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In the book of Leviticus chapter 19

In verse 18, it reads “Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens. Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself.”

BUT

The history of the Israelites (or any other people) has shown that this command was broken many times. God himself often took revenge, and killed numerous people. In this chapter, it was forbidden to eat cooked meat that was more than two days old, to wear clothes made of two “sorts”, to cut one’s hair “roundwise”, to shave one’s beard, and to tatoo oneself.

In the book of Leviticus chapter 19

The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy." Then, a lengthy series of commands was given. Those commands forbade :

parental disrespect, failure to observe the Sabbath, idolatry, eating cooked meat more than 3 days old, harvesting fallen grapes, stealing, lieing, deception, swearing falsely, profanity, fraud, holding wages, cursing the deaf, impeding the blind, perverting justice, showing partiality, showing favoritism, slander, endangerment of another person, revenge, holding a grudge, bestiality, planting two types of seeds in the same field, wearing clothing made of two types of cloth, eating fruit from a tree less than 3 years old, eating rare meat, divination, sorcery, cutting the hair on the sides of one’s head, trimming one’s beard, tatoos, mistreating strangers, and dishonest standards. The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is excluded.

Then

In Deuteronomy chapter 5, this list of 33 items was reduced to 16 items, and the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" was added. All Judeo-Christian religions organized this list of 17 prohibitions into the Ten Commandments. In attempts to rationalize war, and preserve capital punishment, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" has been retranslated by some groups into "Thou shalt not murder."

In the book of Leviticus chapter 20

According to this chapter, death is the punishment for cursing one’s father or mother, adultery, intercourse with one’s stepmother, intercourse with one’s daughter-in-law, homosexuality, sexual activity with an animal, and “consulting the spirits of the dead”

BUT

In Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, it reads “Thou shall not kill.”

In the book of Leviticus chapter 20

In verse 21, it reads “If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.”

BUT

In Deuteronomy chapter 25 verse 5, it reads “When brethren dwell together, and one of them dieth without children, the wife of the deceased shall not marry to another, but his brother shall take her and raise up seed for his brother: and the first son he shall have of her he shall call by his name ...”

In the book of Leviticus chapter 26

In verse 15, God says “If you despise my laws, and contemn my judgments so as not to do those things which are appointed by me, and to make void my covenant: I also will do these things to you …” After this threat, God lists the many things he will do if the Israelites fail to obey God’s laws.

BUT

When the Israelites disobeyed God’s laws only some of the punishments were unleashed, and there was much variety as the Israelites sinned often, but God was highly variable in his response; see Judges chapters 2 and 3 as examples. More variablity was recorded in the books of 3 and 4 Kings. Most of the time, there was no punishment.

In the book of Numbers chapter 6

In verse 8, regarding “sanctified men”, it reads “All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.”

BUT

In verse 14, it reads “He is to present to the Lord … a sin offering.”

In the book of Numbers chapter 15

A man collected sticks, and was accused of breaking the rule of the Sabbath. He was taken before Moses, who ruled that the man was to be stoned to death, and it was done.

BUT

In Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, it reads “Thou shall not kill.”

In the book of Numbers chapter 31

In verses 1-2, it reads “And the Lord spoke to Moses saying: Revenge first the children of Israel on the Madianites …”

BUT

In Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, it reads “Thou shall not kill.”

In the book of Numbers chapter 31

In verse 7, it reads “And when they had fought against the Madianites and had overcome them, they slew all the men.”

BUT

In verse 17, Moses ordered the soldiers to kill the captives, and said “Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children …” [Clearly, at least some of the men survived otherwise Moses would not have ordered their death. His order to kill the captives is a contradiction to Ex 20:13, but Moses exculpates himself by doing what “… the Lord had commanded.”]

[All of the Madianite men, kings, and princes are killed (verses 7-8); all the women and children were taken (verse 9); all the cities, villages, and castles were burned (verse 10), and the Israelites carried away all the booty (verse 11). But, Moses became angry when he saw the women and children (verse 14), and ordered the death of all the women, except for the virgins (How did they know?). Amazingly, there were 32,000 virgins (verse 32). According to verse 36, the 12,000 soldiers got 16,000 virgins. There is no mention of the other 16,000 virgins. Somehow, the Lord wound up with “32 souls”, and those 32 virgins were given to Eleazar, a priest. Incredibly, it was reported that no Israeli soldiers died.]

