
- 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) - Self-evident.
- 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 22:19, 20; Numbers 25:1-9; Deuteronomy 13: 7-19; 17:2-5; 2 Chronicles 15:12-13; 1 Kings 14:9-16; 1 Kings 18:37-40) - Consecrating oneself to God was of the utmost importance. This applied only to Israelites who had covenanted to follow Yahweh and then sacrificed to someone else. Sacrificing to other gods is often juxtaposed with themes of whoredom and adultery.
- Striking your parents (Exodus 21:15) - Another law regarding familial ideals.
- Violating the Sabbath (Exodus 31:12-15; 35:2) - Strict laws ensured that Israel learned obedience and consecrated themselves to God.
Some have claimed that there was a death penalty for mixing certain kinds of fabrics together.[2] It is true that there was a prohibition for this type of mixing given in Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:9-11. Yet neither scripture points to a penalty of death for their violation. Why these mixing laws were given has been difficult to explain for biblical scholars though there are a number of different theories.[3]
Notes
- ↑ Bernard M. Levison, Commentary on Deuteronomy in "The New Oxford Annotated Bible" (ed.) Michael Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, Pheme Perkins (New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010) 278.
- ↑ Jeremy Runnells, "Letter to a CES Director" 2013
- ↑ Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster? (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011) 114–49. See also Bob Deffinbaugh "8. The Clean and Unclean-Part I (Leviticus 11)" Bible.org, accessed March 20, 2019, https://bible.org/seriespage/8-clean-and-unclean-part-i-leviticus-11.