"While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day ... And The Lord said to Moses, "The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp." (Numbers 15:32,35 RSV)
so i say again why is this completely contradictory to the commandments. and for the people who say the bible is truth why arent you stoning these people?
2006-11-07 14:01:15 · 34 answers · asked by Red Eye 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"god can break those who punish laws" but if people are killing him then they are breaking gods law , free pass?
2006-11-07 14:09:34 · update #1
Why have you laboured to turn light into darkness and sweetness into bttterness?
2006-11-07 14:11:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 4⤋
How is the contradictory to the commandments? He was working on the Sabbath, which was against the law to the Isralites. The punishment at those times was death by stoning.
If you are talking about killing the man, read the commandments again. It does not say thou shalt not kill; it actually says thou shalt not commit MURDER. Murder is done with malice. The death of this man was more like capital punishment. It was not breaking a commandment.
Under the new covenant, blood is not necessary for forgivenss because Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice as an atonement for all sins. People no longer need to die for breaking the laws. Instead, they can now go straight to God to repent and find forgiveness.
2006-11-07 14:11:27 · answer #2 · answered by shybusch 3 · 4⤊ 2⤋
There's a difference between committing murder and killing someone. For example if you're at war and you kill someone, that's not murder. If you are angry with your girlfriend for sleeping with another guy and you kill them both, that is murder. There are a lot of examples where killing people is not a sin. God told Joshua when he was dividing up the land of Israel to set a side a bunch of towns where people can go if they killed someone on accident so they will be safe. The example in the Bible is that if you are chopping wood and the blade flies off your ax and kills someone. So if God told Moses to stone someone to death that isn't a sin. Does that make any sense? I hope so.
2006-11-07 15:18:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the bible does not contradict it self if you would have continued to read the book of exodus you would have came to these verses.
Exo 31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Exo 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
there is no contradiction!
and the reason we do not stone people today is that we are not under the old law (that is the old testament).
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
2006-11-07 14:40:50 · answer #4 · answered by adversary 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, your question might need a pretty complicated answer. First of all, when you used the verses in Numbers, you left out an important part: Numbers 15:33-34:
Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.
They kept him in custody. Note, they didn't say for how LONG he was kept in custody. It could have been hours, days, weeks...who knows?
I believe your initial question implied that they stoned the man on the Sabbath. It's entirely possible that it was done much later.
Therefore, which Commandment did they break?
The reason that Christians no longer stone people is because we don't HAVE to. Nowhere in the New Testament is it said that it's necessary. That and animal sacrifices were done away with.
Hmm, guess that wasn't so complicated after all.
2006-11-07 14:10:53 · answer #5 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
This is one of the beliefs of Christianity that I have trouble understanding.
The OT has the 10 commandments, then Jesus came and said he did not come to abolish the laws but to fulfill them. When Jesus was asked which commandment is the greatest...he says to Love the Lord they God with all your heart and to Love your neighbour as thyself.
I interpret all of this to mean that Jesus came to teach us to love one God and all people under one God. Jesus also says that to cast a stone at a law breaker....you would need to have no sin in yourself. Again, It could mean that judgement towards another is impossible if you are not perfect yourself.
Long story short.....I don't belong to an organized religion, because my logical questions cannot be fully answered within the constrains of religious doctrine.
I don't have the answer to your question, other than that somehow it may not be contradictory if the OT and NT are assumed to be a timeline, like an actual story of how things once were.
2006-11-07 14:25:51 · answer #6 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The commandment that says "thou shalt not kill" refers to premeditated murder and killing out of anger. If you read the Bible enough, you will find several instances where God instructs the people to "Purge the evil from among you" and time when God "leads" the Israelites into battle with those in the land He was going to give to them. Make no mistake about it, God didn't put up with much disobediance and killing as a form of punishment was never ruled out in the Bible. If you find that verbage in there, let me know.
2006-11-07 14:24:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, I deserve death for what I have done and what I have failed to do. There is no respect for the Sabbath these days. Mea culpa. I ask for your forgiveness. I am a bad example. To God, this is heinous, and dishonorable to the memory of this poor man's sacrifice.
2006-11-07 14:55:35 · answer #8 · answered by Shinigami 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was God's judgment for breaking the Sabbath.
If God is truly God, he has the right to punish those who break his laws.
While the Sabbath may not seem like a very big deal, it is of great significance to God. It is the one commandment that identifies him as Creator and God of the universe, having the right to rule.
2006-11-07 14:08:10 · answer #9 · answered by jewel_flower 4 · 7⤊ 2⤋
Yes, that was meant literally. Yes, the Old Testament people really did stuff like that.
When Jesus came and brought the age of grace, He took the judgement of the law out of the people's hands, probably because they were abusing it. The Pharisees were twisting the law for their own gain, so Jesus decided that men were simply not qualified to be judge and jury.
2006-11-07 14:14:24 · answer #10 · answered by cirque de lune 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Quote ?"why arent you stoning these people? " You talking about people that pick up sticks.today. The people on earth today are already
dead.Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
In Gods eyes we all are walking dead men until Jesus gives us Eternal life. Eternal life is yours if you only Believe and receive Jesus as Lord.
In Christ in Love,
TJ57
2006-11-07 14:14:18 · answer #11 · answered by TJ 57 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