never heard of

Steven_J says...

God acts as if He's never heard of Deuteronomy 24:16, and still thinks that it is fair to punish children for the sins of their fathers.


This is because the injunction given in Deuteronomy 24:16 is not a description of any eternal principle of God's justice. Rather, this instruction pertained to human affairs adjucated by a human court.

We note that Saul's offense to God was not brought before the judicial system. Rather, God himself was dealing with Saul's affront.

There many accounts in the Bible you could choose to point to, Steven, and to which you could say that Deuteronomy 24:16 appears to have had no bearing on whatsoever. But if care to take a closer look at those accounts, you will also note that in each of them it is God himself (and not a human court) that is dealing with offenses against him.

You suggest that the account of David illustrates a "contradiction". You attempt to resolve this contradiction by concluding that David was "utterly ignorant" of Deuteronomy 24:16. "More to the point", you say, God appears to be utterly ignorant of it.

Of course a more plausible explanation is that David is not only familiar with the injunction against vicarious punishment, but that he was also completely aware that this rule constrained only the human judicial system, and that God himself was not bound by this rule.

David was fully aware that this instruction was given specifically in the context of human affairs. David did not share your illusion that this instruction was given as an illustration of God's eternal principles.

Steven, you seem keen to read into verse 16 ideas that are just simply not there. You read into this verse "reasons" that this rule is given to Israel, variously, because it is "fair", or because this is a principle that governs God's dealing with people. You choose to inject your own meaning in place of what the author actually said.

You have failed to demonstrate that it is incumbent upon God to be governed by every rule that he has given to Israel. And you have failed to show any reason (beyond wishful thinking) that we would even imagine this might be or should be so.

Yet you insist that this specific instruction is somehow applicable to God, and should govern how God deals with affronts against him.

In short, there is no real contradiction.

In spite of your claim to the contrary, the simple fact is that Deuteronomy 24:16 is not a repudiation of God's principle of corporate responsibility.