Laws in the Old Testament

[Qualiteee]

I know it’s difficult to conceive of this notion but nevertheless this must be acknowledged.

God, as the Supreme Arbiter of life and death has a prerogative that stands upon this:

If these whole sale slaughters were truly by the direct demand of “The Sovereign Arbiter” he is the Just judge of all reward and punishment. God, by commanding the Israelites gave them this supernatural decree to be the executioners of his sentence against the neighboring people and is within God’s right to fully assign and consequently the Isrealites to enforce.

To say that God is not perfectly moral, is tantamount to God being an immoral being by forgiving us of our sins. I mean, why would he forgive a mass murderer simply by that person having a change of heart of faith at the baptismal font? All sin (mortal and venial) including all penalty for sin (temporal and eternal) is washed away. Would God be an accomplice of sorts? Or what of his Omniscience and Ubiquity? Is he an accomplice as that murderer at this very moment is preying upon a child somewhere in this world wielding a knife with a firm intention of stabbing and raping them to death, yet doesn’t prevent it from happening?

Who’s to say that supernaturally God prevented those people from experiencing any pain during their slaughter? Or is pain the only “immoral” part of the matter?

Who’s to say that supernaturally those people were rewarded with something far greater than their earthly life by simply having to be removed out of the way for God’s Divine plan to unravel for the Israelites?

God binds the natural law upon man but God is not bound to it himself because he can not sin simply because he can not offend himself.

 

[theblindlead]

people may get mad at me for this post but it must be said. i have only skimmed over everyone’s comments but i hope i can shed some light on the situation even though many will not like what i have to say.

I would argue that anyone who was a gentile (in the old testament) was not actually a person therefore the command to kill the gentiles or enslave gentiles would be no different than killing cattle or enslaving sheep.

The Israelite’s were God chosen people, everyone who was not a Jew was not actually a human person.

jews who did not act like Jews (working on sabbath ect) were not persons either they were gentiles therefore they should be killed for they are not persons.

the old covenant was only for the jews the new covenant was for everyone.

think about my response and tell me what you guys think!

 

[rdscheirer]

Dear Garrus!V 7,
Read Genisis where it talks about the penalty that will come to the tribes of Esau because of their apostasy to GOD.
These were the people who were supposed to be removed from the Holy Land but after Joshua the Isrealites did not do it so they suffered by having the natives goad them into worshiping wood and clay.

 

[Dave_B]

Why is it that the morality on offer in the Old Testament seems so different from what we would expect from a morally perfect God?

We believe God **is **morally perfect. You therefore need to decide whether your understanding is imperfect, or if the Old Testament is imperfect. I opt for a bit of both… call me a heretic if you like but last time I checked the earth was a sphere.