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According to the covenant that God instituted with Noah after the Flood;
murder is a mandatory death offense. (Gen 9:5)
The death penalty for murder was included as a mandate in the covenant
that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God at Sinai as per Ex 21:12-14, Lev
24:17, Lev 24:21, and Num 35:31-34.
Q: So then, seeing as how capital punishment for murder is a divine
mandate; then how was God able to let Cain walk without compromising His
own integrity? Does God practice a double standard?
A: Murder is morally wrong, yes; and it is intrinsically a sin, yes; however;
prior to the Flood, homicide wasn't a transgression because God had not yet
enacted any laws to that effect. Divinely ordained capital punishment was
unheard of, and unthinkable, prior to the Flood because it is an axiom that
Bible law isn't retroactive; viz: it can't be enforced until after it is enacted;
which is precisely why God couldn't prosecute Cain for murder. (Rom 4:15,
Rom 5:13, and Gal 3:17)
Case in point: Abraham married a half-sister. Sarah was his father's
daughter, but not his mother's (Gen 20:12). According to the covenant that
Yhvh's people agreed upon with God at Sinai, it is a breach of the covenant
to sleep with someone that close.
"The nakedness of your sister-- your father's daughter or your mother's,
whether born into the household or outside --do not uncover their
nakedness." (Lev 18:9)
But Abraham was exempt from that law because God didn't introduce it till
several centuries after Abraham's passing; and this is very important to
understand. Here's why:
Modern Judaism insists that Deut 29:14-15 retroactively binds Abraham to
the covenant. Well; not only is that kind thinking a stretch of the
imagination; but it's not even sensible because any and all breaches of the
covenant incur curses.
"Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the
daughter of his mother." (Deut 27:22)
"Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them."
(Deut 27:26)
If God were to level curses at Abraham for breaching the covenant; then
God would be quite obligated to level curses at Himself.
"I will curse him who curses you" (Gen 12:3)
Not only that; but any curses that the covenant would impose upon
Abraham for sleeping with his half sister, would quite effectively annul any
and all of the promises that God made to him in the book of Genesis.
The Jews' occupation of the land of Israel has always been conditional upon
their compliance with the covenant; but their ownership of the land has
always been conditional upon the promises that God made to Abraham prior
to the covenant's institution. That way there is no possible chance of
Abraham's posterity ever losing the deed to that land no matter how many
times they breach the covenant. They might get evicted from their homeland
from time to time; but it will always remain theirs due to Abraham's
immunity to the covenant's curses.
=========================================
According to the covenant that God instituted with Noah after the Flood;
murder is a mandatory death offense. (Gen 9:5)
The death penalty for murder was included as a mandate in the covenant
that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God at Sinai as per Ex 21:12-14, Lev
24:17, Lev 24:21, and Num 35:31-34.
Q: So then, seeing as how capital punishment for murder is a divine
mandate; then how was God able to let Cain walk without compromising His
own integrity? Does God practice a double standard?
A: Murder is morally wrong, yes; and it is intrinsically a sin, yes; however;
prior to the Flood, homicide wasn't a transgression because God had not yet
enacted any laws to that effect. Divinely ordained capital punishment was
unheard of, and unthinkable, prior to the Flood because it is an axiom that
Bible law isn't retroactive; viz: it can't be enforced until after it is enacted;
which is precisely why God couldn't prosecute Cain for murder. (Rom 4:15,
Rom 5:13, and Gal 3:17)
Case in point: Abraham married a half-sister. Sarah was his father's
daughter, but not his mother's (Gen 20:12). According to the covenant that
Yhvh's people agreed upon with God at Sinai, it is a breach of the covenant
to sleep with someone that close.
"The nakedness of your sister-- your father's daughter or your mother's,
whether born into the household or outside --do not uncover their
nakedness." (Lev 18:9)
But Abraham was exempt from that law because God didn't introduce it till
several centuries after Abraham's passing; and this is very important to
understand. Here's why:
Modern Judaism insists that Deut 29:14-15 retroactively binds Abraham to
the covenant. Well; not only is that kind thinking a stretch of the
imagination; but it's not even sensible because any and all breaches of the
covenant incur curses.
"Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the
daughter of his mother." (Deut 27:22)
"Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them."
(Deut 27:26)
If God were to level curses at Abraham for breaching the covenant; then
God would be quite obligated to level curses at Himself.
"I will curse him who curses you" (Gen 12:3)
Not only that; but any curses that the covenant would impose upon
Abraham for sleeping with his half sister, would quite effectively annul any
and all of the promises that God made to him in the book of Genesis.
The Jews' occupation of the land of Israel has always been conditional upon
their compliance with the covenant; but their ownership of the land has
always been conditional upon the promises that God made to Abraham prior
to the covenant's institution. That way there is no possible chance of
Abraham's posterity ever losing the deed to that land no matter how many
times they breach the covenant. They might get evicted from their homeland
from time to time; but it will always remain theirs due to Abraham's
immunity to the covenant's curses.
=========================================
