Bible Question: Thou Shall Not Kill is one of the commandments, but the flood caused many to perish. So why can God kill even though he states the above? |
Bible Answer: First of all, the command is best translated from the Hebrew to mean: "You shall not murder." Since Exodus 21 gives us a large list of capital offenses, it would be illogical to assume that God tells us not to kill at all and then goes on to tell us to take the life of another in certain circumstances. Secondly, the best answer is that the taking of human life is the prerogative of God. In other words, God has sovereign control over life and death, and to murder another human being in cold blood is to usurp God's authority over the lives and deaths of his creatures. Therefore, we must always keep the Creator-creature distinction in mind. God has all authority over all things and circumstances, and He has not bestowed all authority on people to act as they see fit in the life-and-death department. --Joe! |