The Kingdom of God The Old Testament Hebrew God as...

Regarded by his people as a merciful god, Yahweh, the Hebrew god, historically existed as a lawless entity before evolving into the merciful being, which Jews, Christians, and Catholics alike worship to this day. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament in the Holy Bible, Yahweh (heretofore referred to as â€Å"God†) first creates humankind, and later establishes guidelines that his people must follow in order to avoid chastisement. It is arguable, however, that these guidelines are largely arbitrary, and that this supposed omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresence is merely a temperamental puppeteer throughout the earliest durations of his reign. Rather than initially questioning the righteousness of human nature, God expects his creation to†¦show more content†¦God cannot allow all beings the knowledge that he has, because though created in his image, the finite cannot comprehend the infinite. Therefore, in this instance, punishments issued were justifiable, thoug h primarily cautionary; if God had not punished Adam and Eve in some way, then no foundation would have been set for humanity’s necessity to adhere to God’s word. Aside from the rule Adam and Eve were to follow, the law forbidding murder was the only other real justifiable guideline established in the book of Genesis. This arose following Cain’s jealousy-fueled slaying of his brother Abel; interestingly enough, it occurred retrospectively. God favored Abel over Cain, who became discouraged and did away with his competition. Later, after lying to God about Abel’s whereabouts, Cain was punished and sentenced to life as a wanderer. Three chapters later, after God killed the majority of Adam’s descendants, he explained that â€Å"whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man† (Genesis 9:6). The distinction between good and evil does not provide sufficient justification for punishment following committing an â€Å"evil† deed, especially since God never defines â€Å"good† or â€Å"evil† exclusively. Mortals should not be expected to fully understand