THE SEVEN CATEGORIES OF THE
LAWS OF NOAH...LISTED AS TO EACH COMMANDMENT IN EACH CATEGORY
THE SEVEN LAWS OF NOAH…CALLED
”NECESSARY” AND “WHICH SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY GHOST”
ACCORDING TO JAMES
It is important that we understand from the beginning that Jesus'
church and Jesus' Pastor said concerning the Laws of Noah:
Acts
15:28 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you
no greater burden than these necessary things; (KJV)
The Apostle James
drew from these in Acts 15 when he gave the ruling concerning Gentile
inclusion into the Jesus Messianic movement within Judaism. These
are what the Rabbis of Jesus' day taught concerning what was required of
God for Gentiles to inherit the world to come (eternal life).
The following classification is numbered according to Maimonides as
recorded in his two volume set entitled Sefer Mitzvoth (The
Commandments). These are broken down according to the Seven Laws of
Noah and I highly recommend those who are interested in purchasing such a
set in order to see if you truly are living your life as obediently as
possible before HaShem. I will surprise you to know that many of the
following laws, when researched, have much larger “meanings”
than what you typically thought and many will find as I did when I
consulted such works that there was much more disobedience to the
Commandments of God in my life than I had supposed.
When studying the following commands that are involved in the
non-Jew's Covenant with God understand please that the (-) and (+) are
notations of negative and positive commands as enumerated by Maimonides.
Also given for your are the Scriptural origins from which each of
these commandments originate.
Understand that each
of the following Commandments literally frame the Covenant given by God to
all non-Jewish believers.
I. Prohibitions Against Theft:
- -244-Do not steal (Lev. 19:11, Ex. 20:15)
- -245-Do not rob by violence (Lev. 19:13)
- -246-Do not remove a landmark (Deut. 19:14)
- -247-Do not defraud (cheat) (Lev. 19:13)
- -248-It is forbidden to deny receipt of a loan or a deposit
(Lev. 19:11)
- -250-You must not deceive anybody in business (Lev. 25:14)
- -265-Do not covet another man's possessions even if your are
willing to pay for them (Ex. 20:17)
- -266-Even the desire alone is forbidden (Deut. 5:18)
- +201-Permit the worker to eat of the produce with which he is
working (Deut. 23:25)
- -267 A worker must not cut down standing corn during his work
(Deut. 23:25)
- -268 A worker must not take more fruit than he can eat (Deut.
23:25)
- -243 Kidnapping a Jew is forbidden (Ex. 20:13)*
- -271 It is forbidden to defraud with weights and measures (Lev.
19:35)
- -272 It is forbidden to process inaccurate weights (Deut. 25:13)
- +208 Your weights and measures must be accurate (Lev. 19:36,
Deut. 25:13, 15).
- +194 Stolen property must be restored to its owner (Lev. 5:23,
6:4)*
Establish Justice
- +176 Judges and officials shall be appointed in every town
(Deut. 16:18, 1:16; Ex. 23:1-8)
- +177 They shall judge the people impartially (Lev. 19:15, Ex.
23:3)
- +179 Witnesses shall be examined thoroughly (Deut. 13:15)
- -273 A judge must not perpetrate injustice (Lev. 19:15)
- -274 A judge must not accept bribes (Ex. 23:8)
- -275 A judge must not be partial (Lev. 19:15)
- -276 A judge must not be afraid (Deut. 1:17, 16:19)
- -277 A judge may not favor the poor (Lev. 19:15, Ex. 23:3)
- -278 A judge may not discriminate against the wicked (Ex. 23:6)
- -279 A judge should not pity the condemned (Deut. 19:13)
- -280 A judge must not pervert the judgment of strangers or
orphans (Deut. 24:17)
- -281 It is forbidden to hear one litigant without the other
being present (Ex. 23:1)
- -284 It is forbidden to appoint as a judge someone who is
ignorant of the law (Deut. 1:17, 16:19)
- -289 Do not murder ( Ex. 20:13)
- -290 You must not convict on circumstantial evidence (Ex. 23:7)
- -294 Punishment is not to be inflicted for an act committed under
duress (Deut. 22:26)
- +226 Capital punishment shall be by the sword (Ex. 21;20)
- -292 You must not execute anybody without the proper trial and
conviction (Num. 35:12)
- +178 Whoever is aware of evidence must come to court to testify
(Lev. 5:1)
- -285 Do not give false testimony (Ex. 20:16, 23:1, Deut. 5:20)
Prohibitions Against Homicide
- However I shall avenge your life's blood, from the hand of any
beast shall I avenge it and from the hand of man; from the hand of man
for his brother shall I avenge human life. Anyone that sheds the blood
of man will have his blood shed by man, for man was created in the image
of God (Gen. 9:5,6)
- -289 Do not murder (Ex. 2013)
- An exception to the prohibition of taking of human life in
Jewish law is the permissibility of killing in self-defense, or in the
defense of another who is being mortally threatened.
