Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

To my knowledge, the first clear ordinances on marriages that were forbidden by God based on family relationships were provided in Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20 (as well as being later re-summarized in Deuteronomy), at the time of the giving of the Law to Moses following the exodus from Egypt. 

All examples that I can recall of marriages that were contrary to these guidelines, and yet were sanctioned by God (such as Abraham marrying his half-sister Sarah; Jacob marrying both Leah and Rachel, who were sisters; and Moses being born from the union between his father Amram and Amram's aunt) occurred prior to the giving of these laws. (There was also the case of Lot's daughters causing themselves to become impregnated by Lot (after they had made him drunk) following the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19), but the nations that descended from those actions became enemies of Israel.) 

The only examples contrary to these laws that I can recall occurring after the time that the laws were given were Amnon's rape of his half-sister Tamar, which resulted in Amnon's death at the hands of Absalom (2 Samuel 13); and Absalom engaging in sexual relations with his father David's concubines as part of his rebellion against David (2 Samuel 16), which ended in Absalom's death (2 Samuel 18). Although God did not stop these events from occurring, those who perpetrated them were nevertheless temporally judged through their own deaths.

June 09 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report