In the book of Numbers chapter 33

In verses 38-39, it reads “And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord, and there he died … When he was a hundred and twenty three years old.” [Another exception to Genesis 6:3]

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 2

In verse 9, it reads, “Then the LORD said to me: Fight not against the Moabites neither go to battle against them, for I will not give you any part of their land, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot as a possession.” (NIV)

BUT

In Judges 3:26-29, Aod said to the ‘children of Israel’: “Follow me for the LORD hath delivered our enemies the Moabites into our hands.” It then reads (verse 29) “But they slew of the Moabites at that time about ten thousand, all strong and valiant men: none of them could escape.”

BUT

Even though “none of them could escape”, in Ruth 1:22, Naomi returns from the land of Moab with Ruth, so some Moabites survived.

Then, in 1 Samuel, 14:47 Saul defeats the Moabites.

Then, in 2 Samuel 8:2, it reads that David defeated the Moabites, and, for some unexplained reason, killed only two-thirds of them. (NIV)

Then, in 2 Kings chapter 3, another war was fought against the Moabites, and they were slaughtered again.

Then, in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, yet another war was fought against the Moabites. This time, the Lord “set ambushes against them”, and they were “destroyed”

BUT

In spite of the repeated destruction, the Moabites were mentioned again in Ruth 1:6, 22, 2:2, 4 Kings 3, 13:20; 1 Paralipomenon 11:22; 2 Paralipomenon 20; 1 Ezra 9:1; 2 Ezra 13:1, 23, Judith 5:2, Isaiah 16:6-16, and Sophonias 2:9.

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 7

In verse 14, Moses promised that “None shall be barren among you of either sex …” [It did not happen.]

In verse 15, Moses promised that “The Lord will take away from thee all sickness …” [It did not happen.]

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 7

In verses 17-24, God promises that he will "drive out the nations that oppose the Israelites ... ."

BUT

In 2 Paralipomenon (2 Chronicles) chapter 13, Abia king of Judah leads an army against Jeroboam king of Israel. In verses 15-17, it reads, “And all the men of Judah shouted: and behold when they Judah shouted God terrorized Jeroboam and all Israel that stood against Abia and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. And Abia and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand valiant men.” [God’s promise did not happen, and the Israelites were defeated this time, and several more times.]

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 12

In Deuteronomy 12:15, Moses says to eat “… whether it be clean … or unclean …”.

BUT

In chapter 14, Moses reverses his earlier statement, and repeats the prohibitions given in Leviticus.

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 12

In verses 30 and 31, Moses tells the people that they must not worship as is done in other nations because “… in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.” (NIV)

BUT

In 2 Samuel 21:8-14, 2 Samuel 24:15, and Judges 11:30-39, God accepts human sacrifice. Also, the story of Christ, and his suffering and death as atonement for our sins, is the story of God’s willingness to accept human sacrifice.

[The story of Isaac is an acceptance of human sacrifice because God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, and Abraham prepared to do so, but was stopped by an angel of the Lord. This story is always interpreted as a “test” of Abraham’s faith, but that analysis, in my judgment, is false. Clearly, the only reason to send an angel to stop Abraham was that God knew Abraham was going to do as he was told. Also, if, as it reads in 1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalms 139:2-3 and Acts 1:24, that God knows the hearts of men, God would have known that Abraham would do as he was told. There was no need for a “test”.]

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 13

In verse 1, Moses continued the “… precepts and judgments which you must follow …” (which he began in chapter 12), and told the Israelites that “If there rise in the midst of thee a prophet …”, then (in verse 5) “… that prophet or forger of dreams shall be slain …” “Consent not to him, hear him not, neither let thy eye spare him to pity and conceal him.” but (verse 10) “With stones shall he be stoned to death …”

BUT

In Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, it reads “Thou shall not kill.”

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17

Continuing the “precepts and judgments” (Deuteronomy 12:1) which came from God, Moses tells the Israelites that if an idolater is found, then “Thou shalt bring forth the man or the woman, who have committed that most wicked thing, to the gates of the city, and they shall be stoned.”

BUT

In Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, it reads “Thou shall not kill.”