- Ex. 22:1 (2)-reason to kill
Prohibitions Against Illicit
Intercourse
- -330 It is forbidden to enter into an incestuous relationship
with one's mother (Lev. 18:7, 20:11)
- -331 It is forbidden to enter into an incestuous relationship
with one's step-mother (Lev. 18:8)
- -332 It is forbidden to enter into an incestuous relationship
with one's sister (Lev. 18:9)
- -347 Do not commit adultery (Lev. 18:20)
- -348 It is forbidden for a man to have sexual intercourse with
animals (Lev. 18:23, Ex. 22:19)
- -349 It is forbidden for a woman to have sexual intercourse with
animals (Lev. 18:23)
- -350 Homosexuality is forbidden (Lev. 18:22)
- -351 Homosexuality with one's father is forbidden (Lev. 18:7)
- -352 Homosexuality with one's uncle is forbidden (Lev. 18:14)
- -353 It is forbidden to have intimate physical contact (even
without actual intercourse) with any of the women with whom intercourse
is forbidden (Lev. 18:6)
Prohibitions Against Use Of
Limb Of A Living Creature
- -182 One must not eat any limb taken from a living animal (Deut.
12:23)
- -181 A torn or mauled animal is forbidden for consumption (Ex.
22:30)
Against eating the flesh of any animal which was torn by a wild
beast...which, in part, prohibits the eating of such flesh as was torn off
of an animal while it was still alive (Deut. 15:19)
Prohibition Against Idolatry
- -1 It is forbidden to believe in the existence of any but One God
(Ex. 20:3) Against entertaining the thought that there exists a deity
except the Lord
- -2 You may not make images for yourself (Ex. 20:4)
- -3 You may not make images for others to worship (Lev. 19:4)
- -4 You may not make images for any other purpose (Ex. 20:20)
Against making any forbidden statue (even when they are for ornamental
purposes) (Deut. 13:3)
- -5 You must not worship anything but God in the manner prescribed
for His worship (Ex. 20:5) Against bowing to any idol (and not to
sacrifice nor to pour libation nor to burn incense before any idol, even
where it is not the customary manner of worship to the particular idol
- 6. -6 You must not worship anything in its own manner of worship
(Ex. 20:5) Against worshipping idols in any of their customary manners
of worship.
- -7 Do not sacrifice children to Molech (Lev. 19:31)
- -8 You may not practice necromancy (Lev. 19:31)
- -9 You may not resort to "familiar spirits" (Lev.
19:13)
- -10 Neither should you idolatry seriously (Lev. 19:4)
Prohibitions Against Blasphemy
- +9 One must sanctify His name (Lev. 22:32, 18:21)
- -63 You must not profane the Holy Name (Lev. 23:32)
- +1 To believe that God exists (Ex. 20:2, 13:3)
- +4 To fear God (Deut. 6:13)
- +5 To serve Him (Ex. 23:25, Deut. 11:13; 6:13; 13:1To pray to
Him (Deut. 28:5)
- +9 To sanctify His name (Lev. 22:32, 18:21)
- +11 To study the Torah and teach it to others (Deut. 6:7, 11:19)
- +209 Respect the wise (Lev. 19:22) To honor the scholars, and to
revere one's teacher (Num. 15:25)
- -60 You must not blaspheme the Holy Name (Lev. 24:16)
How well
do we as Christians and followers of Jesus understand the depths and
nuances contained within each of the above Commandments?
It is
possible that as Christians and followers of Jesus that we break and
violate many of the above Commandments out of our ignorance since we know
little concerning the Jewish Roots of Christianity?
Dear ones…let
us come to such knowledge with the intent to rectify the world which we
corrupted with out sins and selfishness and begin this year in sincere
repentance whereby we commit ourselves to strengthening our Covenant with
HaShem by acquiring each and every Mitzvoth listed here as a reflection of
our lives. Truly only in this way will the Messiah come to our people and
our world….blessings….
It is to the
exegesis of each of these commandments and their importance for today's
Christians that we must turn now in our studies.
