Why did punishment differ in Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Kings 15:11-12?
score:4
Leviticus 20:13 mentions what should be done to Israelites under the Law of Moses. 1 Kings 15:11-12 mentions how a particular King ruled the nations of Israel. It seems from the context that there were some Canaanite idolatry temples within Israel, which practiced cult prostitution. 1 Kings 14:24 indicates that there was actually both male and female prostitutes. From what I know about these temples it is most probable that the prostitutes and the priests were not Israelites, so the law was not applicable to them. That the King forced them out of Israel seems to have been a move that God approved of.
It should be noted that there are many instances when people are congratulated in the Bible when they move in the 'direction of right', without actually going all the way. So even if this was incorrectly understood as a law that was to be applied to foreigners also, there is actually no contradiction in one person’s example being spoken well of, versus the actual prescription that should have been followed.
Upvote:1
There are at least two possibilities. The first would be that when the Scriptures say he put them away, it might be referring to Asa's actual implementation of the prescribed Levitical punishment.
Another way to look at it is to divide the two statements. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. He served the Lord with his whole heart and ruled with integrity. Then the writer goes on to indicate one of the other things he did, that is, to put away the male cult prostitutes.
If he did not implement the prescribed Levitical punishment, then he exhibited mercy, but still prevented the practice from continuing in Israel. Was it the letter of the law? No. Would he have been justified in God's sight if he had carried out the prescribed punishment? Yes. (Again, he may have actually carried out the prescribed punishment.)
However, even if he implemented a lesser sentence than what was prescribed, it's only a difference between prescription and practice. The prescription is not contradicted just because one person doesn't follow it.
He may have partially failed in this, but still overall did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. David himself committed adultery and murder, but he is still called a man after God's own heart--not because he never sinned, but that he repented greatly whenever he did and truly sought the Lord with all his heart.
More post
- 📝 Does Catholicism teach that the Wise Men from the East in fact, Jews settled in a far away place?
- 📝 Is there a biblical basis for the division caused by theology?
- 📝 Do any independent sources exist mentioning Jesus' miracles performed and the people He performed them on?
- 📝 How to approach h*m*sexuality scandals in view of Canon Law and Church Tradition?
- 📝 When did Christians switch from an ‘immediate baptism’ to ‘after years of instruction and scrutiny’ baptism, such as in the Apostolic Tradition?
- 📝 Does God forgive those who take his name in vain?
- 📝 What did Luther and Calvin believe about "Lucifer" in Isaiah 14?
- 📝 What does a returning Catholic who contracted marriage in a Protestant church need to do when the spouse wants to remain Protestant?
- 📝 How and when was h*m*sexual practice separated from "h*m*sexuality"?
- 📝 Are there any Christian groups or denominations that teach how to discern between Godly, demonic and psychological experiences?
- 📝 How to get the most out of the Bible with just one reading?
- 📝 How is the Book of Mormon different from the Bible?
- 📝 Is there any historical evidence that would indicate where exactly the ark of the covenant is now located?
- 📝 Which Episcopal Conferences set alternatives for abstinence on Fridays?
- 📝 Could a lowborn during the middle ages read the bible?
- 📝 Why do the successors of the Apostles do not carry the titles and dignity as apostles?
- 📝 How does a Roman Catholic reconcile a preference for purely procreative sex with the Song of Solomon?
- 📝 Is there a Bible-verse, what says that one must not quote the bible all the time?
- 📝 Is Mary's human soul pre-existent in eternity?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, is it a sin to participate in gambling such as State Lottery?
- 📝 Can a person be forgiven outside of confession? (Catholic)
- 📝 What happened to Aaron's staff and the jar of manna placed by Moses in the Ark of the Covenant
- 📝 How did Rahab speak the language spoken by Joshua’s spies
- 📝 Did Melchizedek worship the same God as Abram?
- 📝 What is a Pacifist interpretation of the Cleansing of the Temple?
- 📝 What is the small glass vessel with a brass cap and handle that is next to tabernacles in some churches?
- 📝 Why don't creationists teach a literal firmament anymore?
- 📝 Is intercessory prayer valid?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church’s position on the legalization of drugs such as marijuana or cocaine?
- 📝 Repetition of "and he begat sons and daughters:"
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why did punishment differ in Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Kings 15:11-12?
- 📝 If Adam and Eve were perfect, why did they choose to sin?
- 📝 According to those holding that Lazarus was literally raised from the dead, why did Matthew, Mark, and Luke not mention it?
- 📝 Why did God accept Abel's offering and not Cain's?
- 📝 If both the Orthodox and Catholic Church affirm salvation by grace through faith, why did the Protestant Reformation happen?
- 📝 Why did Rome and Constantinople split in 1054 AD?
- 📝 When did the split in crufix/empty-cross sybolism occur and why did it happen?
- 📝 Why did God make garments of skin for Adam and Eve when they had already made clothing for themselves?
- 📝 Why did Clement and Eusebius believe that Paul was married?
- 📝 Why Do Moses' Laws About Slavery and Punishment Not Align with the Teachings of Jesus?
- 📝 Why did God need to plant the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden in the first place?
- 📝 Why did Adam claim he was "naked" before God when he and Eve had clothed themselves with fig leaves?
- 📝 Why did Daniel consider the allotment of food and wine to be wrong for him to eat?
- 📝 Why did this Early Version of the Watchtower Magazine include Crosses, and what do these other Symbols on the Magazine Represent?
- 📝 Why did the soldiers go backward and fall down when Jesus said "I am he" in John 18:6?
- 📝 Why did the Western and Eastern churches react to their respective states so differently?
- 📝 When, how and why did Mary start to be called "Queen of heaven"?
- 📝 Why did Jesus say "you will be put to death" and yet "not a hair of your head will perish"?
- 📝 Why did God create the Heavens and the Earth?
- 📝 Why did God not want man to have the knowledge of good and evil?
- 📝 When, how, and why did the Moravians stop praying 24-7?
- 📝 If we will have free will and be sinless in Heaven at the same time, then why did God not create a world with sinless free creatures to begin with?
- 📝 When and why did Protestantism begin moving away from liturgy?
- 📝 When and why did the modern literal 6-Day creation theory become popular?
- 📝 Why did St. Martin give half of his cloak, and didn't give the whole?
- 📝 When and why did the devil, or Satan, really emerge as a force in Christian belief?
- 📝 When and why did the Catholic Church first start issuing annulments?
- 📝 Why did Moses have the sons of Levi run about with swords slaying family and friends?
- 📝 When and why did the Catholic Church stop the Crusades?
- 📝 Why did Eve say that "touching" the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would kill you?