In a previous piece entitled: Is Social Justice compatible with Biblical Justice? I employed ideas I learned from Dennis Prager in this video.
There are many concepts in law and justice we apply today that are biblical derived. “Eye for an eye” or the law of retaliation is a brilliant notion that contradicts the ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Greeks. Lex taliones means that the punishment is proportionate to the crime. It also means that everyone’s eyes are equal, regardless of class.
I wanted to further share this because many Christians aren’t sure how to reconcile the Old Testament depiction of God with the New Testament depiction of God. The New Testament is often characterized, by non-Christians as God being loving and forgiving, while the Old Testament these same people see God as vengeful and backwards. But the Bible tells us:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Therefore, the whole Bible must depict God the same throughout in order to maintain legitimacy. In today’s society many deny the inerrant nature of Scripture because they refuse to dig deeper into their misunderstandings. But the Bible is coherent throughout. God is the main character on every page. There are resources available to bridge the misunderstandings about the culture behind the Old Testament and the Law. I think Dennis Prager does a fantastic job of explaining why God permitted the Law of Retaliation and why God would allow a process for a rebellious child to be put to death.
Raymond Fava is the Founder of Startup Christ and the founder of EcoEats, Inc. EcoEats crafts exotic jerkies using unique flavors. To see their selection, click here.